All I Need To Know About Life I Learned From Star Trek

As promised....(no it doesn't have much to do with organizing, but I love it!)

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• Seek out new life and new civilizations.
• Non-interference is the Prime Directive.
• Keep your phaser set on stun.
• Humans are highly illogical.
• There's no such thing as a Vulcan death grip.
• Live long and prosper.
• Having is not so pleasing a thing as wanting; it is not logical but it is often true.
• Infinite diversity in infinite combinations (IDIC).
• Tribbles hate Klingons (and Klingons hate Tribbles).
• Enemies are often invisible - like Klingons, they can be cloaked.
• Don't put all your ranking officers in one shuttle craft.
• When your logic fails, trust a hunch.
• Insufficient data does not compute.
• If it can't be fixed, just ask Scotty.
• Even in our own world, sometimes we are aliens.
• When going out into the Universe, remember: "Boldly go where no man has gone before!"

UPDATE: I should have mentioned that I am not the original creator of this list. I haven't been able to find the origins--I had a poster of this for years, and I found it again on another person's website, un-credited.

Beware of cloaking devices!

In honor of the new Star Trek Movie that opened last week, I thought I'd use a Trek theme for my posts this week! Yes, I was a Trekkie (fan of the original series) and a Trekker (fan of the Next Generation series). For a special treat on Friday, I'll post the "All I Ever Needed to Know I Learned on Star Trek" wisdom!

Today however, I'd like to talk about plastic bags. Those nasty white things they foist upon you at the grocery store (or department store) when you have forgotten your eco-canvas bags.

Beware of them...for more than ecological reasons!!!!! They all contain the Klingon Cloaking Device and anything you put in them (or decide to leave in them) will be invisible to you forever. The bags themselves will become invisible to you.

To update your Trek knowledge for a moment here, let me explain the Klingon Cloaking Device. We first came upon it in the original series. The Klingons were a race of people who were, shall we say, just plain nasty. Like they all were having a bad-hair-day every day. Warrior types that went out looking for a fight. Somehow, even though they had not evolved like the logical and peaceable Vulcans, they had not only developed the technology for space flight, but were the only ones in the universe to have developed a way to make their ships invisible. The "cloaking device" (Such an archaic term for such a futuristic technology, huh?) used a lot of energy, and they couldn't fire their weapons with it on, so they had to use it judiciously. But it meant they could sit in the middle of space and wait for another ship to come by to pounce on when there was no planet to crouch behind.

Anyway, back to present time. I was reminded last night just how plastic bags can render anything invisible when I went looking for some soda that I thought my DH had put away. I checked the counters, I checked the fridge...no soda and I was hot and needed a caffeine fix.

When I asked him, he simply said, "It's in the fridge."

"I looked in the fridge. I didn't see it."

"Oh, I just put them in there in the plastic bag."

"Oh...that's why I didn't see them...."

Sure enough, I went back and found them. Now, I don't normally put ANYTHING in the fridge IN a bag, so the bag itself should have stood out to me. But no. These bags have special powers.

Why oh why am I going on and on about these bags?

Because I see them all the time in my clients' homes. (OK, so I must have special powers only when I wear my "CPO-CD" pin, I guess–it renders their powers useless!)

Time after time, while sorting and purging, we will come across many, many of these bags, open them and my client will exclaim "Wow, so that's where that is! I remember buying that (last week, last month, last year, when my married daughter was in diapers...) and I haven't seen it since!"

These bags can pile up so easily, hide food, crafts, clothing, gifts meant for loved ones...their power to conceal is endless.

My only advice is this: when you bring something home in a plastic bag, take it out of the bag, and set the item(s) on the counter (or wherever they need to go) and put that bag in another bag to recycle it at the grocery store when you have a collection of them!

This simple act will defeat the Klingon Cloaking Device without a single shot fired!

Organizing acronym fun! (OAF!)

Here are a few acronyms that popped into my head for possible presentations to special interest groups:

OY! (Organize Yourself!)
Jewish Community Center

OM.... (Organize Mindfully)
World Meditation Society

OB-GYN! (Oh Boy-Get Yourself Neat!)
County Obstetricians

CONCH! (Create Organized, Neat Coastal Homes)
Bay Area Homeowners

I'll add to this list as I think of them...and I invite you to tell me yours!

