The Posh Blog

I was in one of my favorite stores yesterday, Office Max, and I learned about a new service they offer.  You can now take your confidential documents to Office Max for shredding.  How great is that!  I did ask if this was a national service and I was told yes, but I would recommend that you check with your local Office Max before you load your car with paper.

Here’s how it works: 
You bring in the paper you need shredded.  You pay $0.59/pound of paper you have.  Drop the paper in a secure locked box, similar to a mail box at the Post Office.  A shredding company comes to the store regularly and shreds the documents on-site.  I was told the Office Max employees do not have the key to open the locked box, only the shredding company can open the box.  I was also told an Office Max employee monitors the shredding process to ensure all documents are being shred. 

If you don’t have a shredder at your house, I like this idea because it is quick and simple.  You can keep a SMALL box that you designate as your shred box, where you can add items to it each week.  At the end of the month take the box to Office Max. 

If you are going through old files and you have a high volume of paper to shred then I would consider calling a shredding company directly.  If you are in the Austin area I recommend Central Texas Secure Shredding.  You can take your boxes to them or they can pick up from you.  The cost at Central Texas Secure Shredding is approximately $50-60 for six boxes of paper. 

Here’s to clearing out your old files securely!

Angela

Batteries are one of the most common things I see in people’s homes as we are getting their spaces organized.  In many cases we will fill up a small zip top baggie full of old batteries.  So here is where the debate begins.  Are you supposed to recycle old batteries or can you simply toss them in the trash?  I have always just tossed old batteries in the trash but about two years ago another Professional Organizer told me you were supposed to recycle them.  I felt so guilty for all those years I had been polluting our environment!  But I keep hearing different things from different people, so it’s time to get to the bottom of this!

According to Duracell Battery “It is important not to dispose of large amounts of alkaline batteries in a group. Used batteries are often not completely “dead.” Grouping used batteries together can bring these “live” batteries into contact with one another, creating safety risks. “

So if you are just tossing out one or two batteries it’s technically safe to throw them in the trash, but if you are tossing out large quantities you should recycle them. 

Many battery stores like Batteries Plus  offer battery recycling for many different types of batteries including cell phones, laptops, cordless tools, and more.  There is also a company called Battery Solutions  that sells boxes that you can fill with all different types of batteries.  Once the box is full you ship it to the company at no additional cost to you.  This is perfect for a corporate environment or a place that is using a high volume of batteries per year.

Be sure to designate a specific container for collecting the batteries that way they do not end up scattered around the house or even worse mixed with the good batteries.  Keep the container in your laundry room, utility room, or garage. 

Do you recycle your batteries or toss them out?

Happy recycling!
Angela

Copyright (C) 2010 Angela Ploetz, POSH Space  www.theposhspace.com.

Yogi’s rejoice!  If your old mat has become less than Zen you can feel at peace with letting it go.  Send your old mat to Recycle Your Mat  which recycles worn out mats, donates mats still in good condition, and upcycles mats.  Upcycling means giving the old mat a new life, typically turning something old into something new and completely different.  For example, I have seen old yoga mats turned into water resistant zipper pouches at my local Container Store click here to see them .

Just another way you can reduce your clutter and be environmentally friendly!

Angela

Copyright (C) 2010 Angela Ploetz, POSH Space  www.theposhspace.com.

Not sure how long to keep food in your refrigerator, freezer, or pantry?  Ziplock  has a fantastic list on their web-site that indentifies how long you should keep 70 different food items!  Go to the Ziplock web-site and on the left hand side click on “Shelf Life 101”.  You can click on the image of the shelf, freezer, or fridge to display the list of items for that particular area. 

 
When cleaning out your pantry and refrigerator it is great to know how long to keep things.  I recommend marking leftovers and items you are freezing with a piece of tape and a Sharpie Marker with the date that you made them.  This will save you from having to remember how old the leftovers are. 

You can print out a PDF of the entire list by clicking here. I would recommend keeping the list handy so you can refer to it as needed. 

Enjoy your clean fridge! 
Angela

Copyright (C) 2010 Angela Ploetz, POSH Space  www.theposhspace.com.

