2023 Declutter & Organize Your Life

[moneysquirrel]

Saw this article about scammers and thought I would share it since this has been a topic discussed recently. Hope the link works.

Scammers

[TheOtherMe]

Dec 4, 2023 16:35:05 GMT -5 debthaven said:

TheOtherMe you know my DH is a graphic designer.

The first thing he tells everyone who asks about this is, click on reply, and compare that email address to the one you usually exchange emails with. Most people don't bother to do that. Second, check for obvious spelling errors. 

For sure, the scammers are getting smarter. But (per DH) that's a starting point.

PS. DH's skills helped nail a student who lied about her days off/missed exams/flights home. She also plagiarized the emails to/from her parents. The person I used to teach as a history professor is now in charge of the Bachelor students. I still teach him.

G told me, I KNOW something is off, but I can't prove it! DH gave G the ammo to prove it! (G is also the friend/colleague we took to Ikea last month.)

When I talked to the company, she called their IT department.  Took about half an hour for them to get back to her.  They wanted to be sure the company had not been hacked.  

This company emails me the day they charge for my burglar alarm monitoring so it's not unusual to get an email from them.

NIL caught a student plagerizing.  I don't know all of the details but she went directly to the Dean.  As the investigation continued, the student emailed her and said she ruined their career.  No, you did that to yourself.

[finnime]

Just a note on the scammers discussion: as DD found out, scammers often ask that you use payment methods with no recourse in case of problems, such as Zelle or Paypal family/friends. THey will say it will save them and you money, and it could if it were legitimate. Only use those methods with people you actually know and are directly communicating with.

[debthaven]

I picked DH up from the dentist today. They finished early, so C had time to do my paperwork for the bridge. Fingers crossed they reimburse me without a fight. 

[Iggy aka IG]

Thankfully, the only time I've been scammed was when an unknown individual used my debit card for a purchase three states away shortly after I bought some FB ads for my business.  Coincidence or not, I've never bought ads from them since.

Last night:
-I washed and dried towels.  I'll fluff, fold and put them away tonight.
-Filled the dishwasher, started it, and handwashed some other dishes.
-Made a delightful supper
-Discussed a tree topper w/ DH
-I'll stop by Walmart after work today
-L comes tomorrow morning and I'll give her a holiday bonus

ETA:  I put a beef roast in the slow cooker along with teriyaki sauce, minced garlic, onion powder and ground ginger before work this morning.  

[startsmart]

I am currently playing the waiting game.

Waiting for my cat to reappear so I can lock him in my room.
And waiting for the wild bird loose in the house to reappear.

Those weird doors on the third floor were the culprit, one of them came ajar and the screen is torn just enough for this tiny bird to fly in and get lost. One cat is locked up, the other is hunting and avoiding me.

I’d really appreciate a boring month some time lol

[TheOtherMe]

My organizer comes in the morning.  I am not usually up and moving around that early but I will be in the morning!  Hope lots disappears from the bedroom.  

I have a few things to do still tonight before she arrives.  As soon as I sign off here, I will do that.

[snapdragon]

I finally got the media storage shelves done and they are loaded with DVD's,CD's and Audiobooks. Managed to get over 6 boxes taken care of just by getting it done.    

[Iggy aka IG]

L came this morning and was very grateful for the bonus.  She has been helping a neighbor friend organize their home, and TheOtherMe, I understand what a difference they make.  This morning:

-Cleared off my side of the bathroom counter (DH did his before he left) and emptied the dishwasher before L arrived.
-Took out the trash
-Did a quick Walmart follow up stop as I needed almond milk and sour cream
-Last night I finished decorating the tree.  DH ordered a new topper as our old, beloved, angel with lights finally met her demise.

snapdragon good job finishing the shelves!

startsmart I hear you about needing a boring month, LOL.  As we say in my house, it's always something!

[debthaven]

Iggy aka IG is it rude to ask how much you gave L? We give ours one week's salary (about $50) in the summer, and in Dec.

Hurray snapdragon ! 

How did the organizer go today TheOtherMe ?

[Iggy aka IG]

Not at all debthaven !  I pay L. $100 when she comes every other Wednesday.  Not sure what that calculates to be per hour (most likely around $30) as I'm not there when she leaves.  Today I gave her that amount and a $100 bonus.  And, some may not agree with this, but I also paid her the $100 for when I had to cancel at the last minute due to being ill two weeks ago.  I told her then I would make it up to her Dec. 6th and I did.

