Archives for October 2007

What to do with old letters

My wife and I have been together since high school. Yes, we’re high school sweethearts and we’ve now been with each other for more than half our lives. Over the years, we wrote each other quite a few letters. My wife studied in France for two semesters and we attended colleges that were quite far from each other. And, this all took place before e-mail had become popular.

We recently came across two shoe boxes full of old letters we wrote to each other during our college years and we were at a loss as to what to do with all of them. Most of them are quite silly and pointless, but there are some letters that actually convey some long distance heartache. So, rather than pitching all of them in the garbage, we went through quite a few of them and tried to narrow down the collection to something more reasonable. After a quick scan of hundreds of letters, we pared the collection to a much more reasonable collection of twenty. Now, instead of two shoe boxes full, we have all twenty wrapped into a little bundle with ribbon. My wife made them look very nice and now our daughter can eventually read these letters when she is older (a lot older in some cases).

We also considered scanning some of the letters, but my wife decided against that. For those of you who have a ton of old letters in your possession, you may want to think about getting rid of the majority of your collection. Surely they aren’t all gems.

Posted by Matt on Oct 18, 2007 | 35 Comments | Tweet This | Tags: , ,

Record your uncluttering activities

JournalKeeping a blog, digital photography journal, or a written journal detailing your uncluttering efforts can be a great way to stay on track with your organization efforts. Whether you’re trying to get things organized in your home or office, recording your improvements can be a worthwhile endeavor. For one thing, if you start to slip in your routines, it is good to have an outlet where you can review what you have already done.

Keeping a record of your improvements also can be fun. Think about weighing the clutter you remove from your home and keeping a “pounds lost” list. Write goofy poems about the things you find (“Ode to the single sock”). Video the transformation and then edit it into a 30 second speed film.

Uncluttering can be fun and stress relieving, and recording your success is a great way to stay on track with your progress.

Posted by Erin on Oct 18, 2007 | 21 Comments | Tweet This | Tags: ,

Save on Leopard for your Mac

We know that a good proportion of our daily readers are Mac users, so we thought that we would pass along the following savings advice. Amazon has cut the pre-order price of the Leopard operating system, scheduled for shipping on October 26, from $129 to $109 for single-users. Additionally, the pre-order rate comes with free shipping and a lowest price guarantee: “Order now and if the Amazon.com price decreases between your order time and release date, you’ll receive the lowest price.”

You can pre-order Leopard here.

Leopard looks to be a faster option than Tiger, and it comes with the clutter-alleviating program Spaces. Spaces allows users to group “application windows and banish clutter completely. Leopard gives you a space for everything and makes it easy to switch between your spaces.”

Pitter patter, Leopard. Pitter patter.

Posted by Erin on Oct 17, 2007 | 11 Comments | Tweet This | Tags: ,

Microwave Drawer frees countertops of clutter

Our appreciation goes out to Apartment Therapy for directing us to this item:

Microwave Drawer

Sharp has introduced a new Microwave Drawer, which sits below the countertop instead of above or on it.

The angled touch controls are convenient and easy to use. In addition, there is no need to remove the dish from the oven to check, stir, or turn the food. For even greater convenience, a gentle pull on the handle opens the Microwave Drawer Oven automatically. Just push it gently and it closes automatically, too.

It is 24″ wide and has space to hold a 9″ x 13″ dish. This below counter microwave would be perfect for installation in a bar or kitchen island. Apartment Therapy reports that units sell for around $800. The drawer concept is certain to be a new trend, especially in homes where keeping countertops clear is a priority.

Posted by Erin on Oct 17, 2007 | 28 Comments | Tweet This | Tags:

Unitasker Wednesday: Heated lotion dispenser

Lotion Warmer

How many times have you cursed the ice cold lotion that you apply to your hands? I can honestly say I have never done such a thing, but that’s just me. Conair must believe that a lot of people are sick and tired of using ice cold lotions so they created the Heated Lotion Dispenser.

