Less is SO MUCH MORE! A Zero-Waste Challenge

When Room to Breathe was founded in 2005, our mission included a deeply rooted commitment to environmental sustainability. From the very start, we have offered a variety of eco-conscious services to our clients – donation and recycling drop off, consignment referrals, electronic and hazardous waste recycling, and reusing/ repurposing things found in our clients home. Whenever possible, we try our hardest to avoid items going to the landfill- a task that is a very important consideration when people are downsizing and purging mass volumes of worldly possessions.

One of the most crucial steps in organizing any space is re-evaluating our buying habit. This means identifying and curbing impulse purchases and learning to be more thoughtful and intentional about each and every item we allow in to our homes. That might sound daunting, and it by no means implies we can’t still enjoy beautiful things, but without this conscious shift, no organizational system will ever stand the test of time. 

All this said, it might not feel like such a huge stretch to consider that we are advocates of reducing waste whenever possible. Opting for quality over quantity, reusable over disposable, locally made over fast or cheap. And for many of the Room to Breathe team members this means continually striving to reduce our own personal footprint, shifting toward zero-waste whenever possible.  

So, to start the year off on the right (light) foot, we wanted to share some of our favourite and simple ZERO-WASTE ideas - and challenge each of us to take a few of them on. Some of these ideas are likely ones you are already doing, and some may be new- but all are tangible actions you can easily incorporate into your daily life - reducing your footprint, treading more gently on the earth, and saving some money in the process (bonus!) 

A little note of consideration: As with any lifestyle change, it’s import to approach it in small, bite-size pieces. Feeling like we need to change everything at once is a natural reaction, but it’s also one that inevitably leaves us feeling overwhelmed very quickly. Picking one task to implement, giving it adequate time to sink in and become a new habit before moving on to the next idea is a crucial step in making these transitions successful. 

Ditch Disposables

Reusable shopping bags, travel mugs, saying no to straws- these are probably the actions you think of when you hear the words 'zero-waste' - they may even be things you are already implementing in your day to day. If not, challenge yourself to lug-a-mug for an entire month - if you don't have a mug, you dont get to have a coffee. Or tuck a small reusable shopping bag into your purse or backpack so you always have one on hand. 

If you are looking to up your commitment, consider bringing your own takeout containers to restaurants, making reusable canvas produce bags, ditching plastic baggies and cling wrap for reusable alternatives, or buying grocery staples in bulk. These actions require a bit of premeditation, but the waste savings are immense. 

Make Your Own 

Over the last several years, we have seen a big shift toward making your own home cleaning and body care products, and although this can take a bit of time to adjust to, it's an impactful way to reduce the waste (and chemical load) in our lives. An easy place to start is by trying your hand at making your own natural cleaning products. A little bit of white vinegar, castile soap, and essential oils in a spray bottle and you have an effective germ-killing cleaner. Body butters and tooth paste are also good starting point for newbies. 

Go Without
So often, consuming becomes habitual. We buy things because it feels good or we need to have the latest and greatest. But when we take the time to consciously reflect and scrutinize these small purchases, they quickly add up to one big problem. SO MUCH of the work Room to Breathe does is downsizing excess. Removing items that no longer serve us, clearing out clutter that, over time, has slowly taken over our living spaces and filled our minds with stress and overwhelm. 

An interesting experiment is to take to a buy-nothing challenge. A commitment to buy nothing non-essential for a set period of time. Maybe that's a week, a month, or an entire year - being ruthless with where and what we spend our hard earned money on is an invaluable life lesson. And if you find there is something you truly need, consider borrowing from a friend, making your own, seeking out something second-hand, or repurposing an item you already own. 

The perfect way to reset and recalibrate. 

Room to Breathe
Calgary and Edmonton's Top Professional Home Organizers

YYC: 403-862-0515 | hello@roomtobreathecalgary.com
YEG: 587-228-6359 | hello@roomtobreatheedmonton.com

Happy Holidays from Room to Breathe!

