Tag: helping veterans

Get the Jump on Back-to-School Season

Posted on by Jordank

For kids and the college-bound, the lazy days of summer will soon come to an end. School starts as early as mid-August in many parts of the United States, so it’s goodbye to campouts and cookouts and swimming pools and pickup games, and back to the books.

Parents will want to take advantage of the many sales. Retailers are promoting back-to-school #deals earlier to tap the average $875 parents will spend this year to get each child outfitted in new clothes, computers and backpacks.

College students need even more to set them up for success: $1,365, according to the National Retail Federation, because they also need basic housewares such as sheets and minifridges. Whatever the student’s age, Good Housekeeping offers a guide to the things they might need.

You’ll want to get your students looking the part, from outfitting them in the latest styles (baggy jeans and leopard prints are back) to getting them a fresh haircut. (Great Clips is offering 24,000 free haircuts and a glossary of Gen Z slang to get parents up to speed.)

“It’s tough to keep up with the latest slang kids are using, but it is important because you can’t help your child succeed if you don’t really know what they want,” says former NSYNC singer Joey Fatone, who stars in a promo with his teenage daughter.

Parents who want to cut the #clutter will also want to prepare for the inevitable onslaught of student projects. Now’s a great time of year to work with your kids to #clean out #closets and make room for new #clothes, #organize a desk and #file last year’s school work.

Set aside any #clothing that still has some useful life in it and contact ClothingDonations.org to schedule a #free #donation #pickup. Other parents appreciate the deals they can find at the #thrift stores supplied by those generous #donations, and #veterans benefit from the resale proceeds.

So (attempting Z slang here) don’t do back-to-school mid — gas up your kids for the new year. If your beige flag is organization, it’s a good time for you to cook. But start right away — letting kids start school unprepared is delulu!

Make an Impact on National Give Something Away Day

Posted on by Jordank

National Give Something Away Day — celebrated each year on July 15 — was created as a reminder for people to give back. How you choose to give can take multiple forms, but selfless acts are their own reward.

Many people have much more than what’s necessary to survive, but know that there are people in need nearby. National Give Something Away Day encourages us to take stock of the #things and comforts around us and share them with others.

What you give and to whom is entirely up to you. You might give a friend an old #tchotchke they’ve long admired or a bouquet of flowers. You might buy the person behind you in line a coffee or a sandwich. No gift is too small.

You can also choose #donate the gift of time to a local charity or organization by #volunteering. Perhaps there’s a food pantry or outreach organization that could use your help and specialized knowledge.

One fantastic way to celebrate National Give Something Away Day is to #clean out your #closets and other #storage areas to weed out the #stuff you no longer need. If whatever you find is in wearable or working condition, chances are that somebody else can use it.

Start with a single #closet or room. Sort through all of the #clothing, #books, #decorations and other #household items to see what has a place, setting aside anything that doesn’t fit or only creates #clutter. You’ll probably see the piles build up fast!

Put that #junk into #bags and #boxes and contact ClothingDonations.org to schedule a #free #donation #pickup. Not only will you be giving something away and reclaiming #space, you’ll be #helping to fund programs that benefit the nation’s #veterans.

You can observe National Give Something Away Day on any day of the year, of course. But its reminder to give is one that yields benefits for everyone involved. #NationalGiveSomethingAwayDay

Congrats to the Dads & Grads

Posted on by Jordank

June is the month of #dads and #grads. Different accomplishments, yes — but the two events can get you #celebrating all month long.

Father’s Day is straightforward enough: You #thank dear old dad for helping raise the family. That may involve cooking a favorite meal, taking him to a game or concert, or any number of other gestures to show how much you appreciate him.

Grads are a little more complicated. You want to mark the milestone and give them a good sendoff if they’re heading to college. This often involves the ceremony, a big potluck, friends and family from various eras of their young lives, and more.

Good #gifts include anything they will need as they move toward independence with nominal life skills: air fryers, a decent set of sheets, maybe a new laptop. And just as practical, Oprah Daily says, are gift cards and cash they can spend on meals and other supplies.

If you really want to go overboard for a college-bound teen, the latest celebration idea is a college reveal party, TLC says. While are a bit controversial, the new trend often includes parties decorated in college colors, “reveal” photoshoots and mailed announcements.

New graduates should take a few days during the summer to #declutter the #stuff that has amassed over the first 18 years of their lives, Making My Way says: “You obviously can’t bring everything to college, and storing everything is just too much of a hassle.”

Want to cut the #clutter and pad your teen’s pockets before sending them off to an expensive trade school, college or university? Ask them to #organize, #declutter, and sell their excess #junk at a #garage or #yard #sale. They can keep the cash to fund the first year.

Dads can benefit from a good #decluttering, too. They usually have even more years’ worth of accumulated #stuff they can afford to part with, and some of them may be getting older and need to #downsize.

You can always #donate that extra #stuff to ClothingDonations.org — and that donation will help fund valuable #veterans programs. Best wishes to the dads and grads this month!

In Search of a Clutter-Free Summer

Posted on by Jordank

Memorial Day — the unofficial start of summer— has come and gone. If you’re anything like us at The Organizing Blog, you probably used the long weekend to plant some flowers, take a bike ride, visit with friends and/or have a cookout. Fine pursuits!

But do you know what can make one’s enjoyment of those pursuits (and most others) even better? #Organization! A #clutter-free environment knows no season — and it can provide you with the #clarity you need to truly live in the moment.

Think about it: A cluttered space demands attention. Maybe you waste a lot of time looking for things among the stacks of papers, piles of laundry and dusty gewgaws. Or maybe wrangling all that #stuff leaves you with little down time.

Summer is a great time to get those things under control. With good weather and a few hours each week, you can conquer that #clutter — and enjoy all of the seasons to come.

Start with the #garage. Has that #space attracted a lot of stuff that doesn’t have a home elsewhere ? Go through it and ask yourself why you hide #junk there and if you’ll ever really need those things again. Weed out what you don’t have a use for and set it aside.

Along the way, fine-tune your storage of the things that do have a purpose — even if that purpose is occasional, such as holiday decorations. Sort “like” items into labeled bins and boxes that you can find and access easily without a lot of hunting. Shelve or stack them thoughtfully, and you’ll be creating new space!

Next, do the same for the basement. Organizing your below-ground space likely will have the added benefit of helping you keep cool while you work. Set aside the things for which you don’t have a purpose or can’t find a place, and put them in boxes and bags.

See that growing pile of #junk? Slap some price tags on those things and have a quick #garage or #yard #sale. Or click though to ClothingDonations.org to arrange a #free #donation #pickup. You’ll be #helping the nation’s #veterans and be ready to enjoy the rest of the summer #clutter-free!

Thank a Veteran During Black History Month

Posted on by Jordank

Military careers became more attractive to African Americans following the desegregation of the armed forces during the Korean War, says The Vietnam Center and Sam Johnson Vietnam Archive at Texas Tech, since they offered employment, education and training. As a result and in spite of the Vietnam War’s unpopularity, African American service members played key roles as soldiers, medics, pilots, sailors, marines and nurses. Celebrate Black History Month in February by #thanking a #veteran or making a #donation of time, money or used goods to organizations such as #VVA and ClothingDonations.org. #BlackHistoryMonth.