• Twenty cans can be produced out of recycled material with the same amount of energy it takes to make one new can.
• Americans throw away enough aluminum every three months to rebuild our entire commercial air fleet.
• By recycling steel for one year, enough energy is saved to supply Los Angeles with electricity for almost 10 years.
• Five recycled plastic bottles make enough fiberfill to stuff a ski jacket.
• Incinerating 10,000 tons of waste creates 1 job; land filling the same amount creates 6 jobs; recycling the same 10,000 tons creates 36 jobs.
• Americans throw away enough office and writing paper yearly to build a wall 12 feet high stretching from Los Angeles to New York City.
• If everyone in the U.S. recycled just on tenth of their newsprint, we would save the estimated equivalent of about 25 million trees a year. One tree can filter up to 60 pounds of pollutants from the air each year.

*http://www.recyclingit.com/recyfact2.htm

1. They had no charge cards, no VCRs, no cable bill, no computers and no on-line charges.

2. The house only had one TV.

3. Dad was not ashamed to bring lunch to work.

4. Mom was the family barber and cleaning lady.

5. Birthdays were celebrated in the backyard.

6. Pizza and Chinese were treats, not staples.

7. They always drove a used car.

8. The house had one phone.

9. Basements were where the furnace was, not rec rooms knee-deep in toys, exercise equipment and pinball machines.

10. Vacations were a two-hour ride to the country.

11. A daughter’s wedding did not cost a year’s pay, and everyone had a wonderful time.

1. Papers are everywhere (you feel bad)
2. Papers get put in a pile (you feel good)
3. Pile sits there (you feel bad)
4. Pile sits there (you feel worse)
5. Pile becomes one with the table (you no longer notice)
6. Pile expires, tossed in recycling (you feel good again)

Getting a head start = Hassle Free Holiday

Decorating/meal planning:

1. get the family involved – assigned tasks – make it a tradition
2. assign start dates for each activity – carry these dates forward every year – makes for a no-brainer the next year

3. don’t forget the clean-up committee

   

Merry Christmas & A Happy New Year

The onslaught of the holiday season is here. Are you ready to enjoy?

Getting a head start = Hassle Free Holiday

Shopping:

Begin by making a gift list

• group into family members – friends – clients, etc.
• highlight those that must be mailed …….. (Purchase first – Wrap first – Mail EARLY)

Next

• shop during the week if possible
• cluster your shopping in areas/groupings rather than flying from one part of town to another
• shop by catalogue
• shop on the internet

Next

•  decide where you will store the gifts
• wrap the gifts as you buy them – those inquisitors will not get into the gifts because you’ve already wrapped them!!

The onslaught of the holiday season is here. Are you ready to enjoy?

Getting a head start = Hassle Free Holiday

Christmas Cards:

Begin by creating a greeting card list:

• on paper – index cards in a recipe file with alphabetical dividers (A-Z)
• on database – easy to add/subtract and print out mailing labels

Next:

• start four weeks ahead of time – break down into manageable pieces (say A-H) – break down into manageable time segments – schedule time on your weekly calendar each week
• by breaking this Christmas chore into smaller segments you may even enjoy connecting with friends and family again
• order stamps by mail

The Container Store

‘Tis the hectic holiday season. Striving for a perfect holiday season is admirable but probably not realistic. Don’t worry. My suggestions will provide more precious time for favorite holiday activities with family and friends.

PART TWO

3. Shop smartly. Shop midweek if possible, and try clustering your shopping rather than driving from one part of town to another. Armchair shopping – catalogue or online – saves even more time.

4. Gift wrap as you go. Wrap gifts soon after bringing them home, or better yet, have them wrapped at the store. That way, there are no last-minute wrapping chores and “naked” gifts won’t be discovered.

5. Call in the troops. Get the family involved in decorating and meal planning. Assign tasks and make it a tradition. Assign start dates for each activity – carry these dates forward every year so it makes for a no-brainer the next year. And, don’t forget to assign a cleanup committee.

‘Tis the hectic holiday season. Striving for a perfect holiday season is admirable but probably not realistic. Don’t worry. My suggestions will provide more precious time for favorite holiday activities with family and friends.

1. Tackle greeting cards a little at a time. If you don’t already have a Christmas or holiday card list, create one. Use index cards in a file box with A to Z alphabetical dividers. Even better, create a database on your computer so it’s easy to add, delete and print mailing labels. Now, you can break this chore into manageable pieces. Several weeks before mailing your holiday cards, schedule time on your weekly calendar for writing cards to people whose names begin with A to H, the following week tackle the I to P names, and so on.

2. Shopping list strategies. Rather than keeping a shopping list in your head, put it down on paper. Group it by family members, friends, clients, etc. Highlight those that must be mailed and tackle them first.

Stay tuned for Part Two!