Get Organized: Preparing for Emergencies

When little boys around America join the Boy Scouts, one of the first things they learn is the Scout motto -

Be prepared.

But what has a boy to be prepared for, other than sword fighting with friends, playing video games, and pestering their sisters?

Funny you should wonder this, in fact, as someone asked Baden-Powell, the founder of Scouting, that very question: "Be prepared for what?"

"Why, for any old thing," Baden-Powell replied.

Wise advise for kids and adults alike!

Real Simple magazine helps women everywhere live like a Scout through their feature "How to Prepare for an Emergency." From power outages to house fires, their guide offers lots of tips to be ready for any circumstance!

My favorite suggestion -

"Do a disaster dry run. One weekend night, unplug the phone, turn off the lights, don’t use any faucets or the stove, and see how well packed [your emergency kit is]."

Keith Robertory, an emergency-preparedness expert with the Red Cross, explains why this is so important: "You’ll discover little things, like you packed C batteries when you needed D’s for the flashlight, or you could have used a deck of cards for entertainment."

This kind of test will help you update your emergency kit so that you and your family are ready to face unthinkable circumstances with the best supplies available.

How do you get organized for potential catastrophes?

National Magazine Seeks Tips from Real Women on How to Get Organized

Do you have a special organizing tip that helps you get organized and stay organized?

If you have something - a routine, a hint, a method for keeping your home neat and tidy - a national women's magazine wants to know! They are looking for fresh ideas from real women around the country.

Send your submissions to Leslie Pepper at LeslieLido@gmail.com by Friday, July 3rd. (BTW, pro organizers can submit as well, but keep in mind that only your name, city, and state will be included in the article, not your business name or website.)

Once your organizing tip is approved, you'll find out what magazine it is! And it's big...

Don't forget to share your ideas here! We'd love to know the scoop...

Get Organized: A Can't-Miss Tip for Air Travel

If you travel a lot, or even just a little, you understand what a pain airport security can be!

Especially if you're a chick. You want me to fit all my liquids and lotions into that little bag?

My good friend Skipper recently facebooked about this very thing and how she found a great solution.

Midwest Bottles offers small, travel-size containers at a fraction of the cost you would see in stores. According to their website, all items are discounted at least 25% or more everyday.

Skipper, always one to tell it like it is, hit the nail on the head when she said -

"I found Midwest Bottle company who sells little plastic bottles in all kinds of sizes for dirt cheap. The heck with those websites selling 4 bottles for $25. Puleez. I bought 8 bottles for $2.50 and got to pick out cute colors..."

Puleez is right!

How do you get organized for travel?

Get Organized: Coupious Gives Us Coupons Without All That Clipping Nonsense

You're at the checkout counter, you reach for your 10% off coupon, and - it's not there! ARGH!!!!! No way are you dropping everything you just scooped up in the store to drive all the way back home.

At this point, not only have you lost the $15 bucks you would have saved, you've lost your temper...at yourself. If only I would have been organized enough to not forget!

Fortunately, there's an up-and-coming cell phone app that will keep you on top of your coupon game. It's a *free* service called Coupious, and it brings the coupons right to you, wherever you and your mobile might be.

According to the Coupious website:

"Coupious is a simple application that enables you to get coupons and discounts for businesses in your area right on your phone. You run the app, pick a coupon, and when you're ready to check out, simply hold up your phone to show the cashier the offer code. That's it! Saving money has never been easier."

Sweet! Total score for lazy coupon clippers everywhere...

Currently, Coupious is available on the iPhone, iPod Touch, and Android platforms, but there are plans to add BlackBerry, Windows Mobile, and Palm systems later in 2009.

Also important to note - Coupious is only up and running near Purdue University in Indiana. At least, until all the systems kinks are ironed out. But rest assured, it'll be coming to a cell phone near you...so be on the look out!

If you could, would you use Coupious?

Get Organized: Something Every Woman Should Try to Do During Her Lifetime

I was browsing through the June issue of Ali Magazine, when I flipped the page and saw "20 Things Every Woman Should Try to Do During Her Lifetime" pop out at me. I was immediately intrigued -- I love reading stuff that challenges you to think and do out-of-the-box.

And to my pleasant surprise, organizing made the list at #19!

According the the author,

"On October 10 of every year, make a vow to fill up 10 trash bags full of things in and around your home that are simply taking up space! De-clutter the environmental chaos of your life that takes up room and decide to let it go...throw away, donate, or give away the items to people...who may find them as appealing as you once did!"

(That's easy to remember, too - 10 bags on the 10th day of the 10th month.)

When you think about it, it makes sense that organizing would be included in such a list. Because when you get organized, it gives you this indescribable feeling. You're finally free! You're no longer tied to the chaos, and it's no longer tied to you.

And while it may not be bungee jumping or walking on fire, it's an equally important high...one that will impact your life forever -- in a really good way.

So tell me, how does organization enrich your life?

Get Organized: Q Is for Quasi Modo's Componibili

This post is part of the "Organizers A to Z" series. Cool organizers you could live without, but why would you want to?!

Everybody's got 'em! Doodads. Gizmos. Thingys and thing-a-ma-jigs. All those little items here and there that need a "home," but somehow, day after day, continue to be homeless.

