Tag: tips

Poppy Says, “Keep Your Dog Safe and Secure in the City”

If our little Poppy looks a bit pensive in this photo, it's because she was thinking about what she needs to explain to all the new dogs she's meeting as we walk around Boston. She is especially worried about the ones who were country dogs, like her, before they came to live in the city.

We told her we'd be happy to pass along a few tips to help dog families with less urban experience.

City drivers may cut corners and run traffic lights. Stand well back from the curb and be sure all traffic has stopped before stepping onto the street.

And, speaking of cars, when maneuvering around cars, keep your pup clear of tailpipes. They may be hot – even on parked cars.

People on skateboards, bicycles, and inline skates can move dangerously fast. Try to position yourself between them and your pal.

On congested sidewalks, pups need observant and protective friends. When you can, put your pup between two people. Be careful rounding corners and avoid smokers swinging cigarettes and flicking hot ashes at doggie eye level.

City litter can be dangerous to paws. Guide your little one around broken glass, gum, and smoldering cigarette butts.

Horns and sirens can startle and frighten the most self-confident dog. Shorten your lead and provide lots of pats and reassurance.

And, feel free to ask the families you meet for referrals to the people and supplies you need for your dog. When you keep hearing good things about a shop, vet, groomer, or service, you can try it out.

Get to know all of our Sunday Dogs at Boston Dogs.

Thanks to everyone who Hops over to Amazon from here to do their shopping. We appreciate your support.

Details:
Words: Penny Cherubino
Photography: © 2013 Ed Cherubino

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers’ comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you.

September 29, 2013
We’ll Pass on Restaurant Week, But We’ll Share 5 Tips…
We know that Restaurant Week (RW) has it's fans, but it's not the type of event that appeals to us. We're grazers! We often have a couple of appetizers or share an entree. We like to sit at the bar and nibble our way through a meal. We seldon eat three courses. What's more, most of our favorite restaurants don't take part in the event.

Since we don't have recent Restaurant Week experience, we can't comment on the service or the overall quality of the offerings. But, we can link you to conversations over on the Boston Chowhound Board about last year's event and we'll add new links as they pop up this year.

Restaurant Week Boston, Winter 2012 reports?

Here are a few tips that might increase your enjoyment of Restaurant Week.
1. Check the menus carefully. Is there something on that special menu that is on the chef's regular menu or that this restaurant will do very well. Skip the places with the chicken, short ribs, and salmon specials.
2. A few places offer their full menu. Here's a Chowhound report on that from LAST year. Things change but you can check the menu on the RW site or call ahead for confirmation.
3. Support and enjoy the places that are not taking part. Again, here is a Chowhound list from LAST year that you can check against the official RW list.
4. Pick a chef-driven place that takes pride in its food every day of the year over a chain experience. Support small and local.
5. Tip your server as if you paid full price for 3-courses at this restaurant. This is a very hard week on servers. They didn't decide to run the promotion but they take the brunt of the problems from the event and work harder for less money. Since you're saving money, share a bit of it with your server.
Give us your Restaurant Week thoughts and experiences in the comments below or send us an email and we'll add your ideas when we do updates.

Updates:

(03/19/13) From www.welovebeantown.com : Boston Restaurant Week 2013 – Staff Picks!

(03/19/13) Here's Rendezvous in Central Square's answer to RW. A much better deal!

(03/24/13) Over on BostInno, Lisa Decano has reported on 7 Unofficial Menus for Boston Restaurant Week
Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or, do you need to buy one for a gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: istockphoto.com

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.

Related articles

Guest Commentary: The real winner of Denver's Restaurant Week

High Back Booths or Irish Snugs, a Solution to the Noise Problem?

