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ImElika
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Birthday: 7/26/1984
Gender: Female
Interests: music (singing, jammin on the strings), working for UIUC's Housing, Church, eating everything in sight, sleeping anywhere anytime on anything, praisin the Lord, watching FRIENDS and S&C, and shopping (Cha-ching!!)
Expertise: Organizing things and people's lives, Cleaning, Eating then sleeping... eating then sleeping, avoiding the gym, shopping
Occupation: Student and Graduate Assistant
Industry: Education/Research
Message: message me
Website: visit my website
AIM:  IM Elika 02
Member Since:
6/20/2003
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| You go to Target with the sole purpose of buying some shampoo or some other toiletry necessity. As you walk through the automatic doors, you get a whiff of the "Target Smell" -- the smell of clothes, popcorn, and cardboard fused into one, and immediately you get excited! "Should I get a cart?" you ask yourself. Since you only need shampoo, you decide that a basket will do.
After pulling a basket apart from the rest, you automatically and without any thinking whatsoever walk over to the Dollar section. What theme do they have going this week, you wonder. You see that the theme is kitchenware. Wow, those kitchen towels are really cute, you're thinking, but you know that you already have two at home. Then you stand there holding the cute towels in your hand and stare off with your head tilted trying to decide if it's possible to have too many towels. Finally you decide that you will just buy them and use them as backup towels... After all, it's ONLY a dollar, right? Then you walk a few steps over and a set of coffee mugs catch your eye. OMG, a set of four mugs for just $2.50?? OK, just put them in the basket.... you plan on inviting friends over a lot anyway and you don't want to run out of mugs. How embarrassing would that be? You decide that you better leave the dollar section now before you get too carried away.
You immediately head towards the personal care aisles, looking down every aisle to make sure you don't miss the shampoo aisle, but you are suddenly attracted to the chocolate aisle and you are craving a truffle at that very moment. You spend about five full minutes taking in all the different flavors with your eyes and try do decide which one exactly it is that you're craving, touching and picking up the final two choices, and making sure to pick the one that offers more ounces for your money. You throw the winning chocolate in your basket and quickly head out of the aisle, embarassed about how long you've been standing there.
You finally manage to reach the shampoo aisle and throw your usual bottle in the basket. You take a step to walk away, but suddenly return to your spot because you noticed a different shampoo that you've seen in the commercials and you remember your friend saying that she uses it and she loves it. So you stand there, your usual bottle in one hand and the new bottle in the other, taking time to read all the extra oomph each shampoo has to offer. After five full minutes, you decide that you just want to stick to your usual shampoo... it's cheaper and it's familiar. You also figure that since you were considering spending twice as much on the newer shampoo, you might as well pick up your conditioner as well since you're already there, even though you have a lot more at home! After adding those, you notice that your basket is starting to get heavy... the two black rubber handles are making their imprint on your skin.
You know you should start heading out since you got what you wanted, but you just want to see what DVDs are on sale, so you wander over to the electronics section and browse the DVD selection....
AND YOU KNOW HOW THE REST OF THE STORY GOES.... You end up returning to the entrance to switch out your basket for a cart, and before you know it, your shopping list went from one item to pushing a full cart to the checkout stand.
IF THIS SOUNDS ALL TOO FAMILIAR, HEED MY ADVICE FOR THE FRIVILOUS SPENDER! Believe me, I am a recovering frivilous spender.
1) Have an ongoing "TO BUY" list with you at all times (in your phone, PDA, or in your little notebook). ONLY list your necessities in that list (groceries, toiletries, etc). When you need to go to the store and buy them, have the list out with you throughout your whole store visit. It will remind you that those items are the ONLY ones that you NEED.
2) Separate from your to buy list, have a "WISH LIST" as well. List the things that you WANT only. Do not open up this list while you are shopping for things on your TO BUY list. Save your wish list items for times when you feel you deserve something good and you can afford it at that time. Buy one wish list item at a time... Don't wipe out your whole list in one day because you feel you had a bad day and need some cheering up. The reason for having two separate lists for needs and wants is that when you shop for your NEEDS, you will see your WANTS and be tempted to "just look" at them, but you know you'll end up buying them!
3) If you only need a few Need items, don't pick up a basket or cart... you'll tend to want to fill them up.
4) Dollar sections, I have to admit, are God's gift to man, but limit yourself to one item when looking.
