2014 - Juggling Life Club (formerly New Leaf Club)

[Velcro]

Those sound very pretty.

[susanep]

 Haven't done much. I did get a load of laundry done. I want to do some sewing today for a swap I am involved in. I am always slow, but it is also something I look forward to, and a stress reliever.

susanep

[Bucky]

I've been doing some legwork to determine what we're going to use for flooring in the kitchen / dining room.  The present flooring has been there 23 yrs., and it's looking it's age.  (aren't we all??  )

There are just SOOOO many choices - it's overwhelming.

I want something that is durable, but something that won't cost us an arm and a leg.

Do any of you have any suggestions of flooring that you like or have yourself?

We've also been looking at a new reclining couch.  The one we have now is probably nine years old and my husband has just worn out the 1/3 of it where he sits 365 days of the year.  Plus, the biggest pitfall is it's getting very hard for him to put the reclining part down as you have to use leg power to do that.  When you need to get up quickly to make a bathroom run, pushing with your legs is not a good thing.   

Growing up, there was no such thing as a reclining couch or loveseat.  Everything was stationary.  I guess everyone now a days likes to put their feet up.

Anyhow, we tried a power reclining couch . . . . ahhhh, that was heaven!  I didn't think I would get hubby to leave the showroom!!  LOL  The matching swivel recliner chair was another piece of heaven. 

When we go to purchase something, I usually do the talking and hubby is just along with the credit card.     I told hubby - "watch, and learn".  I knew what the listed price of this set was, what the discount price was, what delivery cost was, and what the sales tax was.  However, all that was above our budgeted allowance.  The salesman gives me the total.  We sit there and pause a few moments . . . then I say, "Is there any way you can crunch the numbers and sell it, out-the-door for XYZ (fill in the blank dollar amount)?  The salesman says, "I'll check with my mgr. and be right back."  He comes back and can sell it to us for $6 under the total I asked him for!  HA!  We saved over $200.

On the way home, hubby just shakes his head.   

WHENEVER you are making a big ticket purchase . . . prices aren't set in stone . . . haggle the price as the company has wiggle room in their final prices.  I've done this many, many times from car purchases, appliances, home furnishings, etc.

We will donate our current living room furniture to a family that lost everything from the tornado back in November.

Bucky

[slccom]

Furniture, especially, has a very high mark-up. Good job! 

We wanted to get some recliners, but the dogs vetoed it. We have a couch that is a dual recliner, and we got it for free from Craigslist's "free" section. Also a recliner for me.

In some places, you need to be careful -- bedbugs.

Sharon

[Katybarstool]

Bucky

Sounds like you got a brilliant bargain with your furniture. I love your description of having some 'wiggle' margin.

I love a bargain too, and always try to get the best deal, much to my boys' embarrassment. Many times I've come home with a free extra, after trying to get a price reduced. For example, when buying a new fridge/freezer, I bagged a new electric kettle free of charge. When buying two reclining sofas, I got the chair free. Bargain!

Wish I could come with you to your garage sales though - they sound really exciting.

Kathyx

[slccom]

I LOVE garage saleing. Let's go! Otherwise, I am so lethargic today it is pathetic. Maybe because of all my activity last week getting ready for a vendor event at which I sold almost nothing. I am still exhausted.

Sigh.
Sharon

[Bucky]

Kathyx - wow, I WISH they would have thrown in the chair for free!  Good for you!

I've always told our son, "ask!", the worst they can say is "no".

I wish you could go garage saling with me too . . that would be fun.  Unfortunately, this coming garage sale season I think is going to be slim pickings as a vast majority of the homes where I have gone to garage sales in the past are totally devastated by the tornado that came through in November.  A lot of the homes are no longer there - gone in the tornado.   

I usually have two garage sales a year myself.  Last year, I didn't have any.  As I get older, I dread all the work involved with pricing items, cleaning out the garage, setting everything up, sitting out there for a 2-3 day sale and then cleaning everything up and taking everything down afterward.  It's a LOT of work.

Sharon - is there anything in particular you look for when you hit the garage sale trail?  I like to find things for the house - vases, pictures, decorations, tables, stands, jewelry, CD's, etc.

Bucky

[slccom]

I see garage sales as reverse scavenger hunts. In a scavenger hunt, you are looking for specific things. With garage sales, you know what you want when you see it. In my case, I often see things that would be great gifts for people, and sometimes things that I can sell for a profit.

But I have too much junk and have been really restricting shopping until I get rid of a bunch of stuff.

Sharon

[Carebear]

While it doesn't sound glamourous, I was able to clear out my "personal" drawers this week.  You know - socks, undies, bras, pjs.  All cleaned out and organized.  And I even bought new panties and bras!  Good stuff!

[quietdynamics]

I have been working on reams and assortments of what I call a "mass of white"

Different papers from my mothers estate.

Separated into sections on the dining room table. Others (dedicated sections) on the dining room floor. Color folders for things I need to work on currently. It is complicated.
5 different bank statements from Mom alone. Sort highlight account/date then file.
1 dedicated estate bank account.  ETC, The exhibit the layer sent to the court has tabs Exhibit A-G. All provided by me.

Smaller section: My mail

Even smaller section: My daughters mail

Smallest section: Mail regarding granddaughter.

Tiniest section junk mail for my father who proceeded my mother in passing.

Final look threw and tossed a full large black trash bag of papers junk. Check for personal information again and tear in two before tossing. Done great.

Take sections of the "important separated upstairs to the office. Go to file in portable file box, realize the previous system does not work for me. My system is clearer.
Re-do it. Create "dead files" for medical on Mom, etc.
Make copies of items I need in both financial and legal for estate purposes .. tired of pulling thing out.. finding them/refiling..do again, call/payment log is on manila file.

