Table of Contents
To you, someone who strives to create a rich, authentic and clutter-free life by finding and keeping more of your money, time, and energy!
Special Thanks
To my mom, Sue Novak, who taught me among many other lessons the benefits of keeping a bunch of paper towel tubes, margarine tubs, and shoeboxes on hand. To Dad and Stacey, who have taught me about caring for our planet and those who live on it, including each of their special cats. To my sisters, Brandy, Jessica, and Kristy, who picked up the phone every time I called to brainstorm ideas, even if they were in the middle of planning a wedding, having a cookout, or walking one of their children to school.
To Jessica Faust of Bookends, the most superfantastic literary agent any author could hope for. Youre the literary version of eHarmony, consistently matching me with the project thats just right for me. To Christel Winkler, my editor at John Wiley & Sons, who believed in this book, and to the entire publishing team, each whom of contributed his or her own touch to make this book the best it could be. To my many Girl Scout leaders, including the spirited Mrs. Betty Riker, who taught me respect for the people and things around me. Because of her, I always leave an area better than it was when I found it. And to my Mastermind GroupKaryn Greenstreet, Pamela Wilson, Katherine Scott, and Susan Burgerlike any great Mastermind Group, these ladies inspire, support, and challenge me. Thanks for the smores, ladies!
Welcome
Because you picked up this book, I have to ask, how would your life be different if you had an extra thousand dollars? Really think about it. Do you have a home repair that needs to be made or a child getting ready for college? Are you living paycheck to paycheck, or would you simply sleep better knowing you had a little more money in the bank? No matter where you are financially, we can all agree that an extra thousand bucks (or two or three) would be nice to have. So, whether you want to take a five-star vacation or save your home from foreclosureor use that money for anything in betweenthis book is for you. Youll learn how to keep more money in your pocket and even make money by paring down your possessions. Youll also discover how to plug up your cash leaks by shopping at home.
I promise, this is not your mothers financial planning book. It is unlike any other organizing book on the market. Although I have financial planning in my background, my true love is organizing. I mean, I really love it, with an I-cant-wait-tilmorning-jump-out-of-bed-this-never-feels-like-work kind of love. As a result of my many years of working in clients homes and meeting people who attend my workshops, I know one thing for certain. Were overwhelmed, and we feel hopeless about our state of disorganization. I mean, even I have had to clean up before company arrives, have misplaced the brand-new printer cartridge, and have bought another jar of marinara sauce when I already had more than I can use in a year sitting in the pantry. You never thought youd hear an organizer admit that, huh? Well, its true. I try, but Im not perfect. Thats what makes me the Worlds Most Relatable Organizer.
Why I Wrote This Book
Many years ago, while working for a large financial planning company, I often met my clients over their kitchen tables, and I noticed a common themeclutter. Many clients had to move piles of papers off their tables before we could sit down. Then they had to sort through these piles to locate the necessary documents, such as bills or bank statements that we needed to complete their financial profiles. Not only were their filing cabinets overstuffed, but they had misplaced important paperwork and had lots of possessions they werent using packed into their closets. As part of our appointment, I helped them figure out which papers to keep and which to shred. I helped them weed out their filing cabinets and bring order to their home offices. On our second appointment, when I returned with their financial profiles, they often realized that they were spending more money every month than they were bringing in, thus creating a shortfall.
Now, Im no Suze Orman, but I know thats a problem. So I continued to help my clients clean up the clutter to find and keep more of their money. Sometimes we found $500 hiding in a wardrobe closet in the form of a bridal gown that they can sell, and other times we saved $5,000 in unnecessary storage rental fees because they were hoardingI mean, housingitems they could no longer remember or identify. It was exciting for me to be part of their transformations from being overwhelmed to being organized and from being cash poor to cashing in. Thats when I officially hung out my shingle as the Worlds Most Relatable Organizer.
From the many clients Ive had over the years, I learned that there are four ways our clutter makes us poor. (Real names and identifying details have been changed to protect the cluttered):
1. We cant find what we own, so we simply buy more. Take, for example, Jennifer, whom youll meet. Shes a single professional and has bought more than her fair share of jeans and black turtlenecks because the ones she already owns are missing or in the laundry.
2. We hold on to items of sellable value. Kristin is newly married and fairly certain shell never use the pasta maker that someone gave her as a gift, yet shes renting storage to hold on to it, just in case.
3. We dont repurpose what we already own; we simply buy new. Tracey, a married mom of two, has been known to throw glass jars into the recycling bin just before she heads out to buy glass vases for fresh flowers.
4. We allow clutter-cash traps to go unattended. Maryann, a married self-employed professional who is a year away from having an empty nest, has admitted to missing the filing deadline on more than one scholarship application.
Half-and-Half Organizing: TheSolution to Your Clutter Problem
From this day forward, youll take a new approach to conquering the chaos in your home: half-and-half organizing. Youll make money by paring down what you own by half; then youll plug your cash leaks by shopping at home. Youll learn to repurpose items you already own, instead of buying new. You can save hundreds of dollars a year by simply organizing your clutter-cash traps and selling the clutter for big profits.
Half-and-half organizing is not an all-or-nothing kamikaze technique. It can be tempting to think that you either have to de-clutter every room in your home in one weekend or you might as well not do anything at all. Those of us who fall into the perfectionist category often feel that if we cant do something right, we wont do it at all. But this project is too large to tackle all at once, so youll start out in small, bite-size pieces, and before you know it, youll be richer and more organized.
Consider the first pass through your home to be a rough draft. You can always go back and do more or perfect the project in your spare time. For now, you simply have to do a little at a time and keep it up until its done.
This book will help you if:
You find yourself embarrassed, overwhelmed, or feeling hopeless about the clutter.
You dont know where to start or are not sure what to do first to get organized.