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I talk A LOT about making to-do lists! 

That’s mainly because I’ve made a to-do list nearly every single day for the last 10+ years… and I know how much more productive and efficient I am when I have a to-do list.

I LOVE to-do lists!

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However, since this weekend is the unofficial last weekend of summer, I thought it might be a great time to sit back, relax, and make a “Done List” — you know, a list of everything you’ve accomplished over the last few days, weeks, and months.

You might think I’m totally crazy, but just imagine how great it would feel to write down everything you’ve already done… instead of just adding more to your to-do list!

I’ve written a Done List on several occasions {usually when I’m feeling especially unproductive}. It always makes me feel better about myself, and usually motivates me to get started with the next item on my to-do list.

Things you might put on your Done List:

• house or yard projects you completed {yup, we had a few of those}
• chores that are finished
• errands you completed
• meals you made
• vacations you planned
• gifts you purchased
• activities you finished
• books you read
• work or school accomplishments
• basically anything you already checked off your to-do list

I know it seems a little silly to “waste” time making a list of things you’ve already done, but I actually think it’s a good habit get into. A Done List gives you perspective and forces you to focus on the positive — the things you’ve already done — and not always dwell on everything you have yet to do.

So with the start of school, the busyness of Fall, and the crazy Holiday season lurking JUST around the corner, take a moment or two this weekend to think back over everything you’ve already accomplished — and then write it down {or at least give yourself a pat on the back!}

Then, get in the habit of writing a Done List at the end of every day, after a particularly busy week, once a month, or just randomly…whenever you need a little boost!

I’m telling you — it works!

Have you ever made a “Done List”?

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5 comments →

If you or anyone else in your family has recently had a birthday, you probably exchanged a few gifts and heard “thank-you” after each gift was un-wrapped.  {If not, you might want to work on that!}

Saying “thanks” is a pretty simple thing to do — however, it does take thought and effort on our part.

And even though it just make sense to say “thank-you” after receiving a gift, hearing a nice compliment, or after an act of kindness; there are still SO many other times when saying “thanks” could go a long way.

Here are a few recent examples from my own life:

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1. Saying Thanks to a Helpful Employee at Lowe’s

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A couple months ago, I was shopping for our bathroom sinks. I knew exactly what I wanted, but couldn’t find it in our price range. So after weeks of looking, I ended up at Lowe’s — and found EXACTLY what I wanted… plus it was on clearance! The only problem was, this Lowe’s had one sink left and I needed two.

Without even asking, the employee at Lowe’s started contacting other stores and found one that still had 2 left. It was an hour away, so he asked them about shipping — and after 30 minutes, I had paid for the sinks over the phone, given them my shipping address and was told the sinks should show up at my door step in the next 2 days!

The sinks arrived on schedule and that employee actually called me to make sure everything went as planned!! I was so shocked!

How I said THANKS:

I knew I wanted to do something for this employee so I called the Lowe’s store, explained the situation, and was forwarded to a “help line” where I could either complain about or praise a specific employee. Of course, I sang his praises, and it turns out that he got some type of award because of it! Woo-hoo!

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2. Saying Thanks to a Patient Cashier at Meijer

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As many of you know, I’m kind of obsessed with using coupons, shopping the sales, and getting amazing deals on groceries. My frugal nature helps us keep our grocery bill around $25 per week — so it’s well worth my time.

And even though I’m always extremely organized with my coupons and have everything ready to go before I get to the checkout lane, there are still times when I can tell the cashier is getting annoyed. However, there are a couple of cashiers at the Meijer I shop at who ALWAYS patiently scan every coupon and never moan or complain. Often they even congratulate me on saving so much — so I try to use them every time I shop.

How I say THANKS:

About once a month {or whenever I remember} I stop at the service desk on my way out and just simply say that I received excellent service from the cashier on lane ___. I explain that I try to use them every time because of how efficient and patient they are.

That’s it — nothing fancy — but I know the word gets back to the cashier.  One time the manager just looked at me and said, “you mean you’re not going to complain about something?” {I guess they get lots of complaints!}

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3. Saying Thanks for Great Service at a New Restaurant

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This situation actually happened about 6 years ago when I was still in college. Some friends of mine decided to try a new restaurant near our college campus and we were so thrilled with our choice. The food was excellent, the service was quick, and the prices were pretty cheap {yes, we were college students}.

