Organizing Finances Archives - Getting it Together

From Overwhelm To Calm – Get Organized With Rowena List of Getting It Together And Elaine Tan Comeau

With Rowena List of Getting It Together And Elaine Tan Comeau, Host/Founder, Elaine’s Kitchen Table Podcast – Create Better Family, Health, Business, Self

In this Podcast you will learn:

What is a mind dump and how to do it.
The 6 most important things.
Dealing with paperwork.
The three deadliest words.
And the #1 Key., just to name a few.

Listen on for all the juicy tips and ideas.

http://www.elaineskitchentable.com/rowena

PS. Still needing a little help or support?

Book your FREE over the phone session with Rowena now.

www.gettingittogether.ca

By organize|2021-09-27T18:23:58+00:00September 27th, 2021|Organization Tips, Organizing Finances, Self Care Organization|0 Comments

Important Documents. What To Keep. What To Toss.

Would you love to be paperless? Do you keep every “so called” important piece of paper?

There is so much fear around getting rid of “important” documents. Let’s unpack the myths once and for all.

Take a quick look at this video On Important Documents. What To Keep. What to Toss. Then read on for more tips from Getting It Together.

Get rid of ATM slips that are more than a month old once you have checked them against your bank statement which is hopefully online and paperless.

Get rid of manuals and warranties for cell phones you no longer own. And any other out dated expired warranties.

Get rid of loan papers to the car you no longer own.

Get rid of outdated mortgage papers.

If you’re comfortable with your computer, get rid of all user manuals as the instructions are online.

It’s okay to get rid of old Wills as long as the person is deceased and the estate is closed and complete. If you’re holding on to your deceased parents or grandparents wills “just in case” it’s okay to shred them and make room for your important papers.

It’s very important to get rid of old Wills if you have updated and written a new Will for yourself or any family members. Keeping these old outdated papers simply confuses people who are taking care of your affairs.

Get rid of old divorce papers if the person you’ve divorced is deceased and their estate is closed and complete.

Get rid of all outdated utility bills once they are paid and you’ve found no mistakes.
Better yet, go paperless.

KEEP:

Keep receipts for big -ticket purchases in the event they are stolen or lost in a fire. This gives your insurance company proof you had the item. I would highly suggest taking pictures of these big purchases and have them with the receipt. Create a file on your computer (which has been backed up) and store the picture of the item along with a picture of the receipt.

Keep active warranties. Have one spot in your home for these.
It’s especially nice to leave these up -to- date warranties for the new home owner in the event you sell your place.

Keep birth certificates, marriage licenses and death certificates for obvious reasons however once a person has past, a family member may like these important documents if they are studying your family tree.

Have a safe place to keep your current Will, POA, estate planning documents and representation agreement. Be sure to let your Executor know where these papers are along with where your safety deposit key is.

Keep current mortgage papers and loan papers.

Be sure to shred all important papers you are getting rid of. Staples charges by the pound to shred. It’s reasonable and secure.

PS : Have you got all your important papers up to date and organized? If not, contact

Marnie Gunther
Notary Public
604-522-8149
www.engmangunther.ca

For all the advice you need to get your Will, POA and Representation Agreement in order. I’d highly recommend her for all the legal paperwork and then I’d highly recommend myself to come in to your home and get those papers organized. 😄

By organize|2020-06-07T20:52:31+00:00November 18th, 2019|Home Organization, Organizer, Organizing Finances|0 Comments

How To Conquer Procrastination Once And For All – Part II by Rowena List of Getting It Together

Procrastination is the intentional and continual postponement of a task that should be done now. Chronic procrastinators can have a negative impact on productivity not only their own but within a corporation.

Do you put off important tasks?

Is the stress of procrastinating getting to you?

Check out this short video and then read on for Getting It Togethers’ Top 5 Tips on How To Conquer Procrastination Once And For All – Part II.

Tip 1: Make a list of all the things you have been procrastinating about. Beside each item estimate how long each task will take. Break the tasks into bite-size pieces and then schedule time in your calendar to work on these tasks. The way to work around procrastination is if you treat these task as though they are equally as important as seeing your dentist or medical specialist.

Tip 2: Get help. You don’t have to do everything yourself. What tasks can you delegate? For example, doing your taxes.

Tip 3: Eliminate perfectionism. Recognize that good is good enough and that it’s better to get it done then to delay until it can be perfect. Let’s face it, nothing is perfect, no one is perfect and life certainly is not perfect. Don’t put yourself on a guilt trip if you do procrastinate once in a while. After all, you’re not perfect.

