RESOURCES
The Zen Organizers Personal Favorites!
Clothing and Household Items
Access Books: (provides books to schools, classrooms, and community libraries in Southern California)
Big Brother Big Sister Foundation: (accepts donated clothing in good condition)
Career Gear: (provides professional attire for job interviews to disadvantaged men)
Cinderella Project: (gives donated formal dresses to teenage girls who can’t afford to buy a prom dress)
Dress for Success: (provides professional attire to disadvantaged women for job interviews)
Give the Gift of Sight: (provides free prescription eyewear to individuals in North America and developing countries around the world)
Goodwill Industries International: (sells clothing and household goods)
Half: (helps you sell your stuff)
Hungry for Music: (distributes used musical instruments to underprivileged children)
One Warm Coat: (collects and distributes coats for free to those in need)
Operation Paperback: (sends gently used books to American troops overseas and to veterans and military families at home)
PaperBackSwap: (provides an online service for swapping books with others)
Planet Aid: (recycles used clothing and shoes and promotes environmental protection and sustainable development)
Reader to Reader: (accepts books for children and teens and distributes to school libraries nationwide)
Salvation Army: (sells donated clothing and household goods)
Suitcases for Kids: (provides luggage for foster children who move from home to home)
ThreadFlip: (connects buyers with sellers, offering women a simple way to convert their closets into boutiques)
ThredUp: (provides an online thrift shop for buying and selling quality used clothes)
Vietnam Veterans of America: (accepts clothing, shoes, and accessories in good condition for children and adults)
Yerdle: (connects donors with grateful receivers)
Computer Technology
Computers 4 Kids: (provides caring mentorship, structured computer training, a vibrant learning environment, and access to a computer at home for low-income youth)
National Cristina Foundation: (helps donors of used computers and other electronic hardware to select a local charity or school in their area to receive their equipment)
Techlicious: (discusses the latest trends, apps, and products in the tech world)
World Computer Exchange: (provides tested used computers to schools and community organizations in developing countries)
Financial
Finding a Financial Professional
Certified Financial Planning Board of Standards: (grants CFP certification, the recognized standard of excellence for competent and ethical personal financial planning)
CFA Institute: (promotes the highest standards of ethics, education, and professional excellence)
Financial Planning Association: (advocates for transparency, clear information, and high standards of conduct among financial planners)
National Association of Personal Financial Advisors: (provides a database of financial planners with a proven a level of competency)
The Simple Dollar (lots of information on how to educate children about finances:
https://www.thesimpledollar.com/how-to-teach-kids-about-money-from-toddlers-to-teens/
Managing Your Money Day to Day
Dinkytown: (provides free financial calculators)
Expensr: (provides a free online personal finance application)
Mint: (allows users to track bank, credit card, investment, and loan transactions and balances, make budgets, and set goals)
Moneychimp: (provides articles and interactive features that explain finance and investments in Roth IRAs, stocks, and bonds; provides calculators and definitions of investing terms)
Quicken: (provides budget and money management software)
Obtaining Credit Reports and Reporting Identity Theft
Equifax: www.equifax.com; 1-877-576-5734 (provides credit reports)
Experian: www.experian.com; 1-888-397-3742 (provides credit reports)
Free Annual Credit Report: www.annualcreditreport.com; 1-877-322-8228 (provides credit reports)
Identity theft: (provides detailed information about reporting identity theft)
TransUnion: www.transunion.com; 1-800-680-7289 (provides information about obtaining or disputing your credit report)
Inspiration and Instruction
About: (provides content that helps people solve the large and small needs of everyday life).
eHow: (offers instruction for all aspects of life, including how to pack a box)
Houzz: (provides design ideas and how-to instruction from organizers, designers, contractors, architects, and so forth)
Instagram: (lets you check out photos from your favorite designers, organizers, and architects to see what’s trending).
