Paper clutter at home can feel like a problem that multiplies overnight. Receipts, school handouts, bills, invitations, and coupons seem to appear from nowhere. This week we share practical systems we use to keep paper under control and show exactly where everything goes. We also recount a tile installation hiccup at the beach house that was eventually resolved, explain some psychology behind pricing items on Craigslist, offer a simple trick for keeping frame galleries straight, and mention the announced color trends for 2018.
You can download this episode from Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher, and TuneIn Radio — or listen to it below. Use this page to check any links, notes, or photos we referenced. Note: If you’re reading in a feed reader, you might have to click through to the post to see the player.
What’s New
(the tile shown above was swapped from black to blue during the install)
- That photo was taken the morning after a behind-the-scenes tile and drain challenge at the beach house that we glossed over in last week’s post. We removed a few tiles that hadn’t been set well in the dark the night before and reset them properly in daylight.
- You can spot slightly darker thinset around the drain where we pried up a 20″ area. We initially used white thinset, then mixed gray thinset when we reset the tiles to sit level with the drain; once we grout it, that will be concealed.
- If you look closely you’ll notice one star tile near the top left sits a bit high and off-center. It’s easy to fix before grouting — we’ll pop out a few tiles and reset them to be perfectly aligned.
- The drain leveling issues were ultimately resolved (as shown in last week’s update). We still need to grout the entire floor.
(another view of the tile)
- If you missed the story about finding a lost dog’s owner earlier in the year, you can hear it at the start of Episode #34. Note: If you’re reading in a feed reader, you might have to click through to the post to see the player.
Quick Tip
- I first heard about the study on round-number pricing versus precise sale prices on NPR’s Hidden Brain. The research explains how different price formats can influence how quickly or for how much an item sells.
- If you’re selling items online, consider testing both rounded prices (e.g., $50) and precise prices (e.g., $49.37) to see which performs better for your market and items.
What’s Not
- Behr released its 2018 Color Trends, including its first-ever Color of the Year. If color trends matter to your projects, check their official announcement for details and palette suggestions.
Listener Question: Paper Clutter
(art and chandelier featured in our photo)
- One of our earliest paper-clutter solutions is a school paper tray that sits on top of our printer cabinet. It’s a simple drop zone for things to be dealt with in bulk weekly. The cabinet below holds files for longer-term storage.
- We also keep a receipt/invoice drawer where we toss items we’ll need for taxes. Each month we review that drawer when updating QuickBooks, then move documents into an accordion folder organized by year and then by month.
- For reducing junk mail, we still recommend the PaperKarma app. For digital coupons, apps like SnipSnap help you store offers on your phone instead of filling drawers with paper coupons.
We’re Digging
- To keep gallery walls straight, we use velcro-like adhesive strips available in multiple sizes. Buying a multipack and cutting larger strips in half allows you to get two strips from one, which is handy for different frame sizes.
- We enjoyed The Big Sick — it makes for a great date-night movie. If it’s not in theaters near you anymore, keep an eye out for it on streaming or rental services.
If you’re searching for an item we mentioned in a past episode, we maintain a master list of everything we’ve featured in our “We’re Digging” segments from past shows.
Finally, thanks to Universal Furniture for sponsoring this episode. They’re running a promotion to win $10,000 in living room furniture at UniversalFurniture.com/YHL through August 28th. We also appreciated how they furnished the Country Living 2017 Lake House of the Year.
Thanks for listening, everyone!
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