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Organizing Your Files With Smead Office Supplies

As a professional organizer, I am forever looking for products to help my clients   declutter, tackle  incoming mail and organize their home offices. The nice folks at Smead sent me several products to review that make clearing the clutter and filing a little easier.
Ever run out of space labeling a folder or wish you could use a bigger font?  Colorful Smead Supertab® File Folders {above} have nearly double the labeling area of standard folders. The larger labels makes it quick and easy to locate important files.
The Smead Stadium File™ would be perfect as part of a “one-stop-sorting-station”. Your designated sorting station should be used daily to tackle incoming mail. First and right away, recycle or toss all junk mail, catalogs, or unwanted promotions. Shred any mail that might contain personal information (SS#, phone #s, medical record #s, etc.). Second, file all mail you need to save. Using the Smead Stadium File with tiered expanding file would be ideal as it lets you see everything at a glance. Here are some suggested file categories:

 


• To Pay – bills to be paid
• To Act – rsvp to an event, make a call, etc.
• To File – papers to be filed in your main home filing system (i.e. bank or insurance statements, etc.)
• To Read – magazines or catalogs
 

To help label  those folders with ease, Smead has designed the Viewables® labeling system. Its my favorite of the bunch because it allows you to customize your filing with any color and multiple fonts. The super cute labels above are some that I created in minutes! The starter kit comes with the software and label sheets. The software even remembers how many labels are left on your page so there’s no waste. The only downside {found out on-site with a client!} was that it only supports PC and not MAC users – Smead are you listening?

All three Smead products are available from a wide variety of office products dealers including Office Depot, Office Max, Staples and Amazon. And although this is sponsored content {Simplified Bee was been given product samples and a nominal gift card},  I do not blog about anything I do not believe in and Smead did not edit the post or direct our content in any way.
When is the last time you organized, purged or tended to your home filing system? Is it time?
Happy organizing!!!
  
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Read full story By on June 3, 2010 in file folders, home organization, office supplies, Paperwork

Interior Design Magazines – Toss Them the Right Way

Interior designer magazines.

We love to read them.

We swoon over them.

We agonize on purging them.

The day will come when you need to reduce the number of magazines piling up and the question is, can we recylce them? In celebration of the 40th Earth Day {April 22, 2010} Earth911’s giving green tips daily and their 34th tip answers our question:

Fact:

According to the Magazine Publishers of America, only 20 percent of magazines are recycled from the home. Once recycled, magazines cannot be used to make new magazines. However, they do help to make newspaper, tissue, writing paper and paperboard.

Do Something:

Many consumers are afraid to put magazines into paper bins, but the glossy paper does not contaminate paper recycling. Magazines are now accepted by all curbside recycling programs that collect paper. Find out more about your local recycling program using Earth911.

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Read full story By on April 11, 2010 in healthy home, home organization, Mail

Spring Cleaning Tips: Making Your Closet Functional & Beautiful

Keeping a house clean is a year around task, however many bigger cleaning projects are saved for when the seasons change. Washing windows, cleaning upholstered furnishings and washing outdoor furniture many be some chores on your spring cleaning checklist. Getting your closet organized is also an important task as we go into spring and here are a few tips to help you get started:

Store. As you transition your wardrobe closet from cold-weather clothing to warm-weather clothing, make sure that you store sweaters, coats and pants away in zipped bags that protect your garments from moths and other pests. And before you store, make sure your garment is cleaned. The Container Store has some great storage options and a spring organization sale going on now.

Give. Donate clothing that you do not wear to a local charity. Don’t know one in your area? Excess Access will match you with a charity organization in your zip code. They link each donation with the wish-lists of your nearby charities that can provide pick-ups or will accept drop-offs. And donors get tax-deductible receipts.

Organize. If you have a large or walk-in closet it’s best to organize it into zones by season or garment type (i.e. work, casual, formal). Next arrange the clothing into sections for each category (i.e. blouses, dresses, pants, etc.). Then arrange the clothes in each section by color from left to right (i.e. black, blue, brown, red, orange, yellow, ivory and white). This makes it much easier to find outfits and is more pleasing to the eye. Wouldn’t you agree?

Function & Style. To help keep shirts, shoes and sweaters arranged neatly I recommend stackable boxes with clear fronts like these tweed drop-front boxes. The clear drop-front allows you see what’s inside and to access items without having to unstack them.

Plan. The Today Show recently highlighted Closet Lite, a high-tech clothing organization/planning application for your iPhone. It allows you to organize your clothing, create outfits, plan them for certain days and view them. This app can even create packing lists for any upcoming trips. Love this!

Speaking of trips – are you taking a vacation for spring break? If so, here are some more tips on packing for a trip.

Happy spring and happy organizing!

*images courtesy of House Beautiful, Martha Stewart, Canadian House & Home, Making it Lovely

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Read full story By on March 31, 2010 in Closets, home organization, household cleaning, Organization, organization tips, storage, travel tips

Organizing Household Paperwork and Buttoned Up Giveaway Winners

Tackling household paperwork is certainly a chore. Even in this electronic age, most of our paperwork is generated from snail mail. If you buried in mail and need simple tips on managing and reducing the amount household mail, you may want to take a look at a previous Simplified Bee post – Snail Mail Organization With Style.

For those of you that need a jump-start in organizing household paperwork and don’t want to bother with labeling, the File.starter set from Buttoned Up is for you. It comes with ten labeled, color-coded, file folders grouped into three simple categories; Healthy, Wealthy, and Wise. Also included are two blank files for you to fill in with whatever suits your needs. The modern, brightly colored files are easy to find in hanging files and will help get your desk under control for the New Year.

I am also thrilled to announce the winners of the Buttoned Up giveaway. The winner of the Buttoned Up.coupons are Jayme (comment 9) and Carla (comment 23). Congratulations!

The winner of the trio of organizing products by Buttoned Up – Pet Care Package, Fitness.doc and Collision.doc is Kellie (lucky comment 13 picked by random.org). I have a feeling she is going to love the Pet Care Package for sure – the darling Cavalier King Charles Spaniel above is Kellie’s Lily. She writes about Lily and more on her lovely blog, Ada & Darcy.

In addition, Buttoned Up is offering all Simplified Bee readers 25 off $20 or more at Buttoned Up. Please enter promotional code 25OFF at checkout – expires 12/26/09. Their products would make great stocking stuffers! Have you started your holiday shopping?

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Read full story By on November 23, 2009 in discounts, file folders, Giveaways, home organization, Paperwork