Archive for the ‘Tools of the Trade’ Category:
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Have you always wanted to plan your own healthy homemade meals but just don’t know where to start? Are you tired of feeling tired? Ready to take charge of your health? Don’t wait for another year to roll around – now is the time to get organized and start meeting your goals! Our very own Tabitha Colie, Professional Organizer and Holistic Health Counselor will be teaching sessions on Healthy Meal Planning Made Easy.
No matter your age, you can have your best, most energized year yet. Learn valuable tips on how to purge your pantry, makeover your meals, and savor the flavor of healthy and sweet success. Walk away with time-saving techniques for meal planning and preparation, ideas for streamlining your kitchen, and savory recipes that will make every mealtime both delicious and nutritious!
Tabitha’s first session will be Thursday, February 16, 6:30-8:30 PM in White Salmon, WA (Columbia River Gorge area) at D’Lish Delivered kitchen: 521 E. Jewett Blvd. Cost: $40
To register, email Tabitha Colie: tabitha@itssimplyplaced.com but hurry, space is limited!
Look for more Healthy Meal Planning Made Easy classes coming to a venue near you this Spring and Summer – please let us know if you would like to attend a class in your area.
How do you plan your meals at home? We want to know!
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We recently blogged about several ways you can eliminate all kinds of unwanted mail in 6 Easy Ways to Eliminate Junk Mail. Now we have a tool to share with you that will do all the work for you! It also makes for a meaningful gift that everyone needs this time of year when our mailboxes are filled with unwanted catalogues and junk mail coupons.
For $6.75 you can give someone the gift of less by getting them a MailStop Envelope. MailStop will send you a post-paid envelope to put your unwanted mail in. Once you send it back and they will finish the opt-out process for you! MailStop Envelopes are great for people who are too busy to use online services, not Internet-savvy or have never gotten around to stopping their unwanted mail.
MailStop Envelopes save trees and reduce clutter by stopping unwanted mail. Prepaid MailStop Envelopes make simple, practical gifts for your friends, family and co-workers, your unwanted mail goes from your mailbox to the envelope without cluttering your home or office. Once you have collected up to 15 pages, drop the envelope in the mail and relax while someone else cancels all that unwanted junk mail and phone books for you.
Have you wanted to stop your own unwanted mail? Do you know someone who could use a gift of less? We want to hear about it!
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We could all use a few ways to reduce the piles and piles of junk mail we receive every day. Filtering out the good from the bad is a time-waster for all of us. To help, Simply Placed has put together a list of the six best ways to eliminate or reduce the amount of unwanted mail coming to you!
Greendimes.com - has several options available online for you to stop junk mail from cluttering your mailbox. Its worth a look.
National Do Not Call Registry - Although not technically “junk mail” preventing “junk calls” is just as important. Avoid unwanted interruptions from telemarketers by signing on with this national registry. Fewer interruptions mean more flow in both work and pleasure.
Direct Marketing Association - Reduce clutter from junk mail by registering your name and address with the Direct Marketing Association. Make room in your mailbox for things that matter.
41pounds.org - Stops your junk mail and catalogs, while protecting the environment. Reclaim your mailbox and the time you spend sorting each day.
Catalog Choice – Still getting several catalogs the previous owner subscribed to? Have you been receiving catalogs that you never requested in the first place? Used to find one valuable, but no longer want it? Use this site to eliminate unwanted catalogs you receive.
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With the ease of cell phones and email, the special personal touch of sending
a physical card for any occasion has become rare. There is a great feeling that comes with receiving a card in the mail but it can be hard to find the time to buy postage, cards, envelopes, locate that address you have somewhere or sit down to hand-write a message.
With the hectic holiday season approaching it’s a great time to find a solution for all those greetings you planned to send eventually and Simply Placed has found a time-saver for you!
Fortunately, there is an online service that can help take the stress and hassle out of sending a personal, physical card. SendOutCards does the work for you and can even print your personalized card in your own handwriting! You can also create a card using a family photo.