How I said THANKS:

I was so pleased with our evening that I actually sent an email to the restaurant manager the next day, telling him how much we loved his restaurant and what a fun night we had. He was apparently extremely grateful for my email because he asked for our address so he could send us free meal coupons to go back!

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4. Saying Thanks for a Really Nice Nurse

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Due to the fact that I have always been very healthy, I can probably count on one hand the number of times I remember going to the doctor in my life. For the last 6 years, I have gone every other year for a physical — but that’s about it. However, now that I’m pregnant, it’s apparently necessary to go every month!

I really wasn’t impressed with the first doctor’s office I visited and the nurse made me feel stupid — so I found another doctor’s office and loved it. I’ve been going there ever since and the nurses {and doctors} are all so extremely nice, understanding, accommodating, etc.

How I said THANKS:

I was so pleasantly surprised after my first visit that I just had to stop back at the front desk and share a word of thanks with the receptionist {who said she would pass my gratitude along to the nurse}. I’ve been back several times since and I swear, I am treated nicer with every visit!

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5. Saying Thanks for Great Customer Service

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As a small business owner myself, I truly do value great customer service. I like it when people arrive on time, do the job they said they would do, and charge you what they said they would charge you. So last week, when we got our carpets cleaned by a local company, I was extremely pleased with the results and felt like I should thank them some how.

How I said THANKS:

Since my blog talks a fair amount about cleaning, I decided to mention the carpet cleaning company and what a great job they did in my blog post the next day. Well, apparently word got back to them, and the owner actually called me to thank me. He also offered to apply a stain-guard on our new white couch… for free!

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Now, obviously, I wasn’t saying “thanks” just to get free things or to make myself feel better {although both of those are nice perks!} — but I find it interesting that people are often so taken aback by a word of thanks verses a negative thought or complaint, that they go out of their way to give you even better service.

I guess it’s often a win-win situation.

A Few Ways You Can Say Thanks:

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If you tried really hard, you could probably find a reason to thank every single person you run into each day… but since that’s not very realistic, here are a few simple ideas to get you thinking.

• Put a thank-you card in the mailbox for your mail carrier — make sure it’s clearly labeled for him or her!

• Greet your paper person with a smile and a big “thank-you”

• Thank the musicians at church — seriously, you have NO idea how much work it is to prepare for just one service

• Leave an extra generous tip along with a big “THANKS” on your receipt for a waitress who did a great job

• Promote a favorite company or  product on facebook, twitter, or your blog {without any compensation}

• Make a special treat for your child to bring to his/her teacher on the first day of school

• Send a quick email, facebook message, or even paper letter to a friend — just because

• Give your children a special surprise for doing their chores without asking — or for any other reason

• Plan a fun night out with your spouse after getting through a stressful project or time at work

• Surprise your favorite babysitter with a paid day off or a gift card to her favorite store

• Send an email out to all your friends and family referring them to a specific company’s service or a great local restaurant {I had a client do this for me recently — what a treat!}

• Bring donuts or a special homemade treat into the office during a busy or stressful week

Each of these ideas takes only a minute or two at the most, and many of them won’t cost you a cent. So even those of us who pack our days completely full can still take a moment to say thanks {ahem, I’m talking to myself here too!}

How Can You Say Thanks?

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Do you make a habit of saying “thank-you” to random people throughout the day? If not, then the next time you’re out and about, find one person who you think deserves a thank-you… and give it to them.

It will only take you a minute!

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Today I’m continuing my Craigslist 101 series to {hopefully} answer some of the many questions I get, asking how we sold our house on Craigslist.

Yup, that’s right — Dave and I sold our first house on Craigslist…

by owner…

and got THREE offers…

in only THREE days!

And no, we did NOT know what we were doing and had no experience selling a house!

Oh, and did I mention that Michigan has been in the middle of a HUGE buyer’s market for well over a year?

How We Sold Our House on Craigslist:

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Even though we had fixed up our cute little starter home {which was in a great location} I’m convinced that one of the main reasons our house sold so quickly was because of the time and effort I put in to properly advertising it on Craigslist….