The S-P-O-R-T of downsizing

Whatever your reason for downsizing right now (the economy, a senior moving to a smaller home, or just too much clutter, etc.), the benefits may surprise you–saved money in storage fees, more room in your house due to less "stuff," or even more room in your life due to the extra space you have created! Whether you believe in Feng Shui or not, I do believe that when you create open areas in your living space, you invite a new energy and vitality to come and reside with you, too!

Here's a positive spin I call the "S-P-O-R-T" technique! (Think about if you want this to be an individual or "team" sport. Having a friend to be accountable to while doing this makes it easier and can make the time fly!)

S–Sort
P–Purge
O–Organize
R–Relax and Reward
T–Treasure

S–Sort
Sort your stuff so you know what you have! You can approach this in a number of ways, whether you are looking at a storage unit or an entire house. Start slow, one step at a time, so it doesn't overwhelm you.

Sorting can mean putting like things with like. For example, gather all your bathroom items in one pile, pull all your towels out of the linen closet, or look at all your mixing bowls and baking items at once. Often, my clients will see just how many items they have of one thing, and the next step (purging) becomes so much easier. "Wow, I didn't realize I owned 15 flashlights!" (Or 42 bath towels or 21 bottles of shampoo–you get the idea!)

Another way to sort is room by room, cabinet by cabinet or even drawer by drawer, making an assumption that you have already "sorted" the things in your house to a degree. This is a good technique if you are easily overwhelmed by the idea of sorting everything you own. Just think of it in 15-30 minute segments–one drawer, one cabinet. See what's in there and "define the space." "This is my baking cabinet." "This drawer is for large utensils." Again, you'll see the wisdom here in the next step.

P–Purge
It isn't the prettiest word in our language, but at least it rhymes with "urge." I like to repeat to myself in an upbeat manner "I've got the urge to purge, I've got the urge to purge." Remember Flip Wilson's "Here come da judge, here come da judge"? Kind of like that! In fact, you are the judge! (See a Laugh-in clip with Sammy Davis, Jr. as the judge here.) So repeat after me, "Here come da judge and I got the urge to purge! Here come da judge and I got the urge to purge!"

So now the pile of bath towels is in front of you. How many do you really need? Too many means more work and less space–more laundry, more folding, more putting away, less room in the linen closet to store other things. How many people live with you? Figure on at least 2 towels per person, then just keep a few extra for guests. Purge out the old, ratty stained and torn ones. The same rule of thumb can be applied to sheets (and nearly everything else) as well. Two sets for each bed in your house. (Maybe a few extra if you have a child in the midst of potty training!)

Do you really need 21 bottles of shampoo? Throw out the old stuff, keep a few good ones and remember not to buy shampoo for awhile. Staring at your makeup drawer? Good chance you can just throw it all out. Most makeup should be replaced every few months to reduce the chance of it spoiling and causing you eye or skin problems. Another great reason to only buy the bare minimum, date it when you open it and throw it out when time is up.

Eighteen mixing bowls you say? Hmmm–reconsider how much baking you really do. Again, bring it down to your minimums. Keep 2-3 bowls of different sizes, especially ones that do double duty. A nice mixing bowl can also be a salad bowl. A mixing bowl with a lid can be a storage container.

If you are using the "cabinet by cabinet" technique and you have defined the cabinet ("Baking items"), and you come across odd things that don't belong (a tennis ball, a toy, etc.)–just pull them out and put them in a box marked "Belongs elsewhere." If you can't make a purge right then, leave it in the box for when you do come across where it really belongs and then make the decision once you see its "cabinet-mates."

And of course, keep a few bins or bags handy for trash, recycling and give-away.

O–Organize
This is the fun part! You've already done the hard stuff. And if you've done it well, you have less stuff to organize. That's the real trick here. For most of my clients who think they have trouble organizing, it's really that they just had too much stuff. Of course it was impossible to organize! But once they see what's left–the good stuff they really love–it's no longer overwhelming, and they seem to click right into organizing mode!

You have already sorted, so like is with like. (Yes, that is actually organizing right there!)

Now think about how and when you are going to use it. Box it and store it? (Yes? Then think again about keeping it unless you know you will be using it in the future.) Keep it handy in a "prime real estate" spot? Use it once or twice a month and shove it back into a corner? Something to look at and admire daily in a special place of honor?

