15 Animal Shelter Donation IdeasHelping Animals in Need

Hey Collectors! Any time of the year is a great time to donate!
Did you know that animal shelters need donations too? Our furry friends in need are not as picky as some of our pets. They would love that cat tree your kitty never uses, or that high end dog food that your dog sniffed once and never ate. Do you have bedding and linens that you can purge? 

I have compiled a list of what most animal shelters will take. My experience is that most shelters even last notice are extremely grateful for any donations.

1. Blankets, Sheets, Pillow Cases (fair to good condition)
2. Cloth towels (fair to good condition)
3. Paper towels
4. Unopened dog or cat food
5. Can openers 
6. Cat litter
7. Pet brushes
8. Pet dishes or small bowls and plates
9. Pet  toys (slightly used is ok)
10. Pens / Pencils 
11. Notepads/clipboards
12. Unopened bleach
13. Cat / Dog crates and kennels 
14. Leashes/Collars (slightly used ok)
15. Tennis balls

Personally, I like to collect a box year round and take it once it gets full. I have pets, and they are spoiled. It's nice to know that the things they don't use can be given to less lucky animals. 

Collector Care takes donations to several local San Francisco Bay Area animal agencies. If you are a Bay Area  animal agency in need of donations, please contact us to see when we are in your area next. rachel@collectorcare.com

Until next time Collectors! I wish you the best on your de-cluttering efforts and I hope that this blog post inspired you to let go of a little bit more. It really feels good when your unused stuff goes to people or animals in need.

Do you need help going through your piles of stuff? Are you overwhelmed by clutter? Hire a Collector Care Professional Organizer today to help you start gaining control of your space. We will even drop off your donations to your local animal and pet shelters. Call Today!

925-548-7750

What is your relationship with stuff?

I grew up poor. So poor that my mother put on sock puppet shows as a birthday present. So poor we slept on couches, and in peoples garages.

As a child, I rarely had new toys, always hand-me-downs, garage sale, and second hand store dolls. I still have the first new toy I ever got, I was around 6 years old and my mom got me a bear at Walmart for $8. This was a very big deal. I have had him for almost 30 years, and he has been re-stuffed along the way. His name is Clark.

As a teen, I never had designer jeans (back then it was Guess with triangle on the back pocket), I had never traveled to anywhere nice (most my friends had gone out of the country several times), I never had extra movie money.

I was resentful towards stuff. I was too poor to have stuff. We only had necessities. We had to travel light. I wanted that new Barbie. I wanted a fancy dress. I hated that we could not afford the things my other friends so easily had.  I hated that I never fit in, never had the perfect outfit or expensive hair style.

Now that I am all grown up I have a much different relationship with stuff. I still want that fancy dress, but it no longer defines who I am. I respect stuff. I work so hard for my money Collectors, that when I buy stuff it has to be something I will really use or love.

I have had this private discussion with my Clients. It's interesting that some of them have gone the complete opposite direction. They grew up poor so gosh darn it if they aren't going to buy everything they want. They grew up poor!! Filling their homes up with new items that will never be used, just so they don't feel like they did growing up, just to fit in. Crowding themselves out of their own homes with stuff, just because now they can afford it. Suffocating themselves and drowning in stuff, just to feel good about themselves. Does this sound like you?

Dig deeper on why you fill your home with stuff. How did you grow up as a child? What was your relationship to stuff back then? How were your parents on stuff? Do you buy stuff to drown out uncomfortable feelings? The more you learn about yourself, and why you clutter, the more you will be able to let go.

Until next time Collectors!

Rachel

Rachel Seavey, Collector Care
Owner & Blogger

Need help going through all that stuff? Are you completely overwhelmed and want your home back?
Collector Care Professional Organizers & Cleaners are here to help!

Give us a call 925-548-7750 or visit our website at www.collectorcare.com

#collectorCareCares

Licensed, Bonded, Insured, Discreet

Is recycling a big part of your clutter issue?

Hey collectors! Especially my GREEN Bay area collectors! And all of those green people out there in the world recycling to make a difference! Thank you so much for doing your part. 

I would like to talk a little bit about recycling and how it can create clutter. A lot of the times I walk into a home and peoples recycling bin's are out of control. Most of the time recycling is all over the place. My clients know it's a good thing to recycle but it just never gets out the door. 

Do you have a recycling overload at your home? 

There are a few common items people get hung up on, first I will start with rinsing. You do not need to rinse your recycling. If you do not believe me call your local recycling center. No one is going to think of you as dirty or lazy because you did not rinse out your recycling. Please note mucky items such as peanut butter should be rinsed out.

I have several clients that rents their recycling to avoid fruit flies. The problem is not with the recycling, you need to take your recycling out more often. Please see below.

Next I noticed people wait until a large recycling can is full until they take their recycling out. Take recycling out in small bags every day so that you don't get backed up. Sometimes people make their recycling bins or bag so heavy that they can no longer physically take them out. Keep it small and simple by taking out small bags that are easy to manage

Also if you struggle with hoarding disorder and/or perfectionism, I want you to think to yourself about how important it is to address your hoarding tendencies and not so much the rinsing of the recycling... What is really important to you? Getting your life back together or impressing these imaginary people at the recycling center? Don't lose track of your vision!

I love recycling, I have even attached a picture of my recycling bin so you see that I practice what I preach.

I have my recycling bin at the top, and my stash of bags at the bottom. Yes even I have a very small stash of bags.

My recycling container is easy to manage, and easy to clean.

The moral of this story is ... Continue recycling! Just don't be a perfectionist about it or let it get out of control by using the tips in this post.

Do you need help getting your recycling under control? 

Visit www.collectorcare.com 

or call 925-548-7750 today!