Tip 4: List the advantages of doing the task and compare them with the consequences of not doing it. This should help light a fire under you to stop procrastinating once and for all.

Tip 5: Don’t wait until you have more time; you will probably have no more time in the future than you have right now. Have you ever talked to someone who has retired? They always wonder how they ever had time to work. We all have the same 24 hours in a day, it’s how we spend them that counts. Procrastination is the thief of time. Don’t let it rob you of your precious moments.

PS: If you didn’t get a chance to read part 1, grab a coffee and read it here

By organize|2020-06-07T20:52:31+00:00August 14th, 2019|Estate Planning, Home Organization, Organizer, Organizing Finances, Time Management|0 Comments

Permanently Reduce Clutter Part 2- Spend Less, Have More

Does your family come from a poverty mentality or a prosperity mentality?

This is something to look at as it will give you some answers on your spending habits and your ability to clear out the clutter.

Did you grow up with lack?

Check out this short video on Permanently Reduce Clutter Part 2

….Read on for Getting It Togethers Top 5 Tips

Tip 1. Stop keeping up with the Jones. Why is it that humans have the need to keep up with the Jones? Who started this anyway? The Jones do not care what you have or how you spend your money so why should we care with keeping up with them? I know it is a saying however imagine if we all “lived simple so others may simple live”? The only person you need to impress is yourself. Think of how great you will feel if you only bought what you really needed, used and loved. You bank account will love you too.

Tip 2. Analyze your spending for a week. Keep track of each item you buy. At the end of the week ask yourself “if it was something you really needed, will be using and love”. If not then ask yourself this question “what was the purpose of buying this item”? If you cannot come up with a strong answer it might be time to return it. I’ll bet you will not have many if any of these purchases if you follow the above tips especially the 24 hour rule from part 1.

Tip 3. The This/That Question. Unless you have an endless supply of money and even if you do I’ll bet you don’t want clutter. Ask yourself this question. “If I buy this I can’t have that” “If I go on a fancy vacation I can’t have a new living room set.” Keeping in mind that this style of living will eliminate debt. Once again your bank account will love you for this. Credit card debt or overdraft debt can cause so much stress. You might not think that it is but it is!

Tip 4. Have gratitude. My life always runs smoother when I keep a gratitude journal. I would highly recommend keeping one. Each day write down 5 things you are grateful for. It might be that you can see or that you can buy a new purse for Fall or that your family’s health is good. You’ll be hard pressed to stop at 5 things each day.

One of the best books I read was called “Simple Abundance” by Sarah Ban Breathnach. I first read this book back in 1998 and re read it every year for three years. Don’t get me wrong. I didn’t do all the activities Sarah suggested. I feel you would need to be superwoman to do that and none of us are. However the best part was all about gratitude. It is a one page read each day and well worth it.

Let me know if you have read it. Leave your comments in the box below.

Tip 5. Be kind to yourself. My Birthday gift this year was that I would be kind to myself. That means being kind to my body, mind and spirit. It means watching my self talk. It means giving myself permission to be human. Hey we all make purchasing mistakes however if we’re aware of these top 5 tips we will make fewer of them.

What is your limit? Do share in the comment box below. We are not judging 🙂

PS: Feeling like a 15 minute FREE phone discovery session? Contact me to arrange for your time. We can chat about your most burning clutter questions including how to have more money in your pocket.

Home

By donnap|2020-06-07T20:52:32+00:00November 16th, 2017|Home Organization, Organizing Finances|0 Comments

Estate Planning Made Simple

Personal estate organizing starts at the time we become an adult. Even if you think you have nothing of value there is still the question of your final wishes. Even if you think you have nothing there is still your bank account or your possible employment benefits etc.

We all know there is no escaping death, however we believe it will never happen to us. When we hear of a famous person’s demise we are usually in disbelief thinking that somehow they are exempt from death. And when it is a person close to us we go into shock, grief and sadness.

This is all real but somehow feels surreal.

Talking about death and dying does not mean it will come sooner. So why is it that we avoid the topic?

There are so many easy ways to be organized for your passing. This in turn will lessen the burden on your friends and family.

Imagine transitioning with grace.

Check out this short video on estate planning made simple and then read on for the Getting It Togethers Top 5 Tips.

