NEAT & SIMPLE LIVING

The TRUE cost of things

"The cost of a thing is the amount of what I will call life, which is required to be exchanged for it, immediately or in the long run."
--Henry David Thoreau

When you think about buying things, or decide to keep things you no longer really love or use, how often do you stop and think about the true cost of things?  I'm talking about the true cost of owning the thing throughout it's life cycle.  

For example, are you aware of how much time you spend maintaining the things you own?

When you think about buying something, do you think about the time, energy and money it will take to:

- Shopping for things
- Choosing and buying things
- Storing things, choosing and buying containers, shelves etc. 
- Fixing things (especially houses and cars - do you really plan for all the repairs?)
- Cleaning things
- Looking for things
- Inventorying and insuring things
- Worrying about people taking your things and paying for security systems
- Yelling at your kids about things
- Fighting with your spouse about things
- Figuring out how to let go of things such as finding some one to give them to

How much of the cost of your home actually goes directly to storing things you can't find when you need them anyway?

Do you argue with people in your life about stuff? Is it worth the trouble?

What would you do with your time, energy and money if you didn't have to worry about so many things?

Are your things helping you avoid having to make the tough decisions about what you really want to be and do with your?  Are they filling a void in your heart and soul?  Keeping you stuck in pattern that is painful but familiar and therefore its hard to change? 

Starting to let go of unneeded things gradually can actually help you face this.  Sometimes the first step in stopping the cycle is just to acquire less and refocus all that shopping energy on self-care.  

How would your life be different with fewer clothes? fewer books, DVDs, CDs? fewer magazines? less junk mail? fewer toys? fewer photos? a smaller house? no car payments?  

MORE FROM THE WEB AND BLOGOSPHERE ON THE TRUE COST OF THINGS AND LIVING WITH LESS 

• ZEN HABITS Leo Babauta published a free e-book on Thriving on Less: Simplifying in a Tough Economy that is worth a read. He has also published a book on the Power of Less. I haven't read it, but thought you might like to know!
   GET FREE DOWNLOAD
  
• THE DEBT FREE KID - A neat post by Karissa about the true price of things...a great reminder that things really don't buy happiness.
  
• GREEN FERTILITY - Here's a neat couple of posts about the true cost of things...like the true cost of a dozen eggs...and the true cost of low cost food...this one really opened my eyes.
  
• THE TRUE COST OF OWNING A HOME - Owning a home may not be as much of an investment as you think...if you are thinking of owning  a home, think it all the way through and DON"T let the mortgage companies talk you into "buying the largest home you can afford"  or "don't worry about the total cost, just think about the monthly payment"   The total true cost can be as must as 5 TIMES the monthly payment to cover utilities, property taxes and maintenance. Even if you have two incomes, I always recommend buying a home you could afford on 25 - 40% of the lower income ALONE.  The freedom is so worth it! 
  
• THE TRUE COST OF DRIVING  A neat little calculator to help you learn the TRUE cost of driving your car. You might be really astonished! 
  
• THE TRUE COST OF CREDIT  - Tells you what it really costs to use your credit cards.
  
• THE WALDEN POND PROJECT - An activity to help kids learn the true cost of things.

Do you have or know of a great post on the true cost of things?

Post your link below!

Are you dreading tax season? Are you ready to take charge of your financial paperwork?

I vividly remember how hard it is was to live under that constant feeling of "impending doom" that comes along with not being prepared to file my tax return and running out to the post office in the middle of the night to meet the deadline. I also remember how hard it was to be living under a mountain debt.  That's why I've written so many posts about Organizing Your Finances over the past few years. (Remember my post about how I got out of $25,000 in debt?)

In economic times like this, it's more important that ever to know the state of your financial health, and take steps to "weather the storm"  like lower your "fixed" expenses, pay bills on time and not pay late fees, lower your interest rates, pay off debt, and file your tax returns on time so you don't pay penalties or extra charges to tax preparers because you filed an extension. 

If you feel overwhelmed about dealing with financial matters like these, then YOU are the inspiration for my newest educational coaching program, a holistic financial empowerment coaching program unlike anything you have EVER seen before!  

My partner, Ellen Shapiro (who happens to be an MBA and CPA with a degree in Psychology AND is a Certified Repatterning Practitioner AND a Sedona Method coach) brings an amazing combination of talents and experience to help you overcome fear, dread and overwhelm around finances, getting ready
for taxes, dealing with credit card debt, and organizing your paperwork. In fact, she is now our resident Prosperous Living Coach and is hosting a regular support group forum / workshop within the Getting Unstuck Group!  We have been incubating Taking Charge of your Finances program for over a year now. 

WHY?  Because we have both had to overcome our own issues with finances and we BOTH have extensive experience in helping other people do it, too. We KNOW that it's not enough to just give tips on how to set up a bill pay system, or how to organize your paperwork for tax time. 

