I just completed a FREE printable for you and I hope you love it. It's my exclusive Get Organized Now! 2021 Monthly Organizing Calendar, filled with daily organizing TO DOs and inspiration to help you get and stay organized, and keep you motivated along the way. To access and print it, visit:
getorganizednow.com/free-resources.html

Happy organizing and happy new year!

Maria Gracia

P.S. Please forward this newsletter to friends and family so they, too, can access this resource. Thank you for spreading the love!

One of my favorite things in the world is hearing from my Get Organized Now! readers. Someone always has an interesting idea, something funny he or she read, an accomplishment, a call for help, and more. Please keep your letters coming. Although I can't respond to all of them personally...I read each and every one, and try to include as many as I can in my newsletter.

Here's one I recently received that really tugged at my heartstrings...along with my return response.

____________________

Hi Maria,

I wish you and your family a happy new year. Mine isn't going too well and wonder if you can advise me.

My older brother is in a nursing home with stage 4 cancer and has not paid any bills or looked at his mail since last August. He also is a hoarder and his house is so full of junk and trash, you barely can walk in it.

He stayed with our mother and me from August 2019 until March 2020, when he got into such a poor state of health that he had to have 24 hour care. My 89-year old mother went to see him on December 9th and was hit by the automatic doors. She broke her left shoulder and hip.

I am her power of attorney, but my brother never realized I needed to be his power of attorney to handle his affairs.

Is there anything you can suggest to help me with their affairs? My mother is in a geriatric ward for two weeks and then is looking at months of rehab.

Thanks,

Wendell Ellerbee

____________________

Hi Wendell,

Thanks so much for your note and for sharing your current circumstances with me. From my heart to yours, I'm thinking of your brother, your mom, and you, and will add all of you to my prayer list. It's never easy when a family member is seriously ill. It's even harder when something else happens that makes life even more challenging...your mom and what happened to her with the automatic doors. My goodness!

I'm glad to hear that you are your mom's power of attorney. I'm assuming you're currently handling all of her bills as they come. Maybe you were even doing this before her accident?

I'm not sure, since your brother is in a nursing home with stage 4 cancer, what his responsibilities are as far as his debts. That's definitely a question for a lawyer. Is your mom your brother's power of attorney? If so, I'm pretty sure you can get the lawyer who set that up to include your name as a second power of attorney if you'll be paying his bills out of his funds.

If you end up taking on the responsibility for paying your brother's bills and your mom's bills, I would suggest these tips to help keep everything organized:

1) Don't handle your bills, your brother's bills, and your mom's bills all on the same day. This is too overwhelming and could get very confusing. Designate specific days each week for each person's bills.

2) Portable file boxes can help keep everything separated and organized. Use one for your brother's affairs, and another for your mom's affairs. I'm assuming you have a filing cabinet at home for your own affairs, but if not, you may want to get a third.

3) Keep good records of everything you're paying, either recorded in a notebook or a digital spreadsheet, like Excel...a separate notebook or a separate computer file for each person. Be sure you're recording who you're paying, the date, the amount, and the invoice number...and file all paperwork in the portable file boxes. In addition, if you're paying bills online, make a main digital folder, within your email program, so you can drag all related paid invoices into those folders, for safe-keeping.

As far as your brother's possessions, I would recommend you speak to your brother about those. He may be the type of person who says, 'Go ahead and clean it out.' In this case, you can begin to declutter a little at a time each weekend. Get help if you can! Renting a dumpster may be in order. You may even consider hiring an estate cleanout company. On the other hand, your brother may be the type of person who says, 'Don't touch anything.' In this case, you may have to put the thought of this clean-out on hold.

Please keep me posted on how things are going. Sending thoughts of strength. And please remember to take care of yourself through all this.

Hugs,

To fast-forward to My Oh-So-Organized Filing System Deluxe, visit:

getorganizednow.com/rd-mosofs.html

If you're sick and tired of the piles of paper taking over your home and your life, I have great news. I have the perfect solution for you to get it all organized once and for all, in no time, with little effort!

My Oh-So-Organized Filing System Deluxe sold exclusively on my Get Organized Now! web site, is ready to help you get your piles of paper organized so you can get your papers in perfect order AND find what you need within 10 seconds or less In fact, it's not just a filing system. It's actually a Filing System AND an Organizing System rolled into one. And the best part is...no thinking required! I've thought of the easiest method for you to follow, along with all the categories you'll need and then some!

PLUS, as this month's 'New Year's' Special...until FRIDAY, JANUARY 8TH when you get your hands on a copy of My Oh-So-Organized Filing System Deluxe , you'll also get 7 COMPLIMENTARY eBook BONUSES, all created by me.

P.S. Get your paperwork in order once and for all. And don't miss out on these COMPLIMENTARY BONUSES. For more details, visit:

getorganizednow.com/rd-mosofs.html

___ 1. Do today's (January 5) Organizing TO DO provided in my January Organizing Checklist. If you have overstuffed file folders, today's TO DO is especially for you. Visit GetOrganizedNow.com to access it.

___ 3. Get your child's/grandchild's artwork organized If you have kids at home, or grandkids who visit your home often, help them get their artwork (coloring pages, school art, art supplies, etc.) organized a bit. Visit GetOrganizedNow.com to read my tips and begin this project.

___ 3. Give a book away. Give a good book you've read, and don't plan to read again, to a neighbor or friend. Include a note in it to 'pass it on to someone else' when that person is done enjoying it.

I'd love to hear from you.

I LOVE GON reader mail! Whether it's a comments, suggestions, or just a note to say hello, REPLY to this email with a short note.

And remember...there's no better time to get organized, than to Get Organized Now!

Warmly,

Maria Gracia
Get Organized Now!
getorganizednow.com

(c) Copyright 2021 by Maria Gracia, Get Organized Now!

* Copyright, contact and reprint information:
getorganizednow.com/contact.html

* You signed up to receive our Idea-Kit and/or our Newsletter at our Get Organized Now! Web site. We never add names unless you have voluntarily opted in.

* We never rent, trade or sell our email list to anyone. You'll never get an unsolicited email from a stranger as a result of joining this list.

* If you happen to purchase anything I recommend in this newsletter, or any of my communications, I may receive compensation. Still, I only recommend what I truly believe in and share with my friends and family. If you ever have an issue with anything I recommend, please let me know. I want to make sure I am always serving you at the highest level.

* To subscribe, visit:
getorganizednow.com/free-ezine.html


* To unsubscribe, if you absolutely must go, please click the link below. However . . .

YIKES! - If you unsubscribe, you'll lose all the complimentary organizing resources I share with my loyal readers each week. You'll lose the tips, reader ideas, reader clinics, complimentary videos, ebooks, resource recommendations, and the many valuable bonuses I offer each month. Please don't go. I love sending you all of this free training. I'd be lost and lonely without you. If there is something more you would like from my newsletters, then please reply to this email and let me know.
-- Maria Gracia