Hoarding Articles and new "Buried in Treasures" group forming

There have been a lot of articles on hoarding in the newspapers lately. Read some of them to learn how prevalent hoarding actually is.

Fatal Blaze Complicate by Hoarding

Animal Hoarding - Nevada Bill

Fatal Fire - Leads to Hoarding Death  


Residents Frustrated with Hoarding Neighbor

FDNY Trains to Battle Fires in Apartments with  Hoarding Problems

 

  

BURIED IN TREASURES WORKSHOP

         A Group to Address Hoarding Behavior

   

        The Buried in Treasures Workshop is about

          more than clutter...

· Overcoming challenges

· Increasing motivation

· Reducing acquiring

· Prioritizing and celebrating choices

Self-Help & Empowerment

For

Finders and Keepers

Is clutter getting in the way of how you want to live your life?

Are you feeling overwhelmed with too many possessions?

Are you embarrassed to have people over?

This program offers a 16-week course that is based on the book ‘Buried In Treasures’​.  Join us for this group created by and for people who are ready to live a less - cluttered life! 

​The Buried in Treasures group is for people who would like to learn tips on how to de-clutter and stop over-acquiring with people who know what it’s like. Each week we will have a discussion around a specific skill, followed by the completion of challenging and rewarding exercises.

Individual progress, challenges, successes, and goals are also monitored throughout the sixteen weeks.

Participants are expected to commit to attending all the sessions as well as to participate actively.

A Buried in Treasures Group is forming at

St. Paul Lutheran Church

202 Brooks St.

Missoula, MT 59801

Sessions start Thursday, May 25^th from 3:00 pm – 5:00 pm

This group offers a judgment-free environment for people ready to make a change in their life.

Registration required. Call or email for more information.

(440) 666 – 9326 or  kefconsulting@gmail.com

Being ORGANIZED looks like.... feels like.....

What does being ORGANIZED look like and feel like?

It looks like:

• a cleared off  kitchen counter
• a cleared off dining room table
• an entry way where you aren't tripping over shoes or bags
• a closet where you can find the shirt you want to wear
• a drawer where you can find the scissors
• a pantry where you can find the jar of pasta sauce you know is in there
• a bedroom where you can find your bed

It feels like:

• you belong there
• you are comfortable there
• you want to be there
• you take pride in your home
• you aren't embarrassed to have your friends over
• you are calm
• you are stress free

Being organized is about more than just an uncluttered home or office. It's also about having an uncluttered life. It's about clearing the stress.

Being organized helps you with your physical, paper, digital, time, brain, relationship, emotional, mental and spiritual clutter.

Being organized brings about a sense of calm.

What do you want your organized home or life to feel like?


Less Clutter = Less Stress ^SM     in your home, your business and your life 

Organizational Consulting Services

http://www.organizationalconsultingservices.com/

Merging Families - Organization Needed

When people blend their families together they not only create a new family unit - but they usually also create a lot of excess. As in - extra stuff!

Instead of having one toaster - they now have two. And two sets of living room furniture. And two sets of .... everything!

Merging families - and their "stuff" - takes planning, patience and a willingness to let go. It's now "ours" - instead of "mine".

But where do you start?

It all depends. Are you moving into a new home or will one of you be moving into the other persons home?

If you are moving into a new home then you will need to decide what furniture will fit into the new space. Whose is in better condition? Whose makes more sense? If there are kids involved you will need to be realistic and practical. Fancy furniture and kids usually don't mix. Save yourself some tears and be practical.

If you are moving into the other persons home - well - that's a tough one. You need to start with  honesty and decide what each of you is willing to give up and what each of you needs to feel comfortable.

If you have a favorite chair or a special piece of furniture - let the other person know how you feel. But - make sure that it will actually fit into your new home.

Take a look at all of the duplicates - especially in the kitchen - and decide whose is in better shape. If your toaster is brand new and his is 10 years old - it's a no brainer. But then again - nothing is ever that easy.

If you have older kids - maybe they will want some of the furniture and things for their apartment. If not - you can sell, give away or donate the duplicates.

After you have gotten rid of all of the duplicates - think about your paperwork next - and merging files.

Merging families and households can be stressful. Think about hiring a Professional Organizer to help you with the process. An outsiders' opinion is much easier to accept than that of a family member!


Take our Personal Organizational Assessment to see how organized you really are.


Less Clutter = Less Stress ^SM     in your home, your business and your life 

Organizational Consulting Services

http://www.organizationalconsultingservices.com/

Tax Preparedness: Gathering Essential Documents

It happens every year. Taxes are due. People everywhere are eagerly awaiting their W2's so they can file their tax returns. Right?

Maybe not - there are a lot of people that put off getting all of the needed paperwork together until the very last minute. Why?  Because they aren't organized. They can't find the information they need. It's not in a convenient location or in a convenient format.

Receipts have been misplaced or are non-existent. Stress builds up and all thoughts of taxes are pushed out of their thoughts. Until April. And then the panic sets in. Again.

This happens every year. So why not break the cycle?

Put together a list of all of the things that are needed to file your taxes. Then make folders and as these things come into your home - put them in the appropriate folder.

Make sure that you have a "donation" folder - for all of your donation receipts.

Have a folder for your investment information. A folder for your medical bills. A folder for children's expenses. A folder for major purchases.

The system has to work for you. Each person is different and has different information that they need to capture.

Use this year - as you get ready to prepare for your taxes - as a learning tool for what kind of information you will need to capture for next year.

By being organized - by having all of the needed information in one place - your life will be much less stressed.

Tax time is not a fun time for anyone - except tax accountants.  So take the stress out of the equation by being more organized.

Keeping good records throughout the year will make year end and tax time a breeze.

So take a deep breath and get your paperwork in order and resolve to make next year a better one.

Read an article from the IRS about some of the documents that you should keep:  Tax Preparedness: Gathering Essential Documents



Less Clutter = Less Stress ^SM     in your home, your business and your life 

Organizational Consulting Services

http://www.organizationalconsultingservices.com/