Author Archives: nataliegallagher

Reflections After Hoarders Filming: Less is More

Last month, I had the opportunity to serve as a part of the professional organizer team filming an episode of Hoarders: Family Secrets. It was an experience that was both amazingly challenging, yet extremely rewarding as I witnessed a local family become free from the grip of extreme clutter over a 3-day period.

As a consequence of this work, the theme of simplicity has been very top-of-mind for me this summer. As a “tip-of-the-hat” to the simplicity theme, today’s post is a simple one.

Here’s a collection of favorite quotes that I use to inspire my clients who struggle with clutter and strive for simplicity in their lives.

Simplifying and letting go of “the stuff” enables us to focus on what really matters in our lives.

What matters most to us? Moments…with the people we love.

The value of simplicity has been emphasized by great minds throughout the ages:

Clutter in our lives can take on various forms, as stated so eloquently by Peter Walsh. Sometimes we need to look beyond the physical clutter to forge a path to the life we want by decluttering our calendars, our To Do lists, and even our circle of friends.

And I’ll leave you with these wise words...

How could your life be improved by simplifying, decluttering, and letting go of stuff?

Want to learn more about Natalie Gallagher or Refined Rooms? Visit www.RefinedRoomsLLC.com or connect via: Facebook | Pinterest | Twitter | LinkedIn

Tech Tools that Prevent Information Overload

If you’re an “information junkie”, you have likely struggled with how to manage the constant flow of information that comes across your radar every day. Before I ironed out my systems for gathering and retrieving information, I often felt like my head was about to explode as I attempted to capture information with primitive tools like paper notebooks, and browser bookmarks.

Today, I’ll introduce you to some sanity-saving technology tools that I discovered that have increased my productivity exponentially.

Feedly

I’m a heavy consumer of blog content, and used to struggle with keeping up with all of my favorite blogs. Oftentimes, I’d stumble across a great blog, bookmark it, and then forget all about it. Jumping from website to website in an effort to keep up with my favorite bloggers would often result in lots of time wasted with all of the opportunities for distractibility. To remedy this, I started signing up to receive blog posts via email, but over time, these posts start to clutter up my Inbox.

That’s when I discovered Feedly.

Feedly is an RSS aggregator…a single place where you can read all of your blog posts, as well as online newspapers and magazines in a customized “feed” that you design. Consuming information in this streamlined, distraction-free format saves me tons of time, and ensures that I never miss a post from any of my favorite blogs.

The Feedly app enables you to access your media feed when you’re on the go via your mobile devices. So convenient when you have 15 minutes to kill while waiting in the school pick up line!

Pocket

How often do you find yourself stumbling upon a great article while surfing the web, but you just don’t have time to read it that moment? How can you tuck it away to read later?

1. Print it out (and create paper clutter)

2. Email it to yourself (and create inbox clutter)

3. Save it to your bookmarks (and never see it again)

4. Use a super cool tech solution that consolidates all of this type of information into one convenient place for you to view later when it’s more convenient

I choose #4 and use Pocket as my solution for this common information organizing need.

For my business, I use Pocket for gathering cool content that I eventually plan to share across my business social media platforms. Essentially, I create a “menu” of great articles, tips I’ve come across on other’s social media sites, images, videos, etc. that I can pull from to create Facebook posts and tweets that will be of interest to my audience each week. For a great summary of all the ways you can utilize Pocket, read here.

Like the other tools, Pocket has an app for both iOS and Android devices that enables you to save content from any mobile device. Like Evernote, Pocket offers a bookmarklet that you can install in your browser that allows you to save any piece of web content to Pocket with a single click. In addition, it’s integrated with over 1,500 apps like Twitter and Feedly.

Pocket is a really useful tool for people who are prone to distractibility and often find themselves “going down a rabbit hole” while surfing the internet. Instead of getting sucked into reading interesting articles that are irrelevant to the task you are currently attempting to complete online, get in the habit of simply clicking the “Save to Pocket” bookmarklet. You can easily view these articles later on at a time that you’ve officially earmarked for leisure reading.

Evernote

Evernote‘s tagline is “Remember Everything.” Enough said.

It’s difficult for me to imagine my “Pre-Evernote” life. I like to describe Evernote as my “virtual bulletin board” and/or my “resource library”. It’s the place where my recipe collection lives. It’s the place that I corral all of my travel information for upcoming trips. It’s the home for all of those random hobby-related articles I’ve torn out of magazines and since scanned into a digital file. It’s the repository for all of my business-related project materials.

