00:00:00:00 - 00:00:20:22
Unknown
Because let's be honest, it's not always easy, but it's so worth it. Before we dive in today's episode, we're excited to share some big news with you all. Our business, community and coworking memberships are officially open. Whether you're looking for a supportive community of moms in business or need a beautiful space to work and grow, we've got just what you need here at Working Moms of San Antonio.
00:00:21:00 - 00:00:47:19
Unknown
You can visit the link in our show notes or Working Moms of San antonio.com backslash membership for more info. Now onto today's episode. Grab a cup of coffee, settle in, and let's get started.
00:00:47:19 - 00:01:04:18
Unknown
Yes. Welcome to this week's episode of the Working Moms of San Antonio podcast. We have got Angela with finding function home organizing. Yes. And we are going to talk about all things organizing, which who doesn't need that? Yeah, it's my favorite topic too.
00:01:04:19 - 00:01:22:20
Unknown
And I had to do it for a living now. So I'm really excited. Yeah. So, Angela, tell us a little bit about how you got into warm home organizing. So I've always been an organized person, and I have always organized for my friends and my family. But when I retired from my main career, I was at loose ends.
00:01:22:28 - 00:01:50:02
Unknown
It was obvious that I was not going to be a good housewife. I was losing my. I decided to take one of my favorite things to do and monetize it. Yeah. And it was really worked out well. So I did a lot of research. I joined the appropriate associations, so that I could get the education that I need to really call myself a professional organizer without just making it one with the angels.
00:01:50:05 - 00:02:19:05
Unknown
So I joined the, National Association of Productivity and Organizing, and I'm able to get great classes through them from residential organizing, news, moving people and a lot of psychology classes about how to deal with people who are neurodivergent. Oh, so that's interesting. OCD things of that nature, because what works for me is not going to work for anything else.
00:02:19:07 - 00:02:41:02
Unknown
Yeah. Part of being a professional organizer is spending time with your client and making sure that the system that you're setting up is going to work for them long term. Yeah. Why do it if you're not going to continue to do it right? I felt like if you weren't naturally organized, then that's too bad. Yeah. That's just not your personality.
00:02:41:03 - 00:03:09:01
Unknown
There was no way to get around. It's a skill that can be learned if you are working with someone that understands what works for you. I work with children as young as three years old. You know, very small little tiny time frames. Every 45 seconds, we take a break and check in. And then I work all the way up to people who are downsizing into tiny houses for, very large houses and in all things in where I thought it was.
00:03:09:04 - 00:03:27:00
Unknown
If someone wasn't an organized person, it wasn't something you could fix. You know, that's just life. I think it's absolutely a learn skill. I grew up with, my my mom. Everything had a spot. Everything out of place. Like you didn't take it. I had to go back to the spot, and I sort of. I just. She made me organized.
00:03:27:02 - 00:03:49:07
Unknown
Yeah. That's just the way life was. Well, and you're right, a lot of people who grew up in very organized homes, which I did. It was ingrained in us at such a young age that we just never lost that skill. But if you grew up in a home that was not organized and if it worked for your parents, and that's fine, but you want a little more organization, you can learn the skills.
00:03:49:10 - 00:04:05:05
Unknown
Yeah. I feel like when I was younger, I mean, my house was very organized and clean, but like, my mom would be a little bit more relaxed, like about my bedroom. And so I didn't really get, like, clean and organized until I had my own apartment and I was like, hey, no one else is going to do this.
00:04:05:08 - 00:04:20:26
Unknown
You've got to kind of do this. What happens for a lot of people that do that on their own, and all of a sudden they're like, oh, I can't. You know, this is terrible. I'm going to I can't live like this. I'm going to have to learn some skills. Yeah. I think it was probably the one that's the biggest challenge of me.
00:04:20:26 - 00:04:40:23
Unknown
One time we found out very young, got an apartment and had a roommate, and that roommate was not. Oh, I'm like, I'm a favorite person in the world. I'm going to kill you. Yeah. And my husband comes from my family, who was not a very organized thing. And they had stuff everywhere. And I was used to having stuff.
00:04:40:26 - 00:04:55:17
Unknown
And it's not like I like my counters clean and nothing on it. It makes me feel good. And that's just not the world to grow up in. And it's okay. And I remember our first year in marriage, I'm like, I'm gonna let the dishes sit. And so he's ready to do it. And I thought I would lose my mind because he's like, it doesn't bother me.
00:04:55:19 - 00:05:14:19
Unknown
How does it not bother you? Yeah. Those dishes are going to keep sitting. Marie, you know what I learned? Like I had to have with him. And I had to bend on some rules. Yeah, some things that I just needed to let things go. Yeah. My husband is a staffer, so. Okay, we'll stack things that people stack them up.
00:05:14:19 - 00:05:40:02
Unknown
He'll stack papers up. And to me, that is just a delayed decision. If I'm going to hold this paper, I'm going to make a decision about this paper now. And so we I'm not going to say argue that we intensely discuss his habit of stacking that twice a year. And if we get better. But it's really common for a very organized person to be living with a very unorganized person.
00:05:40:04 - 00:06:07:01
Unknown
And it can be a real point of stress. And it's. Yeah. Do they talk about in these classes that you've taken, like in terms of the psychology of that, like why that is, you know, they haven't really addressed it at in other than sometimes opposites attract. Yeah. And what you generally have is a very organized person is you know, even in their emotions and their daily life, they're really scheduled.
00:06:07:03 - 00:06:33:16
Unknown
Right. And an unorganized person is much more happy go lucky and we'll go where we want to go. And it oh, they're fun and they're bright. As a very organized person, I was like my, my husband call me when they wanted to meeting next week. And I'm like, what? But you know, great, great fun. But I have to let him have that spirit.
