TresSugar

Dear Poll: Are You Forgetful?

DearSugar — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 15:00:00 -0700

I used to pride myself on my impeccable memory, but lately I’ve had trouble remembering the silliest things, like the time of my dentist appointment and if I’m supposed to meet my girlfriend on Friday or Saturday night. When I mixed up the latter, my friend said, “you’ve become so forgetful.” And I suppose it’s true, though I blame it all on being too busy, of course. Are you forgetful, too?

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The How-To Lounge: Getting Ready For a Vacation

DearSugar — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 11:00:00 -0700

If you’re lucky enough to have taken a trip recently, then you know how dizzying travel can be. I know, it’s supposed to be relaxing and carefree, but getting out the door and to your destination can be a huge hassle. To see my tips for how to make getting ready for your next vacation a breeze, just read more.

As soon as you know where you’re going and when, start considering everything that you’ll need. You might have to purchase new items, like a new camera or a bathing suit - and we know both of those can take months of deliberation.
Similarly, don’t wait until the night before or (gasp!) the day of to start packing. I’m not suggesting you have your suitcase zipped a week in advance, but I think it’s important to give yourself a few days to start coming up with a list of necessities. You don’t want to be doing laundry in the middle of the night or rushing out to a 24-hour drugstore for some mini shampoo.
Do your best to avoid overpacking once you get going. With travel the way it is these days, it’s much smarter to pack on the light side. If you take the time to plan your outfits so that you can mix and match, it won't be as difficult to keep the number of items limited.
Try cleaning up your home before you leave. It takes extra time and it's probably the last thing you feel like doing, but there’s nothing like coming home to a tidy house when you’ve been away.
Finally, don’t forget the real important stuff like your cell phone charger, laptop, camera, reading material, iPod, etc. These are the things that will keep you from going crazy if your flight is delayed.

Vacations should always be about having a good time, but once you're off your home turf, it's important to be safe - make sure someone knows where you are at all times, and be wary when befriending strangers.

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The How-To Lounge: Getting Organized

DearSugar — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 09:00:00 -0700

Even if you’re more clean than messy, it’s still easy to end up with more than a few disorganized piles of stuff lying around the house, office, car, or even in the depths of your purse. Most of us function better in an organized environment, so if you have some clutter getting you down, see my tips and read more.

Determine where your serious problem areas are. The closet is a big one for most people, as are desk drawers and any other nooks or crannies where it might be easy to stuff things out of sight.
Don’t try to get everything done in one sitting. It’ll seem much more manageable if you do it over time, so choose one spot, and start sorting until it’s completely organized before moving on to another area.
Don’t be afraid to throw away (or recycle) things - you really don’t need to keep everything. My ongoing rule is that if I haven’t used it in the last year, then it must not be a necessity. Salvation Army or Goodwill stations are great alternatives for clothing and other items that you don’t want to take to the dump, but can’t sell.
Once you’ve sorted the keepers from everything else, it's time to come up with an organization solution. Buy extra bins to store winter clothes instead of the floor of your closet or move loose papers off of counter-tops by getting file folders for holding your bill stubs and other important documents.
I’ve always found that maintaining a semblance of organization is far more difficult than going through and organizing things every once and a while so try to de-clutter your life as much as possible on a daily basis. Throw away the silly knick knacks you’ll never use. And if you see a pile growing, go through it before it gets to that overwhelming point. You'll thank yourself later!

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The How-To Lounge: Staying Focused

DearSugar — Thu, 21 Jun 2007 10:00:00 -0700

I recently received an e-mail from a woman who just landed her dream job, but she works from home. While some people think working from home is ideal, others find it extremely distracting and difficult to stay focused and organized. In this How-To Lounge, I will offer up some tips on how to set up a proper working environment in your home so you can meet your goals and stay organized.

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Be sure to set aside a specific room or area in your home that is only for working. Even if you live in tight quarters, it is important to differentiate work space from living space in order to stay focused
Be sure you have a desk. Working on a couch or in your bed will only make you feel lazy and unproductive
Just because you aren't meeting with clients or going into the office, be sure to wake up at the same time you would if you were going into an office and most importantly, get out of your sweat pants. Working in your PJs is bound to make you feel lazy and lethargic
Shop for supplies. Make sure you have at least one of everything: stapler, paper clips, pens, envelopes, stamps, printer paper, scissors, a ruler, calculator, etc. You don't want to have to rush out in the middle of your day to get that one thing you forgot at Office Depot
Keep your work space clean and clutter free. It is much more difficult to concentrate if you are worried about the mess around you
Some people work well with background noise, but a TV can be extremely distracting, so I advise you to keep it off if you have one in the same room in which you work
Limit personal calls and e-mails throughout the day, just as you would if you were to be working in a group office. Getting caught up with an old friend can easily get you off track
Before you dive into your work, plan out your day. Having a road map and a To Do list will make your day much more productive especially if you have trouble with procrastinating
If you work from home because you have young children, be sure to use their nap time as your quiet time to get most of your work done
Be sure to take breaks just as you would at a destination office. Get some air every few hours and eat lunch away from your desk
If you have errands to run, be sure to take one trip so you are not continually disrupting your day

I hope these tips are useful, and if any readers out there are currently working from home, please share any secrets that work for you in the comments below.

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The How-To Lounge: Caring for Your Sweaters

DearSugar — Thu, 22 Mar 2007 06:00:00 -0700

Spring has sprung, and it's time to start thinking about retiring those coats, hats, scarves and sweaters. Your better sweaters should last for several seasons, and you'll need to care for them well to make that happen. Let's review a few tricks for protecting and storing our favorite winter knits.

