Category: FitPerez

December 7, 2016

6 Tips for Organizing Holiday Re-Gifting
As Santa flies his sleigh past Los Angeles Downtown City Hall, he wants to give you permission to re-gift!

At one time or another we’ve all received holiday gifts given to us with good intentions yet didn’t really work for our taste. Unwanted gifts clutter up the house or office while we figure out what to do with the gift. Guilt and fear paralyze us into keeping gifts we don’t want or need.

Re-gifting is becoming a perfectly acceptable social practice. In a recent survey, when asked if it is okay to receive a re-gifted item, 83% of survey respondents said yes. In our professional organization business, we give our beloved clients permission to reconsider keeping brand new gifts they'll never use.

So if you're considering re-gifting this holiday season, use these 6 tips as guidelines when re-gifting:
1. Gift packaging and contents must be in excellent condition;
2. Remove old tape remnants and re-wrap the gift in new wrapping paper;
3. Only give the gift to someone who will appreciate and use it;
4. Make sure all the pieces (puzzles, toys) are intact and unbroken;
5. Never re-gift unsold garage sale merchandise; fruit cakes, gift cards with partially used balances and nothing monogrammed;
6. Keep track of who gave you the gift; don’t mistake giving it back to them!
Re-gifting is a great way to declutter your space and get organized, to be environmentally conscious by recycling and reusing and helps to keep your budget down. So go ahead and celebrate this season and re-gift, re-gift, re-gift! Santa approves.

Mary Pickford is seen here on Hollywood Boulevard "decorating" for Christmas

Questions or Comments?

What are your thoughts about gift-giving this holiday season? Let us know here in the comment section or you can tweet us @johntrosko on Twitter. You can also check John out on Instagram (@johntrosko).

This original piece was published on FitPerez, Perez Hilton's site featuring celebrity fitness and personal trainer expertise, diet, nutrition and advice from lifestyle experts including John and OrganizingLA. Click here to read our original piece on Perez Hilton's FitPerez.

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December 7, 2016

FitPerez, Gift-wrapping Room
March 6, 2013

Give Yourself an Award for Getting Organized

Rewards are an important part of the organization process.

The Academy Awards have come and gone but one thing they've taught us is that awards can really motivate and provide incentive.

When you're planning on clearing out your closet, or the basement also plan on some sort of award (or reward) system that appropriately recognizes the time you've put in (the larger the project or task, the bigger the reward). Use the reward to keep you focused and accomplish the job.

Examples of rewards could be a manicure/pedicure, massage, yoga lessons, a healthy treat at the coffee house, or even a new pair of shoes. If you and your family are planning this winter to organize a spring garage sale, establish a reward goal with them for what you'll do with proceeds from the sale. A family dinner out, movie night and a weekend camping trip are a great way to reward your family for working together.

How do you keep yourself focused? Tweet your reward tips on Twitter to @johntrosko or leave comments below.

A different edited version of this piece above originally appeared on FitPerez, Perez Hilton's site featuring celebrity fitness and personal trainer expertise, diet, nutrition and advice lifestyle experts. Click here to read this piece on FitPerez.

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March 6, 2013

FitPerez
September 26, 2012

Transform Your Hidden Coins Into Fall Savings!

At any one time, approximately $10 billion worth of change is sitting idle in American homes through piggy banks, pickle jars, and unknowingly dropped in sofa cushions, junk drawers, under beds, stuck between car seats and in suit jackets.

Collect that lose change and forget about sorting, rolling and counting it all yourself. Save time this fall having your local self-service coin collection machine automatically do the dirty work. The machines (aptly named Coinstar, CoinMax, Penny Arcade) are located inside local grocery and drug stores, credit unions, banks and selected Starbucks nationwide.

Bring them your bags or jars and simply pour the coins into the counter. Once processed, the machines issue a voucher to turn in at the retail register. While there's a fee (9.8%) if you insist on cash back, you'll save a lot of time not having to roll coins yourself.

Money Saving Tip:

Save the counting fees entirely by opting for a gift card from national retail brands, an eCertificate for online purchases or you can even choose to donate your counted coins to charity.

What have you done with your spare change? Tweet your answers to @johntrosko !

Sofa image from personal collection-Deco Home fabric store on La Brea in Los Angeles.

A different edited version of this piece above originally appeared
on FitPerez, Perez Hilton's site featuring celebrity fitness and
personal trainer expertise, diet, nutrition and advice lifestyle
experts. Click here to read this piece on FitPerez.

Like this Topic?

Want
to learn smart and practical organizing tips for your home,
office and life? Save time by signing up for free topic
updates and receive them as soon as they're published. Plus, as a
gift receive our exclusive Martha Stewart Living Radio
recorded radio interview and transcript, chock full of
strategies, tips and resources direct from John.