00:06:33:18 - 00:06:51:03
Unknown
Yeah. Marriage. Got it. Yeah. I think, well, my husband's pretty organized as well. He's former military, and so I think that's just what it is. And so I can't complain in that regard, but like, in terms of, like, you know, having that fun, like, sort of spur of the moment personality, I know I do not have it.
00:06:51:05 - 00:07:07:04
Unknown
I am not fun. And it's taken me. I'm 36 now. It's taken me like the last few years to sort of just be like, I'm okay with this. Like I used to kind of try to go with the flow and be like or act like I could go with the flow, right? It was never real. And I was like dying inside.
00:07:07:07 - 00:07:27:08
Unknown
Yeah. But so now I just don't even pretend I'm like, I'm not fun. And if you're looking for that, like, it's not here. So. I'm now 45. So I've been able to voice like, hey, this really stresses me out. And I've been able to play like I did with the boys with my husband, like, hey, I like the counter sweep and, you know, want me to freak out?
00:07:27:10 - 00:07:43:25
Unknown
That's the way, right? Come on. I'll be cool and I'll be relaxed and other things like that. I give the boys some leeway with their bedrooms, like it's your space. If that's the way you say they know what you're. You're not looking for stuff for school in the morning. I don't want to be, like, late. I just pile because that's your space.
00:07:43:27 - 00:08:05:02
Unknown
Yeah, right. The minute you're late, we're going to fix this. Yeah, well, since we're all sharing our ages, I'm 57, and I did not learn how to have that gift until I turned 50. Oh, I retired about, I was a single mom forever. I didn't have room in my life to be have that gift. It had to work on the spiritual.
00:08:05:05 - 00:08:27:09
Unknown
Yeah. So it's really only been since I have married my current husband, that I've been a little listen up a little bit and understand that the world is not going to collapse if I forgot to, right. You know, the world is not going to end. Even just the idea of that is making me anxious right now. You know, I remember when the boys were really little.
00:08:27:09 - 00:08:46:02
Unknown
Yeah. I felt my schedule was non-negotiable. Yes, they had a sleep time. And if key to it, life would be horrible the next day. Like it was just you learned patterns and just did not. There's certain things I didn't like, right? But as I've gotten older, I think like I can be relaxed on this. Yeah. So you just change.
00:08:46:04 - 00:09:07:14
Unknown
You didn't. So you learn. We all are. Frankly, as we go through different stages of life, we need different things in our life. Absolutely. That's true. Yeah, that's a good point. So I've never had a professional organizer come in, although God knows I would love that so much. So what does it look like typically like when, when a, when a potential client would reach out to you.
00:09:07:14 - 00:09:32:26
Unknown
Like how does that go? So it's really a very simple process. We're going to talk on the phone and we're both going to us on the phone with our personalities. And then we will schedule the appointment. I will come in, I will look at the space. We will talk about what their end goals are and how much time they can devote to this, not only to get it clean, but do they have an hour a week where they can sit and work and do a reset?
00:09:33:26 - 00:10:03:26
Unknown
Because it doesn't stay perfect all the time. You have to do a reset. We'll talk about their budget and decide do they want all new containers. Can you use the containers they already have. Because containers are not the answer to organization. You've got to declutter before Instagram says otherwise. We're. Saying you're just shoving everything you own into a container and putting it on a shelf.
00:10:03:29 - 00:10:25:18
Unknown
Now you can't see it. And guess what? You can't find it. So then you go buy it again. Yeah, it looks pretty pretty. And and I my vanity is beautiful and has all of the wicker baskets in it. And they're all labeled and they're all organized. But it took me about six months after I did that to really pull them down and say, I don't need the names.
00:10:25:18 - 00:10:46:04
Unknown
Again, this shopping trip, we have Band-Aids, so you really have to figure out what the client is used to do. They need clear containers. Do they want pretty containers? What's going to work for them? You know, when I was a really a younger mom, when the boys were little people, would I get hand-me-downs and people get my clothing.
00:10:46:07 - 00:11:06:10
Unknown
And that was the worst thing that I could do because I. I would put them in containers. Yeah, because they didn't. Yes. I put them away and I'm like, can I find two years later I had nine month year old clothes like right here. Yeah, I spent money. Yes. Because it was put away in a nice container in the shop and I didn't go, I don't have time to go pull it out of the shelf and look to see what I had.
00:11:06:17 - 00:11:31:14
Unknown
Right. So it was that was one of my most frustrating things. I would love the the hand-me-downs or whatever if I kept it from Tyler to Aaron, you know, thinking they might be the same size at one point that I just wasted space. I just kept stuff for no reason. Exactly. And a lot of people do that. Another thing a lot of people collect, and go, that is, as we age and our parents are aging, especially consumer parents, they have tend to have a lot of maintenance.
00:11:31:14 - 00:11:55:00
Unknown
They have multiple sets of China, all of this. And, one of the things that's really prevalent right now is people our age speaking to our parents about what we would really like to inherit. So that, I'll tell you my personal experience. When my mother died, we inherited all multiple things, and I moved them all into my house and then some I didn't like.
00:11:55:00 - 00:12:15:04
Unknown
I was living in my own room. I felt like I was living in my mother's. Yeah. So this is a big trend in organizing right now is as you are aging, you have those honest conversations with your adult children. Do you need a different set of China for every holiday? And most people our age are going to go, no thank you.
00:12:15:06 - 00:12:34:00
Unknown
Yes. It's a conversation I had with my mom. She handed me down these like Christmas plates and they're beautiful. You know, I've never taken them out. They live in their box. And it's just another thing that we have and we are right now in the process of moving. And so we just packed up our home. I literally forgot they were there until I put them away to move to the next house.
00:12:34:02 - 00:12:51:11
Unknown
So but she was like, what? You don't want these, you know what I mean? And it's like, so then I took them and it's like a whole thing. And yeah, I, I lost both my parents very close together, within the last couple of years. So we, I inherited it quite a bit. And I was actually very proud of it.