Tip 1: Have a secure place for all of your digital passwords. Even if you use an online service like www.onepassword.com your loved ones still need to know how to get into that site.

Keep a copy in your safety deposit box.

Survivors need access to

Cell phone
Computer
Social media accounts
Home alarm with instructions on how to work it and the pass code.
Hidden spare keys and list of people who might have spare key to your home or vacation property.
Bank Accounts
Online accounts like banking, direct deposits, PayPal etc

Tip 2: Our stuff is less important to others. Are you saving stuff for your grown children? Do you even know if they want it or not?

I have heard of people having a family dinner where each person can claim certain heirlooms by placing a sticker on the bottom of the item with their name on it.

Or you might have special pieces of jewelry that you want to go to certain people which you will make note of in your will.

More has lost its appeal.

Less represents freedom.

Tip 3: Making special requests for your remains. Do your family members really know your final wishes?

Does everyone agree on them?

It is so important to have this in writing.

Advanced Planning- non legal organizing

Funeral, memorial service, celebration of life
Organ donation plan
Cremation or burial
Obituary ( be very careful about identity theft when publishing)
Eulogy
Asset Distribution
Estate Directory – friends, family ( have an up to date list of all their names and numbers)
List of Doctors, lawyers, financial planner, minister, accountant, insurance agent, employer, godparents, neighbours, kids school, babysitter, and daycare. Be sure to update these lists as things change in your life. I suggest reviewing this information once a year.
phone company
banks
credit card companies
volunteer organizations you belong to
Safety deposit box (with location of key) one way to insure smooth sailing is to have your bank acct and safety deposit box in joint name with one of your survivors.
Anything else you can think of that your survivors would need access to. Like passport, birth certificate and SIN # etc

Tip 4: Legal Essentials

Will
Power of Attorney
Representation Agreement ( living will)
Cash/life insurance, all financial documents
Business Succession Plan (if you own your own business) listing names of employees and their numbers, any contract workers or suppliers.
Any outstanding loans/alimony/child support

Tip 5: In order to process a registration of death for vital statistics and to process a death certificate, the funeral home will need the following

The deceased persons full legal name including maiden name if female
Date of birth
Date of death
Birthplace
Social insurance number
Health care number
Fathers full name
Mothers full name
Full name of surviving spouse
Occupation and for how long
Religious affiliation
Was the deceased a military veteran? This is important to have this information on file.

I am wishing all of my readers a long, happy, healthy, successful life.

When you do pass on, where will your affairs lie in the spectrum between chaos and order?

Please let me help you and your loved ones by making this transition smooth.

PS: Contact me today for a free 15 minute phone consultant on estate organizing. I’ll share with you your first next step.

By donnap|2020-06-07T20:52:36+00:00March 15th, 2016|Estate Planning, Home Organization, Organizer, Organizing Finances, Organizing to Move, Tax Organization, Time Management|0 Comments

Top 10 Tips To Being Organized And Put More Money In Your Pocket

One of the costs of clutter is money. Being disorganized can break the bank in more ways than one.

Do you catch yourself buying things because you

A) Cannot find them in your home or
B) Cannot remember if you have that item or
C) You were so rushed in the morning that you did not make a lunch?

Would it be great if everything had a home and you could find what you were looking for in 20 seconds or less?

Check out this short video on The Top 10 Tips To Being Organized And Put More Money In Your Pocket.

Then read on for Getting It Togethers’ Top 10 Tips To Being Organized And Put More Money In Your Pocket.

Tip #1. Take your lunch. Get yourself organized by making your lunch the night before. I know we have all heard this one before but it is worth repeating. When you are organized it takes as little as 3-5 minutes to make a lunch for yourself. Not only is it healthier it is also going to save you big bucks. (well over $75.00 a week)

Tip #2. Avoid late-payment fees. Let’s get you a system in place so you no longer miss payments and get charged late fees. Setting up the system will take about 30 minutes. Well worth it don’t you think?

Tip #3. Call your local phone company to see if you have the best plan possible. Plans are always changing and most companies are willing to negotiate a new plan for you at no extra cost. I was able to lower my phone bill be 10.00 a month. That is 120.00 a year back in my pocket. This will take less than 5 minutes as long as you are not put on hold J If you are put on hold, take that time to toss out some old papers that have been piling up.

Tip #4. Call your local cable company and ask them the same thing. Are you really watching all 500 channels? Can you get a better “package?” This will take about the same amount of time as the above tip.