Now applying lotion to your body is no longer torture. You will now welcome the warmth of the electrically heated lotion. All you have to do is plug in the Conair Heated Lotion Dispenser and in two minutes you have warm buttery lotion to apply to your hands and skin. Features include:

  • Works with your favorite hand or body lotion
  • Heat works synergistically as lotion dispenses
  • Reservoir is removable and dishwasher safe
  • 1 hour auto shutoff
  • 2 Minute heat-up time
  • Variable temperature control
  • 6′ line cord

Now, all you need to do is plug this little thing in and enjoy the nice relaxing warmth of the lotion on your skin. Don’t thank me, thank Conair.

(Thanks to our reader Valerie for the suggested Unitasker.)

** Unitasker Wednesday posts humorously poke fun at the single-use items that seem to find their way into our homes.

Posted by Matt on Oct 17, 2007 | 17 Comments | Tweet This | Tags: ,

GPS buying tips

If you travel in your car quite a bit you probably already have a GPS system, but if you are considering one you may want to do a little research as to what you really need. GPS systems can be quite expensive and you may be overpaying for bells and whistles that you will never use.

CNET has a some tips for GPS systems highlighting what you need to consider.

…you pay a price for the convenience of a built-in navi system. For instance, the Dodge Magnum SRT8’s navigation system is an $1,870 option. Compare that to the color, touchscreen TomTom One, which comes preloaded with maps of the U.S. and Canada for $299.

Besides the cost factor, the portable nature of aftermarket navigation units means that you can take them with you on vacation and stick them in your rental car, where you’re most likely to need them. In addition, hard drive or Flash-based aftermarket units tend to have more detailed and up-to-date maps than DVD-based factory systems, since new updates can be easily downloaded from your computer.

If a GPS system is something you may be interested in, you can say goodbye to that gigantic road atlas and trim down on your car clutter with a tiny after market GPS system or built-in system.

Posted by Matt on Oct 16, 2007 | 20 Comments | Tweet This

Simple solution for small packets in your kitchen pantry

Card FileHere’s a simple solution for packets of dry goods in your pantry: Store them together in an index card file.

I store packets of yeast in a 3×5 card file and larger packets of taco and stew seasonings in a 4×6 card file. These card files keep small packets from getting lost behind boxes of pasta and cereal and they make inventory simple when creating grocery lists.

An index card file is just a simple, inexpensive way to keep clutter at bay in your pantry!

Posted by Erin on Oct 16, 2007 | 27 Comments | Tweet This | Tags:

Save money and help the environment

Kill-a-WattToday is Blog Action Day and this year’s theme is the Environment. We figured we would use this as an opportunity to explore a few ways you can reduce your home energy consumption and save money at the same time:

  • The Kill-a-Watt Electricity Usage Monitor can help you figure out how much energy is being consumed by the appliances and gadgets in your home. The unit’s LCD display indicates the number of killowatt-hours used by anything plugged into it. This information can help you determine whether it makes sense to replace the devices you already own with newer and more energy-efficient versions.
  • Most people don’t realize that some electrical devices draw current even when they are not being used. The Kill-a-Watt will also help you identify what devices you should be unplugging when not in use. When it’s time to replace that aging television, opt for an LCD model over plasma. LCD units consume much less electricity. They also don’t have problems with burn-in, which means they’re also likely to last longer.
  • Most people are already hip to the benefits of compact fluorescent lightbulbs. If you’re not concerned with having a little less illumination, you can go a step further and invest in LED lightbulbs which use far less electricity and last far longer than even compact fluorescent bulbs. Yes, they are expensive, but they will pay for themselves over their 10-year life-span.
  • Clean your refrigerator coils periodically. Doing so can dramatically improve the efficiency of your refrigerator. If you don’t have a suitable vacuum cleaner attachment, you can buy a specialized brush that’s up to the task.
  • Programmable thermostats allow you to automatically change the temperature of your house when nobody is home, which can save you hundreds of dollars a year.

Do you have any energy-saving tips? If so, please share them with other readers in the comments section below.

