20 Days of Giving // A Printable Checklist

In honor of National Gratitude Month, we wanted to share our guide to Donate + Do Good this holiday season. Because after all, isn’t that a huge part of what this season is about?

Doing yourself the favor of decluttering your space before the gifting season gets underway, while benefiting our community in the process is something that is near and dear to our hearts.

We’ve created a printable guide (click on the image below to download your very own copy) and would love to hear all of the little ways you impact local in the coming weeks.

So, let’s roll up our sleeves this holiday season and work to give back while we also take notice of the bounty that each of us is fortunate enough to have.

Organized | RESOURCESMaria BaerNovember 10, 2022The Baer Minimalist, LLCDonate, Holidays, DeclutterComment

DONATION RESOURCE // Wishing Wings Boutique

Who remembers that feeling as a teen wanting to pick out just the right outfit for a special occasion? And that magical feeling when you nailed the look from head to toe?

In an effort to provide that experience for teens within the foster care system, Ginger Summer launched the Wishing Wings Boutique in Lebanon, Indiana.

Ginger has been a CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) since 2017 which has given her the insight that youth within the system face many challenges. She said, “ I have seen kids go to new homes with nothing more than the clothes on their back or a trash bag full of ill-fitting odds and ends. Going to a new home without proper resources can be stressful and scary even for older kids who are often forgotten when it comes to donations, relocation needs, and other support.” This led her to open Wishing Wings Boutique so that all children have access to essential resources and give them a sense of dignity. Ginger shares a little more about Wishing Wings Boutique and how the community can lend a helping hand.

Organized | RESOURCESGracie GrouzardSeptember 14, 2022The Baer Minimalist, LLCDonation Resources, Kids, Closets, Recycling, DeclutterComment

8 Tips for a Digital Declutter

Alright, you may have tackled the clutter in your closet or plight in your pantry, but what about the chaos on your computer? Your ever-growing email inbox? The photos on your phone? You all know what I’m talking about...that little red bubble indicating the number of notifications we have for an app that just seems like it’s constantly growing. Believe it or not, this adds to our stress level more than we realize. So, how on earth do we tackle our technology?

Lucky for you, I’ve got 8 tips and tricks to help you declutter your devices!

4 Online Tools that Will Seriously Decrease Your Paper Clutter

Ugh….paper. It is everywhere and is likely coming in your home quicker than you can review and toss! I’m a big believer in making decisions about paper the minute it enters my home (recycle, shred or needs action), but sometimes if we don’t have an alternative in place, those items turn into a mound on the kitchen island.

No more. I’m sharing my three favorite online tools for decreasing paper clutter and would love to hear all about your experience or solutions for managing paper in your own home in the comments.

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I’ve raved about Pinterest again and again, but I use it to organize just about everything! As a result it has truly minimized the amount of sticky notes floating around OR the amount of catalogs that are piling up with dog-eared pages.

My Life as a Minimalist | Part 2

And we are back with Part 2 of my chat with Lauren Mofatt of Spark HR. If you didn't check out Part 1, make sure to read it first before digging in.

You’ve got a husband and two kids. Were they on-board from the beginning? If not, how did you go about working with them to ensure you could all be on the same page about your new lifestyle?

The husband and kids were NOT on board in the beginning. So I did a lot of the decluttering when they weren’t home. I’d like to say that none of them noticed, but they did. At a certain point, I did shift with the kids and wanted to include them in the process so they would learn and be able to help manage their stuff too.

What helped with my daughter was to create 3 categories: Keep, Sell, Give Away. If she wanted to keep something, I really forced her to have a place for each item she wanted to keep (which included a used ice cream coconut shell, just wanted you to know what I was dealing with). :) That really helped resolve a lot of the unnecessary stuff she just wanted to keep for keep’s sake. The best part was, after she did go through her room, she felt so much better! She loved being in her room and could see what she had.