Where Are These Grazers? Play Attention to Detail

Your 17 Best Bets for Boston Restaurant Week
March 19, 2013
We’ll Pass on Restaurant Week, But We’ll Share 5 Tips…
We know that Restaurant Week (RW) has it's fans, but it's not the type of event that appeals to us. We're grazers! We often have a couple of appetizers or share an entree. We like to sit at the bar and nibble our way through a meal. We seldon eat three courses. What's more, most of our favorite restaurants don't take part in the event.

Since we don't have recent Restaurant Week experience, we can't comment on the service or the overall quality of the offerings. But, we can link you to conversations over on the Boston Chowhound Board about last year's event and we'll add new links as they pop up this year.

Restaurant Week Boston, Winter 2012 reports?

Here are a few tips that might increase your enjoyment of Restaurant Week.
1. Check the menus carefully. Is there something on that special menu that is on the chef's regular menu or that this restaurant will do very well. Skip the places with the chicken, short ribs, and salmon specials.
2. A few places offer their full menu. Here's a Chowhound report on that from LAST year. Things change but you can check the menu on the RW site or call ahead for confirmation.
3. Support and enjoy the places that are not taking part. Again, here is a Chowhound list from LAST year that you can check against the official RW list.
4. Pick a chef-driven place that takes pride in its food every day of the year over a chain experience. Support small and local.
5. Tip your server as if you paid full price for 3-courses at this restaurant. This is a very hard week on servers. They didn't decide to run the promotion but they take the brunt of the problems from the event and work harder for less money. Since you're saving money, share a bit of it with your server.
Give us your Restaurant Week thoughts and experiences in the comments below or send us an email and we'll add your ideas when we do updates.

Updates:

(03/19/13) From www.welovebeantown.com : Boston Restaurant Week 2013 – Staff Picks!

(03/19/13) Here's Rendezvous in Central Square's answer to RW. A much better deal!

(03/24/13) Over on BostInno, Lisa Decano has reported on 7 Unofficial Menus for Boston Restaurant Week
Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or, do you need to buy one for a gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: istockphoto.com

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.

Related articles

Guest Commentary: The real winner of Denver's Restaurant Week

High Back Booths or Irish Snugs, a Solution to the Noise Problem?

Where Are These Grazers? Play Attention to Detail

Your 17 Best Bets for Boston Restaurant Week
March 19, 2013
We’ll Pass on Restaurant Week, But We’ll Share 5 Tips…
We know that Restaurant Week (RW) has it's fans, but it's not the type of event that appeals to us. We're grazers! We often have a couple of appetizers or share an entree. We like to sit at the bar and nibble our way through a meal. We seldon eat three courses. What's more, most of our favorite restaurants don't take part in the event.

Since we don't have recent Restaurant Week experience, we can't comment on the service or the overall quality of the offerings. But, we can link you to conversations over on the Boston Chowhound Board about last year's event and we'll add new links as they pop up this year.

Restaurant Week Boston, Winter 2012 reports?

Here are a few tips that might increase your enjoyment of Restaurant Week.
1. Check the menus carefully. Is there something on that special menu that is on the chef's regular menu or that this restaurant will do very well. Skip the places with the chicken, short ribs, and salmon specials.
2. A few places offer their full menu. Here's a Chowhound report on that from LAST year. Things change but you can check the menu on the RW site or call ahead for confirmation.
3. Support and enjoy the places that are not taking part. Again, here is a Chowhound list from LAST year that you can check against the official RW list.
4. Pick a chef-driven place that takes pride in its food every day of the year over a chain experience. Support small and local.
5. Tip your server as if you paid full price for 3-courses at this restaurant. This is a very hard week on servers. They didn't decide to run the promotion but they take the brunt of the problems from the event and work harder for less money. Since you're saving money, share a bit of it with your server.
Give us your Restaurant Week thoughts and experiences in the comments below or send us an email and we'll add your ideas when we do updates.

Updates:

(03/19/13) From www.welovebeantown.com : Boston Restaurant Week 2013 – Staff Picks!

