1.The power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint
 - we do have some freedom of choice
 - he talks of revoking some of the freedoms
 2.Absence of subjection to foreign domination or despotic government
 - he was a champion of Irish freedom
 3.The state of not being imprisoned or enslaved
 - the shark thrashed its way to freedom
 4.The state of being physically unrestricted and able to move easily
 - the shorts have a side split for freedom of movement
 5.The state of not being subject to or affected by (a particular undesirable thing)
 - government policies to achieve freedom from want
 6.The power of self-determination attributed to the will; the quality of being independent of fate or necessity

7.Unrestricted use of something

- the dog is happy having the freedom of the house when we are out

8.Familiarity or openness in speech or behavior

BIBLE:
Freedom in Christ frees us from unnecessary religious practices and religious cults. You can experience  the right relationship with God and your neighbors. 

“Give me liberty or give me death!” Patrick Henry evidently placed a high value on freedom. Often, it is for “freedom” that soldiers fight on the battlefield, sometimes to take it away from others or to protect it, or to restore it to those who have lost it. In the United States, we generally think of such freedoms as the freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of the press and freedom of assembly.

But there is more to freedom than simply civil laws protecting such. There are some freedoms that civil law cannot give and armies cannot secure. We have to look elsewhere for certain freedoms, and they are extremely important ones. Freedom from sin, freedom from sin’s eternal consequences, freedom from hopelessness and despair, and ultimately, freedom from death.

Liberty In Christ
 ”Jesus was therefore saying to those Jews who had believed Him, ‘If you abide in my word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free,’” (John 8:31,32).
 When Christ came, the whole world was lying in the power of the Evil One. In the context of Jesus’ promise to “know the truth and the truth shall make you free” is an objection of some who heard Him. They countered that they had never been enslaved to anyone. Besides being historically inaccurate (they had, indeed, served as slaves in Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Persia and many Jews were slaves in Rome as they spoke), they were missing the point. Jesus explained He was talking about their being enslaved to sin (John 8:33-36).

There was pride and pretentiousness; hypocrisy and greed; hatred and selfishness. They held to outward religious form and pomp; self glory and human tradition, often setting aside God’s commandment in favor of their traditions. They were self-righteous and often hard-hearted. Jesus came to free them from such, and us as well. Sin is a cruel slave master which will always kill its faithful servants in the end (Romans 6:23; 5-7; 12-14).

While the Jews dealt with these things, the Gentiles were no better off. They were enslaved to false gods (Galatians 4:8). Their degradation seemingly knew no limits (Romans 1:28-32).

Jesus came to set us all free. He was the only One who could do so. We could not free ourselves, neither could any other force in heaven or on earth. It had to be Jesus. In Him we are set free as we are made new (2 Corinthians 5:17). Remember Jesus’ own words about it; this freedom is related to and dependent upon “abiding in (His) word” (John 8:31).

Be Not Subject Again-No longer a slave to sin
 ”… and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.” (Galatians 5:1b).
 

The specific danger Paul addresses in the above passage (cf. Galatians 5:1-15) is a return to or dependence upon Judaism for salvation. Paul has many fine things to say about the Law of Moses. It is good; it is righteous; it led us to Christ as a schoolmaster, it spoke of the Christ to come; it is profitable for study and learning from its examples, and so forth. But it could not justify, and returning to it for justification would only result in enslavement.
 

False teachers were demanding the continuing observance of the Law; and even that the Gentiles, to whom the Law was never given, subject themselves to its ordinances. Paul writes, “Therefore, let no one act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day…” (Colossians 2:16).
 

Additionally, there were false teachers of other sorts trying to adulterate the gospel with human philosophy and traditions (Colossians 2:8-10). Paul’s answer: “But even though we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to that which we have preached to you, let him be accursed.” (Galatians 6:8). 

The Answer To A Present Danger
 ”For sin shall not be the master over you, for you are not under Law, but under grace.” (Romans 6:14).