00:12:51:13 - 00:13:13:10
Unknown
Like, it's going to be goodwill or someone who can use it. Like it wasn't something I needed to take. I don't need additional furniture in my home. Even on my dad's side in that chair for 20 years. Like, yeah. So that's a that is a great way to look at it. Because somebody needs someone. Somebody needs it. We we don't need it in our home, but somebody really needs that.
00:13:14:02 - 00:13:41:25
Unknown
And most professional organizations, will have a policy like if you want to donate things like my whole policy is if it will fit in the back of my giant SUV, deliver it to the charity of your choice. So that way it doesn't just sit there for months and oh, that's nice, since I think it's just something, my my husband, when he puts a lot of emotion into into things.
00:13:41:25 - 00:14:05:18
Unknown
Yes. So we have multiple tools from he he was raised by his grandfather. So multiple tools very good tools that he has a lot of that he has sentimental feelings towards because he remembers when he used that tool in building something with his grandfather. Right. And so we've had now 20 years of marriage conversations. I, that one tool, it's been there for 15 years that you haven't really needed.
00:14:05:25 - 00:14:24:19
Unknown
Maybe we can look at either maybe upgrading it or using something else so it can we can free up some space. So he's getting better at it. But he has a he's very much sentimental when it comes to things. Yes. That happens quite often. And a professional organizer should not come in and make you get rid of all of your pressure.
00:14:24:21 - 00:14:47:21
Unknown
Right. So a lot of people think that's what's going to happen, that we're going to make them get rid of everything. But what we are trying to do is find a home for things that do not add anything to your life if you can't use it, if it is a weight that you've moved to three different houses, you know, things of that nature.
00:14:47:28 - 00:15:12:21
Unknown
That's what we're trying to clear for you. Yeah. In my my thought process was in speaking with my husband who doesn't like to like go right. And and he, he does use the items eventually. Just how often do we need to think of the space? But I remember when we cleaned out my parents home. Right. We have I don't want our children, our boys, to have to do that.
00:15:12:21 - 00:15:35:07
Unknown
If something happened was to happen, to want to be very difficult, to get through the things and how long it would take them, like someone else going through your stuff is very difficult. Yes, yes, yeah it is. I mean, and it it's, it's heartbreaking when you put that on your family members after you've passed. And unfortunately we don't know when we're going to pass.
00:15:35:07 - 00:15:59:00
Unknown
So if you can start decluttering at a reasonably young age, you're not passing on clutter can actually cause people to become depressed. Especially if it's a grieving situation and now they've lost their period or their parents, and now they've got all of this to clean up. They don't know where to start. And it's can get very difficult process.
00:15:59:03 - 00:16:15:00
Unknown
I remember going through photos. Yes. That was one of the hardest things to do because I'm like, I don't want to of it. I don't know who this is. Like there's photos of people that I didn't know. What you know, they were. And but I had a hard time. I was the one that took in the the tote at my house.
00:16:15:00 - 00:16:31:14
Unknown
I'm like, it's an anomaly of unknown people because I couldn't I didn't have the heart to throw it away and know what to do. And I, I remember taking it to my aunt and she's like, well, I think that so-and-so and she's 84. Yes. No. Yeah. Like, I don't know what to do, but I don't have the heart to throw them away.
00:16:31:16 - 00:16:58:28
Unknown
Yeah, someone that meant something to my friends. So it's just. Yeah, but they something to your parents? Exactly. Not to you. And if your aunt can't identify them. And that's where we start with those folks. We asked family members to, you know, do this as do you do do I know, did I ever meet this person? If honestly, if they were not in your life, you can't find any of their relatives to pass the pictures on, you don't need to them it.
00:16:58:29 - 00:17:14:28
Unknown
But it is. It's art. That's, other things, stuff like that. Yeah. The photographs were, I remember like, oh my God. But it was actually very therapeutic. Thanks to my siblings and I, we sat around the table. Yes. We were like, okay, here's one with you and one with you. And that was a lot of fun, actually.
00:17:15:00 - 00:17:35:18
Unknown
But it was the photos that stuck in the middle. Like, you don't know who these people are, but none of us had the heart to go. We don't need them. Yeah, but I that's interesting. I feel like we, myself and my husband both, like, moved around so much that we're not really, like, attached to anything. And it like, offends my parents that I am not like that.
00:17:35:20 - 00:17:52:25
Unknown
I mean I if stuff and I'm like, sort of, I don't know. And I've got like an anxiety ridden personality. It's the way I just I run on caffeine and anxiety. And so if stuff starts building up, I'm just like, look, this, I'm going to throw everything away. Like it's all going in the trash, you know? Yeah, I'm like, I don't even like the kids doctors.
00:17:52:25 - 00:18:10:17
Unknown
I can't tell you how many times. And this is so wasteful and horrible, but I can't tell you how many times I've looked in these drawers and I've just been like, nope, we're throwing it all away and I'm buying all new socks for everybody. Like, you're doing a purge. Yeah. And sometimes I am also like that. I cleaned out many a sock drawer.
00:18:10:19 - 00:18:36:16
Unknown
Yeah. And when my daughter was young, there was this whole thing about me wearing mismatched socks. Oh, yeah. We never had a pair of socks that matched. And about every six months I'd be like, no. Yeah, I can't deal with this. They're easily replaceable. They're out. Yeah. And so sometimes to really make you feel awesome, it does. It makes you feel like I had my my son to go through.
00:18:36:18 - 00:18:52:26
Unknown
He he's, you know, I she's lost quite a bit of weight. I really enjoy his body change. So, like, you don't need all these clothes. Pick up the shirt you use. And he still kept some, but I just feel like I'm not gonna even go through it just to do it. Does he like to hold on to staff?