(03/19/13) Here's Rendezvous in Central Square's answer to RW. A much better deal!

(03/24/13) Over on BostInno, Lisa Decano has reported on 7 Unofficial Menus for Boston Restaurant Week
Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or, do you need to buy one for a gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: istockphoto.com

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.

Related articles

Guest Commentary: The real winner of Denver's Restaurant Week

High Back Booths or Irish Snugs, a Solution to the Noise Problem?

Where Are These Grazers? Play Attention to Detail

Your 17 Best Bets for Boston Restaurant Week
March 19, 2013
Ollie Says, Time to Get a New Dog License
Here's our pal Olivier – better known to the local dog pack as Sir Ollie. Today, he's here to remind you to get a shiny, new dog license to add to that collection of tags on your collar.

It's the Law

The law says that by April 1st of each year, all dogs in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts must obtain a new license from the city or town where they reside.

Ollie says, since most dogs can’t write out a check or fill out forms, responsibility for following this law falls to the people who love them and choose to have a dog in their life.

A Few Tips & Links
- Applications for the 2013 Boston Dog Licenses arrived in homes earlier this month.
- You can also download the forms on the city's website.
- Those who mail in their applications should be certain to include copies of the requested neutering and rabies vaccination certificates, a check payable to animal control, and a stamped self-addressed envelope.
- That envelope will be used to return your dog’s license and tag to you.
- Once your dog is registered with the city, Animal Control will provide a business reply envelope for you to mail in your application and you will only have to pay the postage one way.
- Boston has a two-tiered price structure for dog licenses.
  - It costs $6.00 per year to license a neutered male or spayed female dog.
  - That fee jumps to $17.00 if the animal is intact.
  - The ordinance that set a separate price for pit bulls was voided by a new state law that went into effect on November 1, 2012.
- If you happen to be near city hall, you can bring everything you need with you and pick up the forms and obtain a dog license in room 811.
- Only checks are accepted for payment, in person or by mail – no cash or credit cards.
Don't worry, Ollie did get a little reward for helping us with this message. And, he said to tell you that it's really important to let the city know how many dogs live here and should be considered when the politicians do their planning and spend our money. Getting everyone to license will send a message.

So, stand up and be counted!

Related Posts:

Get to know all of our Sunday Dogs at Boston Dogs!

Tips on "Being" from Sunday Dog Ollie

Sunday Dog New Year's Resolutions (including one from Ollie)

Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or, do you need to buy one for a gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2013 Penny & Ed Cherubino

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.
March 17, 2013
Ollie Says, Time to Get a New Dog License
Here's our pal Olivier – better known to the local dog pack as Sir Ollie. Today, he's here to remind you to get a shiny, new dog license to add to that collection of tags on your collar.

It's the Law

The law says that by April 1st of each year, all dogs in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts must obtain a new license from the city or town where they reside.

Ollie says, since most dogs can’t write out a check or fill out forms, responsibility for following this law falls to the people who love them and choose to have a dog in their life.

A Few Tips & Links
- Applications for the 2013 Boston Dog Licenses arrived in homes earlier this month.
- You can also download the forms on the city's website.
- Those who mail in their applications should be certain to include copies of the requested neutering and rabies vaccination certificates, a check payable to animal control, and a stamped self-addressed envelope.
- That envelope will be used to return your dog’s license and tag to you.
- Once your dog is registered with the city, Animal Control will provide a business reply envelope for you to mail in your application and you will only have to pay the postage one way.
- Boston has a two-tiered price structure for dog licenses.
  - It costs $6.00 per year to license a neutered male or spayed female dog.
  - That fee jumps to $17.00 if the animal is intact.
  - The ordinance that set a separate price for pit bulls was voided by a new state law that went into effect on November 1, 2012.
- If you happen to be near city hall, you can bring everything you need with you and pick up the forms and obtain a dog license in room 811.
- Only checks are accepted for payment, in person or by mail – no cash or credit cards.
Don't worry, Ollie did get a little reward for helping us with this message. And, he said to tell you that it's really important to let the city know how many dogs live here and should be considered when the politicians do their planning and spend our money. Getting everyone to license will send a message.