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Never hang your sweaters; they'll stretch and lose their shape. Always fold them neatly to prevent wrinkles
No matter the fabric or designer, sweaters pill where parts of your body rub together -- that's mostly under your arms or at your elbows. To keep your sweaters looking fresh and clean, de-pill them as often as you can. Your dry cleaner can shave the pilling off with a razor, or you can opt to gently pull them off yourself
If you spot a hole or a snag, repair it ASAP
Before you retire your knits, wash them. Body odor, perfume, and dander can permanently stain your clothing
Most people think it's best to dry clean cashmere and other delicate knits, but hand-washing is better and leaves the fabric softer. Hand wash, or machine wash on the most gentle cycle. Let them dry flat!
When you're ready to store the sweaters, skip the moth balls. Instead, use cedar balls, cedar chips, or dried bay leaves. I like to store sweaters in garment bags.
Please remember to keep your stored sweaters in a dry environment. If you live in a humid climate, open the bag a few times during the summer and air out the garments or mildew might develop

Maybe I'm weird, but I like these kinds of chores!

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Stress-Relief Kit: Budgeting for Peace of Mind

DearSugar — Mon, 19 Mar 2007 15:31:00 -0700

This DearSugar feature is all about ways to understand, limit or manage stress. It's also meant to help you be prepared for stressful situations (thus the kit) and to know how best to care for yourself during the worst of it. And we can't talk about stress without talking about cash. We all deal with money worries, a bad money habit, or hopes that outnumber the dollars in our savings account, if we have a savings account.

For more information and an easy budgeting tool read more

The first, best tool for eliminating money stress is to make and keep a budget. We're always talking on this site about honesty and responsibility . . . well, there's no reason to put one's head in the sand about spending habits, especially if we don't respect that tendency anywhere else in our lives. But who has the time to sit down and make that budget tool? Well, the Consumerist does. I bring you the link to a downloadable excel budget template, all set up and ready to go! The link will direct you to a 9-Step Beginner's Budget, where you'll get a set of instructions for the excel grid, too.

It's one step toward a little more peace of mind and awareness, and toward creating the life you want. Anybody have a great budgeting trick or a story about kicking a bad money habit? We could all use a little inspiration!

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Stressed at Work? Get Organized

DearSugar — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 11:00:00 -0700

When it comes to your job, deadlines, annoying co-workers, and barking bosses can make us totally tense. Did you know that a cluttered workspace could also add to your stress levels? If your desk is a total mess, not only is it difficult to find what you're looking for, but it can make your mind feel totally bombarded.

Tidying up your work space will bring calmness and order to your life, which we can all use. Here are some great desk organizers I found that I wanted to share with you.

Say What? National Organization For Women on Letterman

TresSugar — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 07:00:00 -0700

"As 'the boss,' he is responsible for setting the tone for his entire workplace - and he did that with sex. In any work environment, this places all employees -including employees who happen to be women - in an awkward, confusing and demoralizing situation."

- Terry O'Neill for the National Organization for Women reminding people that David Letterman's admitted affairs with female staffers over the years, although described as consensual, occurred in the workplace and constitute what many people would consider an abuse of power by an employer toward his employees. Because men who are bosses decide who to hire, fire, advance, and give raises to, "consent" is made between two people who are not equals. Letterman has since apologized to viewers, to his entire staff over the years, and to his wife, Regina Lasko, but O'Neill wants people to remember this happens every day in workplaces all over the country. If you'd like to hear what she thinks CBS should do to fix this "toxic" situation, read more.

Adrageous: Organ Donation PSA Gets Raunchy

TresSugar — Wed, 20 May 2009 11:30:00 -0700

Becoming a donor is probably your only chance of getting inside her.

Some organizations in support of worthy causes seem to think that it's OK to create sexist ads to get their message across. (Yes, PETA, I'm referring to you, too.) Take this Dutch (?) ad in support of organ donation. Is it really OK to use this sprawled woman as sexual enticement? The ends don't justify the means, if you ask me. This is just lazy and lame.

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New Jersey Law to Require Organ Donor Decision, Education

LibertySugar — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 11:00:37 -0700

Ever thought of being an organ donor? Well pretty soon New Jersey drivers will be forced to confront that question - a new law will require drivers to say yes or no to organ donation.

Under the "New Jersey Hero Act" those who say no will have to review information about it, and check a box that says: "I have reviewed the importance of organ donation.” Individuals who can't decide may designate someone else to decide for them (that's a lot of pressure!). Hoping to dispel myths, the law also includes mandatory organ donation education in New Jersey high schools, and colleges will have to provide information at campus health centers.

Currently 24.5 percent (1.75 million) of New Jersey drivers authorize organ donation. To find out how many people need transplants, and how this law could go even further, read more.

Estimates show that 99,000 Americans (3,050 in New Jersey) need organ donations, and 85,000 Americans have died since 1995 while waiting.

Some may think this law, the first of its kind in the US, guilt-trips residents into consenting to organ donation; but, I can imagine a law that goes even further - what if donation was automatic, unless otherwise objected to? One could argue that by requiring the expressed prior consent of the deceased, we condemn others to unnecessary death. Even so, this new New Jersey law that requires some decision seems to blend education, responsibility, and respect for everyone involved.

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Windsor Unifier Desk Organizer	Morgan Desk Caddy
Desktop Organizer	Cubi Desk Bookcase
Claremont Unifier Desk Organizer	Victorious Station Mail Organizer
Bomber Jacket Leather Desk Organizer	Paper Organizer
Storage Box	Claremont Mail Sorter