My absolute favorite Evernote feature is the Web Clipper, which I use to curate and save web content for future reference. In my Pre-Evernote life, I used my browser bookmark function for this purpose. Despite having a well-organized bookmark folder structure, I found myself losing so much time hunting for a particular website. Evernote’s remarkable tag and search capabilities make information retrieval effortless and lightning fast.

In addition to web content, Evernote can be used to capture and store information in a variety of other forms including: photos, videos, text, documents (PDF, Word), even voice messages… all in one place. The Evernote app enables you to have access to all of your content from all your devices. Hands down, the magic of Evernote is that it utilizes OCR (optical character recognition) technology to make the content of your notes searchable…even a photo you took of a handwritten post-it note!

Have additional tools that you use to organize information? I’d love to hear about them. Please share in the comments section.

Want to learn more about Natalie Gallagher or Refined Rooms? Visit www.RefinedRoomsLLC.com or connect via: Facebook | Pinterest | Twitter | LinkedIn

The #1 Tool for Breathing New Life into Your Old Home Decor

Why get rid of something, simply because the color isn’t right? Spray paint is the magical solution for this problem! It’s easy. It’s cheap. It’s fast. It has come in especially handy over the past few months, as I’ve undertaken a fairly extensive redesign project, which consists of a complete overhaul of my home’s color palette.

Everything that’s gold, red and brown needs to go. But neither my budget nor my husband will let me toss out all of my existing home decor and replace it with items that fit the new design scheme. What’s a girl to do? This girl drove to the nearest home improvement store and picked up a couple of these:

I’m not really faithful to any particular brand of paint, I’ve had consistently positive experiences with the brands you see in the above photo. When selecting your spray paint, the number one piece of advice I have is to read the instructions to ensure that the spray paint you’ve selected is meant to cover the type of surface that you’re working with.

Let me take you on a brief tour of some of the pretty transformations in my home that have been made possible by spray paint, beginning in the foyer with this entry corner. In a former life, the monogram G was silver, and as you can see, the floor vase was red. I was a little hesitant to see how the lacquer surface of the vase would take to spray paint, but I it turned out beautifully.

Next, we move into the living room. I love the lines of this table lamp, but the brown color was just not going to cut it in the redesign. It wasn’t easy finding spray paint in a navy blue gloss sheen, but on Amazon.com, you can find just about any shade of spray paint.

Spring green is another new accent color in my redesign. You can imagine my delight when I found spray paint in this color at my local Lowes. I went to town spray painting various pieces of decor in my great room with this fun color, including these over-sized mantle finials (which were formally brown):

I used that same can of navy blue paint to transform this brown vase located at the top of the media cabinet in my great room:

I could not part with this uniquely shaped wall sconce, just because of it’s now the wrong color. Paint it blue and add the cute coral candle holder for $3 and it’s like new!

This red lacquer tray works really works well in my home office, now that it sports a coat of satin nickel metallic spray paint, don’t you think?

I’ll continue to share my experience as we complete various projects in our redesign Master Plan in future blog posts. In the meantime, check out my home redesign Pinterest boards as well! In the meantime, fire up those spray paint cans and see how you can achieve some home decor transformations of your own.

Want to learn more about Natalie Gallagher or Refined Rooms? Visit www.RefinedRoomsLLC.com or connect via: Facebook | Pinterest | Twitter | LinkedIn

Can’t Seem to Move Forward With Your Organizing Project? Seek Out Help!

Do you always seem to have a list of organizing projects on your “To Do” list, but just can’t seem to get them done? Maybe you don’t know where to start. Maybe you’re feeling overwhelmed. Maybe your projects keep getting put on the back burner because you have too many other demands on your schedule. It may be that you need to conduct a little product research before you can move forward.

Maybe it’s time to get help!

If you’re feeling stuck, I invite you to consider these options for getting the assistance that you need in order to organize that home office, declutter that closet, or sort those boxes in the garage.

1. Books

Conduct a basic Google search, and you’ll be surprised at the array of available organizing books. There are books designed to walk you through the basic process of organizing, as well as books that address specific aspects of organizing (e.g., various rooms, paper, time management, etc.) Still others provide an education on the psychology behind organizing (e.g., causes of clutter, habit formation, etc.).

