Re: Home office

bmorechick · ‎03-11-2010

@bargainsgirl Yes, I do but it's actually what used to be my dining room, which was used maybe 4 times in 23 years we've been here. Wasted space, so I got rid of the table and chairs and made it a work space. I work from home quite a bit, and I too needed a dedicated work space. Works for me!

monicakm · ‎03-16-2010

@Puppy Lips

I don't keep owner manual/ instructions anymore either. You can download a PDF for an appliance or whatever and search for keywords. It's so much faster than thumbing through a booklet for an answer. And there's always Google and "how to" YouTube videos. That's why owner manuals are so much smaller now. Everything is accessible online.

haddon9 · ‎03-09-2010

I do. My office used to be a guestroom but when we did some home renovations last year I made it my extra room.

I have my desk, comfy love seat with ottoman, bookcase and TV in here with my computer. It's a small spare bedroom upstairs and best of all I have a double window overlooking several acres of green lawn surrounded by mature trees.

My desk & chair are situated in a way so when I look out I can't see any houses. Our house backs up to a retention basin and over the years our community has done a great job maintaining it so the grass looks like a golf course.

It makes my backyard look like it goes on for several acres (which it does not). Once in a while I will catch some wild life running though....plenty of squirrels, deer and an occasional fox.

Since I had this room done, I have spent many hours in here either on the computer, watching TV, doing bills or just staring out the window.

haddon9 · ‎03-09-2010

@Puppy Lips wrote:
We do. In fact I just recently got it cleaned up and more organized. It has a wood floor and a wall of built in bookshelves. It has a desk and a comfortable chair for reading. I just put the Berkshire Sunflower blanket on the chair and it looks great there. We also have two short wood fiile cabinets for all the papers. I have a place for decorations on top of them.

I am one that keeps EVERYTHING as far as paper statements for all the bills, insurance stuff, bank statements, anything and everything. When the files get too full, I move some to a banker's box, labeled, and put it in the garage. I am sure someday I will recycle it all, but not now.

Years ago I used to work for a mortgage company for years. I would pull credit reports on all the buyers. So many would have old bills and collections on their report that, "I swore I paid that, " etc. Yet they had no proof. I think that started me on a path of keeping everything.

One of our sons keeps absolutely nothing. I just found out that he threw out the instructions to all his new appliances. He thinks he can just find everything online. That may be true, but still........ he keeps being a minimalist to an extreme.

@Puppy Lips I have decided to be a minimalist when it comes to papers. Most instructions can be found online and there are also YouTube videos on how to use a product. A few important papers I will keep but most are out of the house!

When my brother and I had to clean out our mother's condo we discovered a mountain of papers! She was the type to save EVERY paper & receipt from the time she got married in 1950 until she passed in 2021.

She even kept grocery store receipts that she would put in a folder along with her CC statement....each month for decades!

It was a nightmare! Even though it was "organized" it was more than overwhelming....bank records that over the decades were bought out by other banks so we coudn't figure out if they were one account or several. Frustrating to say the least! I'm just scratching the surface.

We had several large trash bags where we hauled it down to a UPS store to be shredded. I can't remember the cost but it wasn't cheap.

I vowed not to leave my kids all of that unnecessary paperwork.

Desertdi · ‎03-13-2010

I have what they call a "bonus room"...and use it as an office. It also has a studio couch, and a small closet...

♥Surface of the Sun♥

bargainsgirl · ‎01-13-2012

@BarbieDollToo wrote:
I don't have a home office, per se, but I do have a couple of spare guest rooms where I have a desk set up with all my office type items in one of them. I don't work from home, so my set up is enough for me.

I don't have a gift closet either, but I do have a couple of shelves that I keep some future presents on. LOL

LOL I don't have a gift closet either. Never did. Now I only buy gifts for my 2 grandchildren and my own 3 kids. Don't need a closet for that!

Puppy Lips · ‎05-09-2010

@monicakm wrote:
@Puppy Lips

I don't keep owner manual/ instructions anymore either. You can download a PDF for an appliance or whatever and search for keywords. It's so much faster than thumbing through a booklet for an answer. And there's always Google and "how to" YouTube videos. That's why owner manuals are so much smaller now. Everything is accessible online.

@monicakm I know, I know. I am old school I guess. Plus, if the internet ever goes down permanently, well then I would be you-know-what. But then I guess the whole world would be too, lol.

Always remember that you are absolutely unique. Just like everyone else. Margaret Mead

Puppy Lips · ‎05-09-2010

@haddon9 wrote:
@Puppy Lips wrote:
We do. In fact I just recently got it cleaned up and more organized. It has a wood floor and a wall of built in bookshelves. It has a desk and a comfortable chair for reading. I just put the Berkshire Sunflower blanket on the chair and it looks great there. We also have two short wood fiile cabinets for all the papers. I have a place for decorations on top of them.

I am one that keeps EVERYTHING as far as paper statements for all the bills, insurance stuff, bank statements, anything and everything. When the files get too full, I move some to a banker's box, labeled, and put it in the garage. I am sure someday I will recycle it all, but not now.

Years ago I used to work for a mortgage company for years. I would pull credit reports on all the buyers. So many would have old bills and collections on their report that, "I swore I paid that, " etc. Yet they had no proof. I think that started me on a path of keeping everything.

One of our sons keeps absolutely nothing. I just found out that he threw out the instructions to all his new appliances. He thinks he can just find everything online. That may be true, but still........ he keeps being a minimalist to an extreme.
@Puppy Lips I have decided to be a minimalist when it comes to papers. Most instructions can be found online and there are also YouTube videos on how to use a product. A few important papers I will keep but most are out of the house!

When my brother and I had to clean out our mother's condo we discovered a mountain of papers! She was the type to save EVERY paper & receipt from the time she got married in 1950 until she passed in 2021.

She even kept grocery store receipts that she would put in a folder along with her CC statement....each month for decades!

It was a nightmare! Even though it was "organized" it was more than overwhelming....bank records that over the decades were bought out by other banks so we coudn't figure out if they were one account or several. Frustrating to say the least! I'm just scratching the surface.

We had several large trash bags where we hauled it down to a UPS store to be shredded. I can't remember the cost but it wasn't cheap.

I vowed not to leave my kids all of that unnecessary paperwork.

@haddon9 Thank you for your post. If and when I downsize, I will definately recycle all those papers. If I don't downsize, then I will do it before I get too much older. Tax returns and all the documentation though, I think I will keep. My kids will have to throw those out. But you are right, I don't want my boys to go through what you did.

Always remember that you are absolutely unique. Just like everyone else. Margaret Mead