Today I Hung Up My Jewelry

True confessions time: Three years ago I had the carpet replaced in my house. The installers broke the legs off my jewelry armoire and I wasn’t able to get the company to repair or replace it. For the last three years, I have looked at that poor, forlorn piece of furniture, standing upside down in my bedroom. I could still use the drawers, but I wasn’t able to open the side doors. Although it was functional, every time I looked at it, which was just about every day, it reminded me of a negative experience.

I had the tools to fix it, but I wasn’t sure I had the expertise and I was sure it would take a long time to figure out. I finally decided that I would take a shot at fixing it yesterday. There was a piece of wood missing, which made it a challenge to engineer a solution, but I tried what I thought would work.

The result? I was finally able to stand the jewelry armoire on its legs and hang my necklaces on the doors, creating less clutter in the drawers! The whole process took less than 15 minutes. I was so proud of myself, I told everyone I knew what I’d done. Why had it taken so long to do such a small task? Sometimes we let the feelings about completing a task take over the reality of just doing it. What tasks are you dreading right now that could use a simple fix? Take a few minutes each day to address these nagging issues and they won’t grow into overwhelming problems.

Organized by Marcie: Getting you organized so you have time to do what you love to do!

Today I Hung Up My Jewelry

True confessions time: Three years ago I had the carpet replaced in my house. The installers broke the legs off my jewelry armoire and I wasn’t able to get the company to repair or replace it. For the last three years, I have looked at that poor, forlorn piece of furniture, standing upside down in my bedroom. I could still use the drawers, but I wasn’t able to open the side doors. Although it was functional, every time I looked at it, which was just about every day, it reminded me of a negative experience.

I had the tools to fix it, but I wasn’t sure I had the expertise and I was sure it would take a long time to figure out. I finally decided that I would take a shot at fixing it yesterday. There was a piece of wood missing, which made it a challenge to engineer a solution, but I tried what I thought would work.

The result? I was finally able to stand the jewelry armoire on its legs and hang my necklaces on the doors, creating less clutter in the drawers! The whole process took less than 15 minutes. I was so proud of myself, I told everyone I knew what I’d done. Why had it taken so long to do such a small task? Sometimes we let the feelings about completing a task take over the reality of just doing it. What tasks are you dreading right now that could use a simple fix? Take a few minutes each day to address these nagging issues and they won’t grow into overwhelming problems.

Organized by Marcie: Getting you organized so you have time to do what you love to do!

Portable Medical Records

Everyone should keep a personal file of relevant medical information, including test dates and results, inoculation dates, dates of medical procedures, injuries and illnesses, and a list of medications you currently take. If you consolidate all of the information into one document, you can take it with you to new doctors’ appointments and keep it in your emergency-preparation bag if you need to evacuate your home. The records are also helpful if you are taken to an emergency room and you are unable to communicate.

There are companies that allow you to keep your medical information on the internet so that you, and anyone you authorize, can access the files. One of those companies, iHealth, also has a list of physicians who participate in the program. Your information is password protected and you can create an audit trail to see who has accessed the account. One of the features allows you to create a wallet card that provides basic identification and emergency contact information. The website also offers patient education programs and reminders specific to your medical conditions: http://www.ihealthrecord.org/index.html

If you have a family, you should keep the same information for each family member. It’s a good idea to keep a file for pets, too.

Organized by Marcie: Getting you organized so you have time to do what you love to do!

Portable Medical Records

Everyone should keep a personal file of relevant medical information, including test dates and results, inoculation dates, dates of medical procedures, injuries and illnesses, and a list of medications you currently take. If you consolidate all of the information into one document, you can take it with you to new doctors’ appointments and keep it in your emergency-preparation bag if you need to evacuate your home. The records are also helpful if you are taken to an emergency room and you are unable to communicate.

There are companies that allow you to keep your medical information on the internet so that you, and anyone you authorize, can access the files. One of those companies, iHealth, also has a list of physicians who participate in the program. Your information is password protected and you can create an audit trail to see who has accessed the account. One of the features allows you to create a wallet card that provides basic identification and emergency contact information. The website also offers patient education programs and reminders specific to your medical conditions: http://www.ihealthrecord.org/index.html

If you have a family, you should keep the same information for each family member. It’s a good idea to keep a file for pets, too.

Organized by Marcie: Getting you organized so you have time to do what you love to do!

Death and Identity Theft

Apparently, not even death can prevent identity theft. Thieves can take advantage of the deceased’s good credit, which can cause problems for the estate and the family for many years.

To protect yourself and your loved ones, take the following steps to avoid becoming a target:
* Don’t print the deceased’s month and date of birth in an obituary; simply list the person’s age at death.
* Contact the state department of motor vehicles to cancel the deceased’s driver’s license.
* Contact the Social Security Administration to cancel his or her Social Security number.
* Send a copy of the death certificate to all three credit-reporting agencies: Experian, Equifax and TransUnion, in addition to all credit issuers, to close accounts.
* After a few weeks, request a copy of the deceased’s credit report to ensure that there has not been any activity.

Be alert when you go through the deceased’s mail, too, and shred any credit offers. You will probably need to make several copies of the individual’s death certificate to prove your claims. Find out if you need originals or if a copy will be satisfactory.

Organized by Marcie: Getting you organized so you have time to do what you love to do!

Death and Identity Theft

Apparently, not even death can prevent identity theft. Thieves can take advantage of the deceased’s good credit, which can cause problems for the estate and the family for many years.

To protect yourself and your loved ones, take the following steps to avoid becoming a target:
* Don’t print the deceased’s month and date of birth in an obituary; simply list the person’s age at death.
* Contact the state department of motor vehicles to cancel the deceased’s driver’s license.
* Contact the Social Security Administration to cancel his or her Social Security number.
* Send a copy of the death certificate to all three credit-reporting agencies: Experian, Equifax and TransUnion, in addition to all credit issuers, to close accounts.
* After a few weeks, request a copy of the deceased’s credit report to ensure that there has not been any activity.

Be alert when you go through the deceased’s mail, too, and shred any credit offers. You will probably need to make several copies of the individual’s death certificate to prove your claims. Find out if you need originals or if a copy will be satisfactory.

Organized by Marcie: Getting you organized so you have time to do what you love to do!

Stock Up or Save?

Attention, bargain hunters! When you see a great price on something you want to buy, do you get excited about how much you can save? The truth is you are not saving anything; you are simply spending less. The greatest fiction may be the “buy one, get one free” sale. You are not really getting anything free; you are getting two things at half price. If you need two boxes of spaghetti and would buy them anyway, great. But if you don’t need two toothbrushes or pairs of shoes or jars of applesauce, you are spending money on something you might not use.

Before you give in to temptation when you spot a sale, think about how often you use the product and how much space you have to store extras. Then decide if it really is a “bargain” for you to purchase in quantity. If not, save your money so you have it for something you really need.

Organized by Marcie: Getting you organized so you have time to do what you love to do!

Stock Up or Save?

Attention, bargain hunters! When you see a great price on something you want to buy, do you get excited about how much you can save? The truth is you are not saving anything; you are simply spending less. The greatest fiction may be the “buy one, get one free” sale. You are not really getting anything free; you are getting two things at half price. If you need two boxes of spaghetti and would buy them anyway, great. But if you don’t need two toothbrushes or pairs of shoes or jars of applesauce, you are spending money on something you might not use.

Before you give in to temptation when you spot a sale, think about how often you use the product and how much space you have to store extras. Then decide if it really is a “bargain” for you to purchase in quantity. If not, save your money so you have it for something you really need.

Organized by Marcie: Getting you organized so you have time to do what you love to do!