By now you have probably already begun to receive a flurry of cards in the mail from your friends and family.  Smiling faces and beautiful cards are such a sweet treat during the holidays.  But, if you haven’t so much as put the first thought towards your holiday cards, relax, there is hope for you yet!

1. Mailing deadline.  If you’ve been keeping up with my 18 Days of Holiday Organizing posts you probably already know that the deadline for First Class Domestic Mail is December 21st.  So if you have your cards in the mail by the 21st they are supposed to arrive by December 25th.  So there really is still time to get your cards in the mail.  See my previous post Three Must Have’s – Holiday Shipping  for more tips for getting your cards to the right location.

 
2. Send Out Cards.  This is an awesome card sending service that I learned about this year.  You can choose a card from hundreds of designs, write your personal message in the card, enter the address and then hit the send button.  Then Send Out Cards does the rest, from printing your card, addressing your card, putting a stamp on your card, and getting it in the mail.  It is amazing!  They send a real card for you.  You can even add your own pictures!  You can see more details on this at Send Out Cards.

 
3. E-cards.  If you are rushed for time you can also send an electronic or e-card.  You can visit Blue Mountain  and Hallmark . Many of these services cost a small fee, but the fact that they are so easy to do may be worth it!  You are also being environmentally conscience by not sending something that will most likely get tossed in the trash. 

 
4. Buck the system.  If the holidays have you so stressed out that you just don’t know how you can get holiday cards out then perhaps you should opt for New Year’s Cards or Valentine’s Day cards.  This has been a long standing tradition in my household and we get many comments from friends and family who love this.  They have told us they can enjoy our card more because it is not arriving at the same time as 50 other cards.

Don’t be afraid to get some help this year with your holiday cards.  Whether you send them electronically, use a system like Send Out Cards to help you get them addressed and in the mail, or you just put the cards off until the New Year, give yourself a break if you need one.

I hope you enjoyed the bonus tip, today’s blog should have been: Four Things You Must Know About Holiday Cards! 

Good luck and happy card sending!

Angela

Copyright (C) 2009 Angela Ploetz, POSH Space  www.theposhspace.com.

“It’s the most wonderful time of the year…”  I don’t know about you, but I think it’s the busiest time of the year!  Decorating, shopping, parties to attend, cards to get out, and oh gifts to ship! 

Here are my “Three Things That You Must” Know this holiday season regarding shipping.

1. Know your shipping deadlines.  Whether you are sending cards or packages if you want them delivered by December 25th you need to know your shipping deadlines.  These of course vary depending on whether you are sending things via U.S. Postal (First Class, Priority Mail, etc.), UPS, or Federal Express.  But generally, if you are sending something within the US from the US Post Office the deadline for standard First Class packages is Monday, December 21st.   You can find shipping deadlines for Domestic, International and Military Mail on the USPS website by clicking here. 
You can also follow this link  to UPS where you can calculate the expected shipping time of your package and get a cost estimate.  UPS  also indicates that for ground delivery with the “worst case” scenario you should ship by December 16th, but adds this would be rare.  

 
If you are shipping with Fed Ex Ground you need to have your packages to them no later than December 17th.  But there are many options that can push your deadline closer to December 25th visit the Fed Ex website  to see a complete list.

 
2. Packaging requirements.  Depending on who you are mailing with be sure that your package meets requirements.  Some companies do not allow you to wrap boxes in white or brown paper, don’t allow string or twine, and some require you to use their boxes.  Be sure to visit the web-site for UPSP  , UPS, or whoever you will be shipping with to find out about packaging restrictions.

3. Correct Name and Address. If you are taking the time to mail something special be sure that you have the correct address.  If you are hand writing the name and address use a Sharpie marker so there is no chance of the address smearing with water.  Also, be sure to revert back to your grade school years and print neatly and legibly.  Finally, including the full zip code will help ensure your package arrives safe and sound.  You can enter the address you are shipping to at the US Postal Service web-site  and it will give you the full Zip + 4 digit Code! 

Getting your packages mailed early should reduce your time in line and give you more time to get all those other things done like wrap the presents, bake cookies for your child’s school, pick up the dry clean, finish decorating….you get the picture.

Happy shipping!

Angela

Copyright (C) 2009 Angela Ploetz, POSH Space  www.theposhspace.com.