Many catch-all organizers are pretty standard and, well, pretty boring.

That's why Quasi Modo's Componibili grabbed my attention. It's got a great design, and it's stackable, which is always a huge plus!

The only downside is that, because it's designer-made, it comes with a heftier price tag. But that being said, if you've got a little extra spending cash and you love the design, why not splurge?! I have discovered that if an organizer inspires you, then you're more likely to use it.

How much? $200 range

Where? Buy at Quasi Modo

Why? Because if this little Italian export is anything like other Italian exports (FOOD! PURSES! SHOES! MEN!) - then it's bound to be good.

How do you store your little stuff?

Get Organized: Woman Mistakenly Trashes $1M Mattress

We all have those flashbacks that make us think: I'm so stupid! Why did I do that?!

An Israeli woman had one of those very moments this week, when she realized she had junked a mattress stuffed full of US dollar bills and Israeli shekels -- over $1 MILLION total!

MSNBC reports that "she bought her elderly mother a new mattress as a surprise on Monday and threw out the old one, only to discover that her mother had hidden her life savings inside. When she went to look for the mattress it had already been taken by garbage men...Subsequent searches at three different landfill sites turned up nothing."

Talk about a good deed gone awry! Who knows if the cash will ever be recovered, although I certainly hope it will be.

One thing's for sure: we can all stand to learn from this unexpected, unintentional, and expensive mistake. When you're weeding through belongings to donate or trash...

(1) Check the value of a potential "to toss" item, even if you don't think it can possibly be worth anything at all.

You just NEVER know its true value...

(2) Check thoroughly inside the item, in both places meant for storage (like pockets and drawers) and in places not intended for storage (like behind picture frames and inside mattresses).

You just NEVER know what's lurking...

Have you ever mistakenly tossed a treasure?

Get Organized: An Easy Way to Recycle Beauty Products

Are you really going to use that lotion that you got at the office gift-swap party 2 Christmases ago? Ummm...no.

Chances are, you've got some beauty products that are -- but really shouldn't be -- taking up some valuable real estate in your bathroom.

This week, I encourage you to go through your bathroom storage, tossing anything you no longer need, want, or use.

But don't just put the bottles and boxes into the trash! Opt to be environmentally responsible.

According to a 2008 survey by O.B. Tampons, "Women confess to having about on average 12 products in their vanities...With 112,804,773 women over 20 living in the U.S., that’s a lot of packaging! Unfortunately, according to the EPA, approximately 1/3 of landfill waste is made up of this type of packaging."

If you'd like to help improve the statistics, here's a quick and easy way to recycle your old beauty products and reduce your overall waste footprint:

Take your trash stash of old bottles, jars, and tubes to any of the 550 Origin stores or department store counters.

As part of the "Return to Origins" recycling program, Origins will accept beauty products from any brand, ultimately converting donations into energy or recycled packaging.

What's your secret to recycling beauty products or toiletries?

Get Organized: Taking the *Errr!* Out of Online Shopping

Alright, all you online shop-a-holics, have I got a cool new gadget for you!

I myself love to shop over the internet, but I hate, hate, hate the checkout process. Having to type in my credit card information - it's just SO tedious!

But there's a solution that's fast, easy, and safe. It's called SmartSwipe, and it may just become your new best friend.

I think the picture pretty much says it all! But for those of you who are curious to know details, there's more.

According to SmartSwipe's homepage, "SmartSwipe is the world’s first truly secure personal credit card reader...you can swipe your credit card at your home or office computer just like you would in a store."

You might be thinking: Sounds good, but how secure is secure?

In an feature called 10 Cool New Mobile Gadgets, PC World highlighted SmartSwipe's safety and versatility:

"The next time you buy something online with your credit card number, don't type it, swipe it. NetSecure's desktop device lets you shop online while bypassing keyloggers or other malware that could sneak onto your PC. Just download the the SmartSwipe software, plug the mouse-size card reader into a USB port, click the SmartSwipe button inside Internet Explorer when you're ready to make a purchase, and swipe your plastic. SmartSwipe uses Dynamic SSL to encrypt your card data before it reaches your PC, and then inserts the information into the proper fields in the site's shopping cart. SmartSwipe works with thousands of e-tailers from Amazon to Zappos, and functions in Internet Explorer 6 or 7; support for IE8 and Firefox is in the works."

And online shoppers around the world say: WOOHOO!

Would you use a SmartSwipe to streamline your checkout experience?


Note: Graphic courtesy of SmartSwipe.com

Get Organized: Martha Stewart's Guide to an Organized Summer

We've talked about how we shouldn't compare ourselves to Martha before. But that doesn't mean we shouldn't learn some good organizing tips from her!

MSN recently showcased "Summer Organizing Tips" from Martha Stewart mag that'll help you have an organized...

- Garage
- Picnic
- Car trip
- Beach trip
- Garden
- Carry-all
- Chore list
- To do list
- And more!

My fave suggestion from the feature is the canvas carry-all tote -- it looks so cute and simple to make! According to the website, the "three-pocket pouch can easily be fashioned from a carpenter's canvas nail apron (available at hardware stores)."

How do you get organized for summertime?