Monthly Archives: April 2014

Introducing Freedom Filer: The Solution for All of Your File System Woes

Freedom Filer 1

Image courtesy of John Kasawa / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

We are nearing the end of Organize Your Files week…

Does the task of organizing your files sound about as appealing as getting a root canal?

Perhaps you dread the task of filing papers into your current filing system because the filing cabinet is overstuffed and hasn’t been purged in years. Maybe that dread prevents you from filing altogether, and you have resorted to piling your papers in stacks throughout your home instead.

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Image courtesy of  Nutta Kit /FreeDigitalPhotos.net

If any of this resonates with you, first understand that you are not alone!  As I’ve discussed in prior blog posts, paper clutter is a common challenge for most of my clients – so much so, that I offer an organizing service specifically devoted to assisting clients with managing the paper that comes into their home.
One of my absolute favorite tools for managing household papers is the Freedom Filer system.

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I use Freedom Filer for organizing my own reference files, as well as my clients’ files.  My clients love it as much as I do.  Here’s why:

    • It’s a self-purging system in which files are categorized as Permanent, Replaceable, or Rotating…so you will never have to clean out your files again once the system is set up (take a few moments and let that sink in);
    • Following some simple rules, all of your files will rotate out after their useful life has ended;
    • Color coding enables users to quickly retrieve documents;
    • You will not have to waste any time creating labels or determining appropriate file categories/names…it’s all been done for you;
    • You can completely customize the system to fit your specific filing needs.

Click here to link to the Freedom Filer site, where you can learn more about this highly recommended product.  After you purchase your Freedom Filer, contact me to schedule a session during which we can set up your customized filing system and end those paper piles once and for all!

To learn more about Natalie Gallagher and Refined Rooms, visit RefinedRoomsLLC.com.

Olioboard E-Design: A No Cost Resource for Your Next Room Makeover

Olioboard Collage

Have a space in your home that’s in dire need of a makeover? Do you wish there was an affordable way to enlist the help of an interior designer to create a blueprint for transforming your room from drab to fab?

Let me introduce you to Olioboard.

Olioboard is an online moodboard tool used by interior designers & enthusiasts to create 2D and 3D room designs using real products from the most popular home decor retailers.  Historically, mood boards generated by this design tool were reserved for paying clients.  With the recent introduction of Olioboard’s free e-design service, this is no longer the case.

E-design customers get matched with their very own e-designer who will provide custom “shoppable” designs for their space. You can choose which items (if any) you want to purchase from the room design and make your purchase directly through Olioboard. Items are shipped for free to your door (for orders over $50).

When I learned about this new service, I decided to try it out for myself. I’m ready to give my family room an overhaul this year, and although I have my own vision for how I want the transformation to unroll, I thought it would be fun to incorporate ideas from one of the Olioboard e-designers as well.

After creating an Olioboard account, I initiated the e-design consultation by completing their client questionnaire.  During this information-gathering process, I communicated my overall vision for the space, my style & color preferences, the room dimensions, my budget, and my preferred shopping sources (e.g., Pottery Barn, Pier One, West Elm). I was also asked to upload photos of the space. Olioboard uses this information to pair you with a designer on their team who specializes in your particular style preference (e.g., modern, traditional, coastal, etc.).

My e-designer contacted me within a few hours of submitting my client questionnaire to ask a few clarifying questions. In less than 2 days, the first draft of my design mood board appeared in my inbox (wow! that’s quick!). I was really impressed with the design, but wanted to tweak a few things. I was able to communicate directly with my e-designer via email in order to provide feedback on the draft. In less than a day, the revised mood board arrived.

L-O-V-E  I-T!Olioboard Edesign 1

This interior designer clearly understood my vision and delivered a completed room design within my specified budget. I love that she provided a few options for key pieces, such as the coffee table and t.v. console. The mood board is an essential component of the design, but…where should all of these lovely pieces be placed in the room?

This is the question I posed to my e-designer, and in response, she sent me this detailed floor plan, which left no question unanswered.Olioboard Edesign 2

The free mood board and floor plan are awesome, but what’s beyond awesome is this feature:

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Your e-design consultation culminates with an item-specific shopping list with links that enable you to purchase the items in your design board directly from the Olioboard website. I know what you’re thinking…and you’re wrong. The price you see on the retailer’s site is the same price you will find on Olioboard. Too good to be true? I know, right?

I did mention that all orders over $50 include free shipping, right?

So my question to you is…what are you waiting for? Take advantage of this amazing resource and go tackle that room makeover! When you do, be sure to come back and share your experience with the Olioboard e-Design Service (as well as an AFTER photo of your space).

To learn more about Natalie Gallagher or Refined Rooms LLC, visit www.refinedroomsllc.com.

Junk Away: An Invaluable Resource for Your Large Declutter Project

In celebration of Earth Month/National Recycling month, I thought it would be appropriate to shine the spotlight on a local business that promotes “eco-friendly services” as one of its core values.

Earlier this week, I had the opportunity to get an “insider’s tour” of this really amazing place…

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 Junk Away is a Medina Ohio-based company, owned by one of my NAPO North Coast Ohio Associate Member colleagues, Doug Lewis. This junk removal/hauling company’s motto is:

Junk Away Reception 2

The company works with clients who are tackling major declutter/clean-out projects in their homes or businesses.  Their objective is to make the process as quick and painless as possible for their customers. A project that might take you a a few weeks to tackle on your own can likely be completed by the Junk Away team in one afternoon.