We must stand guard over our freedom in Christ, else we may well find our liberty eroded and ourselves enslaved again. Peter warns that the final state of enslavement can be even worse than the first so encourages the faithful not to allow themselves to be led astray by false promises (2 Peter 2:18-22).

Even as Jesus referred to the Pharisees of His day as being enslaved, there are those today who think like the Pharisees thought. They are prideful and hypocritical. They look for a physical kingdom of silver and gold instead of a spiritual kingdom of truth and righteousness. They are steeped in human religious tradition and creeds, while setting aside the doctrine of Christ. Do not let the modern version of the Pharisee rob you of your freedom!

Neither let empty human philosophy take your freedom away. The names of the philosophies may have changed (now we have humanism, modernism and so forth) but the effects are still the same. They cannot save. Only the gospel can do that (1 Corinthians 1:18-22). The world is constantly bombarding us with words to entice us away from our salvation. Our answer: “It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.” (Galatians 5:1).

John 3: 16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believes in HIM shall not perish but have everlasting life.”  FREEDOM IN CHRIST

But like many other national holidays, there’s a meaningful back story that’s worth telling and remembering in some way during this celebration, and you’ll find lots of ideas on just how to integrate remembering into your day below.  But first, what’s Memorial Day about?

How did Memorial Day begin?

Apparently, many towns and cities claim to have started the tradition of Decoration Day, as Memorial Day was originally called, although Waterloo NY was declared the winner of this title by former President Lyndon Johnson in May, 1966. The day itself actually was proclaimed by a Union General on May 5, 1868 to honor those who had died in the Civil War by placing flowers on their graves on May 30 at Arlington National Cemetery.

After World War I, the day was changed to celebrate those U.S. forces who had fought and died in any war. In 1971 it was declared a national holiday to be celebrated on the last Monday of May. Since then, it has been a day meant for a unified honoring of the nation’s war veterans who died in war. It’s been informally expanded to include those who are veterans who died after serving in the US. armed forces as well.

Remember those who gave….

Traditionally, it’s a day of cook outs, picnics, and outdoor activities, but here are a few ideas on how to add more meaning to your Memorial Day this year:

• Attend a parade: Many local communities have a small parade honoring veterans who have fought in a war or contributed to the effort in some way. Regardless of your politics and beliefs, it’s a way to give tribute to those have done what they felt was right for their country. Thank them.
• Visit a cemetery: This can be especially important if one of your relatives was a veteran. While the tradition over the early years of Memorial Day was to “decorate” the grave with flowers, you’ll most often today see the small flags next to the tombstones of veterans (usually placed there by volunteers), whether they died in the war or later. Children can benefit from this activity as well, because it gives them a history lesson.
• Have a family ceremony: During your event, take a few moments to say a word about your family members who may have fought, died, been wounded or disabled in any war for the U.S. If you’ve done some work on your family tree, go back as far as you can. If you have a family member or friend who is in or returning from Afghanistan, ask them to speak, and give them your thanks.
• Create a playlist of relevant Memorial Day music: With i-tunes and your i-pod, you can design a playlist of patriotic music in any genre from country to big bands. The old standards like America the Beautiful are always good, but be creative and do a mix of pop, rock, R & B and country  Add the music that is meaningful for you from various times the country was at war. Here are a few starter ideas for your list:
• America (Neil Diamond)
• Freedom (Paul McCartney)
• Citizen Soldier (3 Doors Down)
• Living in America (James Brown)
• Born in the USA (Bruce Springsteen)
• R.O.C.K. in the USA (John Mellencamp)
• American Soldier (Toby Keith)
• It’s America (Rodney Adkins)
• Wear a red poppy: This tradition began in 1915 when Moina Michael wrote her own poem in reaction to In Flanders Fields, mentioning a red poppy in relation to the “blood of heroes never dies”. Since then organizations, including veterans groups, have made the red poppies to sell for fund raising purposes.
• Have a Remembrance Moment: In hopes of putting the remembering back in Memorial Day, Congress declared in 2000 a National Moment of Remembrance resolution. At 3pm local time, Americans are asked to “voluntarily and informally observe in their own way a moment of remembrance and respect, pausing from whatever they are doing for a moment of silence or listening to Taps.”
• Serve a “flag cake”: After all the remembering activities, move on to your summer start off celebration with menu that includes a “flag cake”. Vanilla cake, vanilla frosting strawberries cut in quarters and some blueberries are all you need. Bake the cake in a 9 x 13 pan, frost it, then create a flag design using the strawberries for stripes and  the blueberries for the stars. Yummy, patriotic, and another way to remember what Memorial Day is all about!