2018 has been abundantly full of so many wonderful things! Our team grew, we revamped our website, we expanded into Edmonton, and we got to work with SO MANY amazing clients! It will surely be a hard year to top, but we have so many exciting things in store for 2019, and we can not wait to share them with all of you!

Thank you, from the bottom of our hearts, for being part of this journey- we wouldn't be here without your trust and support. It's humbling and inspiring in a million different ways to be welcomed into your homes. Being able to do meaningful work that we truly love never feels like work at all, and meeting so many amazing people in the process makes it all the more incredible.

Cheers to a magical holiday season FULL of all the things you love most in this world. May 2019 be our brightest year yet!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Love, The Room to Breathe Team,
Indianna, Amanda, Kristen, Shannon, Shanna, and Jessica

How to Simplify the Holidays

Do you find that you make great strides toward minimizing, purging, and organizing only to find yourself right back where you started after the hustle and bustle of Christmas comes and goes?

One of the most important steps in home organizing is addressing and adjusting our relationship with the stuff we purchase moving forward. Many of us have great intentions to declutter and streamline, but if we aren't also scaling back on the items we continue to bring in, we will be right back where we started very quickly.

Christmas is one of the most difficult times of year to scale back - Particularly if you have children, or were raised with the tradition of a tree bursting with presents, over doing it in December is a common concern for many of us.

The good news: there are a TON of creative ways to simplify the holidays. Small shifts can offer big impact! And over the years, we have found some great ways maintain our focus on conscious consumption and meaningful presence (vs. presents)... all without turning into the Grinch.

Over the years, we have discovered a lot of great resources for simplifying the holidays, but nothing quite as good as the New Dream's guide to simplifying the holidays. This guide is FULL of practical tips for reducing stress and increasing joy during the holiday season. It provides awesome ideas on how to connect with children and family, streamline gift giving, create new traditions, minimizing waste, and ultimately, create a holiday season that everyone in your family will enjoy and remember or years to come (without filling your life and home with chaos and clutter.)

A FEW OF OUR FAVOURITE ALTERNATIVE GIFT GIVING IDEAS:

• give away the last great book you bought and enjoyed to someone with similar taste.
• if you like to cook or bake, try your hand at making fresh salsa, pasta sauce, jam, bread, or baked goods. Or prepare homemade soups or dinners that can be frozen for future use and include the recipe.
• make and package up homemade green cleaning products.
• plant a tree or perform a “random act of kindness” in your recipient’s honor.
• put together a booklet of favorite family recipes.
• display a special heirloom - frame a recipe of your grandmothers in her handwriting, find a unique display box for a handmade piece of lace or knitting, or turn a pair of baby booties or a treasured baby rattle into a tree ornament.
• re-gift a cookbook you no longer use often. Highlight or flag a few of your favourite recipes.
• have a “re-gift” swap. we all have gift-quality things in our closets that we don’t actually use - get together with a few like-minded friends and trade them for items that fit your gift list. 
• celebrate your loved ones—write your friend or family member a letter listing all the qualities you admire most about them 
• have family home videos converted to DVD, or make a slideshow of old family photographs.
• commit to a monthly lunch date with an elderly relative or friend.
• offer to teach a skill you possess- canning, photography, gardening, swing dancing, knitting, furniture making, or doing the butterfly stroke to name a few. 
• give tickets to a community theater or a membership to a museum.
• buy renewable energy certificates to offset the carbon emissions of a friend. 
• purchase gift cards/ credit towards car or bike share programs or ride share apps like Uber. 
• set aside a few hours to volunteer in your community in honor of your friend or loved one.
• vow to send a letter or postcard each month for the entire year to friend or family member in a different city (this is especially great for kids and grandparents!)
• make a donation to charity or buy a gift card to an organization like canada helps or kiva and let the recipient decide where to best allocate the funds.

This is, of course, just the smallest sampling of ideas shared in the New Dream guide- you can download the full guide here for more ideas and inspiration.

