From The Past: April 15, 2009

I was unsuccessful in my attempt to find the following article online, so I am sharing the entire piece here, instead of only a link. This article was in the April 14, 2009 edition of Woman’s Day magazine and was written by Arianne Cohen.

  You want to do your part to reduce, reuse, and recycle, but how can you do it so it works for you? Organizational expert Erin Rooney Doland, the editor-in-chief of Unclutter.com, says all you have to do is ask yourself: Do I really need this? To help you figure out which items can be donated (reuse!), and which items you can skip at the store (reduce!), here’s her evaluation checklist:

BEFORE YOU BUY

* Do I absolutely love it?

* Do I already own anything that performs the same function?

* Does this item save me time or space, or otherwise make my life easier?

* Where will I store this?

* Is this the best possible price and quality I can get?

* Do I need to do more research before I buy?

BEFORE YOU RETURN IT TO THE CLOSET

* Does this item serve a clear purpose in my life?

* Do I have another item anywhere in my home that does the same thing?

* Have I used this in the last year?

* Is it broken, and if so, will I actually get it fixed?

* Does it make me happy to look at or use?

I was drawn to this article not for the “green” aspect, but because I am a un-clutter junkie. I love to sort out closets, cabinets, drawers, attics; you name it and I can de-clutter it. I should have made this my occupation because it gives me a charge!

Just a few days ago, I went through all our spices and threw out the outdated jars. Then, I headed for the medicine cabinet and did the same. I was happy!

I am a very organized person and I enjoy getting other people organized. A deceased friend used to pay me to clean her children’s toy room. She hated the job, but I truly relished getting all the Barbie stuff in one place, the dollhouse furniture in the dollhouse, putting clothes back on the baby dolls, returning Mr. Potato Head’s parts to his body and so on. But, this is also true when it comes to organizing bills or other papers.

I think I missed my calling!