Extend Your Spice Life Over the years I have cleared many a cupboard of spices that are decades old, some never used.  Whether you love to cook or just cook to eat, here are a few suggestions  from Dan Hayward, owner of Savory Spice Shop to help keep your spice rack from turning into a museum of useless items.   1)  Mark the purchase date on your spice jars with a Sharpie as soon as you take them out of the grocery bag.  A year is the typical life span of a spice.  2)  The 4 key words for spice preservation:  Cool.  Dry.  Dark.  Sealed.  3) ...

One thing will never change no matter how much you organize:  stuff will always be coming in and out of your home.  And that stuff needs to be dealt with.  Last week, I heard from a favorite client whom I haven’t worked with since last September.  He lives a busy life and travels constantly, but he’s ready to dive back into the clutter.   This reminded me of a principle I often express to new clients.  People always say, “Someday, I want to get organized.”  It’s like saying, “Someday, I want to get fit.” ...

Unwanted catalogs hog your mailbox and consume about 4 million tons of paper a year.  As you sort your new mail over the recycle bin, put aside the catalogs you don’t wish to receive anymore.  You can do one of two things: 1)  Call the company and ask to be removed from the list.  It’s helpful if you have the address page handy, which has your customer number on it. 2)  Go to CatalogChoice.org, which contacts retailers to cancel mailings on your behalf for free.  This mostly works.  In my experience, one annoyingly persistent company had...