I became an organizer because I love helping people declutter and figure out what they really love in their homes. But I’m also in this because I want to change consumer culture.
Right now, our society is so focused on buying the cheapest things and lots of them. We don’t care what Asian sweat shop they came from.
That’s how our homes fill up with junk, and, in turn, our souls fill up with junk. Then we can’t breathe.
Not to mention what we are doing to the environment — all that junk ends up in a landfill!
It’s time to shift how we spend our money.
Raleigh Green Gables’ philosophy is to stop buying junk and encourage you to change how you spend your money.
I believe you should spend it on two things. 1. Quality items. And 2. Services that make your life easier.
Let’s tackle quality items first.
When I say quality items, I mean expensive, well-made ones — way more expensive than your typical big-box store. But this is a good thing. There is no way to buy tons of expensive, quality items, unless you are Oprah.
Buying quality items means you will come home with just one or two. Not 10. That means there is still room in your home and your soul to breathe.
And quality items last longer, which means you don’t have to buy them over and over and over. By the time you have replaced the cheap shirt after every summer, you could have afforded two or three well-made ones that last years.
Even if you have to save up to buy the quality items, we encourage that — no using a credit card to buy it. Once you see all that saved money, you may change your mind and wish to increase your retirement funds.
Next up: Services that make your life easier.
Some people tell me they can’t afford to hire me.
And you know what I tell them? That I know they go to Target or Costco — pick your big box — once a week and spend $250, without a second thought. So skip the Target trip that week, and there’s your money to hire me.
In fact, I save people money. Once they are organized, they know where everything is, and they don’t rush to buy yet another bottle of window cleaner when there are four somewhere in the garage.
By spending money on services like mine, you can relax. But it requires a shift in your thinking. You say you can’t afford it, but you are already spending the money on junk right now.
In addition, you are supporting a local business, which is good for everyone.
There are other services I recommend to make your life easier. (And just so you know, I have not received anything to suggest these companies. I have used them and genuinely like them.)
Hire a maid service. I love Merry Maids. I have used their services, and they are fantastic. They are insured, and if someone is sick, there is another employee at your house.
Your Time Automotive is a concierge car service that handles repairs on your car — everything from oil changes to major body work. Jeff Morris, the owner, who has 25 years of automotive service, picks up your car and takes it to the repair shop. And he’s an expert, so he won’t let them take you for a ride. (Ha! Puns!)
We recently used YTA after our neighbor’s teenager hit my husband’s parked car. First, we consulted with Jeff on what type of work to do. The amount of work meant four days in the shop. No car for four days,? No problem. We scheduled it in while we were on vacation, and Jeff handled it — from picking it up to dropping it back off by the time we got home.
Have a closet full of clothes and nothing to wear? Sheon The Stylist can do a clothing audit for you. She goes through your clothes and helps you decide what’s best for your shape and color. Then she helps you donate or sell the items that no longer serve you.
After that, she’ll take you shopping for QUALITY clothes at places like Nordstrom to fill in the gaps. She has my closet in pristine condition.
I use Hayes Barton Pharmacy because they deliver — nothing like having to take a sick child to a pharmacy and wait.
Other services to contract out: lawn service, interior decorating, online grocery shopping, painting (I just gave away my paint supplies because from now on, I am hiring it out.)