#1. Before I posted our ad, I create a free WordPress.com website for our house.

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I posted tons of {nicely edited} pictures with descriptions.

I clearly listed all the updates we had done and when we did them.

I listed every single new appliance, new light fixture, and new anything.

I highlighted the benefits of living in that house with that yard and that location.

I listed several local amenities {shopping, parks, restaurants, highway access, etc.}

I clearly stated our price and our contact information.

You can view the website I created here. {I did delete some of our personal information}

The whole website only took me about an hour, so I would definitely say it was worth my time investment!

#2. Then I drafted a Craigslist ad and inserted the link to our new website.

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I followed my rules for Selling Successfully on Craigslist, but also clearly stated that any interested parties should click on the website link for lots more pictures and information.

And this might be obvious, but when you create your Craigslist ad, just make sure you choose “housing offered” as the type of post, and “real estate – by owner” for the category {as long as you are actually selling it by owner!}

Another cool thing about having a WordPress blog for our sale was that I could easily check my stats to see how many people visited our site via the Craigslist ad — we had a pretty good response.

#3. Then we waited with our phone and email available at all times!

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I posted our ad on Friday evening {weekends are usually the most active selling times} and we got our first two calls within the hour! One family came to walk through our house Saturday morning, one came Saturday afternoon, and the third came Sunday afternoon.

ALL of them said that they were very impressed with the website and had never seen such a professional looking “for sale by owner” ad.  I actually received several emails from people who weren’t even interested in buying our house but thought the website was such a great idea

By Sunday night we had 3 offers and by Monday we had our good-faith deposit.

I have since helped 2 friends create websites to sell their homes and I’ve created a couple of website for my parents to sell/rent some of their rental properties.

No, I’m not a fantastic website creator, I’m certainly not a great photographer, and I know NOTHING about real estate, but I did do a great job of providing as much information possible — and making it really easy for anyone to get that information.

Obviously creating a website is not the only way to sell a house on Craigslist, but worked for us, it worked for a few of my friends, and it worked for my parent’s rental properties… so it just might work for you too.

Plus, it’s free — so you really have nothing to lose {and we saved a bundle in Realtor fess!}

What is the biggest thing you ever sold on Craigslist?

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{top Image Credit}

Previous Posts in the Craigslist 101 Series:

• How to Buy Successfully
• How to Sell Successfully
• Do You Have Time?
• What You Need to Get Started

13 comments →

When I started my organizing business nearly 4 years ago, I was extrememly apprehensive to answer the question, “So what do you do for a living?”

I didn’t feel like I had a REAL business… but then I started making money and that put an end to my apprehension!

However, when I started blogging {just about one year ago} I immediately felt that apprehension return. I had absolutely NO idea what being a “blogger” really meant, all I knew was that I wanted to help others simplify and organize their lives — and hopefully find a few more clients for my growing organizing business.

I soon realized that blogging was a REAL business too.

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I absolutely loved running my organizing business…so it was no surprise that I immediately fell in love with my new blogging business as well. I loved meeting new people, learning from other bloggers, interacting with my readers, sharing my passion for simplicity and organization with anyone who wanted to listen — and I loved working from home

My website was growing, I was making  money, I had lots of new clients, and a whole bunch of awesome blogging friends. I was really starting to get the hang of things…

And then I got THE letter.

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About two months ago, I recieved a letter from a HUGE company {that will remain nameless} accusing me of a pretty hefty trademark violation.

They said that my business name “Simple Organized Living, LLC” and my website URL used certain words that they had trademarked and basically insisted that I shut down my entire business!

Seriously! A whole year of building my website and nearly 4 years growing my business… gone!

Yup, I was just a little scared — and super intimidated by the professional-looking letter that came from this huge company.

I immediately turned to the West Michigan Bloggers group for advice and they referred me to Sara Hawkins — a fellow blogger AND lawyer who knows a ton about “blog law”. She was kind enough to give me a ton of pro-bono advice via email and really encouraged me to fight back.