MapQuest: (offers maps and point-to-point directions)
Pinterest: (lets you make online pin boards to collect ideas for all types of projects, including images from fellow pinners or anywhere on the Internet)
YouTube: (provides how-to videos about all aspects of life, including the art of moving and organizing)
Mind, Body, and Spirit
Ariel Joseph Towne, the Feng Shui Guy: www.thefengshuiguy.com; (helps people transform stagnant spaces in their homes and minds into positive, intentional spaces)
Network Chiropractors, founded by D. Epstein: (provides a gentle, nonforce method)
Health Journeys, from the Belleruth Naparstek Guided Imagery Center: (offers guided imagery, hypnosis, and other mind-body products, research, and information)
Mysteries: (provides information about meditation and yoga)
Recovery.org and Rehabs.com specifically https://www.recovery.org/browse/los-angeles-ca/ and https://www.rehabs.com/local/los-angeles-ca/
Self-Realization Fellowship: (provides information about meditation and yoga)
Transcendental Meditation: (provides information about meditation and yoga)
Memorabilia, Photographs, and Scrapbooking Supplies
Carolyn Simon Designs: (collects wedding lace to turn into jewelry)
Exposures: (offers albums and scrapbooks)
Michael’s: (provides arts-and-crafts supplies)
Scrapbooking 101: (provides a guide to the basics of scrapbooking)
Movers and Moving
ApartmentGuide: (provides apartment rental listings nationwide)
Delancy Street Movers: (trains ex-convicts and recovering addicts as teachers, general contractors, truck drivers, and movers)
Moving: (provides easy-to-use resources and tools to help with local, long-distance, and international moves)
MovingScam: (provides assistance finding a reputable mover)
MyMove: (provides moving tips, checklists, and deals)
PadMapper: (helps with home and apartment research)
ProtectYourMove: (provides a user-friendly database of interstate moving companies searchable by state or name, as well as consumer complaint histories and on-road safety performance records)
Safety and Fitness Electronic Records (SAFER) System: (offers company safety data and related services)
Trulia: (helps with home and apartment research)
Zillow: (helps with home and apartment research)
Office and Filing Supplies
Day Runner: (provides a calendar system)
Exposures: (offers binders, magazine holders, and so forth)
FitterFirst: (offers ergonomically correct products)
Google Docs: docs.google.com (lets you create and share your work online and access your documents from anywhere)
Levenger: (offers binders, calendars, magazine holders, and more)
Office Depot: (provides office supplies and furniture)
Office Max: (provides office supplies and furniture)
Relax the Back: (offers ergonomically correct office furniture)
Staples: (provides office supplies and furniture)
Online Assistants
Elance:
oDesk:
VirtualAssistant:
VirtualAssistants:
Online Auction and Sales Sites
Cash for CDs: (lets you sell your CDs, DVDs, vinyl LPs, and games)
Craig’s List: (provides free classified ads with sections devoted to jobs, housing, items wanted and for sale, and so forth)
eBay: (offers items for auction online)
Online Photo Management and Sharing
Flickr:
Picasa (from Google): picasa.google.com
Picasa Web:
Shutterfly:
Snapfish:
Organizational Apps
AboutOne: (provides a space for managing memories and household information)
CareZone: (helps keep everyone coordinated)
Cozi: (lets multiple family members manage appointments and schedules)
Evernote: (provides a workspace for collecting lists, webpages, documents, and so forth)
Genius Scan: (puts a scanner on your cell phone)
Google Calendar: (allows users to create multiple online calendars)
Pet Master Pro: (provides an organizer for pet health and details)
Red Cross’s free Pet First Aid: (puts veterinary advice for everyday emergencies in the palm of your hand)
Two Happy Homes: (provides an organization tool for parents living in separate households)
Professional Associations
Clutterers Anonymous: (provides assistance with weeding out your clutter based on the twelve steps of Alcoholics Anonymous)
Codependents Anonymous: (provides assistance with anxiety based on the twelve steps of Alcoholics Anonymous)
Messies Anonymous: (provides assistance with organizing your life based on the twelve steps of Alcoholics Anonymous)
National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO): (provides a database of local professional organizers)
Recycling and Green Saving
1-800-GOT-JUNK?: www.1800gotjunk.com; 1-800-468-5865 (removes just about anything—furniture, appliances, electronics, yard waste, and renovation debris—and makes every effort to recycle or donate items) Here are links for Los Angeles and New York City:
https://www.1800gotjunk.com/us_en/locations/junk-removal-los-angeles
https://www.1800gotjunk.com/us_en/locations/junk-removal-new-york
Battery Solutions: (recycles all battery types nationwide)
Environmental Defense Fund: (provides an online quiz to calculate your personal energy impact )
Environmental Protection Agency: (provides information about energy-saving upgrades that might earn you a refund at tax time)
Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation (RBRC): www.call2recycle.org; 1-877-273-2925 (recycles used rechargeable batteries and old cell phones)
ReuseIt: (provides expertise in sourcing merchandise from communities to benefit local nonprofit organizations while responsibly recycling to help the environment)
Freeycle: (helps users give and receive items for free to keep these items out of landfills)
Worldwatch Institute: worldwatch.org (provides globally focused environmental research)
Reducing and Stopping Unwanted Mail
Direct Marking Association (DMA): (reduces the total volume of mail for individuals who register for its Mail Preference Service)
Smart Saving and Spending
Auto Club: (provides multiple benefits, such as trip planning and low-cost insurance, with a paid membership)
Consumerist: (provides consumer advocacy and responds to the latest consumer news and trends; published by Consumer Reports)
Suddenly Frugal: (shares ideas for selling castoffs to make money, offers coupons, and more)
Union Plus: (offers discounts and advice to union members)
Shopping
Amazon:
Bed Bath and Beyond:
Costco:
Crate & Barrel:
Home Depot:
Jouer Cosmetics:
IKEA:
Lowes:
Pier One Imports:
Pottery Barn:
Pottery Barn Kids:
Solay Wellness:
Target:
The Container Store:
Wal-Mart:
Williams-Sonoma:
Tax Forms and Tax Help
1040 or 1040EZ forms:
IRS guide to keeping records:
A harmonized mind produces harmony in this world of seeming discord.
Paramahansa Yogananda