Altogether Organized

12/10/2025

Even I said to Keep The Captain of the Cheerleader Coat from 1961! But was thrilled my client let these others go as coats are wonderful to donate, especially in the winter. The cheerleader coat has wonderful memories attached and she wears it as a Halloween costume! If it was my coat, I'd probably wear it everyday.😆 Jewel Food stores have collection boxes for coats now through January, and the coats go directly to people in need. So someone will be nice and toasty in the fur lined coats she donated.

11/26/2025

"Stuff is just Stuff. All the Important things are Invisible."

(Heard recently and think it's so interesting to contemplate)

11/04/2025

A "Great Deal" is not so Great when you have to Store the Excess! Choosing between $15 for 20 masks or $29.99 for 440 masks, my husband couldn't pass up this "great deal." I'd asked him to get me some masks and this box showed up. After I got over the initial shock, I thanked him for this perfect illustration of what the cost of a great deal can be. Does anyone need some masks???

10/22/2025

So Fun when your Client Discovers their Items are Valuable (when they thought they weren't)! $1500 later they are very happy!
I found a box containing these unopened bottles in a closet and suspected they had value. I asked permission to send a photo to Ian Kasper from Lot 14 Auctions to get his opinion. He immediately texted back to say that 3 of these were auction worthy. The auction was held last week and here's what they sold for:
Jack Daniels with Cameo Inset - $1050, Ballantine's - $350, Royal Crown - $100. The Drambuie wasn't auction worthy and they kept the Chivas to celebrate. 😁

09/10/2025

Brilliant writer and humorist, Sally Schwartz, entertains while describing the mental journey she and her siblings went on while sorting through the items in their parent's home. If you've ever done this or have downsized a home, I'm sure you can relate!

Sorting through a lifetime’s worth of your parents’ possessions is a rite of passage deserving its own stages of emotional tumult. Sure, psychiatrist Elisabeth Kübler-Ross’ five stages of grief—denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance—hold up as a road map to mourning. But th...

09/09/2025

Brilliant writer and humorist, Sally Schwartz, entertains while describing the mental journey she and her siblings went on while sorting through the items in their parent's home. If you've ever done this or have downsized a home, I'm sure you can relate!

Sorting through a lifetime’s worth of your parents’ possessions is a rite of passage deserving its own stages of emotional tumult. Sure, psychiatrist Elisabeth Kübler-Ross’ five stages of grief—denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance—hold up as a road map to mourning. But th...

09/02/2025

Free Organizing Advice (and maybe a tote bag for you😄)!
The Container Store in Northbrook has invited me back to as the "Pro" at their upcoming "Ask a Pro Organizer" event this Saturday.
I will be there from 12-3 on Saturday, Sept. 6th to help customers determine which products will best meet their needs. Any of my clients and Facebook followers who stop by will get a Container Store tote bag, while they last. Not that any of my clients need another tote bag!😅

08/13/2025

Rethinking Regifting!
Do you have a stash of "gifts to give" that you never actually give anyone? My client, like many I've worked with, was keeping a large supply which took up a lot of space. She got real about what she'd actually give and said this to me: "If I don't like the item enough to keep for myself, why would I give it to someone else? And, is this a gift I would have chosen for them? " These questions led her to clean out her regifting area which created more space, the ability to see what she has and 2 bags of donations. 😃

08/05/2025

My New Favorite "New Baby" Gift! You are never too young (or too old 😁) to learn this.

07/08/2025

"Are You Planning on Opening a Box Store"? That's what I asked my friend when she asked if she should keep all these empty boxes.
"If so, then yes, absolutely. I told her, "but if not, just keep a few that you are likely to use for mailing." I also reminded her that as long as she keeps ordering things, empty boxes will continue to come into her house, so she could probably get rid of all of them and be just fine.

07/02/2025

Forget, "Say it with Flowers". I used socks and underwear dividers to convey my love and appreciation to my husband on Father's Day.😘 Organizing is my Love Language!😁

04/29/2025

Organizing Products Can Make a Huge Difference! They are not always needed but in these situations they were extremely helpful!