Part 1: Taming the PAPER MONSTER!!!

YIKES!!!!

First Step: Figure out where it is all coming from?

Start by making a list of the types of paper that you handle every day. Common clutter culprits include the following:

• mail-junk, bills, mass marketing
• school or work papers
• magazines
• catalogues
• coupons
• receipts
• newspapers

It has been my observation that we probably need to keep about 20% of the paper that comes through our doors! Ask yourself these questions?

• Do I keep things I don't ever look at again? 
• If the answer is yes, then you must be willing to actively eliminate the sources. Could you discontinue a newspaper subscription and read it online instead? Cut down on the number of magazine subscriptions? Apply for ebills(I LOVE ebills)? 
• A HUGE source of my clutter is catalogs...They drive me nuts! Not only are they a huge waste of paper and fill up the landfills, they tempt me to buy things that I do not need! Go to www.catalogchoice.org to make sure you get only the ones that you want to get! Most stores have online stores..No need for catalogs! 

These are just a few things that are easy to begin! Follow these tips to start with, and you will notice a difference in your paper monster right away! Next post, we will talk about what to do if your papers are already spilling out of every nook and cranny of your home!

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Some Garage Inspiration to Get Your "Wheels Turning"

Ok, so how many of us have garages that look like this? I don't, but wow, would I love if I could pull in after running around in a frenzy all day and see this!..Ok, so maybe this is only how Martha Stewart's garage looks, but we can go for something close, right? I love that the walls are painted...we should try and treat our garages as an extension of our homes, right? After all, our dearly beloved cars sleep in there...Who is with me? Fall is a great time to go for it!

Ok, so this next picture has...yes, white walls like the vast majority of us. BUT, notice the similarity..Nothing much is on the floor..Love that. You can then actually sweep all of the nasties away! The other thing that makes these garages look so neat is the continuity of shelving type..When you have a bunch of mis matched types of shelving, it is just naturally not as pleasing to the eye..causing things to always look disorderly..

So how did I do for my first Life~Uncluttered Blog? Did it get your "wheels turning" about what you can do in your garage? Now I just need to see about getting some followers! Off to bed..Going to The Beacon of Hope tomorrow to help organize staff spaces!