Dear FlyLady,

I just wanted to say GO ME!

We’ve dashed and stashed for decades. But this month we’ve really worked on the paper.

I’ve unearthed boxes and bags and tubs of the stuff in the basement. DH mostly works on shredding the old bills, receipts and misc papers while I concentrate on shredding old bank statements and canceled checks.

We only bring up a handful of envelopes at a time and have baby stepped our way through this clutter all month. It’s been kind of fun, actually! I like to multitask and shred while reading my emails. Every once in a while, a check will catch my eye and I’ll be reminded of a favorite restaurant or dept store that’s long gone. The oldest ones that I’ve found so far go back to 1980!!

Mostly, I don’t even look at them, though, once I’ve checked the year on the postmark. Yes! They are still in their original envelopes, many unopened! Since we joined FlyLady, we have literally gotten rid of TONS of clutter.

Thanks for all the encouragement!

Love,
Barb in Minnesota

“Do It Now” Changed My Work Environment

Dear FlyLady,

Contents Not Included

I just got the Office in a Bag, and what a great item it is! I took a day or two to decide how to organize my “office,” and one of the things I included was a space for cards. As I was decluttering, I came across tons of cards that I had bought at various times for sympathy, birthday, get well, and so on. I organized those cards by event and put them in my home office so that I could find them when I needed them.

Then, when I got the Office in a Bag, I put three of each type of card in the bag. Now, when we get an alert at work that there has been a death in an employee’s family, that someone will be out sick for a few days, or the morning birthday list, I can reach right into my bag and get a card ready to mail or put in the birthday person’s work mailbox. I always had these good intentions, but I was so disorganized that I was never able to follow through. Now I can, and it makes such a difference in my work environment! A new part of my before bed routine is to re-stock the Office in a Bag if needed, so I am never without everything I need!

I also am a caregiver for my brother, who had a stroke recently. Although he is doing quite well, he cannot write yet, and so I have to write his bills, take him to doctor appointments, and keep up with things for him. I have set up a section of the Office in a Bag just for his needs. The pockets are big enough for several file folders, so I have plenty of room for his things as well as my control journal and the things I need.

Now, when I am waiting at the doctor’s office, or I am with him at the assisted living facility, I can write out checks or coordinate our calendars for doctor’s appointments and to let the facility know when I will be taking him or if they will need to make travel arrangements to and from the doctor’s office. Things are so much easier with the Office in a Bag – I have everything I need at my fingertips! I can focus on what is most important and the details almost take care of themselves since everything is right there!

Since I started using the Office in a Bag, my busy life is still a very peaceful life! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

FlyBaby Wanda in Georgia