I’ve created a list of what I consider to be the “Best of the Best” organizing books that I routinely recommend to clients . The list can be found on my website, in the Refined Rooms Amazon Store. Feel free to check it out to see if any of these books may be potentially useful to you.

2. Online Resources

The internet provides endless opportunities for organizing guidance and ideas. Of course, we all know that Pinterest is the place to learn how to “organize on a dime” and to cleverly repurpose items for your organizing project. You can also find a printable checklist for just about any type of organizing project.

Online assistance goes beyond the pretty Pinterest pins. There are several online communities designed to provide ongoing organizing support to individuals who struggle to accomplish projects independently. Among these, my favorite is the Clutter Diet {affiliate link}.

This online program provides a weekly “menu” plan of organizing projects, tutorials, expert support, and community support to assist you on your journey to organizing project completion.

3. Friends & Family

Sometimes, all you need is a set of extra hands, or a person to talk to during a sorting session to make the aversive task more palatable. Tackling a project while partnering with another person can lead to getting more done in less time while having more fun in the process.

A friend or family member can also serve as your accountability partner…someone who can “light a fire under your butt” when you need it, or provide periodic check-ins to help you celebrate progress and navigate pitfalls.

4. Professional Organizers

Maybe you’ve attempted to conquer disorganization on your own using a variety of self-help resources and have been unsuccessful. It could be that you just don’t have the time or motivation required to complete a large organizing project on your own. There are over 4,000 NAPO members who are ready to partner with you to help you achieve your organizing goals.

Check out the NAPO Professional Organizer Directory to find one in your geographical area if you desire to have a professional organizer work with you onsite. If you live in a remote area of the country and can’t find an organizer in your area, many professional organizers (including me!) provide virtual organizing services via phone/Skype/Facetime. The NAPO Virtual Chapter provides a directory of professionals who offer virtual organizing.

Take advantage of the available people and resources outlined above in order to finally cross that organizing project off of your “To Do List.” You’ll feel so glad you did!

Want to learn more about Natalie Gallagher or Refined Rooms? Visit www.RefinedRoomsLLC.com or connect via: Facebook | Pinterest | Twitter | LinkedIn

Photo Organizer Favorites: Forever Permanent Photo Storage Solution

Since May is National Photo Month, I thought it might be useful to highlight a few of my favorite photo organization tools on the blog this month. First up is Forever.

As a certified photo organizer, it’s part of my job to recommend cloud storage solutions for my clients’ digital images. Forever is the place that I’ve chosen to archive my family photo collection, and it’s the solution I recommend most to my clients.

Why Forever?

So many reasons! Today I’ll focus on permanence and privacy.

Permanence

Forever makes a pretty amazing promise to it’s members – a guarantee that their photos will be safeguarded for the members’ lifetime plus 100 years.

They are able to make this guarantee because of their unique business model, which includes a conservatively managed trust that continues to pay for your storage, beyond your lifetime as well as the lifespan of the company. You own your storage space in the cloud, unlike other storage services that allow you to rent storage on a monthly/annual basis. You are able to pass down your digital archive to other family members after you pass away so that your memories continue to live on for the next generation.

Your photos are permanently stored at the resolution level at which they were uploaded. They can be downloaded in high resolution without having to pay a fee (which can’t be said for all photo storage sites).

In 2015, the prevailing image format is a .jpeg file. Given the speed at which technology changes, it’s highly likely that our images may take on a different file format in 50 years. If so, Forever has you covered. Forever will ensure that all of your digital content remains accessible over time by automatically migrating your files to current digital file formats.

Privacy

Unlike many of it’s competitors, Forever puts a premium on your privacy. You maintain legal ownership of your content and are in full control of who can view your images via their comprehensive privacy settings.

In addition, Forever does not mine your data or sell it to advertisers. Read the terms and conditions of the current photo sharing site that you’re using to see if they can make that promise. Not likely (particularly if you are utilizing a free storage solution).

Organization & Editing Tools

Once you’ve uploaded your images onto the Forever platform, the real fun begins! You can easily apply tags to your images, which enables you to quickly corral your photos into albums based on theme, people, events, time frame, or any other category you want. This feature comes in quite handy for creating digital photo books.

Want to crop, resize, or adjust the contrast of a particular image? How about creating a black and white version? No problem. A wide array of basic editing tools is built into the Forever platform. You can choose to edit your original image, or keep the original untouched and create an edited image copy.