May the holiday season be filled with beautiful memories, family and dear friends, delicious food, and moments of pure delight.

Thinking of Renting your Home on Airbnb? We Can Help!

Businesses like Airbnb, VRBO, and other short-term rental providers are some of the most popular websites to shakeup the hospitality industry in years. And for good reason!

Unlike cookie-cutter chain hotels, users are able to find unique travel accommodations offering a more authentic overall experience. And for homeowners, it's a bit of a no-brainer - if you have the space to rent, it's a great mortgage helper, in addition to being a unique way to meet new people from all over the world.

There are a few things to consider before renting your space though, and getting organized is at the top of the list.

Ensure your home is streamlined and tidy
Particularly if the space you are renting has been previously lived in, it is important to remove any personal effects, valuables, and clear the clutter. Guests are drawn to spaces that are tidy and minimal, meaning hiring a professional organizer to help create that space can quickly yield more interest. Pairing down not only makes your space look bigger and more appealing, it also makes clean up between guests a breeze. With less in your physical space, there will always be less that needs to be put away after guests leave.

Create a welcoming space for guests
Ensure you have all the essentials available when guests arrive (dishes, linens, soap, basic toiletries, mattress pads and pillow covers, coffee...) These thoughtful details are what takes your short term rental from good to great. The chances of disappointed guests or low-star reviews is significantly lessened with a little time and energy input in the beginning. Setting up a welcome binder of important information- things like the wifi password, how recycling and compost collection work, what remote control actually turns on the tv, as well as any house rules and emergency contact information is an important offering. All little things that make a big impact, and projects the Room to Breathe team can dive in and help setup.

Equalize between rentals
The Room to Breathe organizing philosophy follows Julie Morgensten's SPACE method - Sort, Purge, Assign a home, Containerize, and Equalize. This is the order by which we organize everything every time, with equalize being crucial for maintaining organizational systems. Dedicate some time after each rental to equalize: returning every item to its proper home, reassessing and clearing out anything that is no longer needed, and ensuring the space is returned to organized perfection.

Whether you are just beginning your journey into short term rentals or you hope to elevate your existing space to a new level, Room to Breathe can help you pair down, scale back, and clear the clutter, leaving your space fresh, easy to maintain, and ready to be enjoyed.

Contact our team today to schedule your FREE one hours in-home consultation to assess your specific needs and organizational desires. 

 Room to Breathe Calgary | 403-862-0515 | amanda@roomtobreathecalgary.com

This blog post was written by Jessica Thorburn - Our Vancouver-based Marketing and Administration Superstar.

Creative Ideas for Storing Children's Artwork

If you have kids, chances are you know how REAL the struggle is when it comes to their artwork. Year after yeat, the volume of art they create only multiplies. For obvious reasons, we become sentimentally attached to much of it- that is up until we finally reach our breaking point and can't deal with the sheer volume of every single 'masterpiece' taking over our homes.

Image Source | Storied Style

We get A TON of questions about how to best manage children's art work, and the answer is not 'one size fits all' - some people want to hold on to every scrap or scribble, while others are fine to observe each piece while on route to the recycling bin.

Wherever you find yourself on the kid art spectrum, we have a few creative ideas to store, document, or preserve this season of your child's wildly creative life.

THE ROTATING GALLERY
Perhaps the most common strategy is a rotating gallery wall. The idea being you display some of the best pieces for a duration of time, and then rotate new pieces in as they are created.

This method can be simple (tape a few drawings to the wall or designate your fridge as your art gallery zone) or more complex (a set of photo frames used to showcase each piece) - Whatever look you like best is what you should go for.

We are fans of this IKEA curtain wire hack - inexpensive, simple, streamlined, and easy to swap art out when the time comes. It also allows for three-dimensional projects to be displayed.