Posted by PJ on Oct 15, 2007 | 12 Comments | Tweet This | Tags: , , ,

Pardon our dust

Frequent visitors to this site will undoubtedly notice some changes to Unclutterer today. Over the weekend we made the switch from Movable Type to WordPress. While we were performing the migration, it seemed like an opportune time for us to make a few other changes we had been planning:

  1. For the time being we’ve decided to move the advertising to the far-right column (away from the content) to make it less obtrusive. We hope this makes your reading experience more pleasant.
  2. We wanted to make it easy for you to refer this site to a variety of social bookmarking sites, but we didn’t want to litter-up the page with a multitude of little icons, so we are now using the Share This plugin from Alex King. You’ll find a link for this functionality at the bottom of every post. Give it a whirl.
  3. Near the bottom of the middle column you’ll now find a list of the posts that are currently the most popular.
  4. Those who access our content with RSS feed readers might temporarily notice duplicate items appearing. A required change to the URL scheme for permalinks is the source of the issue. We apologize for any inconvenience this might cause.

All these changes have been made in an attempt to serve you better. As always, please let us know in the comments below if there’s anything we can do to make this site even better.

Posted by PJ on Oct 15, 2007 | 9 Comments | Tweet This

No shoes = less cleaning

Most people don’t enforce a “no shoe policy” in their homes, but I’m getting ready to because I’m tired of cleaning and re-cleaning the floors of my home. Instituting a no shoe policy may be where I am heading especially with my daughter eventually reaching the stage of “total dirt ball.” She will inevitably enter the house with shoes full of dirt and grime and track it throughout the house.

I’ve been to homes where they are militaristic in their no shoe policy and I must admit that it definitely keeps the floors and carpet much more clean. So, if your floors stay clean longer, it is reasonable to assume that you will end up cleaning the floors less often. Which frees you up to do things that you’d rather be doing, like playing outside with your kids in the mud.

Posted by Matt on Oct 13, 2007 | 123 Comments | Tweet This

Empty rooms? Get rid of them

Reader Vicky writes in to ask:

I was wondering whether you might have any thoughts on what to do with the empty spaces left behind from de-cluttering. Specifically, we have decided that two full rooms of our house – the guest bedroom and the formal dining room – are serving no purpose and we would like to get rid of everything in both rooms. But what should we do with these new wide-open spaces? Having a blank formal dining room right as you walk in the house is a bit of an eyesore, and moreover it creates a temptation to fill the space with new purchases we don’t need.

Now, you should take what I’m about to say to you with a grain of salt, because you’re talking to a serious unclutterer here, but I would take the opportunity to do something radical.

Sell your home and move into something smaller.

American home sizes have more than doubled since the 1950s, yet we constantly complain about not having enough space. The bigger a house we buy, the more we buy to fill it, and this has led to the proliferation of the self-storage industry. Now that you’ve realized that you don’t need those two extra rooms, why look for excuses to fill them up again? That said, if you’re passionate about ballet, for example, and you’ve always wanted a dance studio and it will bring you joy to have one, by all means repurpose the room to be a dance studio. But, you wouldn’t be asking what to do with your space if you had a definite idea.

To me, a formal dining room is a unitasker. If you don’t use it more than two or three times a year, why bother with it at all? And, think of how much money you’ll save if you move into a smaller, cozier space. You could have your house paid off in much less time, or move in closer to the city to shorten your commute.

Posted by Jerry on Oct 12, 2007 | 40 Comments | Tweet This

Workspace of the Week: Cool simplicity

This week’s Workspace of the Week is xtremetothemax’s compact work and living space. He’s done a great job with such a small space. I love the furniture choices. There’s a lot in there, but it doesn’t look crowded or cluttered. Check out the rest of his pics.

Want to have your own workspace featured in Workspace of the Week? Submit a picture to the Unclutterer flickr pool. Check it out because we have a nice little community brewing there. Also, don’t forget that workspaces aren’t just desks. If you’re a cook, it’s a kitchen; if you’re a carpenter, it’s your workbench.

Posted by Jerry on Oct 12, 2007 | 4 Comments | Tweet This

Mint: Uncluttered money management

If you are like me, you have multiple websites to visit to get all your financial information. Your bank account, credit card, and savings may be scattered across the web. But with an easy to use interface Mint takes all of your financial info and displays it rather easily. It only took me five minutes to enter my four separate accounts. Now all my finances are in one place for easy viewing.