Mobile Access to Your Entire Photo Collection

As a photo organizer, I’m all about bringing my clients’ photos back into their everyday life. When I demonstrate how the Forever app enables you to access your entire photo library on any device to my photo organizing clients, they are ecstatic!

People typically use their camera roll to store digital photos taken with their mobile devices. These high resolution photos take up a ton of storage space, which limits the number of photos you can store on your device (raise your hand if you’ve ever had to delete photos in order to take new ones). With the Forever app, you can use the auto-backup feature to upload images taken via your mobile device to your Forever account. Once they are uploaded, you can delete photos from your camera roll and free up a ton of storage space on your device. Simply use the Forever app to view your photo library on the go!

Secure & Private Sharing

In addition to sharing your photos by letting others view them on your mobile device, Forever enables you to share individual photos or albums using their secure and private social features. You are able to share photos via email or social networks using a link that you control. Sharing recipients do not have to have a Forever account in order to view your photos.

You share what you want with whom you want.

Forever is featured in the Products I Love menu of the Refined Rooms website. You can click through and sign up for a free membership in order to test drive this great product to see how it can make managing your photo collection a breeze!

Want to learn more about Natalie Gallagher or Refined Rooms? Visit www.RefinedRoomsLLC.com or connect via: Facebook | Pinterest | Twitter | LinkedIn

DISCLOSURE: This post was sponsored by Forever. The opinions expressed are solely my own, based on both my personal experience as well as the experience I have working with photo organizing clients.

My Favorite Tools for Organizing Your Home Remodel

As I mentioned in a previous post, our household is in the midst an extensive remodeling/redesign effort that includes a series of sub-projects throughout the first floor and exterior of our home. The list of sub -projects includes:

Adding trees, plants and hardscapes to the side and back of our property
Repainting the 1st and 2nd floor
Dining room redesign
Great room redesign
Powder room remodel
Kitchen remodel
Installing tile floor in laundry room
Installing hardwood flooring throughout the first floor

We officially kicked off the master project last November, and anticipate completing our projects in late 2016. One benefit of tackling this beast of a project is that it provides a ton of fodder for upcoming blog posts!

In future posts, I’ll share all the fun I had with wallpaper removal, how I harness the power of spray paint for redesign, my method for selling home decor that no longer fits in the new design scheme, and how I’ve battled design decision burnout. But first, let’s talk organization.

As you can imagine, there are lots of moving pieces/parts to keep track of when undertaking such a major home improvement project. For that very reason, it is crucial to have solid organizational systems in place for managing it.

Today, I’ll share my arsenal of “Must Have” organizational tools that have allowed me to maintain my sanity thus far during the remodeling process.

Tool #1: A Binder

So simple, yet so effective at keeping all the paper related to our project in one central location. Of course, I picked a binder that matched the new color scheme of our redesign!

I used Smead 3-hole punched Poly Translucent Slash File Folders and an old set of tab dividers with an index sheet to organize project-related information into key categories, including: Timeline, Budget, Contractor Business Cards, Paint Samples, Furniture/Fixture Sourcing, Project Bids, Plans/Sketches, and Notes.

I created the binder prior to beginning our project. As things progressed, I discovered a new tool for managing the project timeline/budget (see below), so those binder sections are no longer used.

Even though I’m a “paper-less” girl at heart, my Hubby is a paper lover. Since we both need access to the remodel information, it just made sense to keep the majority of project information in paper form. Besides, it makes a lot more sense to view paint colors via paper swatches rather than on the computer!

It’s also much easier to modify a design sketch via the old school paper and pencil method anyways:

Tool #2: Pinterest

It probably comes as no surprise that Pinterest made the list. I have been using this awesome tool since its inception to curate ideas/information for both myself and my clients.

I’ve created a series of Pinterest boards that serve as a collection hub for my product sourcing options, color palette, and images of “inspiration” spaces.

Having all of the information gathered together in a single board helps me to easily communicate my vision for each sub-project with Dear Hubby, as well as with contractors.

{Feel free to follow me on Pinterest so that you can checkout all of my helpful organizing boards, and follow along as I complete our home remodel!}

Here’s a sneak peek of my Powder Room Redesign board. It’s so helpful to be able to click on a particular product and link directly to the source to obtain information on pricing, dimensions, customer reviews, etc. Gathering all of of your product options in one place enables you to make side-by-side comparisons, so you can make design decisions faster and easier

(I still need to decide on a light fixture. Vote for your favorite in the comments section!)

