Having been through several home renovations, i.e. ceilings, floors and walls, my personal items each time were thrown into boxes and stored in the garage. These boxes have been there for 5 years. Heck if I remembered what was in them. Being a single mom, my life has always moved at marathon speed tending to my son, taking care of the dogs, and working in a dynamic office environment. A single Mom wears multiple hats and never has free time. I have my paper bag ready for those hyperventilation moments. Since the beginning of those projects, my two car garage had become a one car compact garage. The garage was filled from one end to the other and to the ceiling with boxes, storage trunks, suitcases, books, toys and sports paraphernalia. The disorganization was driving me crazy. I had to take control of this growing behemoth and minimize the chaos. My cup had finally runneth over. I came up with a plan now that I had a little more time. My son is older, in high school and his friends have wheels. My taxi driver hat can retire.
Since I could not move around in the garage, I parked my car outside for several days. I started gathering items I could reach, identify and no longer wanted. I joined friends in their garage sale. I was inexperienced at garage sale savviness and lingo. It was my first one; I wasn't sure what to do. Friends had told me to place price tags on all the items. How do you know what to charge? I did a little homework and searched the web. I found the Salvation Army's website had a great valuation guideline for secondhand items. I started there with my pricing. As a side note, you will never collect anything close to what you paid for the item, just get rid of it and let someone else enjoy it. Clothing items were priced at and under, designer dresses, and under (some were originally 0 and up and had never been worn), books 3 for , toys - , furniture - , electronic pricing can be left open for best offer and small items $.25 -.. By the end of the garage sale, I had collected 0. I never new garage sales could be so much fun and profitable. My negotiation skills were challenged during this event. For price tags, you can find pre-printed stick-on ones at your local office supply store and left-over items can be donated to charitable organizations, obtain a receipt. You can use it for your tax return if you itemize. Advertise your garage sale in Craig's List and list a few Doorbuster items.
Toy Storage Organizer
Having cleared some space, I was able to set up a long banquet table. I used the table to hold my boxes while I gleaned through the contents. I bought a few smaller boxes in order to re-organize and break-down larger ones. I wanted boxes I could lift myself. I went through all my financial records and shredded records I no longer required. The IRS recommends keeping documents for 3 years if you have consistently filed your taxes on time. You can visit the IRS' website and search under Record keeping for time frames that are applicable to your situation.
1. Home Owner - keep all receipts and documents for home improvements, you will need them if you sell your house. If you have receipts on thermal paper, make a copy and maybe scan too. Ink on thermal paper vanishes. Renovations will add to your original purchase price which reduces your taxable gain if you sell for more than the purchase price. Keep mortgage records. Should you refinance, many of the documents you gathered previously may be beneficial to future refinances. Keep all titles in a fireproof box or safe. That goes for your cars and other valuable items you may own.
2. Medical Records - Have the hospital or doctor provide you with copies of your CT Scans, X-rays, MRI's or other tests you've had performed, a doctor provided me that advice years ago. Hospitals are notorious for losing or misfiling documents. You control your medical history. Keep copies of all vaccinations, when performed. You never know when you may need a good Tetanus shot again, 5 year expiration if I remember correctly.
3. School Records - I keep all report cards, awards and diplomas. For children, I keep a few small special projects they completed for a particular school year.
4. Kid's Toys - If the toy is in good condition and I have the original package, I may save it if I feel it could become a collectible some day. I wish I had my first Barbie or Chatty Cathy Doll. My cousin has her original Howdy Dowdy Marionette in its box.
5. Photos - In my spare time, I scan all photos. I have created two folders on my hard drive for my two kids. I have scanned all my Mom's family photos, over 1000. I love viewing the photos in Slide Show mode.
6. Create a Box For Each Person in Your Household - For each child, I have created a box that contains their school records, medical records, school pictures, school papers, awards, family birthday cards with messages, etc. I have chronological folders in each box. I feel they will be able to go through each folder some day and reminisce about their life and share with their children. Medical records may come in handy when they have children. At some point, these records will be scanned too.
For each new box I create, I attach a masking tape label. I write the contents of the box on the label and date it. I like masking tape because I can easily remove it to add a new one should I make modifications. The smaller boxes make everything more convenient. I feel if I were to move, I have everything inventoried, boxed and ready to go. I will number each box and inventory it on my computer as well. Soon life will be at my finger tips. Cleaning through the remaining boxes resulted in additional garage sale items and 0. I continued my organization with my closets and other rooms; I removed the knick knack dust collector items. I finally feel I can breathe. Start your organization today; it can be profitable for you too, mentally and financially. Before closing, I have one more tidbit to share with you that I heard on the radio, KFI 640 am, this past weekend. They discussed the "321" approach for backing up files on your computer. Make 3 copies, use 2 different formats, store 1 off site. Thank You. Kathryn Alexander.