Then I contacted, Shawn Eyestone, an excellent lawyer who helped make sense of all the legal jargon in my letter and discovered that I was NOT infringing on any of the accused trademark violations! He helped me draft a professional letter that clearly stated why I was not doing anything illegal. The letter included an “Executive Summary”, a “Legal Analysis”, and a whole bunch of other fancy lawyer terms from Shawn! We ended the letter by saying:

“I trust that this issue will be resolved quickly and quietly, and that all parties involved will continue doing business “as is”. Thanks for your understanding and please contact me within 10 business days if you have any further questions or concerns.”

It’s been almost two months… and I haven’t heard a thing!

The morals of the story:

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1. Don’t sell yourself short.

Whether you’re a blogger, a small business owner, or something else… you have a REAL business too! Register your domain, register an LLC {or something else to protect your personal assets}, make sure you aren’t infringing on any trademarks or copyrights, and make sure others aren’t infringing on any trademarks or copyrights you have.

2. Don’t let big names and money scare you.

I was super scared when I got that letter from a huge company with lots of money. I figured I would just have to shut down my business and start over again. But then I realized, that the only reason they were coming after me {nearly a year after I started my blog and 4 years after starting my business} was because I was finally big enough to scare them! My website was showing up as #1 on Google search engines and theirs was further down the list

3. Don’t be afraid to fight back — WITH help.

I am an extremely competitive person and I don’t like to lose. EVER! Thankfully, I had the help of a great lawyer, along with the support of my wonderful blogging friends who all encouraged me to fight back against the big company, even though I was SO scared. I was respectful, I was understanding, but I knew they were wrong and I wasn’t willing to throw my business away just because I was too afraid to fight back.

What about you?

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Are you are a blogger, a writing, a small business owner, a crafter, a sewer, or an Etsy shop seller? Take the proper actions to protect your business {even if it is small right now}. After all, you have a REAL business too!

If you have any questions about legal issues, please share them in the comments and maybe another reader will be able to answer them. And if you have any great advice on dealing with legal issues — please share it with us!

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First of all, let me just clarify that Dave and I are NOT planning to move; nor are we dissatisfied with our lovely farmhouse!!

However, if you’ve been following my blog for awhile, you might have noticed that I never really talked about our old house. It was a great house for us and we managed to fix it up quite nicely — but it was NOT our dream house…so I guess I never felt the desire to talk about it much.

It was just our house — the place we lived — not the place I wanted to call “home” forever!

Can you relate?

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Here are a few pictures of our old house {after 4 years of renovations and lots of TLC}

So if you can relate to our situation — living in house we “liked” but didn’t “love” and always searching for our dream house — let me just reassure you that we would NEVER have found our dream house if we didn’t live in a “non-dream house” first.

I’ve wanted to buy and renovate an old farmhouse for as long as I can remember — seriously, just ask anyone I know! So even though it was very exciting to be a homeowner, and even though we got a great deal on a great house in a great location, I was still just a tiny bit disappointed that our first house was not an old farmhouse.

Now, looking back, I realize that it was the absolute perfect “non-dream house” for us!

The Benefits of NOT Owning Your Dream House:

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1. A non-dream house is often more cost effective.

Dave and I definitely had money saved up for a down payment, but we could have never afforded to buy our dream house when we first got married — unless we wanted to be in a ridiculous amount of debt and pay mortgage insurance.

Also, since our non-dream house was much smaller {and newer} than our farmhouse, our utility bills were tiny! It was a great way to ease into the homeowner experience and not be overwhelmed by bills and expenses.

2. A non-dream house gives you a place to start.

Neither Dave or I had ever owned a house before, so buying a smaller 3 bedroom ranch was the perfect place to start. We got a great deal, we were close to family, friends, our jobs, etc., and we had plenty of room for the two of us.

It also wasn’t a lot of upkeep. We didn’t have a huge house to clean, our yard wasn’t too big, and as I mentioned above, our utility bills were extremely low!

3. A non-dream house gives you time to figure out what you really want.

Even though I always new I wanted an old farmhouse, I definitely did not have all the details worked out — and I certainly didn’t realize how much some of those details could cost

So over the past several years, I diligently worked on my Ideas Book — clipping photos out of magazines and newspapers, printing ideas from the web, and compiling all sorts of different ideas I wanted to incorporate into the dream house that we hoped to find “some day”.