Tool #3: HomeZada

HomeZada is a digital home information tool that helps homeowners organize and maintain all facets of their home. The free version of HomeZada enables you to create a home inventory. Upgrading to a premium subscription gives you access to a universe of additional home management tools, including the Home Improvement project management feature.

Within this module, the Project Inspiration option includes a set of room-specific boards chalked full of great ideas to consider as you design your new space:

You can create a project in a snap by selecting from a menu of common home improvement projects, or by creating your own custom project:

Here’s a snapshot of my master projects dashboard, which lists the status of each sub-project:

You can specify a budget and timeline for each project. The Project Planning page provides a big picture monthly budget planning tool that lets you know at a glance the funds that are required each month to move forward as planned with your project timeline.

Within a particular project, you can calculate an estimated budget by creating a list of project items and a budgeted price for each item.

The Shopping Choices option enables you to input a high and low price option for each item, so that you can determine what you can afford, given your budget constraints. Although I haven’t used this function yet, I can see how it can be valuable!

Once you’ve made purchases you can record the items within your project and HomeZada calculates the project cost to date, which you can then compare to your budget on the project dashboard.

And every time you input a project purchase, HomeZada asks if you would like to add this item to your home inventory. Brilliant!

HomeZada Giveaway!

Do you have a home remodeling or decorating project in your future? I want to help you be successful, so I’m offering a chance to win this great home improvement organizational tool!

Reader Giveaway: Three (3) lucky blog readers will each win a 1-year subscription of HomeZada Premium ($59 value)! Just complete the entry form on the Refined Rooms website (bottom of page) by 11:59pm ET on 5/8/15 for your chance to win. Good luck!

Want to learn more about Natalie Gallagher or Refined Rooms? Visit www.RefinedRoomsLLC.com or connect via: Facebook | Pinterest | Twitter | LinkedIn

Seasonal Closet Clean Out Tme

Spring has {finally!} sprung, which means that many of us have set out on a spring cleaning/decluttering rampage throughout our home. Each spring, I begin with the most frequently used room in our home – the dual purpose laundry room/mud room. We are fortunate to have a large coat closet in this room, which we use not only for coat storage, but also to store shoes, winter accessories, and several miscellaneous items.

Since this closet sees a lot of action, it requires a high degree of weekly maintenance and a semi-annual seasonal clean-out to keep it functioning well for our family. In this post, I’ll be sharing how I prepped the closet for the spring/summer seasons, as well as a few minor tweaks I made to improve functionality in this space.

My first order of business was to launder every single winter accessory and store them away in this plastic drawer unit that lives at the bottom of the closet. I added labels to indicate which draw is designated for gloves, hats, and scarves.

Second order of business…going through the coats to weed out the heavy winter coats, any coats that the kids have outgrown, or any that are no longer worn. Outgrown/unused coats will go to a local consignment store or donation center. Winter coats will be stored elsewhere for the next 6 months (more on that later in the post). While going through the coats, I also removed any wire/plastic hangers that somehow weaseled there way into the closet over the past few months and replaced them with wooden hangers. Although I am a huge fan of huggable hangers in clothing closets, I prefer wood hangers for the coat closet, since they are much less apt to break under the weight of a heavy coat.

I purchased a few water hyacinth bins from The Container Store to organize the insulated lunch bags/coolers that are stored on the upper shelf of the closet, as well as our vast collection of rain ponchos. I am a huge fan of these bins, as anyone who has taken a tour of my home can confirm. They are sturdy, inexpensive, and so pretty!

“An entire bin devoted to rain ponchos?” you ask. We use these all spring and summer for sporting events, camping trips, and amusement park outings. So yes, an entire bin for rain ponchos.

Voila! The hardest working closet in the house is now fully functioning for the spring/summer season. Bring. It. On.

There’s still the matter of where to store those pesky out-of-season coats. This is a yearly conundrum that I haven’t yet solved. I’ve tried to store them under the bed, but the low profile of the bed frame makes it nearly impossible to slide them under. But..wait! Perhaps there’s an organizing product out there that can solve this problem…

Why yes there is. Have you heard of Ziploc Space Bags? These wondrous inventions enable you to triple or quadruple your storage capacity by vacuum-sealing your items into an airtight bag. They come in a variety of shapes and sizes. I used the XL Flat Bag to reduce my pile of winter coats from this:

down to this:

The true test was whether the flattened bag could actually clear the 4″ space between the bed frame and the floor:

Yes! Storage conundrum solved!