00:18:52:27 - 00:19:13:17
Unknown
I guess it depends. Some things. He's better at it. And my son Aaron, he's left in the middle of the care of. It's when it comes to certain things, like my, my father stuff that he. Oh, yeah. That's an extra large you wear medium. That's not going to fit. Yeah. Stop wearing it like big and in in that situation having taken out his favorite.
00:19:13:18 - 00:19:41:05
Unknown
Yeah. And then the rest can go past my closet. I have been traveling around the world for two years with my professional wardrobe, which I am never going to make again. And I don't fit anymore. So I recently purged out my closet. I got, like, I let go of 72. Wow. I mean, it was a big purge, and I took them down to Haven for help and dress for success.
00:19:41:09 - 00:20:04:24
Unknown
And yeah, it I feel so much better. And when I walk in my closet and get shaky and feel overwhelmed. Yeah, I think that's the I have I seen since my parents passed in. Have I have all they had all their stuff at my home solely for one thing. Paper. Paper is a horrible problem right there. I have receipts, I have my husband's business paperwork, I have home paperwork.
00:20:04:24 - 00:20:23:24
Unknown
I have this over here and it's it's so much. So what is is there a tip on how to organize paper? There. There is, there is. How do you do that if you can scan it. That's the best thing to do. Scan it and put it directly into the folders. And I use a scanner on my thumb scanner for my phone.
00:20:23:24 - 00:20:45:07
Unknown
It's perfect. I don't have to have another piece of machinery in my office. And then I can file it directly into the folder where it says personal taxes receipts, whatever it might be. So I am a big advocate of scanning things and putting it in with pay paper. Honestly, I try to only touch it once or twice at the most.
00:20:45:14 - 00:21:03:08
Unknown
Okay, don't stack it up because then it becomes an overwhelming task and you're like, I'm going to need three hours and I don't have three hours, so I'm just going to put more paper on top of it. Get off of any mailing list that you can get off that you know you love junk mail, you get the junk and that works.
00:21:03:08 - 00:21:22:15
Unknown
And that's for electronic mail too. Because you can have just as much electronic clutter as paper clutter. Unsubscribe from all of those things that you've signed up for. Wants to get a 10% discount on, one time? I'm so guilty of that. I'm so guilty of that. And then you put it on an email and on a test.
00:21:22:15 - 00:21:48:00
Unknown
Yeah. So just as you are going through, you take ten minutes when you're checking your email and say, unsubscribe, unsubscribe, unsubscribe. So is that part of some of the the services you provide? I didn't know until you just mention that like organize your own. You're allowing us. Yeah. Yeah absolutely. That is something most professional organizers will will help you out.
00:21:48:00 - 00:22:03:28
Unknown
And it's like it's not about that. I mean, I, I do it I go through my genome like, okay, any any of this stuff, I can kind of get rid of it. And I, I save emails because I get documents sent to me. I have stuff from things that I've seen to myself. I have it and I put it in the folder that way, but I don't.
00:22:04:01 - 00:22:28:21
Unknown
I've never thought about this going a purging, right? So if you are scanning it and putting it in a file, that's enough. You can access that piece of paper. Again, you don't need it. Also in your email, and you know, you will walk into a client sometimes and they've got 12,000 emails because they don't want to open them because it's just overwhelming.
00:22:28:21 - 00:22:49:07
Unknown
And they and good things get lost in that 12,000 because so if you can move it into a folder and get rid of it in your email every day. I just bought my husband some heads for Christmas. I'm getting a hated email every day and a text every two days. So as I saw the email, just like unsubscribe.
00:22:49:09 - 00:23:06:07
Unknown
And then I do a search at the top for hey dude and delete everything I've gotten from you because I'm not in there. Yeah that's good, I never, I mean, I because a little red dot on my phone when there's a message it drives me bananas. Yeah. Even on people like, how do you have 12? Don't look at mine.
00:23:06:14 - 00:23:34:05
Unknown
Don't look at mine. Marie. I so I check in every day. But I hadn't gone back and like, cleaned out stuff. Like I scanned stuff and I kept in an email, even though I know I haven't sold just in case. But shut up. You can delete multiple items at one time, and it's a great way to. I guess on my head it's easier to search in my email for something versus remembering if I get more organized with my electronic folders right?
00:23:34:07 - 00:23:55:17
Unknown
You don't have to be overly. You don't go into too much detail with your electronic folders, because then you can get five folders deep under one folder, and then you're spending too much time looking for it. So we try to set up very simple folder systems for clients. Yeah that's good. Yeah that's great. I need to get more.
00:23:55:20 - 00:24:17:18
Unknown
Oh my gosh same same here. Yes. Yeah me for sure. So we've talked in the past a little bit about how, and especially in our group, there's many people that do the same thing. There's many organizers out there. So I'm curious, like, what would you say are some questions that if I was going to go try to seek out an organizer, like, what would I be asking these people?
00:24:17:18 - 00:24:40:04
Unknown
Well, there's a couple of things, and I really think you need to make sure, first and foremost that your personalities match. If you are somebody that needs a drill sergeant, like the girl. Yeah. To find somebody that's a drill sergeant for you. But very simple. You need to ask what their educational background is. Are they, in short, do they hold any educational certificates?
00:24:40:14 - 00:25:04:13
Unknown
Insurance is a big one because we are coming into your home. If we happen to fall off a ladder in your home and we're not insured, then your homeowner's insurance is going to have to make that up. So we should all be carrying insurance. That's a good point. Or doesn't. But and we climb on ladders and we go under faucets and it's not clean.
00:25:04:15 - 00:25:25:00
Unknown
Pretty job. We get really dirty. We're. Yeah I mean if you go in and I mean I've seen some homes that we've seen homes that, you know they're not so sure as realtor mortgage. Yeah. You do see it. Yeah. People who might not be safe. I've seen homes where it's very difficult to walk through. That was going to be my next question.