So, stand up and be counted!

Related Posts:

Get to know all of our Sunday Dogs at Boston Dogs!

Tips on "Being" from Sunday Dog Ollie

Sunday Dog New Year's Resolutions (including one from Ollie)

Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or, do you need to buy one for a gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2013 Penny & Ed Cherubino

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.
March 17, 2013
Ollie Says, Time to Get a New Dog License
Here's our pal Olivier – better known to the local dog pack as Sir Ollie. Today, he's here to remind you to get a shiny, new dog license to add to that collection of tags on your collar.

It's the Law

The law says that by April 1st of each year, all dogs in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts must obtain a new license from the city or town where they reside.

Ollie says, since most dogs can’t write out a check or fill out forms, responsibility for following this law falls to the people who love them and choose to have a dog in their life.

A Few Tips & Links
- Applications for the 2013 Boston Dog Licenses arrived in homes earlier this month.
- You can also download the forms on the city's website.
- Those who mail in their applications should be certain to include copies of the requested neutering and rabies vaccination certificates, a check payable to animal control, and a stamped self-addressed envelope.
- That envelope will be used to return your dog’s license and tag to you.
- Once your dog is registered with the city, Animal Control will provide a business reply envelope for you to mail in your application and you will only have to pay the postage one way.
- Boston has a two-tiered price structure for dog licenses.
  - It costs $6.00 per year to license a neutered male or spayed female dog.
  - That fee jumps to $17.00 if the animal is intact.
  - The ordinance that set a separate price for pit bulls was voided by a new state law that went into effect on November 1, 2012.
- If you happen to be near city hall, you can bring everything you need with you and pick up the forms and obtain a dog license in room 811.
- Only checks are accepted for payment, in person or by mail – no cash or credit cards.
Don't worry, Ollie did get a little reward for helping us with this message. And, he said to tell you that it's really important to let the city know how many dogs live here and should be considered when the politicians do their planning and spend our money. Getting everyone to license will send a message.

So, stand up and be counted!

Related Posts:

Get to know all of our Sunday Dogs at Boston Dogs!

Tips on "Being" from Sunday Dog Ollie

Sunday Dog New Year's Resolutions (including one from Ollie)

Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or, do you need to buy one for a gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2013 Penny & Ed Cherubino

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.
March 17, 2013
10 Decluttering Tips from “The Clutter Queen,” Rhea Becker

I recently learned that blogger Rhea Becker is The Clutter Queen. She can help you conquer your clutter issues and clean up your life! Over a recent lunch, she agreed to share some decluttering tips with BostonZest readers.

I've been following Rhea for years. We meet up every so often to let our dogs play together or have lunch and brainstorm about blogging, how to achieve world peace, and solve the rest of the planet's problems.

It's funny when you know a person from one aspect of their life and suddenly learn they have another skill set you knew nothing about. During our meal, we talked about her decluttering consulting business, and she agreed to share some tips.

10 Great Tips for DECLUTTERING AND ORGANIZING from Rhea's website, My Clutter Queen

Start small

You know that little drawer in your kitchen where all the takeout menus, rubber bands, twist ties, and plastic cutlery go to die? It's time to dump out that drawer, toss the things you don't need, and put back what's left – neatly. There! You've started decluttering.

Start really small

Declutter for 15 minutes per day. Set the timer on your smartphone or stove. Choose a small project. It could even be as small as a fruit and vegetable drawer in your refrigerator, or one corner of the countertop, the top of the fridge, or the spice rack.

Go to the corner

When beginning to declutter a room, choose a corner and move clockwise until you've completed that room. This could take hours or even days. Keep at it!