After that victory, I became ambitious and experimented with the L and XL Cube-sized Space Bags in an attempt to recoup some storage space in our hall linen closet (which has become overrun with decorative pillows and down comforters).

Wait for it…

O.K., so the vacuum-sealed package isn’t exactly pretty, but it takes up significantly less space! In fact, by using 3 of these bags I gained almost an entire shelf of space in the linen closet! I’m officially a fan of the Ziploc Space Bag.

I hope that this post inspires you to complete your seasonal closet clean out in preparation for the spring/summer months. Now go forth and organize!

Want to learn more about Natalie Gallagher or Refined Rooms? Visit www.RefinedRoomsLLC.com or connect via: Facebook | Pinterest | Twitter | LinkedIn

Disclosure: Some of the links in the post above are affiliate links. This means that if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and/or with my clients and believe will add value to my readers.

Make Tax Organizing Less Taxing with These 4 Apps

Image © Depositphotos.com/miflippo

During the month of March, a number of professional organizers shared their top tips for tax time preparation on the NAPO Get Organized Blog. A common theme that emerges across the various blog posts is the need to keep up with your tax document organizing and record-keeping on a regular basis so that you avoid the overwhelm associated with tackling all of it in one giant batch process session during the beginning of each year.

I could not agree more with this! As a recovering “batch processor”, I can tell you that doing a little bit of tax organizing on a regular basis makes the entire tax preparation process significantly less stressful.

As most readers know by now, I am a bit of a techie; whenever possible, I like to use technology-based solutions to automate processes, work in a mobile environment, and keep the paper in my life to a minimum. Today, I’d like to share some technology-based solutions that I use in order to keep on top of my tax record-keeping on a regular basis throughout the year.

1. MileBug Mileage Tracker App

As a business owner, keeping track of my mileage is a necessity. Even if you do not own a business, you may choose to track your mileage for work reimbursement purposes, or for claiming a tax deduction for medical expenses and/or volunteer work. The MileBug app is my method of choice for capturing all of this information.

MileBug enables me to track and classify every trip I take with my vehicle, using either a manual entry odometer method, or GPS tracking. At any time, I can generate and email mileage reports to myself (or my accountant) in either an HTML or Excel-readable format. I can also back up my data to iTunes or other cloud storage services so that I won’t lose my information, even if I lose my device.

Tracking mileage is not easily accomplished in an end-of-year mega marathon documentation session. It really needs to be tracked on a daily basis, and utilizing a mileage tracking app such as MileBug makes the process infinitely easier.

2. It’s Deductible Donation Tracker App

Have you ever sat down with a stack of Goodwill donation receipts that spanned the previous 12 months and attempted to itemize every book, clothing and household item you donated? It’s not fun.

I used to itemize all of the charitable deduction information when I sat down to complete my taxes each year. After attempting to itemize the 8th donation drop-off receipt, I would throw up my hands and declare that the tax deduction was not worth the aggravation of of itemizing…can you relate? Even if I was willing to persist through this frustrating task until the last donation receipt was processed, the accuracy of the information would likely be questionable. After all, would I truly be able to remember each item that was in that box of “housewares” from 8 months ago?

So I got wise, capitalized on my penchant for a cool app, and downloaded It’s Deductible. The rest is history.

It’s Deductible actually makes record-keeping fun! It is available as both a web application and a mobile app. It provides a means of tracking cash donations, and household goods donations. For more information on how it works, see my blog post on keeping organized charitable contribution records.

When I am able to see my estimated tax savings after entering itemized donations each month, it provides all the incentive I need to keep up with this tax organizing maintenance task.

3. CamScanner App

Managing receipts is a necessary evil in the world of tax documentation. Business-related expenses, big ticket item purchases, medical expenses, home improvement expenses…all require a supporting document to legitimately claim those coveted tax deductions. A receipt typically serves that purpose. Trouble is, receipts fade, get lost, and create a tremendous amount of paper clutter in our homes.

In an effort to circumvent all of these challenges, I choose to scan my receipts as often as possible (yes, the IRS does accept electronic copies of documents). Oftentimes, I’ll use my Fujitzu Scansnap Scanner to transform receipts into electronic documents. When I’m not at my home office, I use the CamScanner app to quickly capture a receipt while on the go.