00:25:25:00 - 00:25:52:17
Unknown
Do you work with, like, hoarding clients? So, I will work. There's five levels of oh one through five. I am very comfortable working with a level one. It is outside my scope of competence to go any higher, simply because when you get into the two threes, fours and fives, there is so much psychological damage that needs to be, and you should actually be working with that client while they're seeing a therapist.
00:25:52:20 - 00:26:20:02
Unknown
Right. And the higher you get with the biological sorting, then you really have to have some certifications on how to sterilize things, how some things are dispose of things. There is a group here in San Antonio that does work up to level five. But that can take months. Sure. And these levels are just based on like how much stuff is physically there.
00:26:20:05 - 00:26:45:21
Unknown
It's how much stuff and what kind of stuff. Oh okay. So a level one is not going to have food on the floor are they're not going to have a bathroom that's not working. But when you get up to a level five, that's often what you used to see on the shelf. I see okay. It's just it's, it's you sometimes have to wear hazmat suit and things and I am not certified to go in that deep.
00:26:45:23 - 00:27:14:17
Unknown
And I'm very cautious not to work outside my scope of competence. Yeah. I don't want to do any damage. Right. Yeah. Right. Yeah. You don't want to do damage. The other thing you should ask for is if the organizer, follows the code of ethics. And there are some very stern points in that. For instance, if you hired me to clean out your mother's home, your mother has to be in charge of making those decisions.
00:27:14:17 - 00:27:34:28
Unknown
Even if you want her to get rid of something. If she flat out refuses, I cannot get rid of that. Oh, do people ask that? That's. That's wild. Oh, how uncomfortable that would be. What a position to be put in. I'm like, I'm sorry, I can't. You can talk to your mother. I'm not going to remove that. You know, I don't know why I'm surprised.
00:27:34:28 - 00:27:48:11
Unknown
Because in real estate, they ask us to do all kinds of stuff like that where it's like, hey, can you just tell them this? It's like, no, I legally, I legally cannot tell them that. And people get mad. Yes. And I know I'll tell you another group of people that I really recommend for people who are moving. Yeah.
00:27:48:24 - 00:28:04:02
Unknown
We had a saying in my family, don't take old dirt into a new home. Yeah. Which meant we're not going to take a broom. We're not going to take them off, but we're not going to take any of our clutter. So people who are getting ready to sell and getting ready to move, I often go in and help them declutter our house.
00:28:04:02 - 00:28:23:19
Unknown
Number one it sells better. Yeah. See stacks and stacks and stacks everything. They don't have to have it. They don't have to move it. They don't have to with them. Yeah I think it's hard for people. I have a friend who is. They lived in their home for 15 plus years and they've outgrown it. And, the husband is really into she really.
00:28:23:19 - 00:28:41:08
Unknown
He really wants to move. We need a new, bigger home. The kids are getting bigger. They need their own space. And I can see their. My friend's face is like. Like the thought of just decluttering because we just got to declutter. But you can understand it's all the memories that you built in that home. And I can see the pain and her vision of.
00:28:41:08 - 00:29:11:02
Unknown
Right, so you got this like, don't beat yourself. I won't take it slow. Yeah, but the thought of decluttering, getting rid of things, I think was just overwhelming. It can be, especially in a situation like that. And that's another reason that people look for rational organizer. They don't know where to start. They're afraid to start because they're afraid of having to address the memories that whatever these items hold up to, you're try to get rid of that teddy bear that they don't use anymore.
00:29:11:02 - 00:29:29:25
Unknown
But it was the they hand in the crib, right kind of stuff. So maybe you keep that one teddy bear, but you to keep the other 12. I have a doll for when my baby, my daughter was a baby that she got in the hospital. Somebody give her a doll. It's a brand. We have sewed it up so many times.
00:29:29:27 - 00:29:52:22
Unknown
Yes, we have one like that, too. I'm never going to get rid of that. I am going to hold on to that. But I did not hold on to the four other ones that we bought to replace all the oh so poor old Emily, new Emily. And then we have newer Emily and so forth and so forth, and so old Emily lives in my closet.
00:29:53:06 - 00:30:09:20
Unknown
She's had to recently have a little brain surgery because her stuffing was coming over the top of her head, and so I fixed her up, and she has a happy life. And there you go. It was, I know that when we were trying to this past year, I was trying to declutter, get rid of clothes and stuff, and I have clothes that are brand new.
00:30:09:25 - 00:30:27:01
Unknown
Right. I was trying to like, I can't just give these away. This this cost, this money. Maybe I can make money back. So I was trying to. Yeah, I was trying to try to sell some stuff and then trying to keep that organized on top of decluttering like that. This is horrible. This box is donated. Yeah. It came to be too much.
00:30:27:04 - 00:30:45:25
Unknown
Yeah. I want to hold on to it. Not because I want to keep it. I want to sell it right. And hoping that it might sell one day. But you have to actually have space set up to do that. You do and you then you have to monitor it. Yes. I, I always cringe when I have to say I'm going to put it on Facebook Marketplace.
00:30:45:28 - 00:31:06:02
Unknown
No, please don't have a stranger come to your house to look at this $5 toy truck. But, you know, online is a little bit different if you have the time to devote to that. I also just got rid of some clothes. I still have a tag on that. Don't they don't fit. I'm hopefully never going to fit in them again.
00:31:06:04 - 00:31:25:02
Unknown
And I just have to tell myself that somebody needs this. There is somebody at risk for success that needs to go on a job interview, and they need to look professional, right? So if you can kind of look at it as you're putting good out into the world, yeah, you're wanting to get rid of it and you have a retention too.
