KREAMER CONNECTION
By Patty Kreamer
www.kreamerconnect.com

ISSUE: September 2002
God Bless America!
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IN THIS ISSUE

1. "One OUT - One IN" Rule
2. Excuse, obstacle or reason?
3. In Closing--Clean your plate
4. Copyright, Contact, & Reprint permission
5. Subscribe/Unsubscribe Information
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1. "ONE OUT - ONE IN" RULE

Last month, we talked about the One IN - One OUT rule.
This month, it's reversed. If you have ever
experienced the phenomenon that clothes shrink
when you put them in a closet (who knew?), try
what I do. I work in reverse; I use the One
OUT - one IN rule. I clean my closets out twice
a year, in the spring and the fall as I change
seasonal clothes (OUT). I then determine what is
missing from my wardrobe-I need a new white blouse,
for instance-and then I go shopping to fill those gaps (IN).

If I happen to be at the mall and I see something
that I just love and want and it is on sale, I
make a mental note of what I can donate to make
room for the new item. We have small closets in
our home (by design) so I know that space is limited.
This not only prevents me from having more stuff
than I NEED, it also helps me to save money.

The One in-one out and the One OUT - one IN rule
can apply to anything that you bring into your life,
not just clothes. It can work for furniture, linens,
food, shoes, books, computer equipment, or office
supplies: you name it.

Parents, this is a fabulous rule to teach your
children. What a great gift to give to your
children by teaching them to be generous and
organized at the same time.

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2. EXCUSE, OBSTACLE, OR REASON?

Excerpted from "...But I Might Need It Someday!"
by Patty Kreamer to be released later this summer.

REASON--YOU ARE VERY SENTIMENTAL

Sentimentality was always tough for me to grasp
until my parents recently moved. I am the fifth
of five children, and I always joke that there
are a total of 2 pictures of me from birth to now
(which isn't too far off!) By the time parents
get to kid #5, they've "been there, done that."
So sentimentality was not engraved on my psyche
at any age. But when my parents recently moved,
I got a first hand look at how hard it is to let
go of items that have memories attached. And yes,
I came home with memorabilia that I never knew
existed, but I only took something if I knew I had
a place for it and if I had a use for it!

ADJUSTMENTS

Sentimentality can mask itself as an excuse or
a reason. What this means is that you may have
the power to change your beliefs in this area and
be less sentimental. But for many of you, your
roots are very engrained and there is no letting
go of your beliefs. Therefore, sentimentality is
a reason for keeping things.

A good place to start is to make sure that you
are keeping only those items that have GOOD memories
attached to them. Why keep items that make you feel
badly? It takes enormous amounts of energy to hold
onto bad memories. So if you think someone else in
the family would be better off keeping the items
that stir up negative memories, pass them on.
Otherwise, you may want to consider selling, donating,
or throwing these items away.

If an item evokes good memories and you really want to
declutter, take a picture of it. Better yet, a
camcorder allows you to talk about the memories
attached as you pan across many items that you are
getting rid of. Stored properly in albums, in
cabinets, or on shelves, photos and video tapes take
up much less space and can provide the same kind of
memory. In fact, you might consider them better than
the original item because you can view them without
going to the attic or basement to dig out heavy boxes
or trunks that smell like mildew!

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Call 412-344-3252 for more details or click here
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3. IN CLOSING -- Clean your plate!

As children, we were always told to clean our plate so the
best thing to do was not fill it too full to begin with.
If you didn't clean you plate, there was a chance that you
wouldn't get dessert.

As adults, we have a different kind of plate - the plate
of life - and we often fill it beyond capacity. Nobody
constantly reminds us to clean our plate any more, so we keep
piling it on, never taking the time to contemplate what is
healthy and what is not.

Get rid of the things on your plate that you no longer
like or need. Only put on your plate what you can handle.
More than that just becomes unneeded excess.

Before you add another morsel to your life, I urge you to
CLEAN YOUR PLATE first! Then enjoy your dessert...

Here's to simplifying your life!

Until October,

Patty
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Is your company MOVING? Are you MOVING?
Kreamer Connect now offers Organized Moving
Services! Click here for more information!
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4. COPYRIGHT
CONTACT INFORMATION
REPRINT PERMISSION

Copyright (c) 2002 Patty Kreamer

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CONTACT INFO:
Patty Kreamer
Kreamer Connect - Connecting you with what matters most!
Professional Organizer & Professional Speaker
Phone: 412-344-3252 - Fax: 412-344-3253
Email: patty@kreamerconnect.com
Web: www.kreamerconnect.com

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REPRINT PERMISSION granted in part or
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Reprinted with permission from
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Copyright (c) 2002 Patty Kreamer