This app basically transforms my smartphone into a portable scanner that creates both PDF or JPG documents that I can either email to myself or send directly to the appropriate folder in my Dropbox account. I then kiss that annoying piece of paper goodbye.

The maintenance task of scanning and filing electronic receipts is typically something I do daily. When my schedule reaches “crazy” level, I might batch process a week’s worth of receipts at a time.

4. GoDaddy Bookkeeping App

As a business owner, I like to have up-to-date information regarding my company’s financial information at my fingertips at all times. This enables me to clearly see where the business money is being spent, what my profit/loss cycles look like over the course of the year, how much I’ll have to pay in estimated taxes each quarter, etc. Having access to this data enables me to make good decisions.

I use GoDaddy Bookkeeping as my accounting program, and the accompanying GoDaddy Bookkeeping app to have access to my information on my mobile devices. It imports and organizes all of my business account information into a central location and enables me to generate income and expense reports.

The beauty of this application is that there is very little manual data to input, since it pulls transactions directly from my bank account. The one exception is my mileage data, which I enter manually from the report I generate from MileBug on a monthly basis.

I invite you to test out one or more of these apps in order to make organizing your tax information a less taxing process for next year!

Want to learn more about Natalie Gallagher or Refined Rooms? Visit www.RefinedRoomsLLC.com or connect via: Facebook | Pinterest | Twitter | LinkedIn

Heidi’s Home Renovation Project Reveal

Since my friend was kind enough to allow me to share the “in process photos” from her large home renovation project in my previous post on home renovation survival tips, it seems only fitting that I share the “after” photos with all of you as well. After all, who doesn’t appreciate a little interior design eye candy, right?

This renovation project encompassed almost the entire interior and exterior of my friend’s home, so I’m just going to focus on my favorite aspects of the project. It would have been ideal to show you a set of before and after photos for each space, but unfortunately, I did not think to take a set of before photos before the project started.

This image does give you a sense of what the kitchen looked like before…just imagine a wall right behind the sink/dishwasher area, since that was the original exterior wall of the house (the entire area behind it is an addition which almost triples the size of the existing kitchen).

Looks just a smidge different in the After photo below, eh?

The new kitchen certainly makes for an awesome entertainment space. I’m in love with the large butcher block table that extends off of the center island.

When designing her new kitchen, Heidi incorporated one of the latest kitchen design trends…a blend of contrasting cabinetry. The wood tones mixed with the painted cabinetry creates such visual interest.

As you can see in the above image as well as the image below, the new kitchen boasts a ton of display space to house all of Heidi’s collectibles. Don’t you just love glass front kitchen cabinets?

The new lighting is gorgeous, offering up just the right amount of drama for the space (note the accent lighting in the high display cabinets…sweet!)

Of course, as a professional organizer, I had no choice but to “ooh and aaah” over what is probably my favorite feature of the new kitchen…this custom-built family command center that serves as home for the family’s keys, electronics, and household papers. I love it so much, I’ll be ~~stealing~~ emulating this idea in my own kitchen redesign.

By now, you’ve probably noticed the new hand-scraped hickory flooring that was installed throughout the entire main floor of the home. Much to my delight, they carried the hardwood up the stairs, and installed these beautiful square-shaped newel posts that are totally in keeping with the new craftsman design. Did I mention that I’m also a sucker for iron spindles?

Let’s move onto the master suite…

Once again, this part of the house is a new addition, so there are no before photos to offer up. Prior to the renovation, the master suite consisted of an average size rectangular room with an average size connected bathroom located on the second story .

The new master suite is downright palatial. This wall of windows provides an amazing view of their secluded wooded property, which is so splendid, they opted to omit window treatments entirely.

Among the other elements of architectural awesomeness are the gorgeous wood beams that add interest to the vaulted ceiling…

…and the barn door that separates the bedroom from the bathroom. Who wouldn’t want one of these?

Ready to take a peek inside the master bath?

The “Mrs.” vanity is on the right side:

and “Mr.” gets his own area to the left:

As if it wasn’t awesome enough, here’s the “shower that’s as big as my laundry room”! Of course it contains dual shower heads, as well as a small seating area. Of course. (Is my house envy that obvious?)

This is the point where I so wish that I had taken before photos, so that you could truly appreciate the complete transformation of the home’s exterior. This image was taken after the new vinyl siding, roof, and front porch were completed. The addition of the front porch totally transformed the look of the front elevation, making it infinitely more charming.