I honestly think it would have been impossible to find our dream house unless we did all our research.

Dave and I went through so many old farmhouses but we never had trouble passing them by because we knew exactly what we were looking for and were not in a hurry to find it. We had our check-list and we weren’t going to stop until we could check off every item.

4. A non-dream house helps you realize what you DON’T want.

This might sound crazy, but after living in our non-dream house for a while and diligently adding to my Ideas Book, I started to realize that my ideas were changing. I realized that I wanted different things than I originally thought.

I realized that I didn’t really want a formal dinning room but would rather just have a big, eat-in kitchen.

I realized that although I had a mini obsession with red {seriously, I painted everything red that first year!} that neutrals are more my style. And I started to really hone in and develop my personal decorating style – something I had never thought of until we had our non-dream house.

I realized that I LOVED to garden but did not want to actually “farm” so instead of 20 acres, maybe we only needed 1 or 2.

I realized that I wanted a kitchen with deep drawers so the spatulas didn’t get caught EVERY SINGLE TIME I opened the drawer! And I wanted a counter-depth refrigerator so it didn’t stick out and get in the way so much.

Our first house helped me to realize all these big and small things that really bugged me and that I did NOT want in our dream house!

5. A non-dream house gives you a chance to focus on other things.

Most of you know that over that past 6 months, Dave and I {and my dad} have been working feverishly to renovate our farmhouse. We had a pretty good idea of what we were getting into when we purchased our house — but since it’s OUR dream house — we are taking more time to add in a bunch of extras and tailoring things to our exact specifications.

This means we have many more decisions to make, and the decisions seem more important since we are planning to live here for a very long time.

Back when we lived in our non-dream house, we still did lots of renovations and we still did them well, but we didn’t agonize over every decision because we knew the next homeowners might want to change it anyway. We could do a project in an afternoon and be on with our lives the next day.

Now we have to think about everything and then research it before we ever actually implement it — so it can be a bit overwhelming at times!

And even though I would NOT trade our house {or our house projects} for anything, it was nice to not have to worry about all that back in our non-dream house.

Do you have YOUR dream house?

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If you’re still looking for your dream house, don’t give up — it’s out there! Maybe you don’t know exactly what you’re looking for yet. Or maybe you know you shouldn’t buy something outside of your budget. Or maybe, you really do love where you live but just haven’t realized it yet!

Even now, I’ve never really stopped looking and dreaming about other houses {don’t tell Dave!} This is not because I’m unhappy with our farmhouse, it’s simply because I LOVE looking at old farmhouses and I’m always trying to come up with different ideas to incorporated into our dream house. I even have a “Farmhouse Inspiration” board on Pinterest that I’m using as a virtual Ideas Book… so fun!

So for those of you who DO have your dream house — did you learn anything by living in a non-dream house first?

And for those of you who DON’T have your dream house yet — what are you looking for?

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I’ve received a lot of positive feedback from the first few posts in my Craigslist 101 Series; but I’ve also received even more questions!

One of the questions I’ve gotten a few times is, “What do I need to get started selling my stuff on Craigslsit?”

My answer is, “Not Much!” That is the beauty of Craigslsit!

What You Need to Get Started:

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1. TIME:

If you don’t have the time to post your items, the time to respond to emails and questions, or the time to meet potential buyers, then selling on Craigslist might not be the thing for you. You’ll save yourself a lot of stress {and space} by just donating the items now instead of trying to make time to sell them later.

2. STUFF TO SELL:

Obviously, you must have something of value to sell — not your kids stained and ripped clothing, not your old DVD’s that skip, not your broken kitchen appliances. Something of REAL value that others will want to purchase.

3. COMPUTER, INTERNET, and EMAIL:

You’ll need a computer that is connected to the Internet in order to log onto your Craigslist account. And you’ll need an email address so people can contact you.

4. DIGITAL CAMERA or CAMERA PHONE:

You’ll hear me say this over and over again — but if you aren’t willing to post at least ONE good-quality photo of your item, then you really shouldn’t even waste your time trying to sell it. I will almost never email a seller unless they have a photo posted.

