Kitchen Cabinet

This project involved sorting then making the spices easily accessible.

Family Room

The key to organizing this space was coming up with a system for paper.

Closet

Much of the organizing in this closet had to do with identifying the purpose of the
closet then putting like things together.

Home Office 

A number of solutions were developed: 

a filing system was created for paper, 

a basket was established for recycling, and
homes were found for office supplies.

TO GET OFF JUNK MAIL LISTS

-by mail

•Send a letter plus a $1 check or money order to:
Mail Preference Service
Direct Marketing Association
PO Box 643
Carmel, NY 10512

-on-line

• www.dmaconsumers.org/cgi/offmailinglist
online is quicker than by postal mail and no fees for online registration

TO GET OFF “JUNK CALL” LISTS

-use the “do not call registery” for telemarketing calls

•you can register home and cell phones
•www.donotcall.gov

FIND A COMPUTER RECYCLING CENTER IN YOUR AREA:

http://www.eiae.org/

OLD BLANKETS AND MOVING BLANKETS

•accepted and appreciated by the Humane Society and animal shelters

OLD GLASSES

•send to
Eyeglass Recycling
333 Lake St.
Upland, IN 46989

ALTERNATIVE WAYS TO GET RID OF (and get) STUFF

•www.freecycle.org
a nonprofit group where you sign up at no charge and give (and get) things for free.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

1. What are the benefits of hiring an organizer?

They help you….

• be efficient - find things when you need them.
• save money and the environment – know what you have so you don’t have to buy it again.
• live or work in a peaceful space – create an environment that meets your needs.
• pay bills on time – develop systems that work for you.

2. Should I feel embarrassed about letting you see my house?

NO!  My job is to help you reach your goals and become more organized.  Think about it this way: do you feel embarrassed about having a plumber work on a pipe? Probably not. A Professional Organizer is like any other professional working in your home in that you are not expected to have fixed the problem before the hired professional gets there to help.  You are paying the professional to know and understand their job in order to help you with your situation. 

3. Will you make me throw away my stuff?

You make decisions about your things.  I will help you with this process by asking a variety of questions. A professional organizer’s job is to help the client achieve their organizing goals. 

4. Do you work with people who have problems such as these…YES, I certainly do! 

• My table is always covered with paper: school stuff, bills, invitations, and junk mail. I don’t know what to do with it all.
• My basement has become a place to pile stuff. I don’t even know what’s down there anymore. 
• My living room is such a wreck that I don’t feel comfortable inviting people over.
• I have things all over the bedroom: my dressers are so full that they don’t really shut and I don’t have a place to put my wallet because the tops of my dresser are covered.
• My kitchen cupboards are so disorganized that I really don’t enjoy cooking.  
• I don’t have room in my closet for all my clothes.

5. What about these concerns…I CAN help you . 

• I used to be organized.  I don’t know what happened.
• I just need a few new organizing ideas for this room.
• I’m not sure how to organize space.
• I know I need to get rid of some things but I’m not sure what.
• I’m wasting too much money by purchasing duplicate items.   

FEES ARE BASED ON A VARIETY OF FACTORS:

•Time it takes client to make purging decisions.

•Amount of “homework” completed between sessions.

•Length of project and involvement of organizer.

•Type of organizing work.  The organizer consults, presents, and organizes.

•Location of client. The organizer lives in ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN but also works in surrounding communities.

LOCATIONS IN OHIO:

-Bluffton, Pandora, Lima, Findlay, Columbus Grove, Ada, and Bowling Green.

LOCATIONS IN ILLINOIS:

-Chicago.

*If a client is located in an area that is not mentioned, the organizer is open to considering other locations.

GETTING STARTED

•There is a free initial assessment.

•The client and organizer agree upon an initial set of organizing hours.

ASK ABOUT PACKAGE DEALS

• The 5- 15 hour package

• The 16 hour plus package

“We had experienced many trials and successes growing a company over the course of 20 years, when we looked up one day and found ourselves totally disorganized, wading through piles of paperwork, books, audios, videos, electronic files, and all kinds of stuff that didn’t have a proper place to live.  We knew we needed help getting things in order so we looked online for a professional organizer in the Lima area, we found Susan, and we set up a free consultation appointment.  

From the moment we met her, we liked her and knew she could help us.  She is calm, collected, rational, logical, orderly, focused and very knowledgeable about organization and creating storage and file management systems.  As our company was in the middle of a difficult transition period, we ended up bringing many things to our meetings with Susan that stretched beyond the boundaries of organizing a space, and Susan handled it all with grace and professionalism.  She had quite a challenge working with us and she has delivered far beyond our expectations.  She is heaven sent!”

-Chastity
cbutterfield@thinandhealthy.com   

“I asked Susan to come for a consultation to help me deal with an avalanche of papers on my desk, which included the kids’ school papers, junk mail, magazines, and bills. It was Susan’s expertise and ability to work with my unique situation that gave me the tools I needed to get started.”

-M. Harnish

“There were several areas (kitchen, back-porch, kid’s bedroom, & closets) in my house that needed organizational help. Susan has a wonderful attitude that puts you at ease amidst your clutter! I learned a lot and I highly recommend her services.”

-Colleen Weinberger
Chicago, Illinois

“I got married over a year ago and moved into my husband’s home and still had boxes from three previous moves that I’d never even opened! Thanks to Susan’s very patient, nonjudgmental coaching and laying out of various options, I was able to go through all of those boxes and make decisions on what to do with the items. I feel like a huge weight has been lifted from me. I also spent time asking Susan to help me have a strategy for tackling some other storage issues, and it’s spurred me on to use it at my office at work as well. Thanks a million, Susan!”

-Julia Friesen
Glen Ellyn, Illinois

Clients

• teachers
• professors
• individuals
• couples with different organizing styles
• parents
• teenagers

ORGANIZING STATISTIC

“Americans waste more than nine million hours each day looking for lost and misplaced articles.” Shelley Page, Ottawa Citizen (2003)

ORGANIZING POSSIBILITIES

Organizing systems are created to fit client needs.
Confidentiality and a non-judgmental attitude are guaranteed.

•The chart below shows spaces in which the organizer works and project possibilities

SERVICES PROVIDED

•consulting

•sorting and organizing

•teaching organizing skills

•developing organizing systems

•PRESENTING - The general format includes a thirty to sixty minute program including a time for question.