Organized | LIFEMaria BaerJuly 30, 2018The Baer Minimalist, LLCMinimalism, Declutter, Master ClosetsComment

Taking Command of Your Summer | Essentials for Creating a Family Command Center

With a few weeks of school remaining, summer bucket lists have been dreamt up, camp is booked, and lake weekends are scheduled. But have you ever found the fun moments being overshadowed by the stress of keeping up at home?

Enter the Family Command Center, a solution that keeps the entire family on track with everything that needs to be completed during the week.

Here are five essentials to help you create one of your own:

DONATION RESOURCE // Project Purse Indianapolis

If you've ever crossed paths with Chelsea Marburger, founder of Project Purse Indianapolis, you instantly feel a connection. She is making a huge difference in the Indianapolis community by gathering donated purses, toiletries and stationary to spread to some of the most deserving individuals all through the #PowerOfThePurse.

I've shared bits about Project Purse often but wanted to highlight their donation drive taking place this month. Old National Bank is hosting a donation drive at each of their 20+ Indianapolis locations, providing you the perfect chance to declutter your purse collection or pass off those travel size toiletries that have been gathering dust. You can drop your items off at any of their locations through April 25!

DONATION RESOURCE // The Gifted Gown

Last fall I worked with a client who had an amazing collection of formal wear - everything from bridesmaids dresses to prom to a pretty swanky collection of accessories. She wanted to donate every last bit of it if I could find a spot that was local and gave the items directly to the community. Challenge accepted...and very quickly, mission accomplished.

The Gifted Gown, founded by Julia Rutland, provides our community with free formal wear for some of the most magical days in life (prom and weddings).

Over coffee last Fall, I learned the backstory and mission of The Gifted Gown from Julia and knew that I needed to share all of the goodness they are doing with you. Because chances are, you've got a dress or two that just might be gathering dust in the closet and could change someones life if given a second chance.

Tiny Space // Max Potential

I recently worked with a client who lives in a one-bedroom home in a really cool little pocket of Indianapolis called Fountain Square. This lucky gal is within walking distance to work, groceries, restaurants & bars. Dream life, right?!

However, this 600-square foot home has just one closet (located in the bedroom), so she’s had to be very creative when it comes to housing all of her possessions. Upon move-in she opted to have the stackable washer/dryer removed so that she’d have one more space to keep belongings.

Well, this space has become her true catch-all. In her words, “The only spot I have for major storage had become a black hole for odds and ends in my house.” She had quite the mix of electronics, toiletries, gift wrapping supplies, sheets, towels, games and and memorabilia all craving to be organized.

Books and DVDs and CDs, Oh My!

I absolutely love to read…in fact, I had a goal growing up that I would read every book in our library. Spoiler alert, this is not achievable.

I love curling up with a book in my hand and was super resistant to adapting to a Kindle when I received one as a gift years ago. But it has been a total game changer, so much so that I’ve edited the books in my home down to a couple dozen.

Going through my collection of beloved books, sparked a mission of downsizing my various collections of CDs, DVDs and magazines. It’s amazing how much space these items can take up and how they find their way into every room of a house.

But it can be challenging too, as it seems that each item evokes a memory of the past. I wanted to come up with some ways to ease the decluttering process of these beloved collections.

Home Maintenance Calendar

Hey gang! I wanted to share a tip for organizing your home maintenance needs - rather than just waiting for your favorite service providers to keep you in check or WORSE, coming home to appliances that have decided to fall apart in one way or another.

Something that has helped us stay organized is creating a "Home Maintenance" calendar in Google that can be shared between me and the Baer. When working with families, I always recommend creating a calendar for each family member's schedule (and the home that keeps your family safe is no exception) - it's quick, color-coded and can be turned on/off depending on what all you want to view on a particular day.

The Baer Minimalist® Blog -- Tips, Tricks and Hacks on living a more ORGANIZED + STYLIZED Life

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