Tip #5. Pay your credit card off in full each month. Be organized with your online banking so you do not miss a payment. This takes 3 minutes to set up and can save you hundreds of dollars in interest fees.

Tip #6. Plan your meals for the week. This avoids running into the grocery store several times a week. Not only does this save you huge amounts of time it saves on impulse buying. Take 15 minutes once a week to plan your meals and make your shopping list. And yes, I can help you with this by giving you simply easy dinner menu items for you and your family.

Tip #7. Plan ahead when traveling by taking your own snacks on the plane. Airport food is overpriced. Just think of what a bottle of water costs in an airport!

Tip #8. Be organized and save money by purchasing your sunscreen ahead of time. Tourist shops increase the prices for people who forget their sunscreen at home.

Tip #9. Sell unwanted items in your home before they are no good to anyone else. Perfect example of this is items that get outdated like furniture and clothing. I know you are keeping them “just in case” however this is where you need to get ruthless and ask yourself “would I replace this item if it was lost in a flood or fire?” If not, then it is time to pass it on.

Tip #10. Repurpose greeting cards that are sent to you. Cut the front off (picture part) and glue it to a new piece of paper.Voila! a new card. Great way to repurpose your kids’ art work too. Use it for wrapping paper or make cards out of them.

PS: Are we connected on Facebook? If not, please head on over and click the “LIKE” button and then “SHARE” the page on your Facebook.

Thanking you in advance for spreading the love. I will do the same for you.

By donnap|2020-06-07T20:52:36+00:00February 17th, 2016|Home Organization, Organizer, Organizing Finances, Organizing to Move|0 Comments

How To Get Financially Organized – Part 2

Hopefully by now you have your systems in place. Did you decide to go paperless or are you feeling more comfortable with a small file cabinet? Did you check out the fees at your bank? If you received the 1to31 organizing system how are you doing with it? Do you need a quick consultation on how to get the most from it? If so please contact me and I will walk you through it. In the mean time, check out this short video on

How
To Get Financially Organized

– part 2

and then read Getting It Together’s Top 5 Tips Tip #1: Automatic savings. Set up an automatic savings deposit every month. Look at your finances and decide what amount can go to your savings accounting. If it is done automatically you will not miss it. Even small amounts add up. Check out the documentary “livingononedollar” if you do not believe me. I save all of my change and add it to this account. Those loonies and toonies add up for those of us living in Canada. I see the States have a one dollar coin now too. Welcome to our world America. Tip #2: Make a monthly date with yourself. Once a month take the time to look over your financial situation. Review your bank statements and files in your file cabinet if you are not paperless. If you receive everything online set up files on your computer using the same file names in tip 1 from part 1 of

How To Get Financially Organized

. Also each month reconcile your spending, your cheque book and your budget. Tip #3: Have a financial goal. Whether you are just starting out in your first job or are established in your career it is important to have a financial goal. How much do you want to save each year? How much do you want to donate if anything? Take a good hard look at all of your expenses and come up with a plan. If you find this overwhelming give me a call and I will help you organize all of this. This tip alone will be very empowering if done correctly even if you do not make the kind of money you would like to be making at this moment in time. Tip #4: Clear out the old. Once a year clear out all of your old bills, investment statements and any other papers that happen to make their way into your files. That can happenJ Tip #5: Talk. It is important to talk to your kids early on in life about money and finances. Get them to set up a short term and long term savings account. Talk to your partner about your financial goals. Do you have the same values around money, saving and spending? P.S.>> Click here to listen to my Guest spot on BlogTalkRadio. It was so much fun! A great short story to end with. Shared by one of my readers. Thank you The Magic Bank Account Imagine that you had won the following *PRIZE* in a contest: Each morning your bank would deposit $86,400 in your private account for your use. However, this prize has rules: The set of rules: 1. Everything that you didn’t spend during each day would be taken away from you. 2. You may not simply transfer money into some other account. 3. You may only spend it. 4. Each morning upon awakening, the bank opens your account with another $86,400 for that day. 5. The bank can end the game without warning; at any time it can say, “Game Over!”. It can close the account and you will not receive a new one. What would you personally do? You would buy anything and everything you wanted right? Not only for yourself, but for all the people you love and care for. Even for people you don’t know, because you couldn’t possibly spend it all on yourself, right? You would try to spend every penny, and use it all, because you knew it would be replenished in the morning, right? ACTUALLY, This GAME is REAL … Shocked??? YES! Each of us is already a winner of this *PRIZE*. We just can’t seem to see it. The PRIZE is *TIME*