I just did a quick google search, and according to credit cards dot com,"47% of US adults who have a housekeeper give them an average tip of $50.  One week's pay and/or gift."  L. doesn't eat sweets or drink coffee, so I stuck the money into the top slit of small nutcracker place setting holder. 

Christmas lights have been put up here at the office.  

[debthaven]

Thanks Iggy aka IG ! And I do get paying her for the time you cancelled. 

We had a non-refundable hotel booked for an upcoming trip. DS3 wants us to stay with him longer. I called the hotel, and they agreed to refund us! I'm so pleased about that!

[TheOtherMe]

The organizer went great and I have my bedroom back.  I just couldn't face it.  It's done know and everything is in it's place.

I set up for her to come help me with the kitchen cabinets in February.

I give my cleaners a bonus of the cost of the cleaning.  I pay $120 per month, so I will put the extra money in to two envelopes.  That's for them and not the company owner.

[debthaven]

Yay for the organizer TheOtherMe ! I know you're always so happy when she comes!

It's reassuring to know that we all do the same for our cleaners. 

About scams ... I spoke to my credit union manager yesterday. She said, obviously every scam is different, but never keep savings/extra money on your current account. She said it's important to transfer anything you don't need soon into a savings account, because those are harder to access.

I just wanted to mention that.

[Iggy aka IG]

Thanks, debthaven.  That's good to know.  Speaking of scams, this morning I received a fictious email from someone pretending to be XM radio saying it is time to renew my subscription.  I know it was fake because of the email account it came from, and I don't renew until next spring.  

[debthaven]

Good for you for being vigilant Iggy aka IG ! It has become such a plague. 

[startsmart]

I had a quick trip to Tulsa today for some shopping I can’t do locally. Mostly went well though my car was misbehaving a bit so I came back earlier than planned just to be safe and not driving in the dark.

I got the thread and fabric I need to finish up my quilts and table runners so that will start up tomorrow in earnest and by end of year I want to have 2 more quilts quilted, 3 quilts done with binding, 3 table runners bound, and 2 pillow completely done.

Edit: never-f’ing-mind!!! Arg, the store did not put the thread I bought in the bag and it’s a 2 hr trip back. I’m so pissed.

[debthaven]

Oh CRAP startsmart !!! They should mail it to you!

[NastyWoman]

Dec 6, 2023 14:38:58 GMT -5 TheOtherMe said:

The organizer went great and I have my bedroom back.  I just couldn't face it.  It's done know and everything is in it's place.

I set up for her to come help me with the kitchen cabinets in February.

I give my cleaners a bonus of the cost of the cleaning.  I pay $120 per month, so I will put the extra money in to two envelopes.  That's for them and not the company owner.

It really is quite interesting that we all do something very similar for our cleaning ladies. I pay mine just a bit more in the bonus (though a little less per month). The one thing my cleaning lady loves is the annual Xmas ornament. I give those to my friends every year at my holiday brunch and I always buy one extra for her. Somehow it makes her feel special and I want her to feel that way as she is such a nice lady.

[azucena]

I give my cleaning lady her bonus in late Jan for her bday. Helps me spread out holiday expenses. I pay $120 which is the cost of my biweekly.

3 garbage bags of mostly clothes went to goodwill. half a box of books btwn myself and the kids. We love to read but try not to own many books and make frequent use of the library.

[snapdragon]

Some advancement has happened - 

Signed my part of the paperwork yesterday so just waiting for tomorrow.
    Went to to Costco and the grocery store so I should be set for the next few weeks
    Got all the XL boxes cut up and into the bin 
    Got a phone call returned and the Ford dealership where I filled out the paperwork for the tranny reimbursement has the check! I had been worried about it being lost.
    Found my box of Christmas cards and got 1 done


Today so far - 
    Phoned my internet company about my charges, got things figured out and returned the rented router/modem since mine is now hooked up.
    Phoned the Utility company due to possible double billing and I have now put in a work order for the water meter on the 2nd lot to be taken out. There was a small fee, and I will be charged a yearly sewer fee but no meter bill every 2 months. Huge money savings. There isn't even a spigot or anything on the lot for the meter to register. The usage number didn't move, and it was almost $75 for that time frame. I am amazed that the previous owners just kept paying for years.
    