You also have to make a "mindset" and "energy" shift AS WELL as learn the "how to's" to truly conquer "financial phobias" and get over strong emotional resistance to dealing with money.  People like me who grew up on welfare and knew nothing about how to handle money or credit cards when we finally had some to deal with, plus have ADD, have an especially difficult time absorbing and applying everything you have to learn to manage your finances.  That's why our Taking Charge of your Finances program provides you with holistic support over a 3 month period. We help you:

-  Deal with and overcome your emotional issues and fears PLUS

- Understand the basic concepts involved in financial management, PLUS

- Learn the "how tos" of organizing the systems and routines that empower you PLUS

- Deal with communication issues with your spouse/partner PLUS

- Deal with your brain issues like ADHD or ADD-like personality traits such as dislike of routine, impulsivity etc. 

- Stay motivated throughout the transitional period of changing your habits by providing ongoing support between sessions.

The Power of Repatterning

Repatterning is a powerful tool to create mindset change, shift your energy and clear negative beliefs. Ellen will provide a one hour session on each 2 hour call to help you feel confident and capable of getting your finances in order. I've experienced many sessions with her now and I can tell you that it never ceases to amaze me not only how transformed I feel after, but also how much people LOVE her work and rave about it after the call.  If you haven't already, you listen to a FREE Repatterning session on our Blog Talk Radio show here.  

There has never a program like this anywhere before that combines the skills of: CPA, MBA, Educator/Instructional Design Expert, Financial Organizing Expert, ADD Coach, Cognitive Behavioral Belief Reframing, and Repatterning Practioner ALL in one program.  

WHEN / WHERE / HOW

DATES: January 29th, February 19th and March 19th.  By the time we are done, you could have your tax paperwork completely ready to go, or maybe even already Filed! Wouldn't that be awesome to be able to enjoy the spring without that hanging over your head?

NOTE: If you happen to be reading this after the 29th
you can still join - everything is recorded for you
and we will still be there to provide you with support.

TIME: Calls are Thursdays from 11:00 am - 1:00pm EST (Eastern Standard Time) 
The calls will also be recorded and available for download immediately after the call. 

All this alone is worth the normal price of a 3 month membership, $297, but for the first 100 people to join, the price is only $197.  There are already 25 members, and we would love to have you join us! 

Ready to Enroll now?  Click here

This 6 hour program with personal coaching over 3 months is an amazing value.  The program could stand alone, but it's even more effective combined with the support you get from being part of the Getting Unstuck forum and website. You will get not only this program...but you will also get my Office Organizing Book, The Neat & Simple Guide to Organizing Your Office, my paper organizing Book, Take Charge of your Paper, my Neat & Simple Paper Retention Guide, and a wealth of other resources. But you will get even more! Here's a few of the other classes lined up for the next 3 months that you can participate in as well.  NO EXTRA CHARGE.

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Simplifying Your Life

What it really takes to simplify, what gets us stuck and how to get unstuck so you can take steps to make your life simpler and easier. We'll also be covering how Creative Personality Type, ADHD, and ADD-like traits affect your ability to keep life simple and what you can do about it!  (February 5)

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Simple Solutions to Healthy Eating Challenges

Bernadette Armiento, Certified Holistic Health Counselor will be joining us to kick off a monthly series on Healthy Eating Challenges and ways to simplify menu-planning, grocery shopping, meal preparations and eating healthy when you have no time. (Feb. 26)

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Cleaning Your Home - The Quick & Simple Way - FREE BOOK!

Ariane will be presenting super shortcuts to Quick and Easy Cleaning and Clutter Clearing. Learn how to simplify cleaning and get your family to help, too! She will be releasing her new book too!  As a member you'll get the book free! (March 5)

Ready to Enroll now? 
Click here

Have more questions?

Learn more about Taking Charge of Your Finances and the  Getting Unstuck Group

p.s. I'll be posting a few articles related to all the above topics over the next few weeks, so stay tuned!

p.p.s.

LIVE OUTSIDE THE US or PREFER TO LISTEN OVER THE WEB?

No problem! All of our conference calls are streamed over the web so all you have to do is click a button to listen live. You can also post questions LIVE during the call via our special web page. AND all calls are recorded and AUTOMATICALLY available for download within 5 minutes of the call.

• No need to tie up your phone line
• No long distance charges
• No software for you to download either

Managing Multiple Priorities using Project Folders on my Computer (Windows XP)

One of my favorite things about my new Getting Unstuck Organizing Coaching and Clutter Support group is that by interacting with the group daily, I get inspired constantly to write about things that I just never thought about sharing before.  I'm blogging in the group every day sometimes 4-5 times a day!  (Yes, I have a blog AND a Support forum on the private group website.)

For example, last week as part of a whole series on prioritizing, I shared a tip about how I organize the many projects I have underway on my computer.  I was surprised how many people found this helpful to them.  So I thought I'd share one of my little "hacks" with you!

If you like it, let me know and I'll share more. 

so here it is..

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One way to prioritize multiple projects is to make a list of projects in the order you want to do them. (Assigning each project ABC or 123 priority can be very helpful.) It's also helpful to make some notes about why you are assigning the project a certain priority. e.g., money you need for the project? time needed? people affected by it? etc. That way you don't have to remember why you chose the order you did.

Now, that idea is fine, but too cumbersome for me.  First of all, why keep yet another list when I need to keep all my projects in a computer folder anyway?   