Image Source | Project Nursery

THE YEAR LONG PORTFOLIO 
A really simple way to tackle art is to have a designated spot to keep it all - either a box or portfolio case work well. As the year goes on, toss any and all art into the box and at the end of each school year, go through everything and keep only a few pieces that you really love. A good rule of thumb here is select a designated number of pieces you will allow yourself to keep BEFORE you start digging through, ensuring you are able to walk away with a manageable pile. Once your 'keep' items are selected, add them to your child's keepsake box and begin again.

THE PHOTO BOOK
An awesome way to document or preserve your child's art is by taking photographs of each piece. You can use these photos to make an annual art photo book, create a yearly slideshow, or make a photo collage of some of your favourite pieces to be added into the family photo album. This system does take a little bit more time and energy to initiate, but the end result is perfect for those that are a bit more sentimental or have a harder time deciding which projects to keep.

Image Source | Snapfish

THE RUTHLESS ART CRITIC 
The fact is, some kids simply create much more art than others. If you find yourself being inundated with multiple projects on the daily, this might be the tactic for you. Utilize the 'Year Long Portfolio' system noted above, but ONLY allow the single best piece from each day to be added to the box. The rest of the artwork can be tucked away somewhere out of sight, and discretely recycled when the child is not around. I will speak from experience - make sure you bury the art deep in your recycling bin - there is nothing worse than trying to explain to your child how their 400 drawings of Lightning McQueen ended up in the garbage.

Of course, a combination of any of these systems works well too - The end goal is simply to streamline the process and end up with a well curated and edited collection of your child's most beautiful creative pieces.

And if all these ideas still feel like too much effort, and you secretly aspire to be the person enjoying artwork while walking to the recycling bin, have a peek at this article about why throwing out all our children's art is totally ok!

Enjoy!

  This blog post was written by Jessica Thorburn - Our Vancouver-based Marketing and Administration Superstar.

Essential Fall Reading | Blog Post Roundup

If you are anything like us, September always seems to catch us off guard. Perhaps it's our adamant refusal to accept that summer is nearing an end, but it definitely feels like overnight the air has turned crisper, the days are noticeably shorter, and we have forcefully been shoved back into routines, schedules, and a million things on the go.

It's definitely a month of adjustment and transition, but with a little planning and a good dose of gentle patience, we will find our autumn groove once again.

Below are three blog posts from passed fall seasons to help get the cogs in motion. We suggest picking one single project to focus on this week to help gently ease back into things. Perhaps it's meal planning for the coming week, maybe it's tackling your front hall closet to rotate out summer things making space for backpacks, lunch kits, and jackets, or perhaps it's overhauling your kitchen pantry- stocking up with after school snacks and cold weather essentials.

Or maybe it's simply making yourself a cup of tea and reading through the posts to plant a few seeds for another time. Wherever you are at in this busy season of life, know that it is enough.

The Essential Back to School Organizing List
Tips to help get your home and life organized, ensuring your back to school/ fall transition runs smoothly.

Three Easy-Win Projects to Tackle This Weekend!
3 bite-sized, easy-win projects that will replace feelings of stress and overwhelm with ones of pride, accomplishment, and overall lightness.

Make the Perfect Homework Station 
Learn to create the perfect homework station so after school is stress-free, streamlined, and easy to keep tidy.

Need a helping hand bringing your organizational vision to reality? Contact Room to Breathe today to schedule a FREE in home consultation - We LOVE to help!

Room to Breathe Calgary | 587-228-6359 | indianna@roomtobreathecalgary.com

This blog post was written by Jessica Thorburn - Our Vancouver-based Marketing and Administration Superstar.

Ask an Organizer || Where do I start?

What is one area of your home that you simply can't keep organized? What clutter, no matter how hard you try, can you never seem to curb? What is that one burning question you would ask a professional organizer if you had the chance?

Well, now is the time to ask away!! Today we are launching a a new feature on our blog, dedicated entirely to answering your most troublesome organizing questions! Ask an Organizer! 

