Image Courtesy BrotherUSA.com

Today on WFMZ-TV’s morning news show Diane shared with viewers tips and tricks on how to regain control after the holidays. She showed how labeling your cords and cables can save you time and stress. The Simply Stylish PT-1090 Label Maker has a special cable labeling feature to make labeling quick and simple.

Diane demonstrated how to keep cords at bay or tucked against a wall or desk buy using Command cord clips by 3M. Command allows you to place the clips where you need without the worry of damaging walls or other surfaces.

Diane showed how to eliminate the cords required to recharge your electronic devices.  Powermat simplifies charging by allowing you to charge over a thousand devices with one Powemat.

Are you struggling to remove price stickers off or have you accidentally put a postage stamp or label in the wrong place? Diane showed viewers how Un-du can quickly solve your dilemma. Un-du is a temporary adhesive neutralizer for non-water based adhesive. Water based adhesives are the type you moisten to stick such as an envelope.

To receive more tips and tricks on getting organized and staying organized, sign up for our free online newsletter, Organizing Made Easy and become a fan on Facebook.

If you live in close proximity to Allentown, Pennsylvania consider attending our free SOAR (Socialize, Organize, Accessorize, and Revitalize) Event on Sunday January 9, 2011 and helps us celebrate “GO Month” (Get Organized Month). This event is free to the public, but we highly recommend registering. Click, for more information.

Wishing you a happy GO Month,

Wish you could find some extra cash? Finding a little extra “green” may be easier than you imagined. An outreach program was developed by states and provinces to reunite property owners with their lost or forgotten assets. This online database was created in 1999 to perform comprehensive searches for lost assets that are required by law to be turned over to the states and provinces.

It’s easy for property to become unclaimed — it happens all the time! Maybe you’ve moved, and your insurance company has been unable to locate you. That insurance policy you bought still belongs to you - and so does that dividend check the company sent out.* The Pennsylvania treasury office alone is currently searching for the owners of nearly 2 billion dollars!

Common types of unclaimed property include:
• Bank accounts and safe deposit box contents
• Stocks, mutual funds, bonds, and dividends
• Uncashed checks and wages
• Insurance policies, CD’s, trust funds
• Utility deposits, escrow accounts*

To find out if you have unclaimed property go to MissingMoney.com. Not all states are in the database just yet but new ones are being added monthly. Check the database often as additional states and newly reported unclaimed property will be added. If the state you want is not in the database you can find that state’s individual website for missing money by clicking here.

Don’t just search for yourself, search for your family, friends, and the company you work for (you may score some extra points). When checking the database you can search by a single state or province, or by “all states and provinces.” I recommend first checking your current state of residence, then all states and provinces. It might be a bit confusing on how to check “all.” The easiest way to accomplish this task is by first selecting your state. Next, select “search.” After the search is completed click on the dropdown menu for states and provinces. Select the very top entry in the drop down list, “Search all states and provinces.” Then select “search” again. Now the database will search all states and provinces.

Be sure to read search tips for MissingMoney.com.

Please do post below if you found unclaimed money or property.

Wishing you much success at MissingMoney.com!

Much information on this page was directly quoted from MissingMoney.com

Whether you have electronic items that work or are in need of major repair, you can recycle or donate them. While some places refurbish the electronic items and resell them at low cost to needy individuals or organizations, others will recycle the parts. No matter what type of electronic item you have, there typically is a place to recycle it.

If you have any of the following items, consider recycling or donating them – computer, laptop, printer, fax machine, copier, PDA, cellular phone, keyboard, cords, cables, telephone, batteries (chargeable and non-chargeable). If you are not sure where to recycle in your area, go to 1800recycling.com.

Places that take electronic items:

Team Children - collected, repaired, and distributed over 9,000 low cost refurbished computers to families, schools and organizations.

Staples - Will take computers, monitors, and printers for $10 per item. If it is a Dell it is free

Office Depot – Fill the tech recycling box (Small $5, Medium $10, and Large $15 weight limit also) with as many acceptable electronic items. Acceptable items

Best Buy - Takes just about anything electronic, including TVs, DVD players, computer monitors, cell phones and more. You can bring in up to two items a day, per household, and most things are absolutely free. However, there is a $10 charge for TVs 32″ and under, CRTs, monitors and laptops — but they’ll give you a $10 Best Buy gift card to offset that cost.

All Bright Ideas – has a weeklong recycling event every two to three months. Takes just about any electronic item including batteries. They have a year round drop off for batteries (household and rechargeable but must be leak-free).

 Go green!

Does time just fly by when you are on the computer? Does your time on the computer end up being less productive than you’d like it to be?  The likely culprit is the Internet. If you’re the type that easily gets caught up in reading the latest news and celebrity headline stories, here is a quick fix:

Make those irresistible headlines disappear! After all, if you can’t see them, you can’t and won’t be tempted to click on them. All you need to do is change the settings for your Internet Browser’s default home page. If this sounds complicated, don’t worry, it’s really simple to do.

First, you’ll need to decide if you want your Internet browser to open up to a blank page (no website) or a home page of a website that you use often, or would like to use. If you are choosing a web site, you must be careful to choose one that will not waste your time. I would recommend choosing one that has no reading material. But if you must, perhaps you can find one with quick, simple and beneficial tips. My recommendation, of course, would be http://www.dianealbright.com/blog, but if a blog causes you to waste too much time or has no immediate benefit, avoid it.  

Next, you’ll need to make changes to your Internet browser’s defaults or settings. I’ll take you through the steps for Internet Explorer (if you do not have the latest version of Internet Explorer, you may need to update it):

1. Open Internet Explorer (you probably already have it open if you are reading this).

2. Select Tools (normally on the far right, at the top).

3. Select Internet Options.

4. Select the General tab at the top.

5. Fill in the box at the top under Home. (See photo below) Enter the web address beginning with http:// and then enter the address. You may enter multiple addresses, but they each must be entered on a separate line. If you enter more than one web address, each individual web site will open up under a new tab on Internet Explorer. If you prefer that Internet Explorer does not open up to any web sites, remove the web address and leave the area blank.

6. Once the web addresses have been removed or entered, click OK to save the changes. The next time you open up Internet Explorer the changes should take effect.

Happy time-saving! 

A laser wireless mouse (as opposed to a non-laser mouse) is quicker, smoother, and oh so much better than a regular mouse. The laser mouse glides right along with such precision. I feel in love with Microsoft’s wireless laser mouse two years ago. I was so thrilled with the difference that this mouse made, I bought this type of mouse for every computer I had at home and work.

Then, a few months ago I ordered a new laptop and much to my surprise feel in love with yet a faster mouse. This mouse is wired, something I am normally opposed to. But, my Toshiba wired laser mouse is really the ultimate for me. It moves faster than any other mouse I have used and oh it glides so smoothly. It is a tiny little mouse so it is very lightweight. I was apprehensive about purchasing a small mouse, but now I wouldn’t purchase anything but a small mouse. The larger mice now seem clunky and hard to move.

If you are at all like me and have a passion for saving time, consider switching your mouse and donating your old one to a school or charity. I truly believe I save time when using my small laser mouse. In most cases I think the smaller the better, but I’ll let you be the judge!

Diane