Post from: Simple. Organized. Life.

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Checking – Bank of America
Savings – Bank of America
Emergency Fund – ING Direct
Taxes Fund – ING Direct
Old Savings – Credit Union
Individual Stocks – Scottrade
ETF’s – Sharebuilder
Bank of America (inherited) Stock – Computershare
CA Tax Exempt Bond Fund – Commonwealth Financial
Mutual Fund – T Rowe Price
Roth IRA – T Rowe Price

That is an absurd amount of different accounts to try to keep track of. Add in the fact that my “salary” comes in the form of about 45 different 1099 forms each year, and tax time for me is a giant mess. So, in an effort to simplify my life, in the last couple of months I have worked really hard to get all these accounts consolidated down to the fewest number I could. And here is what it looks like now:

Checking – Charles Schwab Bank
Saving – Charles Schwab Bank
Individual stocks, including BofA stock, bond fund – Charles Schwab Brokerage
Emergency Fund – ING Direct
Taxes Fund – ING Direct
Mutual Fund – T Rowe Price
Roth IRA – T Rowe Price

I went from 7 financial accounts down to just 3, which makes my financial life a whole hell of a lot easier to keep track of. Why do we complicate things that could be handled so much easier? I also no longer receive any paper statements from any of my accounts (banking, credit cards, etc) and pay all my bills online. If you still have your accounts spread over way too many banks and are still receiving paper statements each month, I highly recommend consolidating and simplifying. It’s amazing how much time it frees up and headaches it eliminates!

Post from: Simple. Organized. Life.

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And as an environmentalist, I appreciate Tammy’s talk about reducing one’s carbon footprint by trading in their daily commuter car for a bicycle. Even if you live somewhere that going carfree isn’t an option, just taking a few tips from this book can save you money, help you get healthy, and simplify your life just enough to start taking notice of the world around you. Good stuff.

Simple Carfree is on sale for $9.95 for the first 500 people who download the book, and after that the price will go up to $12.99. Either way, it’s a value for those of you looking to go Simply Carfree. Well done, Tammy!

Post from: Simple. Organized. Life.

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Thus, my technology fast began.

It’s not always perfect – sometimes I need to break it to take care of something, and sometimes I forget that I was even doing it. But for the most part, I stick to it. And it gives my mind a break from the constant bombardment of information, information, and more information. It cannot be healthy to be constantly “connected” like we are!

So, my suggestion to you – in your quest to declutter, slow down, and simplify – take a tech break every once in a while. Turn it all off for a day. Leave the house without a cellphone. Remember when you used to be able to do that, and if you didn’t answer the phone people just left you a message? Try it for a day. You may be pleasantly surprised at the experience.

Post from: Simple. Organized. Life.

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- An electric guitar I haven’t played in years
- A stand up fan
- A portable cd/tape player
- A rubber horseshoe set
- A wooden wall clock
- 2 model cars
- 2 shoeboxes full of cables/cords/adapters
- An over-the-door hanger
- A walking stick I made myself but have no need for
- A shoebox full of 4-track tapes from my days of being in bands
- 2 curtains
- 5.1 surround speakers I no longer use

All this “stuff” doesn’t seem like that much when it’s all put away in boxes, closets, and shelves. But once you start piling it up in the middle of a room it seems like a lot more. I looked at my 5 bags of books and all this other stuff and realized that I had paid to move it all here to my new apartment only to now be getting rid of it. I thought I had gotten rid of all unnecessary stuff back in New Mexico, but I guess not! It really is amazing how much crap we lug around “just in case”, isn’t it? I am on a quest to get rid of everything in my house that I don’t use on a weekly basis, and so far so good.

Are you still doing the 10 Things Challenge? Seems I have accidentally turned it into a 50+ Things Challenge but hey – who’s counting? Next week I will tell you about what I did to my master bedroom closet, so stay tuned!

Post from: Simple. Organized. Life.

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I am choosing to live how I want from here on out, with minimum distraction from the naysayers and doubters.

When I sat down to start making my list, I thought back to when I was a teenager. I tried to remember some of the dreams and desires I had 20 years ago, which I wanted to do “when I was a grown up”. I thought back to my 20’s, after graduating college, and tried to imagine what my rebellious 25 year old self would be telling my now 37 year old self about his choices and/or decisions in life. I thought about this past year and about all the things I have thought I wanted to get done before I am 40. And I started writing. Some are easy, almost “New Years Resolution” types, while others require long-term planning. Anything I could remember that I had wanted to do or accomplish in my life went down on this preliminary list. After a while, it was pretty long – and full of some good and VERY bad ideas. Some items I have known all along and some I had completely forgotten about. Once I went through and crossed out the stupid stuff that I knew I would never, ever do even if I wanted to, I was left with a pretty decent To-Do life list.

And just last week, I crossed the first one on the list off by getting my first tattoo.

So what else is on the list? Well, I will tell you a few of the things but most of them are going to remain private for me and myself alone.

- Learn to correctly ride a motorcycle by taking safety classes, get my motorcycle license, and buy a Ducati.

- Get rid of most of the books in my bookcase (only a few left. I added another 30 to my list the other day)

- Look into selling my Subaru and getting something smaller and more fuel-efficient – or nothing at all.