R–Relax and Reward
Take a break and do something nice for yourself. Every time you complete the "completion chemistry" cycle, bask in the accomplishment, even if you've just done a little drawer or one square foot of space. You signal your brain that this is a good thing. And your brain will get used to it, like it and want to do it again!

Thinking ahead about your reward is also wonderful motivation. Hmmm, a long soak in the tub? A cup of coffee? A walk around the block? Watching one favorite TV show? A piece of chocolate? Ten minutes reading that new novel? A phone call to a friend? Internet surfing? You get the idea.

Set yourself up. Reward yourself. Reap what you sow.

T–Treasure
Treasure yourself. Treasure the moment, treasure your accomplishment, treasure your treasures that you've chosen to keep.

Treasure the fact that this process helps you realize what is truly important to you and what is just stuff.

The $40 Shopping Trip

I began a personal experiment several weeks ago--attempting to do my grocery shopping on $80 a week. (We are a family of two adults and one 7 year-old.)

I learned a number of things, some of which surprised me and led me to realize it was a grand experiment, even on the "organizing level" which I had not intended.

It began as a way to curb our budget–we're all trying to tighten the purse strings these days and I know that while we do not go overboard in the food department, I knew we could reign things in a little. Sometimes produce goes to waste in our fridge or leftovers don't get eaten in time.

My original thought was to try to spend only $100 a week at the grocery store, but I wanted that amount to include the lunches my DH buys during the workweek. So I have him $20 of that (telling him I would make his lunch twice a week.)

That left me with $80. I was afraid that if I spent that all at once, I would have forgotten something important, and then blow my budget. So, I cut it down to $40, knowing that, even though I abhor grocery shopping more than once a week (once a month would be super if the produce would only stay fresh!), I would go twice.

Of course the first and best tool in this project is a planned week of menus (I had already been doing that–mostly) and a grocery list. I didn't think $40 was going to leave me any room for impulse purchases, and I was right. I also planned to take $40 in cash with me, not write a check as I usually do. This meant even more organization on my part, having to go the the bank and withdraw cash for the week.

Here's what I thought would happen and did:
1. The very first time I tried this (taking a calculator with me and adding as I shopped), I spent $40 exactly. Exactly! Forty dollars and no cents. $40.00 Even including the tax on one or two items, and having produce which of course could vary a lot. I saw it as a sign from the gods that I was meant to continue doing this. (Even the cashier was pretty astounded, even more so when I told him I had intended to spend only that amount.)

2. I made no frivolous purchases. I picked up two chocolate bars at the end (I consider those staples) and even put back another snack food to afford the second bar.

3. I only bought what I thought we would need in the next few days, not the whole week or for the next week.

If we had one block of tofu already in the fridge, I didn't buy another, knowing that was enough protein for a couple days. I bought just a few yogurts for DD and just one or two for me, since I only use a half of one each morning.

It made me more aware of what I had in the pantry or fridge already, and not overbuy. Which in turn kept some of that fresh produce from spoiling because I knew I needed to use it up. I stopped preparing only our favorite foods and used up the other stuff (perfectly fine and tasty) we already had. I even discovered that my DD will eat what we call "Beanie Weanies" and loves them. (Baked beans with cut up Smart Dogs.) And I can make cornbread in a flash if I have at least 20 minutes.

4. By limiting myself to the cash in my wallet, and to the $40 limit, I really did stick close to $40. When I know I have that "open checkbook" I tend to spend three times that amount.

What I hadn't expected:
1. Shopping was a whole lot quicker! You have your list, you fill it (and you know that $40 goes fast!) and you get out! Time and aggravation saved!

2. Healthier foods. Again, since $40 isn't much, there's no room for a lot of processed or prepared foods. You've got to buy the "cheap" stuff that you are going to process yourself at home. Of course this translates into a healthier diet. I found my cart loaded with fresh fruits and veggies, a couple veggie proteins, a few cans of beans or tomato sauce, soy milk, yogurt and a loaf of bread. I also found that I saved time since I wasn't stopping to inspect labels of any new items. The few processed things I did get were familiar and I'd inspected them in the past.

3. Easier. Forty dollars generally only gets you two bags of groceries. (At Whole Foods, anyway.) Two bags of groceries means: Only one trip up the stairs in the garage into the kitchen instead of three or four. Only a couple minutes putting groceries away in the kitchen instead of 15 or 20. (Or letting them sit on the floor for days because I was too tired after trudging up the stairs three times.)