Shredded three bags of papers. And I need to check, I think I may have killed the shredder.    Using the shredded paper under mulch..lol.

Active, color folders are now right next to monitor of the computer, and more organized.

Just called yesterday about 3 docs I could not find. Learn that I had sent the death certificate, but since they did not receive the certified, raised seal, executor doc, they could not send out the very docs I have been searching for.. glad I called.
This doc was long in coming due to the lose of the original will.. If anyone saw my post about the estate quagmire.

So check with your loved one and notify your designated executor about the location of the "original will". My parents would be very unhappy about what transpired.
But, it did and so it goes. 

Often I would start to work on the "mass of white" .. built by not having a time-out for grief, then extended flares, and my hands would literally shake, stomach issues..stress headache.

The old me would have been on top of this.. the reason I was always chosen as executor. Oh well, it is getting done.

Yeah..my active files are now about 10" deep,in the portable box on chair near the computer.. a lot of progress.

Dear bank manager told me she is dealing with a situation that is in its' 5th year and what I am experiencing is not uncommon.
I wanted to hug her.
I have been at this for 15 months.

[Bucky]

Angela - how did your hubby like his Valentine's book you had made for him?

Carebear - good for you that you got "those" drawers all organized and got to get some new items to put in the drawers too.   

quiet - you've gotten a lot accomplished - you should feel good about that.  I know it's difficult to try and put pieces of an estate together when the people who have the answers to the puzzle are no longer here.  We are in that same boat too.  Hang in there.

I've gotten some things accomplished last week too.  I don't have a dresser in my bedroom, so I tend to just pull socks, undies, etc. out of the laundry basket that is sitting on a luggage rack.  I sorted the laundry basket contents, folded and put away the luggage rack, and got two plastic storage totes - one for socks, one for undies.  I rearranged a shelf in the closet and put the totes there.   

I am hoping to FINALLY attack the dining room table this week and get that all cleared off.  I've got things to file, things to put away (Christmas related), things to shred and things to pitch out.

There's only 13 wks. until graduation and I've got a lot to do - I've got to get it together or I'll never get all the things I want done, done.

Keep up the good work everyone - a little at a time, we'll get 'er done.   

Bucky

[Bucky]

Me again - 

Last night I sat down and finally balanced the checkbook, which was two months behind.     Ugh!  On the occasions where I let things "slide" a little, when I get them caught up I tell myself, "I'm not going to get behind again!" . . . and yet, I do.  It is so frustrating!!

But, for today, I'm caught up on the checkbook.   

A couple weeks ago several of us were talking about jewelry boxes on this thread.  Some of you have the jewelry chest that sits on the floor.  (I have one of these.)  Maybe you already do this, but you can purchase jewelry inserts that have various number of spaces for your jewelry that would sit inside your drawer to give you another "layer" of jewelry.

Several years ago there was a store that was closing and they were selling everything.  I bought three jewelry insert trays from their jewelry department display case and they fit perfectly in my jewelry chest.  I'd like to get a few more so I don't have to jumble the earrings up with several of them together.  I've seen them on eBay.  You just have to be careful and measure the height and width of your drawer as some trays are too big to fit (at least in my jewelry chest).

You could also use a plastic divided fishing box, or craft bead sorter box - depending on how much room you do or don't have.  I like the trays that have some flocking in them, or that are leatherette.

Bucky

[genko_b]

Hi Folks:

I've been looking at all you have been doing, and am impressed. I've been traveling a lot, am leaving again on Thursday for ten days, and will be gone again later this spring. That does not leave much time to get caught up in between trips. One of the hardest things to do is to prioritize so that what absolutely needs to get done, gets done, and what can slide until later, I let go of it. Carrying around a list of chores in the head is not helpful - just stresses me out.

I use my planner book a lot to keep track of tasks. When I assign myself a time to do something, I can forget about it until then. If there is any prep I need to do before that task (getting containers or something like that) I schedule that in as well. Breaking things down into pieces really helps.

I'll bet everyone on this site is ready for a change of season!

Take care,

Genko

[Velcro]

I scored major brownie points   He loved it and was totally shocked I had done it.

I haven't managed much the last week.  Worked long hours through the snow and we had plans for Valentine's weekend, so by yesterday, I was exhausted.  Now my Mother's Sister passed away Sunday, so the next two days are going to be fitting in the funeral in between working. 

I did manage to clean out my downstairs little bathroom last week (the cabinet) and put all the dog's stuff under there so I could quit having to run around looking for things all the time.  I was forever trying to find his leash, brush, etc.  Now it's all in one place.  That's about it for me.

[Bucky]

I scored major brownie points  

I bet you did!!!      

I'm sorry to hear about your Aunt's passing. 

Now if you would just train your dog to use the bathroom, you wouldn't have to put his leash in there, he could take care of things on his own.  LOL  He might need a little help with his brush though.   

Everything I read about organizing they all say the same thing . . . have an assigned home for everything.  I start out with good intentions than slack off a bit, then it snowballs, and then I'm digging myself out . . . over, and over, and over again.  I'll just have to chant Dorthy's theme song . . . "there's no place like home, there's no place like home" and make sure everything I have, has a home.  Unfortunately, at the present time, that "home" is the dining room table - it's more like an apartment building with many tenants all camped out together on the table!!   

OK - I'm shutting my computer down and work on the table for a bit.  As the saying goes . . . "I'm going in!".  If I don't post for a couple of days that means I'm lost somewhere in the maze on the dining room table!!  LOL

Bucky