My Mom is an amazing person, Mom, professional, and friend.  Here she shares her tips for managing clutter and creating the space for something new… for the things we truly want and deserve in our life.  As she says, “You know how passionate I am about managing the things we can manage and eliminating those things that clutter up our lives.”

I thought I would share her ‘list’ with you so you can get going on clearing and make room for creating! Please share your comments, feedback, or your own ideas in the blog comment section

1. Open your mail daily or at a minimum every other day.
2. Shred or destroy all junk mail with 2-days. Eliminate the junk in your life.
3. Unsubscribe to emails that get in the way of reading the good stuff.
4. Eliminate clutter or stacks of old magazines from the rooms. There is a sense of order and sense of satisfaction when these items are tossed out or recycled.
5. Pay bills each week rather than daily or monthly.
6. Take a look at your monthly financial commitments. Create a spreadsheet to see what approximately what your monthly nugget is – update this monthly.
   • Estimated bills
   • Debts (to anyone)
   • Minimum payments
   • Summarize the information so you have a monthly view of your expenses
7. Obtain new insurance quotes to reduce costs – auto, home, medical. This can be done on-line or through a broker and you may be surprised at the savings.
8. Re-evaluate basics like cell phone plans.
9. List any money you may have coming in from taxes or rebates  and buy one $1 lottery ticket weekly.
10. Use a credit card that provides airline miles that can be used efficiently – Alaska is good for the west coast.
11. Manage your 401K funds at least quarterly. Do it today because it is a great place to make free money and cut losses that happen by lack of management.
12. Use any and all products you already have in the house before buying more.  Be creative.
13. Recycle clothing by dropping them at a consignment shop for credit.  Small, friendly shops are the best.
14. Make sure your bank does not charge any fees especially if you are a long time customer with a number of accounts.  I found that they did not have me on the right plan for what we had and we now have free everything. It would not have happened if I did not ask.
15. Keep your calendar up to date and don’t over commit except when it comes to blocking out time for yourself.
16. Develop a routine (time in the day or week) for certain items – paying bills, doing laundry, exercise, housework (break house work in to manageable pieces when you can do it along side your spouse, roommate, etc. – it is shared and goes much faster).  Place it on your calendar or a note in the kitchen until you get into the routine.

Choose a few things to focus on each week until your home, life, and career are truly humming to the tune you want and need for a happy, successful experience!