4. Less wasted. We often don't even eat all the food I planned for the 3 days, and it is still in the fridge. I had learned this a few years ago when I started doing weekly menu planning. I would rarely use up all the groceries I had bought for the week and much was there (and some of it going bad) the next week. But this held true for menu planning/shopping for just a few days at a time. (I do plan the whole week's menus, but just shop for a few days.) So, we eat even less than I thought we did.

What didn't quite work on $40 a trip:
Once you start running out of non-food items, your bill goes up dramatically. I needed to readjust the budget to include the reality of the expenses of toilet paper, tissues (we have hay fever), paper towels (even though we use these sparingly), shampoo/conditioner (long hair takes a lot of shampoo), deodorant, razor blades, dishwasher detergent, dishwashing liquid, clothes washing detergent, feminine hygiene products, etc. We did our best to root out these things that might be hiding somewhere in the house–using up all those tiny little hair products from previous hotel stays, for instance. That would stretch the budget a week or so.

My take-aways:
1. Coaching metaphor. A very surprising take-away came in the form of a coaching metaphor, which I will explain in a future blog post. But it has to do with the idea of having only $40 worth of time vs. that open checkbook.

2. Food waste. I am much more careful about using up leftovers and not letting food rot in the fridge. I'm not perfect and it still happens, but I feel I am much more aware of what I am putting in my cart and the likelihood of it getting eaten.

3. I tend to "hoard" less. Similar to #2 above. I let go of the feeling that I need to buy several of each item (maybe it's on sale), when in reality, it's like borrowing money from myself. Why let my money sit on my shelf as a tenth can of beans when it could have gone to pay down a real debt? (I'll be blogging this summer about a project my local organizers' group is doing around disaster preparedness. That may also alleviate my hoarding tendency by knowing I have my "disaster hoard" already completed.)

4. High cost of non-food items. I'm more careful about non-food products since I now realize just how expensive they are--or rather, what a large percentage of our "grocery" budget they are. I've switched to a cheaper shampoo/conditioner that still meets my "natural" requirements. I've toyed with the idea of cutting my hair short again, but since short cuts need to be kept up more often I think the savings is in having fewer hair cuts. (And, no I won't switch to a $15 cut!) I have begun to just not wash my hair now and then, if I can get away with it. That's probably even better for my hair and certainly saves me time. And, no, I'm not ready to give up deodorant!

5. Shopping at two stores. Since I like two stores in town, and each carries a few things the other doesn't, I know I'll be getting to each of them in the week.

Conclusion
I'm still trying to shop with only $40 at a time. I've fallen off the wagon a few times, hard. Trader Joe's is a third store I like to shop at, but ours are in the next town, about 30-45 minutes away. The hoarding tendency takes over knowing I might not get back there for awhile and I'll easily spend $150. My stomach turns when I do that. So, I'm still working that out.

Costco is another issue. I don't really buy much food there, although on the last few trips I have found some good deals on fruit, which my daughter loves, and I try to eat more of. Other than fruit and juice boxes, I find myself buying non-food items like TP, tissues, batteries, printer paper and printing ink.

I think this experiment is a lot like diets I've been on. Over the last 20 years, I've tried different "diets" and come away with a new knowledge base, and I think I'm healthier for it. On McDougall I learned where the fats are in my food, on the Atkin's diet I learned where all the carbs were and where the protein was, on the Fiber diet, I learned, you guessed it, where all the fiber is. And lately, with the "UltraMind Diet" I am much more aware of wheat and sugar in my diet and how it affects me.

In other words, I have become more aware. I don't try to stick with just one of those diets--but it was like a decades long nutrition course that has helped me form choices about what I put into my mouth, and be very aware of when I stray from my good choices.

This budget experiment has made me very aware of the foods (and non-foods) I put in my cart, and how much they cost me financially as well as in time, potential aggravation and waste.

I think I'll keep to the $40/trip, knowing that there may be one or two extra trips each month when I have to stock up on items that last more than a few days but are essential to our lives.

When I see a $5 magazine at the check out (or any other frivolous item), I tend to think of it now in terms of how many cartons of blueberries it would buy. (When I was a kid, and bubble gum was a penny, I often looked at things as "How many pieces of bubble gum would that buy?)

Blueberries are expensive, but nutritionally very valuable and my DD loves them. That helps me make the choice.