5. PATIENCE :

If your items are priced right, they will probably sell very quickly. However, if you want to get a little more for your items, or you are in a remote location, it might take a bit longer. You may have to re-post your items several times and you will probably have to wait!

Also, I guarantee that you will eventually encounter irresponsible buyers who say they will show up at a certian time… but don’t. No-shows are SO annoying, but you’ll have to deal with them at some point. You’ll also have people who show up, but after seeing the item, don’t want to purchase it. That is normal — you shouldn’t let it upset or discourage you.

Oh, and even if you write “NO SPAMMERS” in  your post, there’s a pretty good chance you will still get a few spam emails. Just delete them and wait for the good ones to come rolling into your inbox!

So you see, it really doesn’t take much to be able to start your own mini “business” of sorts, selling unused and unneeded items on Craigslist!

I promise — it’s easier than you might think!!

Previous Posts in the Craigslist 101 Series:

• How to Buy Successfully
• How to Sell Successfully
• Do You Have Time?

3 comments →

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I knew it would have to end some time — and even though my Birthday Giveaway Week was a smashing success, I’m still a little sad that it’s completely over.

It was so much fun working with all the wonderful companies who participated, and I was thrilled to see how excited you were for the opportunity to win some of these amazing giveaways… and they are amazing!

So, out of  8,988 entrants…

Here are the winners for my 26th Birthday Giveaways:

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#1: Set of 3 Nesting Storage Boxes =Amber (rilyzmom@…)

#2: Hoover Floor Mate = Lona (lonainmi@…)

#3 Aladdin Food/Drink Storage Gift Set = Heather (theturchyns@…)

#4: Prairieland Herbs $50 Shop Credit = Fiona (sabra88@…)

#5: Gussy Sews $70 Shop Credit = Brooke (ebchris98@…)

#6: Simplify 101 Workshop = Zolane (zcgordon@…)

#7: Tastefully Simple Gift Basket = Mrs.Pettigrew (pettigrewchris@…)

#8: RaC Designs Dress = Muriel (msanders00@…)

#9: The Container Store $50 Gift Card = Andi J. (andiJ45@…)

#10: Rachael Ray BBQ Tool Set = Michelle (mlaitken@…)

#11: BabyBearShop Toiletries = Lynn (lynnwv56@…)

#12: NeatReceipt Digital Scanner = Tara (tscorcoran@…)

#13: Red Letter Words Canvas Print = Emily (emilydriy@…)

#14: Cupcake Party Pack = Christie (jcdw.345@…)

#15: Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day = Laura McK (laura.reed17@…)

and Caldrea Gift Sets = Patti (Dpvred@…)

#16: Thirty-One Bag Set = Kerrie (wilson.kerrie@…)

#17: Cora Anne Designs $50 Shop Credit = Amanda (Rustygurl844@…)

#18: SoapNuts Laundry Kits {4 winners}

1. Lani (lanilenore@…)

2. Natalie M. (mrsnataliemoore@…)

3. Jennifer (jen.m.richardson2@…)

4. Lucy (Luch204@…)

#19: Custom Jewelry $50 Shop Credit = Michelle N. (mmn264@…)

#20: Custom Address Stamp = Mandy (mandypantsmay@…)

#21: MadeON Skin Care $50 Shop Credit = Leigh (petersfransen@…)

#22: Wall Worthy $50 Shop Credit = Dawn (nikkisabrina@…)

#23: Full Year Meal-Planning Membership {3 winners}

1. Misty (mgatewood06@…)

2. Sandy (smithnstuff@…)

3. Leone (lionsrrroar@…)

#24: Calendar Blocks and Coaster Sets {2 winners}

1. vicki (kstreek@…)

2. Amy (Aneville277@…)

#25: TeaLight Centerpiece = Krista E. (kristaenglish@…)

#26: “Bella” Handbag = Jenni (jennipearl@…)

I will be sending every winner an email in the next 24 hours. You’ll have until Friday at 10pm EST to respond, otherwise I’ll choose another winner.

Thanks again for making my birthday week so much fun!

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All winners were chosen at random using the “And The Winner Is“ WordPress Plugin.

6 comments →