Enjoy family and friends!!!

By ELIZABETH BETTENDORF

A gift from the heart sometimes means a treasure for the home. Spend a lot on Mom if you must, but a few dollars go a long way when paired with a dollop of creativity and love.

Here are a few ideas meant to inspire and perhaps save you a little money along the way. Mom would definitely approve!

1. Flowers from a grocery store (hot-pink tulips if you can find them). Improvise on a great vase. I found a vintage Columbia Restaurant sangria pitcher at a garage sale for a few dollars. A small watering can makes a darling vase, too. So does a small metal florist bucket.

2. A stack of bright new kitchen tea towels, a pretty bar of gardener’s glycerin soap and a dainty Blue Willow teacup to nestle it in.

3. A one-year subscription to a homes magazine. (Some are so cheap, you might be able to pick up two for the price of one.)

4. A decorating book from a discount store. I discovered Designers in Residence: The Personal Style of Top Women Decorators and Designers for less than $5 at Ross.

5. A flameless wax sensor candle. These candles are battery operated; they are turned on and off by hidden sensors. Brookstone offers them for $20.

6. A beautiful, potted blooming orchid. The popular phalaenopsis sells for about $10 at Home Depot.

7. Chocolate-covered strawberries (buy the microwave dipping sauce in the produce section of the grocery store) or homemade lemon bars on a beautiful vintage plate that can later be displayed on the kitchen wall.

8. An IOU for a thorough, top-to-bottom house cleaning. (You do the scrubbing, loving child.)

9. A small, contemporary reading lamp from a discount store and a paperback book by a favorite author. (Gift from the Sea by Anne Morrow Lindbergh is always a great choice.)

10. Make a spring door wreath from grapevine and shells collected from your favorite Florida beaches.

11. Bright cocktail napkins and a set of cute plastic wine glasses for a poolside happy hour with mom. Throw in some gourmet cheese straws (available at SuperTarget) if you’ve got some extra moola. You play bartender.

12. A windowsill herb garden kit or mature herb plants repotted in a pretty window box or ceramic pots.

13. A miniature needlepoint throw pillow with a funny or inspirational “Mom” saying.

14. Place a handmade greeting card in a small frame for a gift of instant art.

15. A lovely upholstered French bulletin board (the kind crisscrossed with ribbons). They’re cheap (usually less than $10) and ubiquitous. Tuck favorite family photos throughout.

16. A hurricane-style glass candle holder (available at discount stores) filled with shells, stones and a fat, scented pillar candle.

17. A flowered china teapot worthy of permanent display and a small tin of apricot tea.

18. A pair of silver-plated candlesticks and creamy taper candles.

19. A set of pretty terry cloth hand towels for the bathroom and a shell night light.

20. A small garden statue, stepping stone or bird feeder to hang outside the kitchen window.

21. Wind chimes.

22. Any kind of antique linens – but pillowcases are the best!

23. Pretty kitchen canisters.

24. A gift card to her favorite shopping place.

25. A photograph of your family home in a good-looking frame. If you are an artist, draw or paint a picture of the house. Write a poem or essay about the meaning of where you grew up to accompany the picture.

