Have you ever wondered why we keep things? What we keep? What we're going to do with all the stuff? Let's peek inside our heads at the ways we hoard and the reasons we give to ourselves to keep things.

>We keep our kids school work even when they want to trash it. Heaven forbid

that we throw away all that adorable artwork.

>We keep old bills and other paperwork for years because we don't know what to do with

them and it's easier to just jam them into a file cabinet, or pile them on top of the desk, than

to make a decision on them.

> Newspapers strewn over every flat surface in our house. We can't recycle them until we

have read them. We can't bear the thought that we might miss something.

> We have so many books that we can start our own library.

> We have clothes ranging in sizes from 6-16 because someday we will lose the weight and

be able to fit in the smaller size.

Now that we've looked at our hoarding issues, what do we do about it? It does take making changes to our old way of thinking. We have to RETRAIN OUR BRAIN!

Our kids school work. Try to train yourself, just like we do with children, to keep no more than 12 treasured pieces of artwork per year. Make an art gallery on one of your walls. At the end of each year, pick ONE of the best to keep.

Bills. Unless you need to keep your utility and telephone bills for your business taxes, there is no need to keep them. When you receive a current bill, check to be sure that last month's bill is showing as paid and then discard last month's bill.

Newspapers and magazines. Keep only the subscriptions that you have time to read.

Consider getting the newspaper on weekends only! Share you magazine subscription with friends.

Books. Train yourself to get rid of a book each time you buy a new book. Give your library card a workout instead of your wallet.

Clothes. Turn all the clothes hangers around in your closet so the open part of the hanger faces the front of the closet. When you wear something, hang it back in the closet like you normally would. At the end of one year, if the hanger is still facing the front of the closet, its time to dispose of that piece of clothing.

Whether you're trying to organize your home, office or garage, you must start slowly. Trying to do things in one day is so overwhelming and frustrating that you basically just give up and never attempt it again. Stop being a perfectionist so that you can stop procrastinating. Just start. One small step at a time will help you gain strength for the bigger projects.

If you want to quit living in CHAOS (Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome) and need help restoring your cluttered home to order, join Kathy Andio in her STOPCLUTTER FROM STEALING YOUR LIFE class.

The class will be held on Tuesdays from 7:30 - 8:30 p.m. and begins April 8. It will be held at the Jupiter Community Center, 210 Military Trail in Jupiter, located behind the police department. The class is on-going and the cost is a $7.00 walk-in fee.

For more info and to begin a new way of living, call Kathy at 561-627 -1386.