October 2019 Newsletter
Can you believe that the first day of fall was September 23rd, 2019? My goodness, time flies. Since fall is upon us, this might mean that your home is in need of some fall decor updates. Fall provides the opportunity to update your decor with deeper and bolder colors and unique accents. Below are some tips you might want to incorporate into your fall home decor:
Vintage Finds – Try browsing your local thrift shop to find unique and oftentimes affordable goods. Not only can vintage finds add unique touches to your decor, but it is also a great way to be eco-friendly because you are recycling old items as opposed to purchasing new ones.
Neutrals – Neutral colors can add a warm and elegant look to any room. Try incorporating neutrals with a pop of color for contrast.
Warm Wood – Warm wood can give your home a vintage and rustic feel. If you are looking for a rustic touch, try adding some wood accent to your decor.
Bold Accent Colors – Try decorating with deep accent colors like yellows, blues, and oranges. When pairing neutral colors with these bold accents, it can give a room a burst of personality and charm
Textures and Patterns – When done subtly, bold textures and/or patterns can give a room tenacity without being overbearing. Try adding unique and contrasting, yet complementary, textures and patterns to your rooms to add hints of creativity and personality.
Finances – Ways to Save on Halloween Candy
Bags of candy are an essential element to the trick-or-treating experience but the costs can add up rather quickly if you are not mindful of your spending. To prevent high costs that can cut into your budget, below are a couple of tips that can help you save on your Halloween candy costs:
Buy Late – Usually, procrastination doesn’t pay, however, in the case of Halloween candy, it often does. Halloween candy will often be discounted at the last minute so that stores can attempt to get rid of inventory. Waiting to buy Halloween candy can prove to be a cost-saving trick.
Coupons – Many retailers will run deals on candy so that it can be purchased at a lower cost around Halloween time. Before you head to the store to pick up some Halloween candy, make you sure grab those coupons!
Non-Candy Items – Can be a big hit! Try looking for inexpensive items like plastic rings, stickers and mini balls that you can pass out instead of candy. Items of this nature can be purchased at dollar stores, party stores, and department stores, so they can be relatively easy to find. In addition, these are a healthier alternative to sugary candies.
Non-Chocolate Items – Have you noticed that non-chocolate items tend to be less expensive than chocolate candies? Well, it is true. Just take a moment and compare the next time you are in a store. If you are trying to cut the cost of candy this year, try going with fruity candy as opposed to chocolate candy, as they are often less expensive.
Hand Out The Candy – Some people will allow kids to pick out their own candy. Of course, this can lead to them taking a number of pieces possibly causing you to run out of candy sooner than expected. To prevent this, hand out the candy yourself so that you have control over the quantity that each ‘trick-or-treater’ gets.
No One Is Home – The last way to save money is to not give out anything. This will likely prove to be the most cost-effective method but the least favorable among the ‘trick-or-treaters’.
This article is for information, illustrative and entertainment purposes only and does not purport to show actual results. It is not, and should not be regarded as investment advice or as a recommendation regarding any particular investment action.
Personal Interest – Organizing Your Life (How to)
Really organized people are not born organized; they have to cultivate healthy habits, which then help them to stay organized.
So, even if you think you are a very disorganized person, you can learn to be organized. From planning things and jotting things down, to ditching the unnecessary and organizing things that matter, you will become an organized person as long as you’re willing to learn and practice what you’ve learned.
Here are the essential habits on how to organize your life:
1. Write things down
We all know someone that remembers every birthday and sends cards for every holiday. It’s not magic and they don’t use memorization. Trying to remember things will not help you to stay organized. You should try writing things down. A pen and some paper is our way of remembering things externally, and it’s much more permanent. You can also use a computer or a smartphone. You will only further complicate your life by trying to retain important dates and reminders in your head. Write down everything: shopping lists for groceries, holiday gifts, home decor, and important dates, like meetings and birthdays.
2. Make schedules and deadlines
Organized people don’t waste time. They recognize that keeping things organized goes hand-in-hand with staying productive. They make and keep schedules for the day and week. They make deadlines and set goals. And most importantly, they stick to them! Contrariwise, by living a cluttered lifestyle, you will not have the time or space to make your deadlines or achieve your goals.
3. Don’t procrastinate
The longer you wait to do something, the more difficult it will be to get it done. If you want your life to be less stressful and less demanding, you need to organize as soon as you can. Putting in the effort to get things done as soon as possible will lift the weight off of you from doing it later.
4. Give everything a home
It’s easy to get lost if you don’t have a home. Keeping your life organized means keeping your things in their proper places. Organized people keep order by storing things properly and by labeling storage spaces. Make easy-to-access storage spaces for things you use all the time, and don’t let your storage spaces get cluttered. Be creative about finding places for things. In addition, as a BIG NO-NO: never label a storage space as “miscellaneous!”
5. Declutter regularly
Find time each week to organize. Highly organized people make sure they find time every week or so to organize their things. Stuff does not stay organized on its own; it needs to be reorganized continuously and consistently.
6. Keep only what you need
More stuff means more clutter. People who live organized lives only keep what they need and what they really, really want. Having fewer things also means that you enjoy those things more and feel better about using everything you own, rather than letting half of what you own just collect dust. Have you ever felt like you don’t have the space to keep all the stuff you own? Instead of renting a storage unit or buying a larger home, get rid of some things.
7. Know where to discard items
Do whatever you can to get rid of stuff. Less stuff means less clutter. Donate to thrift stores. Sell on Craigslist or eBay. Take a trip to the recycling center. Set up a garage sale. Find a place to get rid of your things.
8. Stay away from bargains
You have removed the things you don’t need. Will you replace them when you see something on sale? Instead of bargain shopping without planning ahead, write down exactly what you need and buy only those items. Organized people do not give in to false advertising. Items on sale will only produce more clutter.
9. Delegate responsibilities
A really organized life is not overfilled with responsibilities, meetings and deadlines. In fact, it has less because things that create stress have been slowly organized out. As an experiment, make a to-do list or look at one you already have. Go through the list and find one task that you can remove from your list or give to someone else. Now feel the stress of having to do it fall away.
10. Work hard
Put in a little effort. Actually, put in a lot of effort when necessary. Once you have delegated responsibilities and made a schedule, then you can organize what you have to do and when you can do it.
Staying organized is not all a breeze. It requires that you work hard at recognizing that when you work harder, you can enjoy your clutter-free home life later.
The art of life lies in a constant readjustment to our surroundings.
Okakura Kakuzo
Thank you and have a great month!
