Lauren

The Essential Thirty-One Bag

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ThirtyOneJulySpecialPage1

I was recently at a clients house and she had a really cute tote bag. When I asked about it she told me about Thirty-One Bags. I decided to check out their website and since they were offering a special discount I decided to order one. My tote bag arrived and it’s even better than I thought it would be!

They work so well for a variety of organizational uses:

  • Groceries
  • Farmers Market
  • Travel
  • Beach/Seasonal
  • Library books
  • Kids stuff

Here’s an idea: Inside each tote keep zipper pouches or makeup bags for smaller supplies and essentials!

ThirtyOneJulySpecialPage2To Order, Contact:

Kelly Hartman
Ind. Senior Director
mythirtyone.com/kellyhartman
http://www.facebook.com/groups/KellysToteallyAwesomeCustomers/

Empty Your Storage Unit

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storageunit

“Organization isn’t about perfection, it’s about efficiency, reducing stress and clutter, saving time and money, and improving your overall quality of life.” – Christina Scalise

Do you have a storage unit? Do you know what’s in it? Do you know what it’s costing you?

According to the Self Storage Association,

  • The asking rent for a 10’x10′ unit in the U.S. (Q3-2013) was: non-climate controlled $115/month; climate-controlled $146/month.
  • About 13% of all self storage renters say they will rent for less than 3 months; 18% for 3-6 months; 18% for 7-12 months; 22% for 1-2 years; and 30% for more than 2 years
  • Some 65% of all self storage renters have a garage but still rent a unit; 47% have an attic in their home; and 33% have a basement
  • Some 47% of all self storage renters have an annual household income of less than $50,000 per year; 63% have an annual household income of less than $75,000 per year

You could buy all the stuff that’s in most storage units for the price of the annual rental fee or much less—and that doesn’t include the cost of the moving truck! Think about what you could be spending that money on right now – paying off debt, a vacation, down payments, etc. Plus, the longer your stuff sits in a storage unit:

  • The more value you lose on items
  • Risk of damage increases from precariously stacked boxes
  • Bugs or rodents can infest cardboard boxes

Storage units are meant to be transitional: places to keep belongings while moving, marrying, divorcing or dealing with a death in the family. However, many who have them are now simply using them as a place to store extra stuff, even though the home sizes continue to grow.

Our OAL team would be happy to help clear out your storage unit. We will guide you in selling some of your valuable items and donate the rest to great local causes. Currently we are supporting Relay for Life and Habitat for Humanity. Which would you rather have, an expensive storage full of unused and unwanted items, or a full heart as you help support great causes in our community?

Summertime is the perfect season for lightening your load!

How can we help you?

June Garage Special : Just In Time for Father’s Day!

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P1000529

Is the man in your life looking to get that garage emptied? How about the OAL gals do it for him! We can totally transform a garage in just a few hours! We bring all the supplies, help weed through everything, and haul it away at the end of day. What better way to treat him this Father’s Day?

1 Free Hour With the Purchase of 3 Paid Hours

Valued at $150!

 

Just mention this post to validate the offer. Valid 6/1/2014-6/30/2014

New Additions To OAL!

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Please help us welcome the newest member of our OAL team – Sasha Brodeur! Sasha has been a good friend of mine for years. She is an amazingly organized person and I knew instantly that she was the perfect fit for us. I encourage you to read the bio she wrote and check out her blog – Lemonade Makin’ Mama!

sasha profile edited_Fotor

Hi I’m Sasha, a wife to my high school sweetheart and mother to a tween and a teen. I’m also a part time writer/blogger, amateur photographer and artist. I have always loved organizing and find that it comes fairly naturally to my personality. My favorite areas in life to use my organizational skills, are my studio and linen/entertaining closets.

My studio is ever-changing as I go through periods of different kinds of creativity. I love using attractive storage containers that allow me to see what I need and get to it quickly. I tend to prefer collecting antique blue ball jars with zinc lids and use them to corral items like wood alphabet stamps, stray ribbon pieces, small tubes of glitter, etc. Because I sell my artwork, I enjoy a studio space one where my creativity is displayed as well as made. I only have a small space for the many creative projects I enjoy, but I have found that by staying organized and consistently re-thinking how it could work best for whatever season in life I’m in, it keeps my creativity flowing. You don’t need a ton of room to make a creative space work, you just need some well thought out organization.