--

QUESTION:
I would love to get organized, but I don’t have the slightest idea where to begin. I’m paralyzed and completely overwhelmed when I look around my house, so I don't even start. Where would you say is the easiest or most motivating place to begin?

ANSWER:
First off- please know you are not alone! We hear this question ALL THE TIME! For some of us, when we look around a disorganized space, our brains aren't immediately able to break the mess down into individual pieces. We don’t see the parts that make up the whole, we just see EVERYTHING at ONCE. So of course that feels incapacitating.

The second part to this is that the things in our homes hold memories- good or bad, it's the sentimental attachment to stuff that makes letting go so challenging. Because of this, it's important to put extra thought into where we begin. Being strategic and picking a few easy win projects to tackle in the beginning allows you to practice and perfect your organizing skills, sharpens your decision making abilities as you go on, and floods your brain with feel-good endorphins to keep you motivated. In short - doing the easy lifting in the beginning readies you to tackle the heavy, more sentimental stuff later on.

Clothes and shoes are generally a pretty safe jumping off point.

A good rule of thumb to keep in mind with clothes is the three month rule - If you haven't worn it in the last three months, it's ready to be donated. We suggest taking your time - pulling EVERYTHING out of your close and drawers, trying on every single item, and ruthlessly asking yourself:

• Is the garment still your taste and style? Our preferences change and evolve over time. There is no sense holding on to items that no longer go with the esthetic we currently enjoy.
• Does it fit? We are giving you permission to release any piece of clothing that no longer fits. We are all guilty of this, but holding onto clothes for a body we no longer have only leaves us feeling disappointed.
• Is it in good repair? Check for holes, snags, piling, or stains, and discard accordingly.
• Is it something you want to continue wearing? Similar to point number one- there is no sense in keeping things you don't genuinely love or don't feel good wearing.

If the answer to any of the questions above is 'no', then let it go.

Another good place to hone your organizing skills is your bookshelf. Most of us have a lot of books- often they are scattered all over the house, so it's not until we consciously begin to gather them all that we see the sheer volume of what we have.

In Marie Kondo's book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, there is a great section on organizing books. Kondo explains that we read for the experience of reading. The books we have read have already been experienced and their content is inside us whether we remember it or not. So when deciding which books to keep, forget about whether you think you will read it again or whether you’ve mastered what’s inside. Instead, keep only what truly, deeply moves you.

Similar to clothing, it is important to physically take ALL your books off the shelf before organizing them- spending a moment holding each one with the aim of creating a small, well curated collection of only your most treasured tales.

Finally, if you still feel like you don't know where to begin, you might benefit from the services of a professional organizer. We thrive working in difficult or complex organizing situations, so please don’t be afraid to reach out for help. We offer FREE in-home consultations to give you a clearer idea of how things work. Feel free to get in touch and book your time with us today!

*** Have a question about home organizing? Send us an email and will try our best to answer it in our “Ask an Organizer” feature here on our blog. ***

A Peek at our Organizing Portfolio

What are some of the trickiest places in your home to keep organized? Closets? The kitchen pantry? The garage? The play room? We have literally seen it all! But the good news is, we are really good at our jobs and love creating organizational systems to help tame even the most hectic of spaces.  

We were recently updating our Houzz profile (feel free to have a peek at that here) and compiled a small collection of photos from some of our favourite past projects. We figured why not share some of these photos here in the hope that they might spark an idea or two and get the cogs turning on organizing solutions for your own home.

And if you are still feeling overwhelmed by it all- give us a call - we love to help.

The Essential Back to School Organizing List

Despite the marketing worlds best efforts to convince us otherwise, it is still OFFICIALLY summer until September 22nd, and the Room to Breathe team is doing everything we can to soak up these last few sunny weeks before we inevitably embrace crunchy leaves, sweater weather, and all things pumpkin spice.

That said, the transition from August to September can be a big one, particularly if you have people in your household heading back to school. So even though we will be diligently barbecuing and sun soaking until the first signs of frost tell us to pack it in, we also wanted to share some tips to help get your home and life organized, ensuring your back to school transition runs smoothly.