The SendOutCards system lets you conveniently send those holiday cards with the click of a button (and it does the same great job year-round for birthday, anniversary, “thinking of you” or thank you cards without the hassle of pen, paper, stamps, envelopes or mailboxes). You can choose your custom card, add a personal photo, write your message and click send. SendOutCards will print, stuff, stamp and mail the physical card for you. All this for about a dollar ($1!) per card.
Want to know more? We recommend this product and service so highly as a tool to help our clients get and stay organized with their card-sending and “stay in touch” efforts, that we’re distributors and would be happy to help you set up an account. Basic accounts, that give you enough points to send about 10 traditional cards per month, run just $9.80 per month. You can click here to learn more. View the quick 3 minute video for an overview. From there you can either get started with the service, or, if you want to see how it works, feel free to send a card on us!
How often do you send greeting cards in the mail? Do you have a plan for sending holiday greetings this year? We want to know!
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Treat yourself to some sanity! Every few months the
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etting Organized Magazine will serve as a reminder and inspiration to get and stay organized. Each new issue is filled with strategies, motivations, new product reviews and much more. In addition to the magazine, you’ll get the ebook 80 Quick and Easy Tips to Get You Started free with your subscription. Below is some information from the creator, author and a professional organizer herself, Stacey Anderson.
We know getting organized can be difficult and frustrating and that’s why we’re launching Getting Organized- to make it fun, easy and how-to as possible for you. From the closet in your home to the endless emails at work to the greatest organizing mobile apps available, we have it covered. You’ll get previews of the latest products, tips on how to conquer your paper piles, advice on issues like attention deficit disorder (ADD) and much more.
Getting Organized Magazine is the only organizing magazine on the market today dedicated to helping people organize all aspects of their lives. This comprehensive, easy to read magazine covers in-depth topics related to getting and staying organized. Getting Organized Magazine was created by a Professional Organizer with several years of hands-on client organizing experience who understands what readers are really struggling with.
This subscription includes one year (4 issues) of Getting Organized Magazine, the print version, delivered to your address in the U.S.
Check out a free preview edition on
the website. The first printed issue launches in January 2012.
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Do you know of someone (or maybe it’s you) that has a ”unique”, “special” or “different” relationship with time? Some people notice (or don’t notice) the passage of time differently. Sometimes people run late, not because they mean to upset those who are waiting for them, but because they didn’t plan properly or time “slipped by”. Other people get “lost in time” when doing certain tasks, especially those that are electronic (because its so easy to get lost down the “rabbit hole” of the internet and “link chasing”. Still others have deadlines and want to set boundaries of time, but find that “time flies” and before they know it, they’ve gone past the amount of time they intended to spend on something, or the deadline has passed. Many children (ok, adults too) have a hard time conceptulizing “how much time is left” or “how much longer” we have to do something, or to wait.
This can all be a source of frustration. Traditional clocks help to a degree, but don’t solve the problem completely. With digital clocks, it’s easy to see what time it is, but what about how much time has passed? It can be easy to lose track when you can’t see how much time has progressed. Enter the Time Timer.
The Time Timer solves the problem of lost elapsed time by providing a visual measurement of the passage of time. The user sets the timer by sliding the disk to the amount of time they would like to “use” or “indicate” is left. That amount of time is shown in red. As time elapses, the red disk dissapears, creating a graphic image of the passage of time.
Check out all three sizes of the Time Timer, each counts down up to one hour and has a optional sound when your desired time has elapsed. Additionally there is an software version for your computer, to help you track your online time, and an app for your iphone or ipad. Lastly, there is a Time Timer watch, for those who want to “wear” their timer and alway have it with them.
Applications for using the Time Timer are endless. We use them for client sessions, to keep Debbie on time during speaking engagements, to stay on task during project work, to let kids know “how much time left until I can __________”, etc.
For what purpose could you use the Time Timer? We’d love your ideas!
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The Vital Records PortVault
In our last post, we featured the Life Maintenance Toolkit, which is an outstanding product to help us prepare and organize our important documents in case of an emergency. In this post we are going to share another great product that is available to help organize your vital records in case something should happen to you. This product is called The Vital Records PortaVault which was launced in 2006 by Sherie Dodsworth. Sherie invented this after seeing a video of Hurricane Katrina victims being evacuated from their flooded or destroyed homes with nothing but the clothes on their backs and then living in a football stadium with thousands of people. She realized how limited natural disaster victims were in their ability to take vitally important records and documents of their lives with them and keep them secure.