In "My Documents" on my computer. I have a "Projects" folder. In that folder, I created a folder for each project that is self-initiated, like books I'm writing, workshops, etc. (Client projects have a whole separate system.)

The folders then are automatically in a list. But as you know, on the computer, folders display in either alphabetical or chronological order. That just isn't helpful for me and the way I work.

I prefer to see them listed in the order I wish to complete them. That way I don't have to think about the order or look through a whole list to find the project I want. My current project is always at the top. To make them appear in completion order, what I do is add a number to the front of the Folder / Project name.

My projects that I MOST want to complete in the next few months I give a 1 to. That moves them to the top of the list. Then I assign my 2s, then my 3s.

Just doing that allows me to focus now only on the 1s. I ask myself, of all the really important ones which is MOST imortant?  Then I rename the folders to have 1a 1b 1c etc. This puts all my projects all in order - AND I never have to worry about where the list is, or create a file folder for Project Lists! When I forget what my priorities are, I just open that folder and there they are.

When I have content that applies to a project I'm not working on right now...I file it away in that folder.

In each Project folder I have a simple TEXT (.txt) file that has my goals, objectives and notes about the project. Could be an outline, names of people I want to involve. etc.

To make things even easier, I have a shortcut to my projects folder on my Windows Quick Launch Bar. So it's ALWAYS handy. I also have a corresponding binder with pockets for each project that has paper associated with it.

By the way...

Guess what 1a was for me this last 6 months?

You guessed it...The Getting Unstuck Coaching Group!!!  : )

If you like learning ways to simplify like this, consider joining Getting Unstuck Coaching Group and get unlimited access to tons more ideas like this.  Or, you can also get lots more great organizing ideas like this in my organizing books.

So, what do you think?  Was this worth me taking 2 hours to write this up to share with you?

 

Ask Seth Godin a Question! About marketing, having ADHD, anything!

When the brilliant, Terry Matlen of www.addconsults.com  saw a post by Seth Godin on Bryan Hutchinson's blog at www.adderworld.com, she emailed him and asked if she could interview him AND HE SAID YES!!!.

Seth Godin is a marketing genius who has revolutionized the world of business and marketing through He's written 10 books, including his latest: Tribes, and The Dip . He's also the founder of www.Squidoo.com.

In a recent article in Business Week,  as I told you in December, Seth mentioned that he has ADHD.

If you've read any of Seth's books - you know he is not only a creative market genius, he practices what he preaches.  And he doesn't let having ADD stop him from succeeding! 

I'm so thrilled that he came out with having ADHD, as I know how difficult a decision that is.  I was terrified how it would affect my business, and it has!  But truly in a more positive way than I could ever have imagined. It's such a relief to not feel like I have to hide who I really am. 

The choice to "come out" is not right for everyone because many people still DO have preconceived notions about people with ADHD "being unreliable" or "flaky" but that is simply not true!  People who embrace their ADD and learn to manage it, as well as find the "gifts and treasures" often succeed in STELLAR ways. 

The more people who come out and speak openly about it, like Ty Pennington, Michael Phelps, Richard Branson, Howie Mandel and so many more, the more people will realize its not a "disability", it is a "challenge" we can learn to deal with and integrate into our lives.

When you cultivate the treasures and manage the difficulties that accompany ADHD, you can learn to "design a LIFE that fits"  AND "design a BUSINESS that fits" and allows you to flourish.  Having ADD is NOT a reason to give up on yourself!

Seth Godin,  Terry Matlen and other heroes of mine including Sari Solden,  Jennifer Koretsky, Denslow Brown, and Tara McGuillicuddy (to name only a few) are all wonderful examples of how you can design a business that fits you and achieve remarkable success!

Want to Ask Seth a Question?

Terry Matlen has graciously offered people to submit questions for her interview with him about what it's like to have ADD!  I can't wait to read how he designs his life and work to fit him!

All you have to do is email them to her at AskSeth@addconsults.com  Then, look for the interview in an upcoming newsletter.  You can read her archives and sign up for her great newsletters here!

Wishing you all the best!

p.s.

We had our first Getting Unstuck Coaching Call yesterday and it was AWESOME!  During the 2 hour call, we got deep into the decision-making process, how we "predictably" get stuck at each stage, and what we can do to "get unstuck" at each stage.  We also got deep into ways to help us let go of clutter painlessly. People are already writing to me with all the great ways they've already started getting unstuck!   We have 22 wonderful members now, and there is still room for lots more! 

ITS NOT TOO LATE TO JOIN as a CHARTER MEMBER! 

The call recording came out great and is now posted in the group. You can easily listen online, or download the recording.  Plus you get all my ebooks and lots more unreleased material included!

10 Great Organizing Sites

I was pleasantly surprised to find the Neat & Simple Living blog was put on the list of 10 Great Organizing Sites by www.WorldLabel.com a manufacturer of you guessed it,  Labels! 

I've very honored to be included among some really great sites and blogs!

Check them out.

Check their many types and colors of labels!

p.s.  I've been kinda quiet lately because I'm about to roll out my new coaching group...It's coming in a couple days!  : )