Happy Mother’s Day to all!

Here are a few ideas I have used that I hope will add to the chances of keep our memories for  the future:

1.  Frame it- make a beautiful poster. Frame special ones and put them in their rooms, family room, any where. You can even do a collage!

You can even have a bulletin board in the play room and hang their favorites there. Change it each year with their favorites.

2.  Craft it- sometimes a Christmas tree ornament. You can easily do this by taking a lid to a Mason jar, cutting the picture to fit, gluing it in and tying a ribbon around the outside of the lid. Easy keepsake and every year when you take it out to hang it on the tree you can ooooh and ahhhh at how adorable it is as if it’s the first time you’re seeing it.

Make laminated book marks-Use the back and write a letter to someone-Create a storybook of all the childs favorites.

3.  Gift it- Moms and Dads aren’t the only ones that enjoy looking at the things your children create. Grandparents, aunts and uncles, etc, also enjoy so why not give them the chance to own a keepsake? Have your child laminate a favorite picture and cut it into a small puzzle. Use a child’s artwork as wrapping paper next Christmas- think outside the box!

4. Photos/Scrapbook it- Take photos of the art work. Toss the paper. Insert them in a photo book, or a scrap book. If there is not enough photos for a book for each year then you can always have one for Pre-School, one for Elementary, one for Middle School and one for High School! Or one large book and use just a few pages for each area.

5.  Store it- there is so many storage options these days but you don’t have to spend a lot of money to put away precious memories. Buy an accordion envelope at Office Max to store kid’s artwork or school work in, or bins or anything that can be used for each child. Assign each child a storage area. Once it is full it is time to purge what they want to keep.

6.  Purge it- Speaking of purge- everything is NOT a keepsake. Keep the things that make you smile, cry or laugh out loud. Every A+ is not a miracle- but what about the A in the class your kid struggled in all year? Those are the types of items to keep for later.

7.  Recycle if possible- teach kids GO GREEN!

If you have, then however organized and effective you are in your day-to-day work, your boss and your client may have a less than perfect opinion of you, because in a key encounter, you’ve let them down. And if it’s your job to help people, how much of other people’s time are you wasting if you can’t find the information you need when you need it?

You owe it to yourself to file effectively, however boring this may seem. Imagine how much more impressive it would have been if – when asked – you’d smiled, accessed a well-organized filing system, immediately found the document, and quickly given the answer!

Managing Time

On a typical work day, we deal with many documents, presentations, graphics, and other files. There’s a flurry of data pouring in from all directions that we need to process and, usually, store to retrieve later. We want to be able to lay our hands on the information we need – at the right moment, when we need it – so it can be used for further analysis or report writing, or perhaps for creating a presentation.

All too often, though, we waste our own time (and often the time of other people) searching for data that’s sitting on the very computer we’re using! This adds to our stress, and makes the task of putting the data to use more difficult than it ought to be. So we need to get more organized and efficient with our file management if we’re going to get our work done in a timely manner.

Managing Information Efficiently

When you receive a file in an e-mail from a co-worker, vendor, or customer, it’s tempting to “just put it away” in some folder for the time being. “Hmm. looks interesting, but I’ll take a closer look at this later, when I’ve got more time.” Sound familiar? Or, worse still, perhaps you just leave the message and its attachment sitting in your Inbox. After a while, many such documents build up, leading to a lot of clutter. It’s highly unlikely that you’ll ever find time to go back and get all of that information organized, especially considering that you’re usually under pressure with other things.

You can spend hours of precious time searching for data you’ve filed away somewhere, because it’s easy to forget the filename – or even to forget that such information is on your computer in the first place. So how can you go about simplifying your work? Get better at managing files.

Effective File Management

Managing files on your computer isn’t much different from the way you’ve always stored and managed your paper files. It boils down to this: store the information in folders – by category, and in a sequence that makes sense to you.