Love your thrift shop

Become familiar with your local thrift shop. It will be your greatest ally in keeping your home clutter free. Keep a box or large bag in a convenient place. Put items into it that you are ready to part with. As soon as the box or bag is filled, take it to the local thrift shop. By the way, if youʼre an animal lover, remember that animal shelters often seek used towels and bedding.

Bedtime storage

Use the space under your bed for storage.

Wear it or ditch it

If you haven't worn it in a year, it doesn't fit, or needs mending, take it to the thrift shop.

Will you really get that fixed?!

If you have stuff around the house that is broken, torn, or missing a part, get rid of it. Most people never get around to fixing things they swear they will.

Closets, one day at a time

It may be overwhelming to tackle an entire closet, so start with one category. How about shoes? Pair up all your shoes, then purge the ones that need repair, are worn out, not in style, or that you are simply tired of. Take them to the thrift shop. Then start on a new category, say: belts, scarves, pants, or dresses.

Junk the mail

Open your mail each day, and do it over a wastebasket or recycling bin. Immediately ditch what you don't want or need.

Need a helping hand?

If dealing with your clutter gives you a feeling of paralysis, this is not unusual. You may want to consult with a professional organizer like The Clutter Queen (Boston, MA).

Gift certificate:
Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or do you need to buy one for a gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

Details:

Words: Penny Cherubino with tips by Rhea Becker
Photography: © 2013 Penny Cherubino with thanks to KitchenWitch in Jamaica Plain for letting me take Rhea's photo in their shop!

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.

Related articles

Is decluttering the same as organizing?

How to Sell House Fast!: Declutter & Staging

Does Your House Need to Lose a Few?

Finding a Boston Rental with a Dog

February 8, 2013
10 Decluttering Tips from “The Clutter Queen,” Rhea Becker

I recently learned that blogger Rhea Becker is The Clutter Queen. She can help you conquer your clutter issues and clean up your life! Over a recent lunch, she agreed to share some decluttering tips with BostonZest readers.

I've been following Rhea for years. We meet up every so often to let our dogs play together or have lunch and brainstorm about blogging, how to achieve world peace, and solve the rest of the planet's problems.

It's funny when you know a person from one aspect of their life and suddenly learn they have another skill set you knew nothing about. During our meal, we talked about her decluttering consulting business, and she agreed to share some tips.

10 Great Tips for DECLUTTERING AND ORGANIZING from Rhea's website, My Clutter Queen

Start small

You know that little drawer in your kitchen where all the takeout menus, rubber bands, twist ties, and plastic cutlery go to die? It's time to dump out that drawer, toss the things you don't need, and put back what's left – neatly. There! You've started decluttering.

Start really small

Declutter for 15 minutes per day. Set the timer on your smartphone or stove. Choose a small project. It could even be as small as a fruit and vegetable drawer in your refrigerator, or one corner of the countertop, the top of the fridge, or the spice rack.

Go to the corner

When beginning to declutter a room, choose a corner and move clockwise until you've completed that room. This could take hours or even days. Keep at it!

Love your thrift shop

Become familiar with your local thrift shop. It will be your greatest ally in keeping your home clutter free. Keep a box or large bag in a convenient place. Put items into it that you are ready to part with. As soon as the box or bag is filled, take it to the local thrift shop. By the way, if youʼre an animal lover, remember that animal shelters often seek used towels and bedding.

Bedtime storage

Use the space under your bed for storage.

Wear it or ditch it

If you haven't worn it in a year, it doesn't fit, or needs mending, take it to the thrift shop.

Will you really get that fixed?!

If you have stuff around the house that is broken, torn, or missing a part, get rid of it. Most people never get around to fixing things they swear they will.

Closets, one day at a time

It may be overwhelming to tackle an entire closet, so start with one category. How about shoes? Pair up all your shoes, then purge the ones that need repair, are worn out, not in style, or that you are simply tired of. Take them to the thrift shop. Then start on a new category, say: belts, scarves, pants, or dresses.