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September 26, 2012

Fabulous Finds, FitPerez, Home & Home Office Tips
January 2, 2012

Boost Your Productivity By Using New Year’s To Get Organized At The Office!
A lot of our clients tell us they have no time to spend “getting organized” at their jobs.

With messy desks, cluttered credenzas, long-forgotten files, desktops littered with now-useless icons, they find their time these days are just spent putting out fires and trying to keep up.

While there is no “best” time to get your office organized, there is a “better” time: early January.

Unless you work in retail, American business slows down between Thanksgiving and Christmas. And for some, the time between Christmas and New Years is dead quiet. That quiet period continues through mid-January.

Why not spend some time each day this January to catch up, clear the clutter, and start the New Year fresh? Here are some easy, simple 15-minute mini-projects to do around your office, home office or cubicle this month of January. What projects can you think of?
- Décor – re-evaluate and (if necessary) remove old personal memorabilia, toys and knick-knacks
- Desktop – remove anything that you do not use every single day and place away from your workspace
- Storage – use containers to house infrequent extra supplies or tools
- Cleaning – Wipe down your desktop, phone and keyboard
- Delete – Clear old files, pictures and projects from your computer desktop
- Dated – Clear 2011 announcements from your bulletin board, move dated files
- Return it – Review and relocate unnecessary supplies back to the supply room
- Purchase – Shop for a new 2012 desk calendar
- Scan it – Consider what can be scanned for easier access
This is the part of our blog topic where we ask you to comment.

How will you use January to get yourself organized for the New Year?

Tweet your ideas and office organizing questions to @johntrosko or leave a comment below. If you need more help, check out our resource page for office organizing.

A different edited version of this piece above originally appeared on FitPerez, Perez Hilton's site featuring celebrity fitness and personal trainer expertise, diet, nutrition and advice lifestyle experts. Click here to read this piece on FitPerez.

image above courtesy Best Modern Furniture Online.

Like this Topic?

Want to learn smart and practical organizing tips for your home, office and life? Save time by signing up for free topic updates and receive them as soon as they're published. Plus, as a gift receive our exclusive Martha Stewart Living Radio recorded radio interview and transcript, chock full of strategies, tips and resources direct from John.

Enter your Email Address

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January 2, 2012

FitPerez, Home & Home Office Tips, Offices
December 30, 2011

Rotate Toys And Eliminate Clutter In The Playroom

Today, we answer a reader question:

Catherine from Orange County, CA asks:

"My toy storage and playroom have become a disorganized disaster. Christmas came and went. More toys are surely on their way in the coming year to make a bad situation worse. Do you have any toy organizing advice for managing the mountain this holiday season or throughout the year?"

And we answer:

Catherine, in just the past week, you know an even bigger avalanche of toys slammed into the playroom. My number one tip is to prepare now, before the New Year. Here's how to do it:

In order to minimize the amount of toys in the space, attempt to pull out toys and declutter what your children haven’t used in a while (or even new unwrapped toys they’ve not noticed). And don’t forget the books!

Once you’ve selected and pulled the toys, store them in clear containers away from the play area (in a different location if possible). Label the boxes and age group if you are storing for much later use. Then, rotate toys monthly. Save holiday or seasonal toys separately. Remember, less is more when it comes to toys. Less in the toy play area means more focus, enjoyment and appreciation for what they have.

Your home may not end up looking like the beautiful tented vintage french circus theme photo above, complete with red organizing boxes, sea-grass baskets, well-behaved children in white— all a dream perhaps and you can always hope. In the meantime, follow us on Pinterest for more organizing inspiration.

Moms: This is the part of our blog topic where we ask you to comment. What are the best clutter free gifts you ever received? Tweet your ideas and holiday organizing questions to @johntrosko or leave a comment below.

A different edited version of this piece above originally appeared on Perezitos, Perez Hilton's site featuring celebrity families and advice from pediatricians, parenting and lifestyle experts. Click here to read the article.

image courtesy our pinterest account

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December 30, 2011

Children, FitPerez, Perezitos
December 20, 2011

Clutter-Free Holiday Gifts For Mom

Want an attractive alternative to traditional gifts this year?

According to the annual Black Friday shopping survey from The National Retail Federation, over 152 MILLION people were expected (and did) shop in stores or online the weekend following Thanksgiving.

While you head out into the frenzy to shop, consider giving thoughtful clutter-free gifts this year. Clutter-free gifts are gifts from the heart; offerings that are healthy, consumable, imaginative and not necessarily budget-busting. Think how you can gussy up the presentation of clutter-free gifts with bows, ribbons, nice boxes and wrapping paper.

(more…)

December 20, 2011

Fabulous Finds, FitPerez, Perezitos