Here are some tips to help manage your files:

• Avoid saving unnecessary documents. Don’t make a habit of saving everything that finds its way into your Inbox. Take a few seconds to glance through the content, and save a file only if it’s relevant to your work activity. Having too much data on your computer adds to clutter and makes it harder to find things in the future – and it may, over time, slow down your computer’s performance too. Be selective about what you keep!
• Follow a consistent method for naming your files and folders. For instance, divide a main folder into subfolders for customers, vendors, and co-workers. Give shortened names to identify what or whom the folders relate to. What’s more, you can even give a different appearance or look to different categories of folders – this can make it easy to tell them apart at first glance.
• Store related documents together, whatever their type. For example, store Word documents, presentations, spreadsheets, and graphics related to a particular project in a single folder – rather than having one folder for presentations for all projects, another folder for spreadsheets for all projects, and so forth. This way, it’s much quicker to find, open, and attach documents for a particular project.
• Separate ongoing work from completed work. Some people prefer to save current or ongoing work on their computer’s desktop until a job is completed. Then, once it’s done, they move it to the appropriate location, where files of the same category are stored. At periodic intervals (for example, weekly or every two weeks), move files you’re no longer working on to the folders where your completed work is stored.
• Avoid overfilling folders. If you have a large number of files in one folder, or a large number of subfolders in a main folder – so many that you can’t see the entire list on your screen without scrolling down – break them into smaller groups (subfolders or sub-subfolders). Think of creating a sequential menu, arranged either in chronological or alphabetical order, to make retrieval easy. For instance, you can divide a folder called “Business Plan” into subfolders called “BP2008,” “BP2009,” and “BP2010.” Likewise, you can divide a folder for a client named Delta Traders into subfolders named “Delta Traders sales presentations” and “Delta Traders contracts.” The idea is to place every file into a logical folder or subfolder, rather than have one huge list of files.
• Having said this, there is usually little point in creating a folder for fewer than about five documents. If you do, the time you spend clicking through subfolders to get to the documents you need may not be outweighed by the greater ease of finding them.
• Install Google Desktop on your PC. If you can (sometimes IT departments don’t permit this), install Google Desktop on your PC – you can find this at http://desktop.google.com. This neat tool creates a desktop search engine that indexes all of your files and emails, meaning that you can search for them quickly and easily. This can be invaluable when you need to answer offbeat questions!
• Make sure your filing system is backed up. Again, this is a bit tedious, but it’s so important, as anyone who’s had a failed disk drive will testify! Make sure, firstly, that your PC is backed up regularly and, secondly, that the backup includes the directories where you file information.

Prioritizing Your Files for Action

Take these approaches further by customizing your file management. This can help you prioritize your work, which can lead to better efficiency.

• Organize files by dates. Incorporate a date into the file name. This will help you determine which is the most recent document in the folder, without having to open the file and read through the content. For example, a file named “Guidelines 12Oct07″ would indicate a version of the Guidelines file dated October 12, 2007. (If you’re working internationally, be aware that in some countries this date can be presented as 101207, while in other countries, this same date can be shown as 121007. This can be very confusing!)
• Some people use version numbers to distinguish between documents that have been reworked or changed. Examples would be “Delta Traders contract v1″ and “Delta Traders contract v2.” This also makes it easier to pick out the most current file.

Tip:
If your document is going to be looked at, used, or amended by several people, you need to be particularly careful about version control: people quite rightly can get very annoyed if versions are mixed up and their work on the document is lost.

Make sure you put the version number in the file name here, and also consider having a version control table at the beginning of the document showing the version number, the date of the version, the person making changes, and, perhaps, the nature of changes made.

• Use “Tickler” files. Tickler files, also known as the “43 folders” method, are a unique system that’s used by many people for organizing files. Create 12 folders (one for each month of the year) and an additional 31 subfolders (for each day of the month). Fill each folder with the documents that you need to work with on that day. At the beginning of each day, open the folder for that day. Take all the items out of the folder and move them into a “today” folder or onto your desktop. Then move the empty folder into the corresponding slot for the next month. If you can’t complete some work items by the end of the day, transfer them to the folder for the next convenient day. This system of file management helps you keep track of everything you need to do, and it also doubles as a diary.