Junk the mail

Open your mail each day, and do it over a wastebasket or recycling bin. Immediately ditch what you don't want or need.

Need a helping hand?

If dealing with your clutter gives you a feeling of paralysis, this is not unusual. You may want to consult with a professional organizer like The Clutter Queen (Boston, MA).

Gift certificate:
Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or do you need to buy one for a gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

Details:

Words: Penny Cherubino with tips by Rhea Becker
Photography: © 2013 Penny Cherubino with thanks to KitchenWitch in Jamaica Plain for letting me take Rhea's photo in their shop!

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.

Related articles

Is decluttering the same as organizing?

How to Sell House Fast!: Declutter & Staging

Does Your House Need to Lose a Few?

Finding a Boston Rental with a Dog

February 8, 2013
10 Decluttering Tips from “The Clutter Queen,” Rhea Becker

I recently learned that blogger Rhea Becker is The Clutter Queen. She can help you conquer your clutter issues and clean up your life! Over a recent lunch, she agreed to share some decluttering tips with BostonZest readers.

I've been following Rhea for years. We meet up every so often to let our dogs play together or have lunch and brainstorm about blogging, how to achieve world peace, and solve the rest of the planet's problems.

It's funny when you know a person from one aspect of their life and suddenly learn they have another skill set you knew nothing about. During our meal, we talked about her decluttering consulting business, and she agreed to share some tips.

10 Great Tips for DECLUTTERING AND ORGANIZING from Rhea's website, My Clutter Queen

Start small

You know that little drawer in your kitchen where all the takeout menus, rubber bands, twist ties, and plastic cutlery go to die? It's time to dump out that drawer, toss the things you don't need, and put back what's left – neatly. There! You've started decluttering.

Start really small

Declutter for 15 minutes per day. Set the timer on your smartphone or stove. Choose a small project. It could even be as small as a fruit and vegetable drawer in your refrigerator, or one corner of the countertop, the top of the fridge, or the spice rack.

Go to the corner

When beginning to declutter a room, choose a corner and move clockwise until you've completed that room. This could take hours or even days. Keep at it!

Love your thrift shop

Become familiar with your local thrift shop. It will be your greatest ally in keeping your home clutter free. Keep a box or large bag in a convenient place. Put items into it that you are ready to part with. As soon as the box or bag is filled, take it to the local thrift shop. By the way, if youʼre an animal lover, remember that animal shelters often seek used towels and bedding.

Bedtime storage

Use the space under your bed for storage.

Wear it or ditch it

If you haven't worn it in a year, it doesn't fit, or needs mending, take it to the thrift shop.

Will you really get that fixed?!

If you have stuff around the house that is broken, torn, or missing a part, get rid of it. Most people never get around to fixing things they swear they will.

Closets, one day at a time

It may be overwhelming to tackle an entire closet, so start with one category. How about shoes? Pair up all your shoes, then purge the ones that need repair, are worn out, not in style, or that you are simply tired of. Take them to the thrift shop. Then start on a new category, say: belts, scarves, pants, or dresses.

Junk the mail

Open your mail each day, and do it over a wastebasket or recycling bin. Immediately ditch what you don't want or need.

Need a helping hand?

If dealing with your clutter gives you a feeling of paralysis, this is not unusual. You may want to consult with a professional organizer like The Clutter Queen (Boston, MA).

Gift certificate:
Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or do you need to buy one for a gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

Details:

Words: Penny Cherubino with tips by Rhea Becker
Photography: © 2013 Penny Cherubino with thanks to KitchenWitch in Jamaica Plain for letting me take Rhea's photo in their shop!

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.

Related articles

Is decluttering the same as organizing?

How to Sell House Fast!: Declutter & Staging

Does Your House Need to Lose a Few?

Finding a Boston Rental with a Dog

February 8, 2013