I hope this proves to be a clutter-free, clutter-cleansing year for us all. I continue to enjoy your feedback and kudos for the site. Thanks as always for your positive comments and success stories.Ôø‡ Remember, decluttering is like losing weight, it disappears a little at a time.

If there are specific questions or clutter issues you'd like to see featured in my newsletters, please do let me know. I want to know how YOU are doing personally with your individual clutter challenges. This site is about you, it's about freeing up your time to enjoy the things that really matter. I am here to help you accomplish just that.

I have lots of new information to share with you, look for my next newsletter covering "Stop Paper Junk in Its Tracks", and then, "How To Deal With Telemarketers Once and For All".

Let's address the subject of S*P*A*M*, it seems to me that now is a good time. They are offering us more "stuff" with a vengeance. Let's head them off at the pass!

My new version of AOL does contain a S*P*A*M* filter, for which I am very grateful, but it seems that the junk keeps coming and although I know this program is designed to help, I often find valid mail in my S*P*A*M folder, which I diligently put back into my incoming mail folder.

We all know the dangers of opening mail from strangers but oh, the temptation for that "special offer" is still there. Personally, I delete any mail from ANYONE I don't know immediately after I open my mailbox. My curiosity doesn't outweigh the fear of infecting my computer with a virus which will make it so, so sick. AOL also has the function of reporting S*P*A*M* to them, which only takes a second and I am happy to do it.

I feel the same way about S*P*A*M* as I do Junk Mail at the Post Office. If I didn't ask for it, I feel completely empowered when I toss the mail, or in this case, delete it from my inbox.

I urge you to do the same. Use your DELETE button as often as you can and you will find you have saved precious time.

In fact, isn't TIME what we all want more of? The same 24-hour day seems to have gotten shorter, and I can see that much of it is consumed by reading endless S*P*A*M*.

The bottom line: IT'S YOUR TIME - GUARD IT WELL. I think we have a feeling of obligation to read everything which reaches our inbox and these invaders CAN be stopped.

Here are some ways to STOP THE INVADERS:

1. Use the delete button, don't open mail from strangers and report S*P*A*M* to your server.

UNSUBSCRIBE to any unwanted offers.

Also, there is easy-to-use S*P*A*M* blocking software for Outlook and Outlook Express users. It uses a self-taught filter which learns from any new message received and sent, enabling it to conform to your e-mail habits. The more email you send and receive the more accurate SPAM BULLY becomes. This all happens naturally in the background with no interaction on your part.

ANTI-SPAM

http://www.spambayes.org - FREE for Outlook and Outlook Express but no support

http://www.clutterbug.net/spambully - paid with support.

ANTI-SPYWARE and ADWARE. If your browser is infected with popups that you can't stop, then you may have spyware on your computer. First, weÔø‡ recommend switching to the FIREFOX browser. It's free, works great, has tabbed browsing to keep your surfing organized and it's not susceptible to spyware. http://www.getfirefox.com. For a rating of various anti-spyware solutions go to http://tinyurl.com/3ls8f

Everything I've outlined here will save you countless hours, and can be accomplished in 10-15 minutes. GO FOR IT, and as I always say, with a smile, "I'm mad as heck and I'm not going to take it anymore".

Let me know how this works for you. I'm always anxious for your feedback.

Love and peace to you all, HAPPY S*P*A*M* blocking! Christy

BOOK REVIEW:

CLUTTER'S LAST STAND, 2nd edition, It's Time to De-Junk Your Life! By Don Aslett

Publication Date: March 15, 2005; Adams Media, a division of F+W Publications Company

http://www.adamsmedia.com $9.95US $13.95CAN Trade paperback; ISBN: 1593373295

To help support our website, you may order directly through Barnes & Nobles at http://tinyurl.com/4cnx8 (shortened url provided for email convenience)

Don Aslett has long been my personal HERO. In faact, I've heard firsthand that his no-maintenance home in Hawaii is a modern marvel. Here's a man who truly practices what he preaches. This is a guy who understands completely that there is "life beyond junk", and that decluttering truly frees one to do the things which really matter. But, ultimately, his sense of humor shines over a very serious problem...junk.

Consider his definition of "Kinck-knacks". "Humandkind, deep in its secret heart, has always wanted to create and control its own world. To do so on a big scale like the Lord did is a little out of reach, so we mortals settled on a lesser approach. We created little wood, plastic, china and metal models and miniatures of every creature and structure ever devised, rounded them up, and put them on a shelf so we could rule over them. And we named our scaled-down universe Knickknacks...The only time our interest is aroused much if when one of them gets knocked off and broken; then we wail and sob like a wounded packrat (we'd glue it back together but can't remember if it was a Mayan warrior or Pluto the Dog)"

Or this gem: "Remember that storage costs money...Not only is up to 33 percent - that's one-third - of our homes today devoted to storage, but we have to seek ways and means beyond that to store the overflow. We stick it under beds, under stairs, in wall units; stow it in attics, basements, furnace rooms, "spare" rooms; fill the garage with it; then migrate to the yard and get little sheds. When they fill, we head for the local rental unit. Clutter also serves as an enticement for burglary and fodder for accidents, and it makes nice fuel for fires....Storage units are the ghost town for clutter, a testimony of shame. Why do people store things in another place? Because they aren't using them!"

If you're not sure whether or not to read this book, I suggest you do.Ôø‡  And answer the questions on the "Junkee Entrance Exam".Ôø‡  You can score yourself from 1-5, here are some sample questions:

"I have more-than-a-year-old magazines stored/lying around.

I own clothes that won't fit or are ugly or hopelessly out of style.

I have old games/puzzles/patterns with pieces missing.

I keep unread junk mail, lapsed driver's licenses, and expired policies.

My medicine chest holds bottles of ancient vitamins and antique prescriptions.

I hoard old socks or pantyhose with one ruined leg.

I have old curtains or blinds stashed away that I've dragged from past residences."

This is a funny, helpful and hopeful MUST READ for clutterbugs. As Don so profoundly states, "Life doesn't begin at forty, sixty-five, twenty, thirty, when you get married, when you get promoted, or when you have grandkids--life truly begins when you discover how flexible and free you are without clutter.

I couldn't agree more.Ôø‡  So Don, thanks for another eye-opening book, you are my hero.

Buy this book, and let me know your successes after reading it.