Rachel Seavey, Blogger #collectorCareCares

Do you hoard emails? Why?

Hey Collectors! Do you hoard emails? Gulp, okay guilty confession apparently I do too! I got a notice from Yahoo! today saying I had exceeded my storage limit!! No way, right? Um, yes way!

I just spent the last couple of hours deleting years worth of emails. I feel liberated! I had no idea what I had saved! (sound familiar????)

I guess it was out of sight out of mind? I also worked in a corporate environment for several years where we all saved every email to cover our you know whats. They were literally called CYA emails.

Whoah! I have to tell you it feels good to do that purge! Join me in purging emails this weekend (or whenever you find yourself reading this). Don't wait for a notice to be posted to drive you into de-cluttering your inbox! Learn from the Pro's!

Do you need help de-cluttering your emails or paperwork? We love information gatherers!

www.collectorcare.com or 925-548-7750 FREE estimates to the SF Bay Area!

Rachel Seavey (no longer hoarding emails)!
Owner & Blogger - Collector Care Professional Organizers

Organizing & Cleaning for anyone overwhelmed with clutter!
Licensed. Bonded. Insured. Check out our reviews on Facebook, Google + and yelp!

Do you allow people into your home?

Hey Collectors!
How long has it been since you had company over? Do you close your windows and blinds so that the neighbors cannot peak in and see the mess? Is your home in need of dire repairs but the thought of letting a repairman in sends you into a panic? Guess what? You are not alone. We see people like you all of the time. People who are overwhelmed with clutter to the point of isolation.

This situation does not have to be forever. With courage and determination, you can achieve your goal of having the home you deserve! Let go of the fear of failing. Breathe through the moment of being stuck. If you need to ask for help, it's okay! If you don't know where to start, hire a trained professional organizer who is non-judgmental, caring and efficient.

Before you know it, you will be able to have people over, and be able to take pride in your home. You will be able to leave your over cluttered past behind you.

Good luck Collectors and never give up!

Rachel

Do you need help getting started? Visit www.collectorcare.com
We are located in the San Francisco Bay Area. Not in our area? We offer over the phone and online phone consultations to help your specific needs. Let's come up with your custom clutter plan together, to ensure your ongoing success! (925) 548-7750

Procrastination + Chores

Hey Collectors!

What's going on?! You putting some things off? Are you procrastinating on your chores as usual? What makes you put them off? Are you distracted? Would you rather be doing anything else?

I get it it. You associate your chores with negative feelings. Feelings that stemmed from childhood, old feelings. Household chores = yucky. You might be reminded of being made to pick up as a child, or as many of my clients, you were never shown to pick up, so you don't really know how. Maybe your parents hated chores and you are imitating them subconsciously. Maybe your stomach turns at the thought of doing chores because your entire being associates chores as being painful.

It's time to shift the way you think. Chores = happiness. You can finally have people over, you can find things easily so you are not late, you save money so you are not buying duplicates.
Messy = yucky. Messy equals guilt, embarrassment, shame, always running late, having to buy duplicates.

Let's define the word "chores":

Dictionary.com definition of the word "chores", 

the everyday work around a house or farm.

The word "everyday" is super important, as being organized requires a conscious steady effort. You have to maintain your routine in order for it to last.

Instead of moving towards happiness we stay in the land of procrastination, watching tv, surfing the net, and doing anything else possible. Avoiding. Procrastinating. Staying in a rut. Stagnate. No forward motion.

Do you want to be unhappy not doing chores? Or actually be happy by maintaining your nest?

At what point does being unhappy sitting in a mess become worse than actually picking up?

Ask yourself these questions Collectors. Stop procrastinating! You deserve to be happy!!

Rachel Seavey
Professional Organizer
Blogger

Do you need help getting back on track?

Do you want help establishing new systems and routines? 

Hire a Collector Care Professional Organizer today! 

Reclaim your happiness! 

www.collectorcare.com

925-548-7750

help@collectorcare.com  

4 Tips for Living Room Bliss

4 Tips for Living Room Bliss

Your living room should be the place where you relax and unwind, but most days it feels like a chaotic catch-all. Disorder and chaos in your home can have a negative affect on your emotions. Take a look at your cluttered space. How does it make you feel? 

• Does your mind feel cluttered?
• Do you feel drained of energy?
• Do you feel overwhelmed or depressed?

We have all been there. Clutter causes unnecessary stress in your life. Getting rid of the clutter helps you feel better emotionally and physically.

“But where do I start?” Good question! The best way to get started is to get started.  These 4 easy tips to will help you bring order to your living space, or any room in your home.

(1) Take a moment, stand in your living room, and turn off all the background noise. Visualize what your living space would look like if there was no clutter. Imagine how you want your space to function.

(2) Now look around and determine what items don’t belong. Grab those items and put them in their rightful place. Don’t worry about organizing them right now, just get them in the right location.

(3) Back to the living room. Discard anything that is broken or is trash. Are you really going to get that old DVD player fixed? Toss it. Then gather items you will donate, take them to your car and remember to actually take them to the donation center on your next trip.

(4) Tackle the remaining items by grouping like items together and organize them one at a time.

Being organized does not mean you have to get rid of everything. If your living room doubles as a playroom, you don’t have to get rid of your children’s toys. Place a container in the living room to corral all their stuff. Storage ottomans work well for this. Your living area is your living area. Make the space work for how you live.

Remember Collectors,  "Happiness is a place between too little and too much." —Finnish Proverb

Need help getting organized? Hire one or two of our skilled professional organizers to help you get your project done! Have company coming over? Give us a call, we will have your place picked up in a jiffy!!! www.collectorcare.com 925-548-7750 help@collectorcare.com

#collectorCareCares