Each morning we awaken to receive 86,400 seconds as a gift of life.
And when we go to sleep at night, any remaining time is not credited to us.
What we haven’t used up that day is forever lost.
Yesterday is forever gone
Each morning the account is refilled, but the bank can dissolve your account at any time WITHOUT WARNING…

SO, what will YOU do with your 86,400 seconds? Those seconds are worth so much more than the same amount in dollars. Think about it and remember to enjoy every second of your life, because time races by so much quicker than you think. So take care of yourself, be happy, love deeply and enjoy life! Here’s wishing you a wonderful and beautiful day. Start “spending”….

DON’T COMPLAIN ABOUT GROWING OLD…!

SOME PEOPLE DON’T GET THE PRIVILEGE!

By Rowena List|2020-06-07T20:52:38+00:00April 21st, 2015|Media Appearances, Organizer, Organizing Finances, Time Management|0 Comments

How To Get Financially Organized Part 1

Do you panic when it comes to tax time?

Do you dream of having all of your important papers ready at any given moment for the bank?

Like when you are going for a loan or mortgage.

If your house was on fire what would you grab?

The interesting thing is almost everyone interviewed says their photos. No one ever says their important documents. In fact both are very hard to replace if not almost impossible.

Why not set up a system that is easy to grab? Yes for the most part things will be on your computer however I have found that people still like to have a paper trail. I think it is because we feel more in control if we have that important document in our hands and then we can file it. We can see it at a quick glance and more importantly we can touch it. What do you think? Please leave it in the comment box below.

We are still not a paperless society. There are certain things that we need handy in paper format like a power of attorney or a will.

In order to get financially fit I would suggest watching this quick video (Part One) and then follow these simple Getting It Together’s Top 5 tips on how to get financially organized.

Tip #1: Set up a small and I mean small file cabinet or portable file box. The reason you want to keep it small is so you will toss out the outdated information as the new information comes in.

Create File Folders for:

Savings Account
Chequing account
Credit Card accounts (I suggest having two credit cards especially if you travel)
Retirement accounts
Mortgage
Investment accounts
Insurance: life, critical illness, disability, home and car
Loans
Will and power of attorney
Tax return from past yr and current yr.
Miscellaneous

I personally have all these important documents in a binder. My executor knows exactly where it is and what is in it. This will make her job easier when the time comes for her to deal with my affairs. Being this organized with your important papers is a gift you give to the people who are left to deal with your affairs. There is nothing worse than trying to find all the important papers while grieving.

Tip #2: Set up online banking and telephone banking. Like it or not sooner than later we will have to do 90% of our banking online and why not? It is a great way to save time. You can do all of your banking while the kids sleep or on your coffee break at work.

Tip #3: Set up automatic bill payments. The best thing I ever did to get financially organized was setting up all of my bills to be pre-authorized to go on my visa. Then once a month my Visa gets paid automatically from my account. Yes it is important to check your credit card statement to make sure that all of the purchases are yours. You can do that online before it gets paid. If you set up this system it is important to pay your credit card off in full each month. The last thing you want is to be paying interest on your phone bill etc. The best part is you get extra travel miles if you collect those.

If you are not comfortable with automatic bill payments then set yourself up a little area in your home where you pay bills. Is it in the kitchen or do you have a small office area? Make sure you have the supplies required.

Stamps
Envelopes
Pens
Paper
Return address labels
Shredder
Recycle bin.

Once the bill is paid file it until the next months bill comes in at which point you can shred the last months bill. There is no need to keep a life time of phone bills. Even if you are in business for yourself you only have to keep 7 years worth. All major companies keep a record of our bills should you ever need an old statement.

Tip #4: Reduce banking fees. Check with your bank to see how you can reduce monthly banking fees. If I keep a balance of $1000.00 or more in my account I avoid all fees. If you are a senior you might be able to avoid fees. Each bank has different policies. Shop around to get the best deal for you.

Tip #5: Use your 1to31 system. Don’t have one yet? Check it out at www.1to31.com

If you are still getting paper bills file them under the date in which they need to be paid. The 1to31 is the best place to keep track of them.

By Rowena List|2020-06-07T20:52:38+00:00April 14th, 2015|Organizer, Organizing Finances, Tax Organization|0 Comments