The Vital Records PortaVault system is a zippered case made of durable canvas and includes an adjustable shoulder strap and sturdy handle providing a grab-and-go solution for emergency situations. The PortaVault system utilizes a series of pre-printed labels and record protectors to identify, organize and store hundreds of pages of documents. In addition there are several custom forms which help summarize critical information that individuals and families use in their daily lives and for future planning.
The Vital Records PortaVault is an easy to use, comprehensive system that identifies, organizes, stores and transports all of your important records commonly found at home.
For more information or to order this product, click here!
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Life Maintenance Toolkit
To continue on with our National Preparedness Month theme, our next two posts will be about organizing your papers and affairs in case something happens to you. We have two great resources available that we would love to share with you this month. The first product that I want to talk about is called the Life Maintenance Toolkit, which is a comprehensive guide to organizing the important things in life.
Some of us are extremely organized individuals that have everything in order and can quickly find things when we need them. Others of us are not so lucky. When it comes to the really important things in life, it can be crucial to be organized! Are your important papers and files organized and easy to find? Could you or a family member put your hands on them immediately in case of an emergency? Do you know where a current copy of your will is, your insurance policies, your retirement plans, etc.? If this task sounds way to daunting for you to tackle, we have good news!!!
This is an outstanding toolkit which includes an assessment tool that helps you prioritize the areas to focus on first and provides you with basic information about how to go about evaluating, executing, and maintaining them. The toolkit covers topics like budgets, wills, financial recordkeeping, healthcare Power of Attorneys, home inventory, retirement plans, credit report and credit scores, computer backups, living wills, emergency plans, identity theft monitoring, password security, insurance needs, home security, personal health records, and storage of critical documents.
The toolkit also includes:
- An Excel-based Life Maintenance Assessment Tool
- Information on each topic to enable educated decisions
- How-to steps
- Available resources
- Templates and samples
- Recommendations for ongoing maintenance
By having your important life documents in order, it will make it so much easier on family or loved ones that may need to access them if something should happen to you. We hope you take the time to create your own Life Maintenace Toolkit.
We would love to help you implement this toolkit in your home. Please feel free to contact us with questions, or to set up an appointment!
If you do decide you and your family would benefit from a Life Maintenance Toolkit, we can provide if for you or you can order it online. If you order online (through any of the links above), please remember to indicate in the “note to seller” that you heard about it from Simply Placed.
To your organized life!
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As we mentioned in a previous post, September is National Preparedness Month, so this month we will be blogging about things like making an emergency kit, making a family emergency plan, and organizing your papers and affairs in case something happens to you. We know these aren’t fun topics to think about, but it will bring you and your family a peace of mind to know that you are as prepared as you can be if something should happen. In this post, we will talk about how to create an emergency kit and some of the essential items to have. There are many great emergency kit checklists available online…one that we like is from the ready.gov website.
According to their website, here are the recommended items to include in a basic emergency kit:
- Water, one gallon of water per person per day for at least three days, for drinking and sanitation
- Food, at least a three-day supply of non-perishable food
- Battery-powered or hand crank radio and a NOAA Weather Radio with tone alert and extra batteries for both
- Flashlight and extra batteries
- First aid kit
- Whistle to signal for help
- Dust mask, to help filter contaminated air and plastic sheeting and duct tape to shelter-in-place
- Moist towelettes, garbage bags and plastic ties for personal sanitation
- Wrench or pliers to turn off utilities
- Can opener for food (if kit contains canned food)
- Local maps
- Cell phone with chargers, inverter or solar charger
While these are the recommended items, there is a list of additional items to consider adding to your emergency kit. Check out the complete list here!
If you are taking the time to create an emergency kit (and we hope that you are), it would be a good idea to make an emergency kit for you car as well. ConsumerReports.org has a great detailed article on creating a roadside emergency kit. Be sure to check out the full article here!