00:31:25:04 - 00:31:44:01
Unknown
But you can't get rid of me or what I can. But keeping that organized, I want to pay my bills. Well, that's exactly right. So somebody but you have to list it. Yep. Then you have to monitor the listings. Then you have to figure out how you're going to get the money, how they're going to send you the money, and then you have to mail it.
00:31:44:04 - 00:32:11:21
Unknown
So if you're got a $75 letter, how much time are you going to spend? Probably more than $75 worth trying to sell this on Poshmark. Yeah, we talk about that all the time in terms of a lot of things that that we do. Like you're always reminding me like, but what is your time worth? You know, and I'm like, I don't know, you know, but yeah, it was a long time ago.
00:32:11:21 - 00:32:28:11
Unknown
Someone had asked me I was debating overtime or actually having someone come in and professionally help me keep my house clean. Right. And I was working extensively overtime. My husband was like, I just can't keep up with my house. And I felt embarrassed. I was really embarrassed, like, how do people do this and work and do all this?
00:32:28:18 - 00:32:49:10
Unknown
I was working 55, 60 hours a week at that time, and someone I remember, I was a coworker, she was. What is your time worth working in X amount of hours overtime that we're required to do in your time cleaning the toilet pick, right. Wait a minute. That's that's a lot of money. Someone else can come clean my own business for me.
00:32:49:13 - 00:33:10:12
Unknown
So let me take that a step back a step further, because not only is it monetary, but the stress and the angst that you're having of your house not being clean and not having time to clean it, that adds to the monetary value of it. How much stress is it creating you versus how much money are you actually going to pay?
00:33:10:14 - 00:33:32:00
Unknown
I'm embarrassed. We're empty nesters. There's two of us in our house, and I had somebody come twice a month to do the big things that I don't have time to do, because if I am going to do that, then I'm not going to be at a client's house, right? I'm going to be doing my accounting. I'm not going to be doing this.
00:33:32:02 - 00:33:58:22
Unknown
So when you're thinking about what am I monetarily worth? Also think about what emotionally and work am. I'm going, is this stress going to cost me my kids? Is it going to cause me to cry? Is it going to it is. All of the above. Is it is it going to push you to that level? And then get some help?
00:33:58:26 - 00:34:13:26
Unknown
Yeah, I, I've been struggling with this something. I'm like, I need help in the house just to keep up with everything. But I remember her name was Berlin. Berlin. And she would come over and I'm like, I felt so good. I'm like, she's been here. Yes. The house is not great. I was the best feeling in the world.
00:34:13:26 - 00:34:33:08
Unknown
The bedroom, the sheets have been changed. It was, oh my God, it's been. Yes it is. And to me that it is worth. That sounds so that I don't. We have dogs. You have a little bit of a fur problem. Same. But, you know, it's one day that I don't have to vacuum the whole house because Ellen was shedding.
00:34:33:09 - 00:34:53:25
Unknown
I had a winter coat. And it's to us, it is worth it to spend that money so that we can about that time to other things. And then you just where where you put your time and money. Yeah. Just wait. Is it here or there. Yeah. It's hard. Yeah. That someone's talking through it and walking through it and that's what you.
00:34:53:28 - 00:35:16:14
Unknown
Yeah. That's your job. Since we have just packed up our whole house, I'm curious for for myself, maybe in the future. And clients. What does your, like, moving process look like when you help somebody do that? So the first thing I really want to do is. Okay there. I am not certified yet to do your.
00:35:16:17 - 00:35:39:20
Unknown
Okay certification, but there are other people in San Antonio, other organizers that will come in and pack up your old house. And, I will come unpack it for you, but I cannot have it for you. I still am asking people to hire a professional. Okay, but if you can be clutter first, your packing is less. Yeah, easier to unpack.
00:35:39:20 - 00:35:58:17
Unknown
On the other hand, because it is not as overwhelming. I think in the next six months I'll have my certification to do packing, and then I'll come in and do it all for you. And that is also oftentimes a team, okay? You need to have a team if you're going to pack. Yes. Otherwise it's going to take you weeks and yes okay.
00:35:58:17 - 00:36:21:28
Unknown
So that so I mean it really can be a professional organizer really can take you from like the initial part all the way to the next place and unpack. Yeah. Holy cow. So what a blessing. It's the worst part. It's the worst. One of the things, that I'm working with, with another working mom is with Brittany.
00:36:22:04 - 00:36:45:17
Unknown
Yes. And she designs a kitchen for someone, and it's going to take six weeks to remodel their kitchen. So I will go in before they even do the design. And I will help them figure out what they actually are going to need in this kitchen. So then she can produce a better design. Wow, I love that I will go in and pack up what they're not going to use during this process.
00:36:45:19 - 00:37:05:00
Unknown
Set up a little area because you still have to be sure. I set up a little area for them where they can have their snacks. They can have whatever they need outside of the kitchen. So their kids and their husbands and whatever can get to it. And then when she is finished with the design, she's very hands on.
00:37:05:00 - 00:37:25:11
Unknown
She's with the contractors all the time. I will go in and unpack the kitchen. Got it. And put everything up for you. That's incredible. That's a great way to actually work with each other. It is. But I had never thought about having. Because that's something I'm hoping to hire for in the future to come in and redesign our kitchen and create a larger pantry.
00:37:25:14 - 00:37:44:25
Unknown
Horrible. And not organize anything. And and I lose stuff. And I hate those shelves that are so deep that I'm sure you can't see. I can't see it. Yeah, that's accessible for me. And I can see stuff. Is it what do you have? Wire shelves. So I will send you a link, that I use with all of my shorter clients.
00:37:44:28 - 00:38:01:01
Unknown
It is a adhesive drawer that sticks on the shelf, and then you can pull it out and see what's in the back of that. Oh, absolutely. And it's one of the it's one of the things that worked beautifully forever. Well, it's I live in an older home, so any kind of shelving them, is extremely deep right there.