Doug Lewis, Junk Away Owner

What impresses me most about Junk Away is their commitment to avoid dumping your discarded items into the landfill.  Over 70% of the items they haul away are recycled, donated or re-sold.  Quite impressive!

When a full truck of “junk” arrives at the sorting facility, the discarded items are sorted into various categories.  Each category of items has its own unique disposition.  For example, this pile of wood will be used to make mulch:

Junk Away Wood

Metal items will find their way to the local metal scrap yard for recycling:

Junk Away Metal

Old electronic equipment is donated to local organizations who have a use for it; what is no longer useful is disposed of properly via local e-waste companies:Junk Away Ewaste

“Junk” is truly a misnomer for certain items that make their way into the Junk Away sorting facility.  Collectible items and items of value are re-sold to local dealers and consignment shops. Today’s truckload included this fully functional riding mower:

Today's truckload included this fully functional riding mower

You never know what might arrive on the truck each day. Here’s a grouping of vintage items and “objects d’art” awaiting resale:

Vintage items and "Objects d'art" awaiting resale

I was tickled to discover that Junk Away’s reception area and staff offices are furnished and decorated exclusively with “junk truck” contents!

Junk Away Reception 1

I’m thinking of hiring Doug as my home staging assistant…what do you think?

If you are a Northeast Ohio resident who will be tackling a major declutter project in your future, be sure to give Junk Away a call to see how they can assist you.

Interested in learning more about Natalie Gallagher or Refined Rooms? Visit RefinedRoomsLLC.com.

Organizing Charitable Donations Records to Reduce Tax-Time Stress

We are swiftly approaching that dreaded April 15th tax deadline.  Are you one of the lucky ones who received a hefty tax refund this year?  If so, then tax preparation might be a distant memory for you at this point, since you likely completed your taxes back in February (so that you could get your hands on that big check ASAP).

I know that many of you, however, are currently swimming in 1040 and W-2 forms, trying desperately to bring order to a box of chaotic receipts. One of the most common types of receipts in that “box of chaos” is the charitable donation receipt for household goods.

Throughout the year, you corral a group of items you no longer need/want, such as this:
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You then bag them up and bring them to your favorite local donation site…

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…and you get one of these:

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Most people tuck this receipt away in a file folder (or the “box of chaos”) with the other donation receipts from the current year, never to think about it again until tax “crunch time”  descends upon them.  At this point, they are faced with the stress of a) attempting to remember the particular  items that correspond with each receipt, and b) assigning a monetary value for each donated item.  This can be a painful and time-consuming process if you attempt to accomplish this task in one annual “batch” session.  In fact, I know several people who don’t bother to track this information at all because doing the task on an annual basis is simply too time daunting.

Valuing these goods is important though, because you often donate thousands of dollars worth of items each year, which can translate into hundreds of dollars in tax savings.  If you completed a large decluttering or downsizing project during the year, you could end up donating tens of thousands of dollars worth of household goods.  In these cases, donations can result in quite a significant tax savings. Given the importance of this, I’d like to share a few tips for organizing your (non-cash) charitable donation records that will enable you to take full advantage of your tax deduction:

1.  Take pictures of your donated items

Taking pictures serves two purposes; it provides further documentation of your donated items in the event of an IRS audit, and it provides a visual accounting of your items that you can use for creating your own itemized receipt.

2.  Determine the value of donated items at the time of donation

 Make it a habit to complete the exercise of donation valuation on the same day that you donate your items.  Information regarding the condition of each item will be fresh in your mind, which will result in a more accurate assessment of the value. In addition, this habit will prevent you from having to carve out a large block of time near the tax deadline to complete the overwhelming task of processing a year’s worth of donation receipts all at once.

3.  Take advantage of existing valuation tools

In the past, I’ve referenced both the Goodwill Valuation Guide and the Salvation Army’s Donation Value Guide for determining how much my items were worth. Within the past few years, I discovered a few interactive tools that are useful for this purpose.  These include Goodwill’s Donation Receipt Builder, and most recently, Intuit’s ItsDeductible tool.

ItsDeductible is available as both a web application and a mobile app. It provides a means of tracking cash donations, mileage donations, and household goods donations.

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In addition to keep a running tally of the total value of the goods I’ve donated each year, ItsDeductible also provides a summary of my actual tax savings to date. Knowing that I’ve saved $127 so far on my 2014 taxes serves as strong motivation to stay on top of this process (it also reinforces the urge to declutter so that I can find more things to donate!)

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 4.  Attach the original donation receipt with your itemized receipt

ItsDeductible syncs directly with Turbo Tax, which is  a boon for Turbo Tax users.  It also generates useful summary reports as well.  For tax documentation purposes, however, it is best to keep an itemized receipt together with the receipt provided by the donation site.

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 5.  Store all donation receipts for a particular tax year together in a designated location

Whether you choose to scan your receipts and keep all of your documentation electronically (which the IRS now accepts), or you prefer paper records, the final step in the process is to designate a home for these receipts (as well as all of your other tax-related documents) to live until the next tax preparation season arrives. Completing your taxes is stressful enough without the added burden of having to go on a hunting expedition for all of the supporting documentation!

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What aspects of the tax preparation process do you struggle with the most? Leave a comment and I’ll add it to the list of future blog topics.

Want to learn more about Natalie Gallagher or Refined Rooms? Visit RefinedRoomsLLC.com.