I know that for many of us, creating an emergency kit has been on our “to-do” list for a very long time. Why not take advantage of this year’s National Preparedness Month and get this project checked off your list? You will be so glad you did! Try calling a friend and make your kits together…shopping with another person is always more fun, right? Take a minute right now to jot down a day and time that you will make this task a priority this month. If you want us to help keep you accountable, let us know and we can follow-up with you to make sure you got your kit made. If you want our help in putting the kit together, we’d be happy to do that as well.
Be organized. Be prepared. Have peace of mind.
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Is there a silent killer lurking in your home?
September is National Preparedness month. This post is one of several we’ll do this month about things you can do to make sure you’re prepared in case something happens that is beyond your control. Natural disasters are not predicted, nor controllable, but the way you prepare for and organize for one is. Additionally, we’ll talk about small things you can do to prevent “non-natural” disasters, such as carbon monoxide poisoning. Please read this important post by guest blogger Jeff Dyer:
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Don’t invite silent killers into your home
Home is where the heart is. It’s where you share holidays and build family memories.
But your home can also serve as an unsuspecting host to a silent killer. The assassin is actually invited into your home disguised as the accomplice of your trusted common household appliance. This notorious villain has no form; it is odorless, tasteless and causes flu-like symptoms that can lead to brain damage and death.
This killer has a name. It is carbon monoxide. And the cause of death is appropriately named carbon monoxide poisoning. And under normal circumstances the amount of carbon monoxide generated by your oven or your furnace is maintained at safe levels and vented out of your house. But if appliances are somehow damaged or have not been serviced regularly and kept in good working condition can, they can become an unwanted and dastardly visitor in your home. Items that were never intended for indoor use — like a charcoal grill or running your car in a closed garage—can quickly produce dangerous amounts of carbon monoxide. Even swimming behind a motorboat or riding in the back of an enclosed pickup truck can be dangerous.
Symptoms
Symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning may include:
Dull headache
Weakness
Dizziness
Nausea
Vomiting
Chest pain
Confusion
Irritability
Impaired judgment
Loss of consciousness
Carbon monoxide poisoning can be especially dangerous for people who are sleeping or intoxicated. The fumes may be fatal before anyone realizes there’s a problem.
Last year there were almost 1,400 deaths blamed on carbon monoxide poisoning across the US. That number equates to approximately one death in every 2,400 people, or 0.04 percent. Every year there are sad stories in the news about families with limited incomes who are overcome by the fumes from an indoor camp stove or charcoal grill they brought indoors for heat.
Special offer
The needless deaths were behind the new regulation adopted into the King County residential code recently that requires Carbon Monoxide detectors in all new residences and multiple-family residents in the county. As a special offer to clients of Simply Placed (and friends of Debbie Rosemont), my company—Custom Sound and Security—can install a top-of-the line carbon monoxide detector in your home for only $39.99 (plus tax). Think of the detector as one more contribution of the service Simply Placed provides for its clients, helping people work and live at their best.
A carbon monoxide detector, installed at the right height in your home, could be a lifesaver. A simple, inexpensive, no-brainer, in our opinions!
One more ominous warning: You can purchase carbon monoxide detector at most hardware stores and home improvement centers. But the key to protecting your loved ones is proper installation. Numerous people with working detectors in our own community have been overcome by toxic fumes in their homes simply because they were installed at the wrong height.
The toxic gas fills a room from the top down, so installing the detector near an outlet (less than 12 inches from the floor) means that people in bunk beds or just standing up in the room could be in serious trouble before the gas mixes with enough air to set off an alarm that is mounted too low. Carbon monoxide does rise act like smoke or the heat from a fire, so simply placing your new detector next to the smoke alarm is also a waste of time (and money).
Whether or not you decide to take me up on my offer, feel free to contact me for some free advice on where and how your carbon monoxide detector should be installed in your home to best protect your family.
And, please, get the word out on this silent killer. This is one crime we can prevent.
Jeff Dyer / Custom Sound and Security / mrhifi@hotmail.com / 425-205-9509