- However, while doing that, I have always wanted a muscle car. So, will contemplate that as well

- Start an actual exercise routine and stick to it

- Go back and finish the book I started writing a few years ago

- Get back on a skateboard again. Of course, if I look like an ass, please let me know.

- Move to a smaller, simpler apartment in a more walkable neighborhood

- Spend more than a few weeks living in Europe

- Not care, at all, what others think of me. No more judgment will get under my skin

This is it – your one and only shot at your life. Once it’s gone, it’s gone for good. And I don’t want to be one of those people who at 70 years old looks back and says “Why didn’t I…. ?” Your time is now, so if there is something you want to do or someone you want to be, now is the time to start doing on it. Tomorrow may never come, so make the most of today and live your own life how you want it to be.

Post from: Simple. Organized. Life.

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Seems OfficeMax decided there was a market for small-scale shredding services, and I am very glad to hear it! On January 5th they announced that Shred-it, an information security company, would be “providing secure document destruction service to consumers and small businesses alike. Beginning in January, OfficeMax will offer the Shred-it document destruction program at nearly all of the company’s more than 1,000 stores nationwide as part of its OfficeMax ImPress(R) suite of in-store print and document services.” Sweet! Pricing for the new service is determined by weight of the materials to be shredded: $.59 per pound for up to five pounds, $.49 per pound for six to ten pounds, and $.39 per pound for 11 pounds and above.

You know what this does? It lets me get rid of a giant machine in my house that rarely gets used.

I can now keep just a single folder in my small file cabinet that is designated “Shred”. Once it is full, I can truck on over to OfficeMax (and likely other stores, once they get wind) and have them do the work for me for a few bucks every few months. And that’s one more thing out of my house that I no longer have to maintain, store, or move – just the way I want it!

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Looks pretty empty already, right? Well, at one time it was full with books – every single block was stuffed. Now there are half empty ones, along with the bottom left one which holds my now-deceased cat’s homemade cat scratcher that I am keeping for the next one. And the USPS bin is for paper recycling only. It’s not so much of a bookcase now as it is a catch-all for a bunch of stuff. Also, those vases are going to be sold as well I think, as I don’t really have a use for them and have been moving them around for years.

And this is what the bookcase looks like as of today:

A little emptier, a little lighter. Now, to get rid of the books I took out so I can go back in and pick more. So there you go – another 10 34 things out of my house for good! Are you still doing the 10 Things Challenge? If so, how’s it going? If not, why not?

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That’s my iPhone home screen – I only keep the apps I use daily on that page. There are many more on other pages, but at least the home screen is organized and simple!

You Simplified writes a Great Expectations Manifesto – 21 Guidelines for my Children on Living an Authentic Life. Every parent should read this.

Emily from Remodeling This Life says that childhood won’t wait, and I could not agree more.

Everyday Minimalist talks about getting rid of furniture as a way to force ourselves to de-clutter. What do you think?

Rowdy Kittens has a post up for you ladies (or men, I don’t discriminate) who wear make up called “Minimalist Make-up and Beauty“.

Simple Savvy wants you to pare down your online obligations. This is something I struggle with daily, and have started implementing “tech-free Saturdays” to try to bring some sanity back into my life.

And finally, Far Beyond The Stars tells us How Anticipation is the Least Minimalist Emotion. Amen to that…but it’s a tough one to get rid of.

Post from: Simple. Organized. Life.

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Why do we let what others think of our decisions dictate our life? Why do we live somewhere we may not want to or live a certain lifestyle we may not be interested in? Are we afraid of being judged? I know that’s my problem that I am working on for myself, finally, at 37 years old. I was thinking of getting rid of a piece of furniture in my house this weekend that I really had no use for anymore. While contemplating what to do with it, I heard a little bird in my ear say “But you paid so much for it! Why would you get rid of that? That’s just wasting money!“. I had to really work hard to push aside that voice and decide for myself what was right for me. Not for anyone else – for me and me alone. Too often, many of us make decisions like this based on what others think is right because we are afraid of what they may say about our own choice. And this is no way to live, and I am just beginning to figure out my own way of dealing with those feelings.

Take wedding registries, for example. Most everyone who gets married ends up filling up gift registries for stuff that wedding guests can purchase for them. Extra set of “good” dishes? Check. Bar ice buckets and fancy potholders? Check. I fell for it too. We were “supposed” to register for another set of dishes – “It’s what everyone does!”. So we did. And ended up with another full set of dishes that sat unused for the better part of 4 years, until they came in handy in the divorce. (But that’s an entirely different subject on simple living, isn’t it? ) After it was all said and done, we kinda looked at each other and said “why do we need all this stuff? why didn’t we just ask for cash so we could put it in a savings account or towards something more expensive?” I am not begrudging the fact that we got gifts for our wedding, but rather we fell into the same trap that most everyone does – it’s what you do when you get married, that’s why. And because we let other people influence our choice, our houses fill up with dishes, appliances, and pot holders that never get used. AKA unnecessary clutter and maintenance.

If you haven’t started already, it’s time to start living your life – not someone else’s. Sure, they may not agree with your choices. And you may have to fight the urge to tell them off if so. But this is your time on earth, and you only get one shot. So who’s going to call the shots? You? Or them? It’s your choice.

Post from: Simple. Organized. Life.

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