My plan for the rest of the day is to work on more boxes. Especially the ones for my bathroom and study.
I need to phone the Power company at the old place and inform them about the sale.


     

[TheOtherMe]

Great that you got the check.  Do you think they were going to call you?

[startsmart]

Today I cancelled my car insurance for my second vehicle (which I’ve sold) and will save $50 a month plus get $37 back from this month’s payment.

I’ve also cancelled renewals on a few websites I just don’t use enough to justify paying for again. Feels good to get those handled.

Yesterday I did a flurry of chores, cleaned a lot including 8 windows, the fireplaces, stove, oven, fridge, mirrors and toilet, vacuumed, dusted, and decluttered my medicine and personal items. Also found a missing slipper that had been MIA.

I have more binding to cut today and then I may begin quilting the Christmas tree skirt.

My tree is finally decorated and the rest of the decor is up too. I need to stow the tubs which I nest so they take up less room but I still have 2 of them to put away.

I bought the paint yesterday for my kitchen project, I might take a week offline and see if I can get it done, I’m really excited about it!

[snapdragon]

Dec 7, 2023 17:46:06 GMT -5 TheOtherMe said:

Great that you got the check.  Do you think they were going to call you?

Yeah, I had phoned them 2 times before and what ended up happening is that the check went to the new house before I had arranged postal service and the key was not in my possession. So the check was sent to the dealership but they have been under construction. The service area construction is now done so that helps. 

[Opti]

Does anyone know how to get driver's insurance without having a current car? My BMW is at a body shop and I am not renewing its registration so the end of this year, I will likely have no car. So I am going to drop my car insurance which will save me over $100/mo. but I am concerned about being insured while test driving cars.

I want to change agencies, possibly even insurers so ... 

Any advice? (I have too many things to do, so much that the car is below the job, taking the bus in the cold, dental, dad's health ...)

[snapdragon]

Today has been -

Trimming all the stalks of pampas around the house, moving (actual) logs away from the fence and to the other side of the driveway. -  DONE

Getting 85% of my X-mas cards out in the mail. Only 4 left!

The condo paperwork has been signed and is now under new ownership! So the loan has also been paid off, I just checked the CU and the money is in my account! - DONE

Went to open the garage door and the opener died. So I have someone coming out next Wednesday to replace or repair it and to also sync up the keypad. I need to use a step ladder for the next several days to toggle open the door incase I need to go anywhere in the car. 

I woke up late and am tired already but need to stay awake until at least 9 so my sleep schedule is not all messed up.

[Iggy aka IG]

It's a WFH day due to snow.  I never was successful with call forwarding after contacting the office land line company twice last year, so what I did was update my outgoing VM message indicating to callers if they reached this message during business hours, I'm either with a client or working remotely.  This is the second Friday doing this and I am pleased.

-Yesterday I mailed 5 2024 agency calendars

Today:
-Returned a client's call
-Processed a few service requests, set up an appointment for next week, and have gone through about half the new emails
-I finished decorating the tree and put away the storage tote
-Planned suppers for the next week
-Filled, started, and emptied the dishwasher, and handwashed other items
-The Keurig is ready for tomorrow
-Cleared off and wiped down the kitchen counters
-Filled out a USPS survey from yesterday's visit.  Our local post office and the one the next town over are complete messes.  The clerk yesterday was an absolute saint and I mentioned that in the survey.  The other clerk?  Not so much.

This weekend I'll watch NFL, go to "Santa's Workshop" next door to make DH's Christmas gift, and go on a Christmas light tour with them at some point.

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone.

[snapdragon]

I finished my Christmas cards and they will be in the mail today.

Got 2 totes emptied last night and 2 loads of laundry done. 

Today is putting away laundry and clearing off the dining room table.

[Sharon]

Any serious work on the house is on hold for now.  We have been asked to put in as many hours as we can through next weekend.  I worked several hours today but did do laundry, piles and piles of laundry.  It seemed like a good day to wash all my bedding.  The cat was happy with nice warm blankets to sleep on.

[TheOtherMe]

My Christmas cards finally arrived today.  They had been going in circles at USPS.  That is tomorrow's task.