00:38:01:03 - 00:38:25:04
Unknown
Why is that, I wonder? But it's true. It is. They're all they're all either extremely narrow or they're super deep. And I for my research, I kind of figured this out up until like the 1950s, plates and things were smaller. Oh, physically smaller. So they had narrower cabinets. And then in the time of prosperity in the 50s, they started getting bigger and bigger and bigger.
00:38:25:07 - 00:38:47:19
Unknown
And also during that time you would have three giant serving trays that you needed to store. And so the cabinets got deeper is actually the selling point during the time. Oh how interesting. Because people with family style you would put food on. I remember growing up on a plate and bringing the table right that way. Yes. Nobody, nobody went to the stove and no, like you know.
00:38:47:22 - 00:39:10:25
Unknown
Yeah, yeah. You have a lot. Yes. Yeah, a lot of stuff. And I think millennials I'm not Gen Xer, but millennials who grew up with parents who are I would assume that even they have a lot of stuff. What are the gender? What are the years for a millennial? 780 I thought it was 80, 1981. Oh, so that's me.
00:39:10:25 - 00:39:38:17
Unknown
I think you're a millennial. I'm like 79 years. So I am Gen Xers. Yeah. Okay. Gen Xers. Yeah, okay. How interesting. I don't people say millennial all the time and I'm like, that's not me. But it is. And I think just more, but I know, like I growing up my pants help healthy little knickknacks. Yes. Yeah, a little figurines and all the little statues and and drag, I don't know, had tons.
00:39:38:20 - 00:40:00:13
Unknown
And still on the planet. These are all Trotsky's, little Trotsky's everywhere. And we had destino all the time. Oh, like, did it take spent Saturday? Like I was stuff. It was just so much. And she loved. They loved the current cabinets. Yes. Full of stuff. Yes. And it. Exactly. And it's China is Hummels which are the little porcelain.
00:40:00:19 - 00:40:20:18
Unknown
Yes, yes. Precious moments are a big thing with that generation stuff. And they collected these things thinking. And I keep this in mind as I think about leaving to my daughter. They collected these things, thinking they were collecting something of monetary value to pass on to their children. The absolute truth of it is they did not hold the monetary value.
00:40:20:21 - 00:40:45:06
Unknown
Yeah. Very lucky. Now, if you have a funnel to get what you pay for. Yeah, they're not holding their value. How interesting. Worth what? Someone's going to pay for it. Yeah that's right. And after that. So yeah. Yeah that's right. I mean I feel like what's more popular now is like the minimalist living, you know, and that kind of thing where some people are so minimalist.
00:40:45:06 - 00:41:00:01
Unknown
I'm like, where is all your stuff? Like, where is any of your stuff? And how are you even living? One thing, it's hard to keep organized when you have too much stuff. Like I would very much. I love having one of something and I know where it goes, right? Yes, I have my husband has a lot of that.
00:41:00:04 - 00:41:17:11
Unknown
I yeah, three of that. Where does it go. Yeah. Put it away for I don't know where it is. It doesn't have a home. Yeah. It's on the spot. Yeah. So if there's a lot of things and it's hard to have that, there's very few things you need. You need a lot of scissors in your house, and you really need a pair of scissors in every room.
00:41:17:11 - 00:41:41:27
Unknown
Otherwise you can never find your sisters. But there's my husband and I. About a month ago, we went to two households into one, and I was cleaning out the kitchen drawers again. And there's three meat tenderizer. Yeah, I don't think we even have one meat tenderizer. This is a very looks like why do we need three meat tenderizer?
00:41:42:01 - 00:42:06:15
Unknown
Because you never know. You never know when I'm going to. You know, Angela's like I do know. And you don't need it. Pick your favorite meat tenderizer. And we're going to 2 or 2 to some other aspiring chef. That's so funny. So you do. I mean, I remember trying to get rid of things and thinking, well, what I might need this I have I still have my wedding dress.
00:42:06:15 - 00:42:20:28
Unknown
Yes I do to girls like who am I kidding? They're not going to want I do have girls and they're not going to want it. They're going to want their own stuff with it. Like I'm like, I know, I mean, it's nice in a nice spot. It's up. I can see it. I see it every time I go in my closet.
00:42:20:28 - 00:42:38:01
Unknown
But I'm like, what do I do with you guys? Yeah. Why does anybody need this? Like, no one's going to wear it. Yeah, I don't know. I don't know what to do with mine either. Well, the thing is our our mothers told us we had to keep that forever and ever. Yes, I had it, like, specially cleaned and like all the things and and everything.
00:42:38:01 - 00:42:55:07
Unknown
Yeah. I don't know what to do with it. So once I know, you know, I'm pretty sure. Yeah. Just to be yellow, I, I think mine is kind of yellowing. I mean, I got married 11 years ago, which isn't like a crazy long time, but I mean, it's some time and I don't I don't think it looks as nice as it was supposed to have, you know?
00:42:55:08 - 00:43:14:09
Unknown
So I don't know what to do with it. I should just get rid of it. But I feel bad. I think my mom thought if you had girls, you would pass it off. I have no rules, so there's no reason that I didn't have a daughter. And she will never wear my wedding dress. Yeah, but I have found places that I can send this dress to, which I did.
00:43:14:09 - 00:43:36:23
Unknown
Where they will remodel it, either into a prom dress. For somebody that can't afford a prom dress, they'll die and they'll do all the. Or they will give it to somebody that's getting married that can't afford a dress and then custom tailor. So there are there's a place for everything we can find a use out in the world for almost everything.
00:43:36:26 - 00:44:08:15
Unknown
Yeah. That's good. Angel, is there, like, how many times a year would you say it's good to, like, do a declutter session in your home? Like, what is generally, I go in every three months to my clients and we help declutter. And it gets easier every time because it's positive reinforcement that, you know, the first time I go in, it could take hours and hours and hours, but then the next time it may take two hours and then it may take, okay, we don't even need to work on the space.