5) If you see something that attracts and you want it really badly but it's not on your list, leave it there, and if by the end of your visit you are STILL thinking about it, then buy it if it's within your budget, but most likely you won't be thinking about it anymore.
6) Never shop on an empty stomach. Your grumbling stomach will tell you that you NEED NEED NEED those foods that you crave and flesh is definitely stronger than your rationality at that moment.
7) When you know what you want and what kind/brand of item you want, go straight to it, grab it, and run, don't walk, RUN out of that aisle.
8) Instead of looking down every aisle to find your NEED item, look up at the signs that show what each aisle contains. It's less tempting.
9) Don't wander through the whole store just for the fun of it. Go to where you need to go and head straight to the checkout stands.
10) Before even putting your items on the conveyor belt at the checkout stand, take a look at what you picked up and calculate how much it will all cost. Is it within your budget without having to use a credit card? Is this how much you were expecting to spend when you walked into the store? Do you REALLY need that dollar item or anything else you you picked up that wasn't on your list? Will your life cease productivity if you don't buy it? If you answered no to any of these questions, put it back.
There you go... my 10 pieces of advice for the frivilous spender. If you read this and you just think it is utterly ridiculous... "I have never experienced a Target visit like THAT", than you are one of the lucky ones. You are not a shopoholic. | | |
| It's 1 o'clock in the morning and the plumbers have been here since 11:30pm trying to figure out why whenever my toilet flushes, black water accompanied with what I can only hope is NOT poop comes running up the shower drain and into the tub.
Why oh why do I always have problems with my bathroom water? I'm so tired and sleepy and I just want my tub to be clean again. | | |
| I can't believe it... I'm actually budgeting my money! Thanks to Karisma's idea of taking out cash for the week from the ATM and spending ONLY that much, I think I've actually changed my mentality when it comes to spending. I used to be the kind of person who ate at a restaurant whenever I felt like it, treated people out to coffee and lunch, and just buy whatever catches my eye at the mall. Now, with only $60 to spend on food, coffee, and any other things my heart desires, I think really hard before opening my wallet. It's a crazy miracle, is what it is. Wow, I'm all grown up now. | | |
| "ok...here's a question, monica...what if i can't currently afford to buy new things for storage? what are some creative/practical suggestions you have for storing things?" - thebroad
Alright alright, so not everyone can just run over to Target and fill up their cart with wooden cubbies and bookshelves... In that case, "If you ain't got no money take your broke broke home!"
HERE ARE SOME LOW BUDGET THINGS I DO IN MY OWN ROOM:
Instead of buying little storage boxes for little knick-knacks, use your shoeboxes. If you don't like the mis-matched look, wrap them in nice paper (giftwrap, constructionpaper, newspaper) and be sure to label them (label makers are a GOOD investment! DYMO LetraTag ones are very portable and under 25 bucks). If you unfortunately threw all of your shoeboxes away, ask friends if they have any. I have tons that you can have. 
For bags, scarves, etc., open up a little bit of closet space and hook them onto hangers.
Find emty containers in your room that you never knew what to do with and use them. In my case, I had a lot of tin boxes that my Fossil watches came in and I put my jewelry in them. I put the tins itself in a drawer.
For desk junk, sacrifice $3.99 and buy a desk drawer organizer. I got this cheap black plastic one at Target. It makes everything look so much better!!
Look around your room and see if any of your furniture can hold anything. It's not the best looking solution, but it's definitely better than leaving things on the floor or scattered on the table.
Flowerpots work wonders!! They're super cheap (the sizes I have sell for under 50 cents at most stores like Wal-Mart or Target) and you can make them look good. The first flowerpot in the picture I painted yellow and sponged green. I poured in it some beads I had in my craft box and they help pens to stay whatever way you want them to. The flowers in it are actually pens. If you want to know how to make those, refer to this: http://www.activitiesforkids.com/crafts/flower3.htm. I also put my letter opener in it and I put the pot by my house phone.
The second flower pot in the picture isn't very pretty, but it was given to me as a gift. I use it as a pencil holder on my desk. The third one in the picture is actually a vase that once held some flowers that were given to me. I'm not one for keeping fresh flowers around, so why not use it for something else... like my brushes! The last one, as you can see, is a coffee mug. I got it as a little gift and since I don't want to disrupt my other matching mugs with this random one, I use it as a makeup brush holder.