From Mint:

Mint allows you to view all of your banking and credit card transactions side-by-side, making identifying all of your transactions much easier and faster than ever before.

How does this help you? We make it easy for you to track down erroneous charges or bank fees, and keep a closer eye on your money.

Mint even lets you label your transactions so you know what bills you need to split with your friends or roommates, know which ones need to be reimbursed for your company, and more.

And for those of you who are not thrilled about giving up your financial info to a third party, here is Mint’s security promise:

Mint provides bank level data security and industry leading identity protection. Its security and privacy have been validated by VeriSign and TRUSTe.

Check them out. Oh, and did I mention this service is free?

Posted by Matt on Oct 11, 2007 | 28 Comments | Tweet This

The Unclutterer Philosophy

The first Unclutterer post came on Jan. 6 of this year and was titled “A manifesto on simple living.” Since Jerry’s first musing, more than 300 posts have appeared on the site reflecting that initial vision.

The philosophy of the site is at the heart of everything we do at Unclutterer. If you haven’t stumbled upon Unclutterer’s first post, here is an excerpt from it that speaks to the essence of our site:

Choosing to live simply, to me, is trying to find balance in order to enjoy what one does have, and to avoid becoming overwhelmed by clutter. It means consciously choosing to have fewer things, but knowing that what you will have will be high quality items that you truly cherish.

Simple living, therefore, should not be about asceticism, but about getting rid of (or preferably avoiding) distractions that prevent us from enjoying a modern, luxurious life. It’s about smart consumption, not no consumption. As Albert Einstein said, “Things should be made as simple as possible, but not any simpler.”

This vision has served as inspiration for our lives, and we hope that it can do the same for you.

Posted by Erin on Oct 11, 2007 | 8 Comments | Tweet This

Items to buy in bulk

Last week, I warned against going overboard at bulk warehouses by purchasing large amounts of food due to the low price per unit. I didn’t give any suggestions as to what items make sense to purchase in bulk. Here is a list of items that definitely lend themselves to be purchased in bulk (thanks to our commenters):

Diapers/Wipes: If you have a child in diapers, the late night run to the closest store for diapers is a pain. Buying diapers and wipes in bulk makes sense and it saves you from unnecessary trips to the store.

Paper products: I hate buying paper towels and toilet paper, but they are necessities. There is no need to worry about paper products not being used and they will never expire. Just make sure you have the space to store your inventory.

Party essentials: If you entertain on a regular basis, buying certain items in bulk can save you some time and money. Cups and paper or plastic plates are a great idea to buy in bulk. If you are having a cookout, hot dogs and hamburgers can also be purchased.

Frozen foods: If you have the freezer space to store extra meat such as chicken breasts, ground beef, salmon filets, or tenderloins, go right ahead and fill up your freezer. You can also store frozen fruits and vegetables for a very long time. Feel free to take advantage of their long shelf life.

Buying in bulk can be a great way to save money, but it can also be a great time saver. Again, try not to go overboard when shopping at a bulk warehouse and remember to look past the savings and think of what you need.

Posted by Matt on Oct 10, 2007 | 22 Comments | Tweet This

Unitasker Wednesday: The butter cutter

One of the luxurious benefits of eating a catered meal is, of course, the pat of butter that one receives to put on your bread. I always enjoy getting my own personal pat of butter and I longed for the day that I could do the same in the comfort of my own home.

Enter the Butter Cutter. Now pats of butter are available for the masses. Don’t settle for using a butter knife to retrieve your butter, simply cut a whole stick of butter into uniform pats that will make everyone’s meal that much easier.

** Unitasker Wednesday posts humorously poke fun at the single-use items that seem to find their way into our homes.

Posted by Matt on Oct 10, 2007 | 19 Comments | Tweet This

How high should you go?

I instinctively follow this rule when stacking things in my home:

If items are alike in every way, stack as high as the shelving and item itself safely allow. If items are different, stack only three high.

Dinner plates, towels, and rolls of toilet paper get stacked as high as the cabinets in my home will let me. (Dinner plates=8, towels=5, toilet paper=4) If I need any of these items, I just grab from the top of the stack because they’re all the same.

