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Post by Mystic Pegasus on May 8, 2010 5:21:46 GMT -5
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Post by disorganizeddragon on May 8, 2010 8:05:44 GMT -5
For some unknown reason--perhaps I was mean to a postman in another life--I get tons of junk mail. I used to just bring it in and set it down anywhere (the desk, the counter, the couch, etc.) and promptly forget about it. Well, it didn't take long for all of it to add up until I was faced with a forest of advertisements and offers for credit cards from banks controlled by the Mafia. And, of course, something important would always get mixed in with the junk mail and I wouldn't see it and then I would have additional problems and . . . well, I knew I had to do something to get it under control. I went out and bought a small desk-top shredder and set of in-boxes. Now when I bring in the mail, I immediately sort it, placing the critical mail into the box on my desk, then shredding (if needed) and tossing the rest. I've also trained myself to do this for any other paper that's brought into the house--receipts, coupons, work-related items. The minute I walk in the door with it, I ask myself, "Do I need to keep this?" If the answer is "yes," then it goes into the appropriate box; if the answer is "no," it's immediately shredded and disposed of. This system has cut down on the amount of useless paper in my house tremendously. It takes far less time to sort it when I first bring it in than it does to pick it up later. Now if I could just find a way to shred and toss unnecessary things the minute I bring them into the house . . .
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Blackswan
Banned
Joined: October 2008
Posts: 6,388
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Post by Blackswan on May 8, 2010 15:05:39 GMT -5
paper plates, cups, napkins, bowls, plastic cutlery. no dishes to wash EVER unless you use a pan
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Blackswan
Banned
Joined: October 2008
Posts: 6,388
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Post by Blackswan on May 8, 2010 15:07:32 GMT -5
oh and i never bring home leftovers from restaurants anymore cause the past has proven they will just rot amd mold in the fridge. now i just let the restaurant take care of the throwing away.
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Post by Louie on May 8, 2010 16:12:29 GMT -5
I have a box at the post office for mail but I was still getting junk mail delivered at home. I removed the mailbox at home and now No Junk Mail!
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Post by success19 on May 8, 2010 23:02:20 GMT -5
I think there is a website to opt out of junk mail and also telemarketing - free and easy breezy.
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Post by CaringFriend on May 9, 2010 0:39:22 GMT -5
Most of my clothes, except for underwear, is made of cotton knit fabric. I do not like to put these in the dryer because I can't afford for them to shrink even the slightest. So my clothes go from washer........... > to plastic hangers with metal tops > hung outside to dry in nice weather; over shower rod in cold/inclement weather > returned to closet when dry I don't know how many steps are eliminated by doing this, but I do know the following: - Clean clothes are never in a laundry basket waiting to be folded.
- No piles of clean folded clothes on surfaces of furniture waiting to be put away.
- Dryer is never buzzing when I am in the middle of something.
- Clothes are never wrinkled as a result of being forgotten in the dryer.
Also, I used to be overwhelmed with the dozen of pieces of junk mail every day. I no longer have to spend time on any junk mail whatsoever. - I don't have to bring it into the house.
- I don't have to decide where it goes - trash/shredder?
- I don't spend any time on sorting or shredding.
Now we receive less than 12 pieces of normal mail per week. I will start a separate thread listing the easy steps I took.
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Post by razy on May 9, 2010 1:22:51 GMT -5
Great idea for a thread!
I have a no junk mail sign on my mailbox so I do not get junk mail.
When I wash my towels I hang them up on the rails in the bathroom as soon as they are dry again, even if they are a little damp they will dry off there.
I also like to wash my sheets and put them straight back on the bed, saves lots of folding and stuff.
I never ever use soap in the shower only shower gel so the shower walls are easy to clean as they don't get that soap scum stuck on them. Actually the only place I use solid soap is at the gym. And I clean the shower while I am having a shower, less messy.
Never ever iron anything!
I always have a Opshop/giveaway box on the go and if I put on something that does not fit or I don't like the way it looks etc it goes straight in the box. The box goes when it is full. There is that period of time when I can change my mind if I want to (though I don't think I ever have).
I have cleaning clothes and spray where I need them, in the bathroom and in the kitchen so I can use them as soon as I need to and not have to wander off to find them. ( I need to put them in the laundry too).
I am sure that I have more - I will add them as I think of them.
