Tax Time is Almost Over!

Taxes are never fun. We have to sift through tons of paper to figure out a bunch of numbers while we cross our fingers we don't owe too much in the end. There are a few weeks left this year to get taxes prepared, so let's make it as easy as possible.

1) If you ever were audited, and would need that information to prove something, keep it. During the year, keep these papers filed by vendor. At the end of the year, when you're working on taxes, move the needed papers to your file for the tax year. Chances are you only need the year-end statement or something similar.

2) Try going digital for next year. The IRS accepts digital documents now. If you find it easier to keep track of records in the cloud, in your hard drive or through financial institution's websites, do so. Some sites will even break down your expenditures by type at the end of the year.

3) Get rid of everything else from last year. If you won't need it for tax reasons, ask yourself why you'd ever need it? If you don't have a legitimate reason, recycle or shred the paperwork.

4) If you feel like reading all the details, you can read through the IRS's suggestions on how long to keep different kinds of paperwork.

5) When all else fails, contact a certified tax preparer or accountant!

Accumulation

The other night, I was reading the April 2016 issue of Real Simple Magazine. In each issue, the magazine asks readers to send in comments on a particular topic or answer a specific question. They publish the interesting or poignant answers, and pick one to feature as the 'Subscriber of the Month.' This particular person's answer also showcases a small interview. The other night, I read this:

"What advice do you live by? Live life - don't spend it accumulating things. It's the memories of adventures that will bring you joy. Over the years, we have often laughed and smiled at memories of past experiences. I rarely remember all the stuff we have had and discarded."

The Subscriber of the Month, Joby Dupus, makes an incredibly important point. All too often my clients are struggling with an item. "So-and-so gave this to me. I don't want to hurt their feelings by getting rid of it." Or, "This is from an event I went to. Shouldn't I keep it?" If it's an item that my client wouldn't even consider keeping if it wasn't from this particular person or occasion, I ask one simple question:

Will you remember that person or event even if you don't have that item?

The answer is always yes. Never once has someone told me they would forget a person or event by donating or tossing out an item they don't love or use. Never once.

Take this idea, and run with it. Let go of items that are reminding you of memories you'd like to forget. Remember people, places and events with sparse souvenirs and specific collections. Be confident in your own mind. Be confident that allowing open space in your home will allow for more adventures in your life.

A Closet the Size of Your Room

What does it take to turn an old, unused bedroom into a fabulous walk-in closet? Well, honestly, a little bit of work!

A client recently contacted me because she had always wanted a walk-in closet that felt like a boutique. As one child had moved out of the house, she had a spare room to house her sizable wardrobe in one space - for the first time ever! She had already met with a closet designer who had installed a customized system on all four walls of the room. Movable shelves and hanging rods were installed in a variety of sizes and lengths. She had already purchased new hangers and baskets and bins... and then got really overwhelmed. She was merging clothes from three separate rooms into this one space. Some items had been in bins because they were out of season, while others were recently purchased this season and still had tags on them. This is where my team and I stepped in!


As we started to clear her room and simply get things on hangers and out of bins and baskets, we quickly realized that although the room was a large closet by most standards, we would not have room for her entire wardrobe in here... unless, she was willing to get rid of some things. As I explained that we were already running out of space an hour or two into our first appointment, she quickly responded that she better make sure she wants to keep it all. Fantastic! As we sorted out categories, we brought her in to glance at all the pieces in each category. Do you want all these pants? What about these jackets? How many dresses do you want to keep?

She had offered to look through each category and did so with discrimination, but ease as well. After all was said and done, she had 12 garbage bags stuffed in my car ready to donate! With our guidance, she had successfully gotten rid of enough pieces that we could easily fit everything in the room!

After each category was purged, we began to hang items in color order in the spaces we had predetermined would make the most sense. At the end of day one, all clothes were hung or folded. What remained were accessories and undergarments. That took one more appointment to put away accordingly.
After all was said and done, it took 20.5 (wo)man hours over two appointments to put her closet in order. She was ready to put down a new rug and a new ottoman. We had helped her create the boutique she had always wanted!


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