These are a few of my ideas, but if you tell me exactly what you can't find a storage unit for, I'll rack my brains to come up with something cheap. 
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| I got a call from Karisma today that consisted of yelling and frustration. I also got a call from her yesterday, asking me for advice on how to start organizing.
"I was so in the mood to organize my room when I came home from visiting you. I drank a cup of coffee, relaxed a little bit before I got into my room and mentally prepared myself to starting cleaning and organizing. Then I stepped into my room and saw all the clothes all over the floor, my books lying everywhere, different lotions and bottles of hair product in every corner of my room, and my cleaning and organizing mood went out the window. Where do I start?? Help meee!!!!"
Today, she was in her car on her way to Target, in her gym clothes, and upset that she couldn't find her roller blades. "All I want to do is work out and I can't find a dang thing in this house!! My parents call ME disorganized, but after searching for my rollerblades in our garage, now I know who I get it from! There are boxes and clutter everywhere!" So she was on her way to Target with a list of organizing supplies to buy. I guess that's what happens to you when you live with me for a week... "Dang you, Rick (her nickname for me)!!! You've turned me into a freak!!"
Muahhahahaha, is all I could respond with (twiddling my fingers in front of me). "Mission accomplished."
I told her I'd write a blog about how to get started on going from room disorganized to room organized. It can be very intimidating for someone who is just starting to get organized.
**HERE ARE SOME RULES/STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS FOR GETTING YOUR HEAD IN THE GAME:
1. NEVER START ORGANIZING IF YOUR BED ISN'T MADE. Sounds silly, but since your bed is the center of your room, it can make your whole room look messy and it will discourage you. Make your bed first--it will make your room look a lot better than it is and it will give you some flat space to fold clothes or sort things out on.
2. IDENTIFY YOUR BIGGEST PROBLEM AREA. Do your CLOTHES dominate your room? Clothes spilling out of the closet, piles of clothes on the floor, clothes hanging off your bed posts, clothes on the backrest of your chair? Tackle that first. Put them all away so that no clothes are visible outside of your closets and dressers. If it's clean, hang them up or fold them into the dresser. Dirty? Throw them in your laundry basket. Not sure? Give it a sniff (especially in the underarm sections) and if it doesn't smell bad and has no visible stains, hang it or fold it (Even if it's slightly dirty, it's not going to kill you to wear it again).
Your problem area could be something else, like books and magazines everywhere. Gather them together on your bed and then start putting them back where they belong. They don't belong anywhere? Start a TO BUY list and write "bookshelf" or whatever you want to use to store them. KEEP THE "TO BUY" LIST THROUGHOUT YOUR ORGANIZING SPREE.
3. IDENTIFY YOUR NEXT BIGGEST PROBLEM, and so on. After you're done with one problem, scan the room and see what is dominating the room now. Stray papers? Gather them in a stack, set the stack outside of your room and go through them later when you have time, chucking the credit card applications and keeping your monthly bills.
4. SO NOW ALL YOU SHOULD HAVE LEFT ARE LITTLE MISC. THINGS. Grab a box or bin, start in one corner of your room and work your way around, picking up things and putting them in their places. If they don't have a home, put them in your bin.
5. AN ORGANIZED PERSON'S BIGGEST PROBLEM: HE OR SHE DOESN'T HAVE A PLACE FOR EVERYTHING. The reason why rooms get so messy is because you don't have a permanent home for everything in your room. If you did have a place for everything, then you'd put it back when you are done using it. If not, you just leave it anywhere, and then you wonder how your room got so messy and cluttered. Do yourself a long-term favor and buy the things you need to give your items a home. How do you know what to buy? For starters, take a look inside your MISC bin and group the items together, visualizing what they need as a home. A cubby shelf, a plastic drawer set, a tall cup for those hairbrushes or combs? You spend the money once and you have an organized room forever!
6. KEEP UP AND MAINTENANCE. Now that you have put everything away, keep it that way. If you don't like the outfit you just put on and you want to change clothes, put the old outfit AWAY instead of leaving it on the bed or floor. Trust me, a minute of putting it away instantly is better than an hour of putting away ALL of the clothes you threw around! After you're done applying lotion, put the lotion back in its place instead of just absentmindedly placing it on the nightstand or table corner.
So there you have it... my 6-Step General Guide on how to organize your room. Look out for more blogs with tips on how to do more specific things! | | |
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