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Post by Script on May 9, 2010 7:32:48 GMT -5
Scripts mention in another post of "take every imaginable shortcut" (giving the example of not owning any clothes that need ironing) made me wonder about the possibly huge number of these we could put into action. To be honest, I got the idea from a book published ages ago by Shirley Conran, ironically called Superwoman. I no longer have the book, as it went out during my mega-book-purge [falling apart cheap paperback]. Some of the other things that I recall, in the major SHORTCUT department: *don't have pets *don't have indoor plants I would add: *don't colour your hair: this is a huge drain of both time and money from what I understand [no personal experience here] luv from Script [grey and loving it...........]
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Post by Mystic Pegasus on May 9, 2010 8:11:05 GMT -5
Wonderful suggestions everyone!!! Keep them coming!
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Post by CourageouslyLion SeeksSerenity on May 9, 2010 10:53:36 GMT -5
wash sets of clothes together. instead of all reds, etc., wash complete outfits at once. makes it much easier to keep on top of laundry. so, wash one load of mon to fri at once, etc. I sometimes do this, too. Pick out outfits to wear (even though dirty). Several outfits for the week. Grab several days' worth of socks and undergarments. Then wash it all together. I live alone, so this is easy. I think that if I was responsible for doing family laundry, I might do the same method. One load of laundry would consist of several days's outfits and undergarments for one child. Repeat process for next child. Etc. This type of method works great if you need to plan ahead what you will wear to work or school.
Here's what I do when I'm NOT working or in school. I do NOT sort the laundry. Not at all !!! That's right. DON'T sort my laundry by color or fabric or usage !!! I just wash it all together. All colors and fabrics mixed! Towels thrown in, too! Explanation of the "non-sorting" laundry method:takeonestepatatime.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=general&action=display&thread=6124
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Post by disorganizeddragon on May 9, 2010 12:18:52 GMT -5
Unfortunately, most of my "junk" mail is due to the three different professional career organizations I belong to, so I can't opt out of receiving mail from them since it's connected to my job. The post office also wouldn't identify it as junk mail because it's not random advertisements--they're mailings associated with my professional affiliations. But it's nice to know there's a way for people to stop receiving generalized garbage mail from other senders.
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Post by howardsgirlfriend on May 9, 2010 12:49:40 GMT -5
I wear my DH's socks, so we have only black and grey men's socks to sort (or not.)
DH used to be very fussy about how hiw shirts were placed on hangers, so I wouldn't launder them, since I never "got it right." One day, I hung them while they were still damp, and told him, "I know they're not they way you want them, but at least they're clean, and you're free to make them 'just right.'" He never fussed with them again.
When I was a kid, our washing machine used to empty into the laundry room sink. Mom would use the soapy water to mop the kitchen floor.
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Post by Script on May 9, 2010 14:24:02 GMT -5
Wonderful suggestions everyone!!! Keep them coming! one more thing that has simplified my life, in the shortcut dept: *I open the mail while STANDING right beside our kitchen paper recycle bin. I do NOT allow myself to 'read the flyers' first. If I toss them right into the bin unread, I can STILL fish them out if curiousity starts getting the better of me. And in truth: NOT reading the ads HELPS me to stay out of stores; stop buying things; be tempted by stuff I don't really need or want. *I don't save all the catalogues that come here. I TOSS THEM un-read----I don't need the temptations; I don't have the money; I don't have the space...... I keep three only: (1) Lands End (2) LLBean (3) Victoria's Secret I used to LOVE reading catalogues; great photography, clever lay-outs; beautiful models: but all it does is STIR UP WANTS..... HOUSE PORN ones are the worst [Company Store for linens, Restoration Hardware, Home Depot, Canadian Tire for example]. I do not allow myself to KEEP THESE at all, not even for 'ideas', ha ha.
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prism
New Member
Joined: July 2008
Posts: 28
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Post by prism on May 9, 2010 16:35:34 GMT -5
I'm just starting this one today, so I hope it works the way I think it might:
- 1 dinner plate, cereal bowl, pasta bowl, sandwich plate, drinking glass, and hot drink mug per person. Two forks, knives, teaspoons and soup spoons per person. The rest are getting packed away somewhere accessible enough for the occasional visitor, but inconvenient enough to prevent fetching them instead of washing what is sitting used on the counter. (we have no dishwasher).
At the moment I face about 4-5 hrs of dishes each weekend from the weekday pileup, and it's a stupid waste of time. If they aren't there clean in the cupboard to be grabbed, they can't get dirty and make my life miserable. We'll HAVE TO wash something that's on the counter already.
I figure with pots and pans this should limit the dish disaster area to 45 min. max. Wish I'd done this years ago.
wish me luck!! Thanks for all your suggestions and ideas.
Prism
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