For any system to be useful and effective, it must also be convenient for you. To some extent, this depends on the nature of your business or the work that you do. So, although there’s no “one size fits all” solution to file management, you will likely profit by using some of these file management tips, and by customizing them in a way that best serves your own needs.

Key Points

Are you losing too much time searching through the clutter on your computer for files that you need? And when you’re under pressure, can you retrieve information quickly and easily?

Spending precious time looking for data can take the pleasure out of any kind of creative work you might be doing – and it adds to your stress levels as well. Simple good file management habits can hugely simplify your working life!

http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newHTE_85.htm

Is paper taking over your home? Do you groan each time you check the mail? Are the contents of your children’s backpack waiting to take over your dining table? Help is available to control paper, and it may be simpler than you think.

1. Create a command center.

Create a regular place where all paper is kept. Mail is sorted here. Backpacks are emptied here. Receipts are deposited here. To make it a great command center, you’ll need a shredder, trash can, and at least a temporary filing system. In just a few seconds, you’ll be able to sort paper into the shredder, the trash, or an action or archive file.

2. Store digitally.

Keep digital copies of what you can. Storing things on a computer takes up less space in your home, so when possible, store items digitally. I’ve tossed out my recipe box in favor of storing recipes online. The things I need are easier to find and they don’t take up additional counter space.

3. Toss right away.

Throw out paper that isn’t needed right away. Whether you recycle it, shred it, or trash it, throw out unnecessary forms, receipts, and letters right away. The command center comes in handy for this. Instead of moving piles of junk paper around, you’ll throw it away and forget it.

4. Have a filing system in place.

Take the time to create a filing system that works for you. I have a set of temporary files, and a set of archived files. When paper comes into my command center, I can right away choose whether it’s something that should be trashed, archived, or requires action on my part. It’s filed accordingly.

5. Use a shredder.

Before I had a shredder in my command center, I always ended up with a stack of papers to remember to shred later. Often that stack would get moved around and piled up with other papers, forcing me to re-sort. Having a shredder available is a huge time-saver. Just shred it and be done.

6. Go paperless.

If possible, go paperless with as much of life as you can. More and more companies offer paperless billing options. Even schools are beginning to communicate through email and webpages more frequently. Take advantage of paperless options wherever available and you’ll have less coming into your home.

7. Set a time/date to file and clean files.

Depending on the size of your household and how much paper you receive, you’ll need to have a set time each week to file. I do mini-filing daily when I sort the mail and after school papers. Then weekly, I go through my action and archive folders in my command center and take care of those papers. Doing this regularly has gotten me into the habit of taking care of paper daily, and it’s made all the difference.

8. Teach the kids.

Teaching your children how to file their own items will save you time. My children are already learning how to evaluate the paper that they bring into our home. They can make decisions on whether those papers need an action for me, need to be archived, or can be thrown out.

9. Put it on the calendar.

Just like anything else you schedule, filing needs to be written as part of your daily plan. This is to help remind you that it’s an important part of your day. After awhile your routine will become…well, routine. But for now, writing it down in your daily planner will help keep you honest about keeping up with the influx of paper.

10. Multitask your sorting.

Sorting paper can be a great chore to multitask with. I love going through files while I watch TV. It’s a great way to get something done and not feel guilty about spending time catching up on your favorite shows.

The secret to taming the paperwork is to keep up with it, which is often easier said than done. If you have a slush pile already, first you need to weed through it and decide what to keep and what to throw away. Then you must organize what’s left into categories. Finally, you need to keep up with the paper flow.

