Did you know that 81 percent of Americans would rather receive experience-based gifts, like lessons and event tickets. In a recent survey by Wakefield Research and SpareFoot.com, a whopping 79 percent of respondents said they never use some of their gifts! When you look at just millennials, that number increases by 10 percent! Check out their infographic below; the findings might surprise you! This guest post comes from SpareFoot.com, the place to find the best deals on self-

As an organizer, isn’t it my duty to suggest some non-thing gift ideas? I’ve scoured the web, and here are some of the best ideas I’ve seen. Borrow the ideas this year - I’m going to! Chronicle your family history by assembling photographs, letters, and important documents. Frame a meaningful photograph or put together a photo album or book of family recipes. Give children a gift of music or sports lessons instead of another toy. As a parent, I know these are NOT cheap experi

The Spirit of Giving With the holiday season imminently approaching, I find myself being grateful for the many blessings I enjoy. (Politics aside, it’s been a great year.) This season of giving pulls at my charitable heartstrings, and I often seek ways to give back to our community. In this effort, I've decided to donate a day/month for 10 months in 2017 to help a worthy non-profit organization get organized. After years spent in the nonprofit world, I know first-hand that mo

"Before Anything Else, Preparation is the Key to Success.” Alexander Graham Bell Thanksgiving is a meal that strikes fear in the heart of even the most organized person. These ideas below should help you plan not only for Thanksgiving, but for any holiday meal you may be hosting. Create a game plan Pull out paper and a pen and start making those lists: Grocery shopping, house projects, house guest planning tasks. Get them nailed down today so you’ll know what you have to acco

Let’s face it. We are on the slippery slope to the entire Holiday Season. Without raising your blood pressure at the thought of the holidays approaching, let’s do some simple planning. Here are my top 7 tricks for Halloween! Start with a List Make a checklist of everything you'd like to do for the Halloween season, such as making/getting costumes, having a party, attending a festival or pumpkin patch, carving a pumpkin, getting some scary books or videos at the library, and t

Here’s the truth: I use more plastic eggs at Easter time than real, hard-boiled eggs. I know, I know. They are plastic. And real eggs are actually a healthy snack. But I’m an honest person, so now you know. We have an annual Easter Egg Hunt in our neighborhood that is one of my favorite community events. There are anywhere between 30-50 kids each year who grab their baskets - or pillow cases, in our case - and head to our gorgeous open space in search of the coveted Silver Eg

We’ve just been through a month of decluttering, right, so why bring it right back in with Valentines day? Here are a few ideas to show your love without dragging along a lot of extra clutter. (And yes, we left out the standard chocolate and roses...you could come up with that by yourself!) Ideas for your Spouse/Parter/Parent: Write a real love letter or poem or sone (or read one you feel fits your feelings about your partner). Leave notes of appreciation throughout your hous

Admit it, some of those holiday gifts were not exactly what you needed or were hoping for. You don’t have to feel bad. You’re not the only one who raised an eyebrow when opening that gift card to Lids, or like my daughter, cried when she didn’t get an iPad mini. (Cue embarrassing parent moment.) The first golden rule of receiving ANY gift is to send a thank you note. Period. The gift isn’t about you - the gift is about the person giving it. So smile and be thankful for that p

In our family, I’m the official holiday card maker. I know the painstaking process of selecting photographs, playing with the templates, and deciding how much money to spend on cardstock or rounded corners... So when the floodgates open in December and I’m the recipient of all those gorgeous holiday cards that represent people I love, and time spent making the card…what do I do with them all? (And yes, I do feel blessed to receive so much love at the end of the year!) First,

Gift Wrap Central! You’ve started the shopping - now time to wrap up those gifts before little eyes discover them, right? Here are a few tips to help keep wrapping easy as 1-2-3. ONE. Keep all your holiday wrapping supplies together - not mixed in with your regular gift wrap. That way, everything is ready when you need it: holiday gift cards, ribbon, wrapping paper, tissue. I also throw in an extra pair of scissors, hole punch, festive pens and pencils, stamps and a few rol