Let us not omit the new garage doors, stonework, and lighting.

Phase I of Heidi’s renovation is now finished and took approximately a year to complete. They are about to embark on Phase II, which consists of completing the basement renovation, as well as the exterior landscaping. Although it was challenging for the family to live amid the chaos, she assures me that it was well worth it.

I know that I would be willing to endure the challenge if I got to wake up to that view from my bed every day. Can you see why I have house envy?

Want to learn more about Natalie Gallagher or Refined Rooms? Visit www.RefinedRoomsLLC.com or connect via: Facebook | Pinterest | Twitter | LinkedIn

Preparing for and Surviving Your Home Renovation Project

Mentally Prepare for Chronic Chaos

If you are the type who likes everything “just so”, you will seriously need prepare yourself nentally for the temporary change in lifestyle that goes hand-in-hand with living in a “Renovation in Process” environment. You will need to adopt the mantra that “this too shall pass”, and regularly remind yourself that the end result will be worth it!

Minimize the Spread of Construction Dust

If your project involves drywall installation, carpentry work, or painting, there will be dust. Sawdust. Drywall dust. Paint spray dust…EVERYWHERE. The dust migrates all over the place; you will find it in just about every room of your home. Although construction dust is inevitable, there are things you can do to minimize it.
Heidi suggests packing away items that you will not need access to during the renovation process, in order to prevent them from being coated with construction dust. Also, consider investing in magnetic air vent covers to use in the areas of your home that are not being renovated. Another good practice is to seal the doorway between your living area and the renovation area via heavy-duty plastic drop cloths.

Establish Your Storage Areas

Renovation projects require the removal of the “stuff” that typically lives in the space…furniture, appliances, home decor, etc. You will need a place in your home to serve as a temporary holding area for this stuff while the project is underway.

Heidi was fortunate in that she had several areas available for this purpose…a large area in her basement, as well as a spare bedroom. If you don’t have room onsite for temporary storage, explore options such as relocating items to an offsite storage unit/family member’s home, or investing in an onsite temporary storage unit (e.g., PODS).

Prepared to Make Decisions…Quickly

You will be flexing your decision-making muscle on a daily basis when you undergo an extensive home renovation. Paint colors, flooring, cabinetry, lighting and counter top selections…oh my! Selecting finishes can be a daunting process for the average homeowner. You will often be called upon to make decisions quickly so as not to hold up contractors.

Begin your research as early as possible so that you are in a good position to make those critical decisions when it’s time to do so. If you lack confidence in the design department, enlist the assistance of a professional or a trusted friend who has a knack for design.

Order Materials ASAP

Be vigilant about ordering all materials necessary for your renovation as soon as possible. You never know when you will be faced with waiting for a backordered item that will prevent your project from moving forward. Once your project is at a standstill, the contractors move onto other projects, and it can be a painful process as you wait for them to incorporate your project back into their schedule.

Think Twice About D.I.Y. Efforts

You might be tempted to take on certain aspects of the renovation yourself, in order to save some cash. It makes sense to invest your sweat equity if you have expertise in a particular skill like electrical, plumbing, or drywall. If you are not an expert, you may want to think twice about D.I.Y.ing it. Heidi regrets their attempt at drywall patching (see below), and wished they would have left this piece of the project in the hands of the experts.

Heidi’s final word of advise to me was to avoid letting your kids make paint color selections, or you might just end up with Kermit The Frog green in the hall bathroom! Of course, I already learned this lesson the hard way with my daughter’s room.

Stay tuned for my next post, where you’ll get the opportunity to see the amazing transformation that occurred at Heidi’s home this past year!

Want to learn more about Natalie Gallagher or Refined Rooms? Visit www.RefinedRoomsLLC.com or connect via: Facebook | Pinterest | Twitter | LinkedIn

Your Home… Refined

Tips and Resources to Help Homeowners Create a Home that's Organized, Stylish, and Sellable

Author Archives: nataliegallagher

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Heidi’s Home Renovation Project Reveal

Preparing for and Surviving Your Home Renovation Project

Mentally Prepare for Chronic Chaos

Minimize the Spread of Construction Dust

Establish Your Storage Areas

Prepared to Make Decisions…Quickly

Order Materials ASAP

Think Twice About D.I.Y. Efforts