The Posh Blog

  A few weeks ago I spoke on my favorite local radio station Mix 94.7 with Bridget and Carey during their Happy Hour Show.  I spoke about Turning Clutter Into Cash and the topic was very well received.  So I wanted to follow up with a few more tips for those of you who may be looking for a little extra money for your holiday shopping.   

I recently read an article on the Wall Street Journal called “Selling Your Fashion Castoffs” which gave some great tips for selling on e-bay verses a consignment shop.  The article also gives insight into what some of the big sellers are and states: “EBay says that in the third quarter, the most searched fashion labels on the site were Ed Hardy, Nike, Hollister and Abercrombie & Fitch”.  Who knew?  So maybe that Nike jogging suite you got last year for Christmas and never wore may be able to fetch you a little extra cash this year.   

If you are looking into using e-bay, but you don’t want to do it yourself there are companies who will do it for you.  One national company is called I Sold It.  Two local companies in the Austin area are Vendelo and eSold ®.  I used one of these services a few years ago to sell an antique Singer Sewing Machine and found it to be fantastic.  I didn’t have to worry about researching the product, photographing the product, or answering questions.  It was extremely easy.  You can visit the web-sites of the Ebay Storefont mentioned above to find locations and to see if this type of service is right for you. 

Clearing out your closet in time for the holidays, how sweet it is.

Enjoy the good life,

Angela

Copyright (C) 2008 Angela Ploetz, POSH Space  www.theposhspace.com. <

As usual Oprah Winfrey is always up for the task of inspiring us to spring into action and rewarding us while doing it.  Yesterday was no exception when Oprah welcomed Organizing expert Peter Walsh to her show.  The topic: Oprah’s Clean Up Your Messy House Tour.  During the show Peter conducted “ambush organizing” on three unsuspecting residents in New York.  The fortunate three had a room makeover and received a beautifully redecorated space compliments of my VERY favorite designer Candice Olsen of HGTV’s Devine Design and products from my very favorite organizing store The Container Store.  To see these inspiring stories and transformations go to Oprah’s web-site.   

As we know Oprah is a generous and giving person and she has made arrangements with The Container Store to offer 20% off anything in their store to help you get organized!  You can go to Oprah’s web-site to download a coupon and learn more about this offer.  Oprah and Peter Walsh have also negotiated an extra special offer with Snapfish to gift viewers with a Free 8”x11” scrapbook!  What an awesome deal!  Again, these offers are time sensitive so check out Oprah’s web-site for the details. 

Thanks Oprah for helping to spread the word on decluttering and for inspiring us to live the good life in our own homes. 

Enjoy,

Angela 

Copyright (C) 2008 Angela Ploetz, POSH Space  www.theposhspace.com. 

  Is Your Student Organized For Success?
Did you know that many children will receive their first school issued planner by the third or fourth grade?  Personally, I was shocked when I heard about this.  The demands on students today are far greater than they were when we were students. 
 
Just because your student is receiving a planner does not mean they are being taught how to be more organized. Organization can be the key to helping your student make better grades, turn in papers and projects on time, and gain self-confidence.  It is a skill that will serve them their entire life. 
 
Don’t miss this chance to help set your student up for success this school year. Parents will leave this three hour workshop knowing:
-The two biggest pitfalls for students and what to do about them
-Practical techniques to help students organize their study space, school work, paper, time, and schedule
-Their child’s organizing style
-Ready to use tips to help mom with the increased school papers, permission slips, and schedules
-The four questions you need to ask your child each day before they start their homework 
**Bonus-tips for communicating with your students teacher!

When: Thursday, November 13th  9:00 am to noon

Where:  Business Suites Arboretum 
9442 Capital of Texas Hwy., Plaza One, Suite 500 (In the Independence Title Offices) Map Austin, TX 78759 

Investment: $50.00  This is a small investment compared to the amount of TIME spent on those tearful nights, trying to complete projects FOR your child due to a lack of organization and poor time management.  

Do not delay registration closes at noon on Wednesday, November 12, 2008. 

Call 512-252-2866 to register.  All major credit cards accepted. 

Seating is limited so please call us at 512-252-2866 or e-mail us at info@theposhspace.com to register.

  As a Professional Organizer I am always encouraging people to reduce their clutter, but with a slow economy and the holidays drawing near now is the perfect time to shed some clutter and make a little extra money.   Of course there are the tried and true ways to turn clutter into cash which include:  garage sales, E-bay, Craigslist, resale shops, and consignment shops.  These are great methods that can bring you a little extra money.  But here are a few ways that you may not have thought about before.  

1. Jewelry (gold)- The value of gold is very high right now which means it is a great time to sell gold jewelry that you no longer wear.  Also, if you have broken jewelry either get it fixed so you can wear it or sell it.  Check your local newspapers for jewelry stores or brokers who are buying gold.  Not all stores will buy scrap gold but some stores will take a current piece and do a trade up or give you credit towards a new piece of jewelry.  If you decide to sell gold to anyone check the prices of more than one place before you sell.  There are also many online sites who will buy your gold but be careful when choosing to sell your gold to a company you are not familiar with.  I found some great tips about  selling jewelry from this article in  The Wall Street Journal.
2. Cell Phones-It seems like everyone has old cell phones lying around but did you know that you can get between $5-$50 dollars for old cell phones?  Cells for Cash has been featured on the Today Show and allows you to look up your phone online to find out how much it is worth.  You then send in your phone and receive a check.  
3. Gift Cards- If you have piles of gift cards you are not interested in using you are not stuck with a useless piece of plastic.  For $1.99 you can go to Swap a Gift and sell your old gift cards for 60-70% of its value or swap your gift card with someone else.  This is a great way to clear out some old gift cards that you know you will never use. 

  A little less clutter AND extra money for the holidays, now that’s the good life! 

Enjoy,

Angela

 Copyright (C) 2008 Angela Ploetz, POSH Space  www.theposhspace.com.

If you love taking pictures like I do, then you probably want to have a camera close at hand.  If you have small children, like I do, or you simply want to win the next big jack pot on “America’s Funniest Home Video’s” then you may also want to keep a video camera near by.  So where do you store the camera so it is easy to get to but doesn’t add clutter to your counters?   

The back of the closet door of course!  Adding simple over the door hooks to the back of the door creates a quick and easy solution that requires minimal assembly.  Hooks can be purchased at The Container Store and Bed Bath and Beyond for about $2.99 for a package of two.  

The key to using your camera and video camera is to have them readily available when you need them.  Storing the camera upstairs in a hall closet when all the action is taking place downstairs in the family room isn’t going to help you capture that special moment.  If you like to take the camera with you to the park or other activities you should keep the camera near the door or near other things you grab as you are heading out the door.   

Again, I have found that many people are not utilizing the back of the doors for additional storage space.  This can instantly give you storage space all over the house that is easily accessible.    

Finding the camera when you need it…now that’s the good life!  

Enjoy,

Angela

Copyright (C) 2008 Angela Ploetz, POSH Space  www.theposhspace.com.