00:44:08:15 - 00:44:31:16
Unknown
Let's go directly to the space. So it's like I said, it's a learned skill. So generally I started every three months and then it usually has moved twice. Oh well that's good to know. I mean it makes things a little bit more simple. I tend to purge right before school. Yes. For the kids. Yeah. New clothes I out all underwear out also I didn't like just I don't care if we're done.
00:44:31:22 - 00:44:54:09
Unknown
I missed something but these still fit, I don't care. Okay. Right. You don't need it. Yeah. Let's go. Yeah. It's just easier to have cleaners or like, I want to start off the school year with cleaners. Yeah. Yeah. Right. Hopefully. Yeah. That's how it is in my house. Know I was a terrible teacher. My room was like, kept as a teenager.
00:44:54:09 - 00:45:18:07
Unknown
And it was a form of rebellion for me because that was the one thing I could control. Right? Was an absolute pet. But like you said, when I moved down, I was like, I can't live like this. Yeah. And I think it's going to become, you take more pride, like it's your stuff. It's your stuff. It's their stuff, and it's not that cool.
00:45:18:08 - 00:45:35:26
Unknown
You don't like it? Yeah, I will say my car is still a disaster. My car. It's weird at home, I know, but I just let it be the worst. And it's the worst right now. It's, like, embarrassingly bad right now. But, I mean, it's weird because at home I'm very tidy, but, you know, in the car I'm just like, and whatever, I did that.
00:45:35:26 - 00:45:55:25
Unknown
So in my career, I drove all the time. I drive the El Paso down to the valley wherever. And my passenger seat was my office. So I really worked hard to find a good container that I could keep on my passenger seat to keep all of my things separated. And I was not above finishing my McDonald's Diet Coke and throwing that down on the floor.
00:45:55:28 - 00:46:20:07
Unknown
Yeah. You know. Yeah. So it's your workspace. And I would really encourage you to think of it as your workspace and know that you think better when you're in, in. And for the. That's a good point. Yeah. About 20 minutes to plan it out and then 5 or 10 minutes a week after that. Yeah. Little bite sized pieces of of organizing and cleaning will.
00:46:20:10 - 00:46:38:02
Unknown
So every day I if I get out of the car and I see something, I take five minutes and I take a bubble gum wrappers or whatever out of the car, I throw it away. When I pump gas. I do that one pumping gas or something, right. So I like my car to be organized. I hated, I don't like, smell smells.
00:46:38:02 - 00:46:56:03
Unknown
I'm really picky about the kitchen I've taken. I made sure that. Okay, so my husband please help. Like, I really want to keep this counter clean. Here's what we get up. So early. I like it, it stresses me out. It starts my day off right. If I come into a dirty kitchen, or when there's stuff on the counter and I can't set up lunches, it just it start my day off really bad.
00:46:56:03 - 00:47:12:22
Unknown
So we've made a conscious effort to make sure, okay, no matter what time at night we get home, the counters that we cleaned off, this is our washing. No feeding started right when I got them out of the sink and in there. So the next morning they leave, starts off on the right foot. And and what you're doing is building habits.
00:47:12:22 - 00:47:32:28
Unknown
Yeah. And you're stacking evidence which is a great way to do your organizing. You want to do a little bite sized piece, like you said, do it while you're pumping gas and you've got to get gas. So take that five minutes that the gas is pumping and throw out what you don't need. Yeah. We we really work on stacking habits with my clients.
00:47:32:28 - 00:47:53:15
Unknown
Like okay, you're going to check the mail, you're going to walk right to your trash can and you're going to immediately dispose of all of the fliers, all of the things that you don't need, and you're left with what you need to work out. So put it in a specific place. And we set a time every Friday at 4 p.m. you're going to go through your mail.
00:47:53:18 - 00:48:15:19
Unknown
That's good. That's a good tip. I try not to walk into the house with any of the fliers. I got some psycho. Okay, there you go. I don't know. That's right. Sorry for the people that are paying for those fliers. All those people who are advertising know. Yeah, yeah, yeah. That's true. Well, this has been great. I feel like I've learned so much.
00:48:16:09 - 00:48:34:22
Unknown
I know, I feel like I immediately need to go clean my car. Is there anything else that you want to share with our with our listeners? Don't be intimidated by organizing. If you want to get a space organized, start with a ten minute project. See your progress. Celebrate your success, and then move on to the next one.
00:48:34:29 - 00:48:58:17
Unknown
But be sure and celebrate your successes. If you need help, please give me a call. Please reach out to me. I would love to work with you. I can be found at my website finding Bash function talk comm are on Facebook at finding function home organizing. Perfect. Yeah, I know, me too. And we'll put that information on how to reach out to you in the show notes as well.
00:48:58:17 - 00:49:20:28
Unknown
So that way it's kind of an easy click, for the people that want to reach out. Awesome. Yeah. Thank you so much for being on with us today. So much for having me. It's my favorite. Yes. Yeah. It's that great spirit. Yes. Yeah. And then just really quickly, I'll also thank our listeners for tuning in to this week's episode of the Working Moms of San Antonio podcast, and we will catch you guys next time next week.
00:49:21:00 - 00:49:23:03
Unknown
Bye. Thank you.
00:49:23:03 - 00:49:52:08
Unknown
Thanks so much for tuning in to this episode of the Working Moms of San Antonio podcast. We hope you love today's chat and found a little inspiration to take with you into your week. If you have a podcast, topic, suggestion, or a question you'd love for us to cover, definitely send us an email at hello at Working Moms of San antonio.com.
00:49:52:11 - 00:50:09:25
Unknown
We'd love to hear from you. And until next time, see you in the community.