Pots and pans, board games, and sweaters, on the other hand, stop at three in a stack. I do this because I know that if I remove the lowest item I will take the time to properly replace the two on top of it. If there are five varied items in a stack and I need the fourth item, I may put everything back in order a few times, but inevitably the stack will become a mess.

I don’t know why this is the case, or how I came to make this realization about myself, but it’s the way of my world. To some people it may be obvious, but it may be a helpful tip to others. Take a look around your house and see if you tend to have a mess erupt in one location. Is a stack of items to blame? If so, you may want to consider reducing the size of the stack if the objects in it are different.

Posted by Erin on Oct 9, 2007 | 11 Comments | Tweet This

Organizing gift wrapping supplies

Tubes of gift wrap are cumbersome and always find a way to cause a mess. If you don’t already have a designated storage system for your gift wrap, then you may want to consider putting one together or purchasing a pre-made system.

I use the Gift Wrap Organizer (pictured), which has served me well over the years. I hang it in my office closet and only pull it out when I use it. I purchased tape and scissors specifically to be stored with the gift wrap so that everything is in one spot when I need it.

I keep five tubes of wrapping paper in the storage sleeves: One roll of heavy, plain white (for wedding and anniversary gifts), two rolls of holiday paper (one with a snowman print and the other a solid gold), a conservative stripe (for father’s day and male birthdays), and a neutral with polka dots (for mother’s day, female birthdays, and baby showers). If I had children, I would probably have a sixth tube of printed, youthful paper. In the front pockets I have stored bows, ribbons, and clear scotch tape. The side pocket holds a pair of scissors. The top back pocket holds white, cream, pink, and blue tissue paper. Finally, the bottom back pocket holds 10 gift bags in varying sizes (most of these are recycled from gifts people gave to me).

I found other pre-made systems that look like they could work well, too:

Keep gift wrap from causing a mess in your home with a self-made or purchased organization system specifically designed for this purpose.

Posted by Erin on Oct 9, 2007 | 47 Comments | Tweet This

Reader Elizabeth explains the pain of growing up in a hoarding household

Reader Elizabeth sent us the following e-mail and corresponding photographs. Her message was heartbreaking and honest, and she has agreed to let us share it with you:

My parents have a compulsive hoarding problem. I don’t mean that they’re “a little disorganized” or “let the housekeeping get the best of them.” They’ve had this problem since I can remember–and it’s affected me for much the worse.

In high school, there was no free horizontal space in the house–no tables, no desks, no countertops–clear of junk. I had to do my homework on my bed or go to the library. (And, yes, I had the same problem as them, too!)

The photos [which appear below] were taken almost a year ago. In the ensuing time, the house has gotten much, much worse. This is pretty organized for them.

For those of you with children, keep in mind that you aren’t just getting rid of clutter for yourself–your organization has a direct effect on your child, whether or not they can articulate it. If you or your spouse has a problem with hoarding, take care of it sooner rather than later. My mom was the one with the clutter problem and it drove my dad crazy–but he didn’t do anything about it. If he had, even if she hadn’t liked it in the short term, we all might have had a happier life.

If you or someone you love has a problem with hoarding, please seek help. As Elizabeth has so accurately explained, hoarding affects more than just the person with the problem.

Posted by Erin on Oct 8, 2007 | 52 Comments | Tweet This

Dream homes for unclutterers

I have a file on my computer labeled “Dream Home.” The file is a numerical list of features I would like in the home of my dreams. Except for the fifth item on my list (gas stove, electric oven), the whole of the list is organization related.

Here are a few excerpts:

1. Washer and dryer/laundry room/linen closet on the same floor as the master bedroom.

4. A dedicated closet/small room for kitty litter-robot. The space must be well ventilated and accessible by kitty door.

13. Cubby in kitchen cabinetry at counter level to hide regular use small appliances like crock pot and toaster.

What are organization features you would include in the home of your dreams? If you have your perfect home, what features are in it that aid in organization? Please share your ideas in the comments!

Posted by Erin on Oct 8, 2007 | 54 Comments | Tweet This