Instructions and Things you will need:

• 1

The easiest way to organize is to first cull everything that you can throw away. Start with junk mail and catalogs. Put them in your trash bags or recycling bins and immediately move them out of the area so you aren’t tempted to put anything back on your desk. Be ruthless — only keep what you absolutely must. Stack this stuff in a pile for now and move on to Step 2.

• 2

Next open any official mail, such as bank statements. Throw the envelopes and any advertising inserts in the trash. Shred loan offers and checks from credit card companies immediately. Resist the temptation and don’t even look at them. Then put this mail in a second pile and put it aside for now — but make sure to keep it separate from the first stack of papers from Step 1.

• 3

Anything that you need to keep but that you don’t need now can be stored elsewhere. Plastic bins work best, as they don’t deteriorate in damp basements or garages. Pack up anything that isn’t “active” and get it out of your office. Label the storage box clearly.

•  4

Begin sorting your official mail (from stack 2) into as many file folders as you need. Bank statements, credit card statements, utility bills, student loan papers, insurance papers, etc. Again, as you sort, get rid of any remaining inserts and trash or shred them right away. Keep the folders as lean as you can. Make a separate folder for “To-Do” items, such as bills that haven’t been paid or scholarship applications that need to be filled out. If you have a bright neon file folder, here is the place to use it!

• 5

Once your paperwork is sorted into folders, write on each folder’s tab to indicate what’s inside. Then put the folders away. A file drawer is best, but a vertical organizer also works well. Decide on an organization scheme: you can place the folders alphabetically, or loosely sort by topic. For instance, put all the bills together, then put all your mortgage papers and insurance papers, then anything else. Colored folders or tabs come in handy but aren’t necessary, although you might enjoy this task a little more if you can have some fun with it.

• 6

Put everything away. The goal is to get your desk cleaned off so you have a clear work space. Avoid piling folders on your desk. Take your “To-Do” folder and put it in the front of your drawer or organizer, where you can easily see it. Get a calendar you can write on and use it to record the due dates of bills, so you don’t need to pull them out of the folder and pile them on the desk in order to remember them. Alternatively, use software that helps you organize.

• 7

Make it a daily routine to look through the day’s mail. Pitch what you don’t want immediately. Open all the envelopes and file bills in the “To-Do” folder and write them on your calendar. Look through any catalogs and decide either to keep them for one month or trash them. At the end of each month, prune your catalog pile.

Tips & Warnings 

Tackling The PAPER PILE!!!!

Today’s motto:

Do not organize what you can toss!

Are you overcome by papers but don’t know how long to keep them or if it’s safe to throw them away?

Set aside 45 minutes and turn on good music. Get a bag or a recycle bin ready, and borrow a shredder if you don’t have one.  It’s time to make some big progress.

Start with the obvious.

Go quickly through your house and throw away all the junk mail, expired coupons, catalogs, and old grocery lists that you see.  Any little scribbled notes that you no longer need should be tossed.

Take it one step further and prevent useless paper from entering your house in the first place.  Open your mail over the recycle bin.  Opt out of credit offers, and remove your name from catalog mailing lists.

Magazines and newspapers

Save individual pages from magazines instead of the entire issue. Give magazines away to a friend or donate them to the local library.  Put yesterday’s newspaper in the recycle bin.  Cancel subscriptions for newspapers or magazines that you never get around to reading.

Paid bills

You really don’t need more than three months of past bills that have been paid.  If the company has a reputation for frequent billing errors then it might be worth keeping more, but otherwise it’s safe to toss them.

Receipts

When the transaction has been entered in your checkbook and has cleared your account, you probably don’t need those little slips of paper any more.  The only reasons to keep them would be:

• the possibility of returning an item
• insurance valuation for expensive items
• for taxes, such as sales tax credit or home upgrades

Almost all other receipts can be tossed after you’ve checked your bank or credit card statement.

Pay stubs

Only keep the most recent few until you get the last one for the year.  Then compare it to your W-2 before you toss it.