As for my linen/entertaining closet, I love keeping easy to pull-out baskets stocked with the seasonal items I like to entertain with in there. For example, in the spring, I begin putting together a basket stocked specifically with outdoor utensils, plates, chargers, pretty napkins, votive candles and such. It makes impromptu entertaining a snap and only takes a few minutes to quickly restock at the end of the night, which keeps me organized for any function I’m inclined to host.

Because I’m a mom with two very active kiddos, organization is not only necessary, but it’s all about creating a long term solution for my needs that keeps my life simple in the short term (and often chaotic) moments. I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to work alongside Julie and Becca, to help others find that kind of peace in their daily spaces.

Formula For a Home

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JuliesGrandfather

Recently our family spent some time sorting through a few very old scrapbooks and we came across a newspaper article (probably from the early 1920’s)  in my maternal grandfather’s belongings.  He passed away when my mom was a very young child so I never knew him, but I found this article profound.

“But if it’s a place where, more than anywhere in the world, we would rather live, where, more than anywhere in the world, we feel that we can be ourselves and be understood – if for us it is the nearest thing to heaven on earth – it has found the formula for being a home. Yes, young lady, a home can be both clean and comfortable, both efficient and friendly, both disciplined and endearing. And when you grow up, all this please remember – for if you make and manage such a home, when comes your time to do so, you will be performing your highest mission in life. And neither the young nor the old would wander so much or stray so far, if there were more such homes.”

I’m certain that when my grandfather saved this article he was not even married yet. He did however take his role as a future husband and father very seriously based on the message in this article (and from some other items that we discovered).

Little did he know that his youngest granddaughter would take these words to heart as well. Not only in my own home, but in many of the homes I work in.  I believe a home should be a haven and a resting place – “where, more than anywhere in the world, we feel we can be ourselves, be understood – if for us it is the nearest thing to heaven on earth – it has found the formula for being a home”.

I am also fully aware that “home” is a painful place for many, but I trust that this article from so many years ago will be a reminder of what home can and should be.

Book Recommendation: Minimalism

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via theminimalists.com
via theminimalists.com
Over the years I have read a lot of books about organizing; some have been amazing, some were boring and some were how-to instruction manuals which were helpful but dry. What I’ve come to realize is that the process of getting organized is so much greater than “containing our things”.  It’s really much more about lifestyle choices and that’s why I loved the book so much!  Creating a balanced life is hard work, but the rewards are truly lifelong.  It’s a great summer read. In fact, I already gave my copy away because summer is almost here and I want my house to be totally clutter free so I can be outside as much as possible!

Here is the book description:

“At age 30, Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus left their six-figure corporate careers, jettisoned most of their material possessions, and started focusing on life’s most important aspects. And they never looked back.

 

This book’s foreword and first chapter examine Joshua and Ryan’s backgrounds, their troubled pasts, and their eventual spiral into depression. These chapters discuss why the authors didn’t feel fulfilled by their careers and why they turned to society’s idea of living: working ridiculous hours, wastefully spending money, living paycheck to paycheck. Instead of finding their passions, they pacified themselves with ephemeral indulgences, inducing a cocaine-like high that didn’t last far past the checkout line.

 

And then, after a set of life-changing events, they discovered minimalism, which allowed Joshua and Ryan to eliminate life’s excess and focus on the essential things in life.

 

The subsequent chapters explore their journey into a lifestyle known as minimalism and discusse why these two successful businessmen eschewed their excess stuff in favor of focusing on life’s the more important aspects: health, relationships, passion, growth, and contribution.

 

The authors discuss how minimalism allowed them to focus on each area, citing personal examples of how they changed everything in their lives over a two year span, during which time they left their corporate jobs, got out of debt, changed their diets, started exercising regularly, strengthened their core relationships, established exciting new relationships, began pursuing their passions, contributed to more people, and found ways to be content and happy with their lives.

 

The final chapter, Confluence of Meaning, binds together these five dimensions and asks the reader important questions about his or her life. “

Looking for a place to start? Check out the article “Organizing is Turning You Into a Hoarder” recently written by Millburn and Nicodemus for the Refinery29 website.  It’s a great article with 10 spring/summer tips to help you pare down your belongings and live a happier, lighter, more meaningful life. It’s never to late to start!

Check out their website and buy the book on Amazon. It’s also available for download as an ebook and audiobook.