CALENDARS ARE KEY! Whether your preference is an online calendar, a hand-written agenda, or a family bulletin board, having one centralized place to track appointments, lessons, field trips, birthday parties... even meal planning, is definitely a good idea!

Looking for a little inspiration to setup or overhaul your schedule tracking? We've got you covered!

MAKE HOMEWORK FUN. In a perfect world, kids would quietly do their homework in their bedroom- not getting distracted by toys or technology, not making a mess, and without being nagged. But the reality is, they want to be near us and near where the action is- which, in most homes, is the kitchen or living room. So why not embrace that and set up a homework station in the area they want to be in? Designate a space where the kids can sit down and focus to get it all done, and where you can observe and offer a helping hand when needed. 

(We shared some great links for homework station inspiration in an archived blog post HERE.)

MAKE PINTEREST YOUR NEW BFF. Social media gets a lot of flack, but Pinterest is a site that has the potential to help save you time and get organized. It is loaded with incredible recipes (have a quick search of 'best slow cooker meals' - you wont be disappointed!) and is the perfect spot to spark your inspiration for everything from creative teachers gifts to inexpensive party planning.

A cool idea we recently came across is to set up two recipe boards- the first is where you pin any and all recipes you find that sound delicious and you want to try out. The second board is called 'tried, tested, and true' - a place where you can re-pin the recipes you have tried and loved and you will want to make again. You can even invite other friends on pinterest to collaborate, adding their best tried recipes to this shared board.

A 'BORROWED BASKET' TO KEEP YOU SANE. Keeping a basket near the frontdoor for things that need to be returned - items borrowed from friends, library books, thing to be exchanged at the store... is a game changer! Having one central place to collect all the things that don't otherwise have a home will immediately lower the hecticness level in even the most organized home.

NO NEED TO BECOME AN ART CRITIC. YET. Keep a few art projects on display and fill a bin with all the rest. Don’t decide which ones to toss or keep yet, accumulate them all throughout the year and over the summer you can sort back through and decide. If you are feeling really advantageous, take photos of all the completed art and make a photo collage to hangup or add to a keepsake box or family scrapbook. 

A PLACE FOR EVERYTHING (AND EVERYTHING IN IT'S PLACE). Making a habit or routine of keeping items in the exact same place everyday will save you much mental anguish. Everyone in our house knows- water bottles, indoor shoes, and any other items that need to go to school daily are to be stored IN backpacks. We also keep a small zipper pouch inside that serves as a designated spot for things like pizza day money or forms that need to be returned to teachers.

DARE WE SAY PAIN-FREE LUNCH PACKING? The newest lunch trend over the last couple of years seems to be bento-style lunch boxes. I will admit, I was a bit of skeptic at first, but after two full school years of packing lunches this way, I will wholeheartedly attest they are worth every bit of hype! Having small compartments makes it easy to designate which item should go in which spot, taking all the guess work out of what to grab from the fridge. A spot for fruit, a spot for veg, a sandwich and a little treat, and you are done. Plus, they are better for the enviroment and our health- no waste and no need for overpriced, prepackaged food!

Be sure to check out Pinterest for endless bento box lunch inspiration!

A FILE FOR REPORT CARDS AND SCHOOL PHOTOS. Create a file folder in your filing cabinet for school photos and report cards. Each year, keep adding to the file, and soon you have a really neat time capsule of year after year photos and progress reports. Feel free to use this folder for team photos and swimming report cards too.

DON'T FORGET THE SNACKS! Set up an easy access station full of nutritious and healthy snacks that all members of your home can easily access. It fills the void after school, and allows for a quick grab-and-go on the way out the door to hockey practice or meetings. Plus we promise you wont miss the constant 'I'm still hungry!' requests between the hours of 3 and 6.

This blog post was written by Jessica Thorburn - Our Vancouver-based Marketing and Administration Superstar.