Bank or Credit Card statements

I’d say this one is a personal judgement call.  Most statements probably do not have long-term significance, but keeping them helps me to toss other paperwork.  I can easily throw away paid bills and receipts because I know there is a record of them on the bank statement.

Retirement Account statements

You don’t need the monthly statements if you’ve received a quarterly or annual statement.  It’s also fine to toss the Annual Report and Prospectus for an investment. Never toss a letter or document that confirms your right to a future retirement benefit.

Taxes

In most cases, you should keep tax returns for at least 3 years, since that’s the time limit to amend a return or for the IRS to audit good-faith returns.  (There’s no time limit for the IRS to audit fraudulent returns.)

Auto Records

Keep maintenance records until you sell the car.

Auto and Property Insurance papers

When you get the new insurance card in the mail, throw away the expired cards.  You don’t need to keep insurance paperwork that expired or that covered property you no longer own.

Health Insurance Papers

Instead of storing a bulky directory of physicians, see if your insurance company lets you search online for network doctors.  You can likely find the list of preferred prescriptions online as well.  Keep medical bills for the current year, and then toss them if you don’t need them for tax deductions.

School papers

Are you keeping old school notes or research papers just because you worked hard on them?  (You’re not keeping them to show how smart you are, right?)  Unless you actually use them in your current career, you don’t need them anymore.  They have already served their purpose.  Keep a small sample if you must, and then let go of the rest.

Warranties and Manuals

If you have any warranty paperwork that is expired or manuals for appliances that you no longer own, give them a toss.

What about cards, letters, and keepsakes?

Papers with sentimental value are challenging just by themselves. I also want to share more ideas for going digital with paper storage.

If you still have a lot more to clean out, that’s ok! Just take a look at how many papers you’ve ALREADY managed to toss. Later you can pick up right where you left off.

After some research here is what I came up with:

10% as many as needed

20% 1 small per room,

70%  ONLY ONE!

If you have too many here are some suggestions to tame the JUNK!

• Remember that most of the items in the Junk Drawer are items that do not have a home or just put in there as a convenance. Try to establish a home for at least half of the items and then organize the rest.  Go back monthly to get current items so that they do not get lost.
• Keep each Junk Drawer very small-no bigger than the size of a shoe box. This will help eliminate lots of stuff and control what can and cannot fit. If possible label the drawer and Misc or Junk Drawer…sometimes the label is offensive,  there is less Junk and usually becomes unnecessary.
• If trying to eliminate the number of Junk Drawers, start with the smallest one first. Then do not start a new one in that area.  Once you get down to a few Junk Drawers, you will be able to declutter even more with less stress.
• If you only have one…keep the size small.  You may want to resize the one you have but dumping the Junk Drawer into a show box and deciding what to keep and what not to keep.
• Basically less is best, and by cleaning out the drawer(s) several times a year (once every 3 months), even your Junk Drawer can be organized with purpose.

Bottom line…You control the clutter or it will control you.

Good Luck!

1. Beth Givens, director of the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, a consumer group on privacy and identity theft issues. Web: privacyrights.org. Office phone: 619-298-3396.
2. Alicia Rockmore, co-founder of Buttoned Up, Inc., a company that provides organizational tips and tools. Web: getbuttonedup.com. Office phone: 734-477-5020.
3. Kate Williams, vice president of financial literacy for Money Management International, which oversees the Consumer Credit Counseling Service agencies. Web: moneymanagement.org. Office phone:1-800-698-6512.
4. Sharon Rich, a fee-only financial planner based in Belmont, Mass., who specializes in women and families. Web: womoney.com. Office phone: 617-489-3601.
5. IRS Publication 552; Recordkeeping for Individuals. Web: irs.gov.
6. Identity Theft Resource Center report; The Aftermath 2006. Web: idtheftcenter.org.
7. American Red Cross publication, Disaster Supplies Kit. Web: redcross.org.