Thinking about selling the clothes you purged from your newly organized closet? A consignment shop is a great way to make some money from items you no longer want. But be sure you know the rules before casting off your unwanted items. Before you load up your car with bags of clothing find out what stores will except and when. Most stores are no longer taking summer items and will only want winter and fall. Some items need to be on hangers and less than 3 years old unless of course it is Chanel. So call ahead, find out what they except and schedule an appointment.

Have you been meaning to clean out and organize the basement? Nothing forces you to do this dreaded task then a rainstorm followed by a flooded basement. This weekend I saw many homes with several bags of trash, rolled up carpet, wet boxes and furniture out for trash pick up. The recent rainstorms caused many basements to flood and residents spent the weekend cleaning up water soaked possessions. I hate to see people parting with irreplaceable items like pictures and other family possessions. The carpet can be replaced but not the pictures. Do yourself a favor and store items kept on the floor in heavy duty plastic storage bins. This way the water and moisture cant get to your belongings. Cardboard boxes break, get wet and once wet they mold ruin your stuff.

Is it possible to be productive during the heat wave? All this extra time staying inside will give you a chance to help yourself and the environment. You can do this by organizing and unplugging cords under your desk, on counters and anywhere else cords are plugged into the wall. Right now its critical that we conserve energy. Anything that is plugged in, even if its not on is drawing power. By the way you are paying for this.

Tie loose cords together with cable ties. If you want to take it a step further add a label to the cord. This is helpful in the home office or entertainment center.

Do you avoid calling companies because you don't have time to wait on hold? We have more important things to do each day than waiting for someone to pick up the phone. Heres a tip to help you organize your time a little better. Check out "Holdr" an App that waits on hold for you! You call the number and Holdr calls you back when an agent picks up the line. You can also have Holdr call you back at another number. Love it!

Having you been staring at a pile of clothes in your closet or stack of paperwork in your office? As daunting as it may seem to tackle this organizing project you may just be rewarded by jumping in and giving it your best shot. Take a few moments to look through the paperwork or hang up your clothes. It is possible that you may even find a lost treasure. Some of the most common items we find organizing homes and offices are gift certificates, important documents and clothes we have forgotten.

Tired of sorting through piles of owners manuals when you have a question about your camera or dishwasher? There are several ways to keep your manuals organized but here is a quick way to get started with the organizing process. If you do not have a lot of time begin by separating your manuals by "Appliances", "Electronics", "Equipment" and "Other." There are many ways to break these categories down further but this is the first step in the process. Its exciting to get a new appliance or gadget and sometimes keeping the paperwork together is the last thing on our minds when ripping open a box and trying to turn it on. Keep them safe and easy to find until you need them. Good Luck!

Have you ever lost your cell phone? It can be frustrating! Be sure to keep your IMEI, MEID or ESN numbers which can be found on your phone in a safe place. Use these numbers to identify your phone to carrier if ever lost. Use Find My Iphone App for the IPhone to locate your phone with GPS. For the Blackberry use the Blackberry locator App to to ring your phone even if its on vibrate or silent mode. Do this now before you loose your phone. Now if it could only find your keys.

Are you running out of room in your kitchen cabinets? Does just the thought of putting away the dishes frustrate you? Make life easier in the kitchen by organizing your cabinets and giving yourself more space. Pair down the amount of dishes you don't use everyday so everything fits every time. Remove appliances that only get used on occasion. Store these extras so they are accessible but not in your way. If you have to go to another area in your home like dining room, basement or garage for items once a month or year that's better then trying to make your small space work with too much stuff.

Quick tip for kids toys. Kids accumulate a lot of toys and those toys come with many accessories. From tiny microscopic pieces to odd shaped extras making organizing a challenge! If the tiny pieces do not get much attention or the only attention they get is from your vacuum cleaner separate them from the toy bin. Store the pieces in a plastic bag or bin and add a label with the name and description. If the toys are used without the little extra pieces you might be able to get rid of them for good. But if they are a major part of the activity save for a later date.

Do you have clothing favorites hanging in your closet that you absolutely love? How often do you wear them?

a) Everyday

b) Once a month

c) Once a year

d) Never

Did you have a lot of leftover food at your Fourth of July party? We often over buy for parties or decide we don't want to experiment with a new recipe or ingredients. The food we buy ends up staying on our shelves uneaten until it expires. This food gets discovered while organizing your pantry and eventually gets thrown away. Do yourself and others a favor by donating unopened food to a local food pantry before expires. Go through your pantry from time to time and ask yourself if you are really ever going to try this food. If not, give it to someone who really needs it.