Christa Wagner

Twelve percent of Vancouverites are leaving town during the Winter Olympics, and taking advantage of the huge influx in visitors. Home rentals are bringing in big dollars for those who choose to jet-set to a sandy beach somewhere far away from the chaos and congestion. 

Most would agree that allowing strangers into your home is a gamble, so before you get on the plane (if you can make your way to the airport,) do your homework and prepare your home for your unfamiliar guests.  Here are some tips to make this as simple as possible. 

1. Confirm your agreement:  Prior to your renter’s arrival, confirm all details of your arrangement to avoid any surprises.  Include details such as amount received as deposit, total rental fees, period of rental agreement, insurance coverage, and condition of property at the time of arrival.   Be sure to use simple, precise language, and provide a copy to both parties. 
2. Make your renters feel at home:  Leave a welcome letter.   This letter is a nice hospitable touch and is a great way to communicate any other items not covered in your agreement.   Explain any instructions for home appliances, alarm systems, or lighting, as well as anything else you’d like to add about your home or local area. Leave a list of phone numbers in case of emergency including the police department and fire department. 
3. Clean your home:  You want your renters to respect your home as much as you do, so take the time to clean all rooms and remove garbage.  Ask that they leave the property in the same condition upon exiting.  It’s also a good idea to remove any breakable or personal items (like birth certificates) and lock them in a safe place. 
4. Where will your renters sleep?  Who is coming, how many are in their party, and where will they sleep?  Do you have enough sleeping space?  Do you have a sufficient supply of bed linens, pillows and blankets?   Your renters are treating your home as a hotel so all sleeping essentials must be present. 
5. Bathroom:   Launder towels and washcloths. Make sure you have one for each guest.  It’s not necessary, but is a nice touch to provide basic toiletries like a fresh bar of soap, shampoo, and conditioner. 
6. Getting around town:  Your renters could be from anywhere, and they are not familiar with our city.  Help them out by gathering city maps, a map to the Olympic events and transit maps and schedules. Tourism Vancouver (www.tourismvancouver.com) provides many of these maps for free. Let your renters know that Translink offers a Games Transit Pass that provides unlimited travel on the bus, SeaBus and SkyTrain (including to the airport.)  Go to www.translink.ca. 
7. Dining out:  There are many choices for food in Vancouver. Give your renters a list of your favorite restaurants to help them decide where to dine. 

I have to admit, sitting on a warm sandy beach sounds wonderful, but in order to enjoy your vacation, take a few minutes prior to departure to prepare your home for your Olympic renters. 

For more information, go to www.savvysolutionsorganiznig.com or contact author Christa Wagner at 778.839.5792.

This article was published in the Vancouver Courier on January 29.  

The Winter Olympics are just days away and our city is about to experience a siege of activity.  Perhaps you are also about to experience an onslaught of guests in your home.   Whether the thought of friends and family camping out in your small Vancouver apartment brings excitement or anxiety, use our 7 Organizing Tips To Prepare Your Home For Olympic Visitors to make this once-in-a-lifetime experience amazing for everyone.  

1. Plan it out:  You may host several guests over the course of the games.  Map it out: who is coming and when, how many are in their party, where will they sleep, how are they getting to your home?  Think of your home as a hotel or bed-and-breakfast.  You don’t have to accommodate their every whim, but planning in advance will make this busy time fun for everyone. 
2. Where will your guests sleep?  Do you have enough sleeping space?  Do you need to get an air mattress?  Do you have a sufficient supply of bed linens, pillows, and blankets?   Does the bedroom need to be cleaned?  This is a great time to get the room organized, and to donate the items you no longer need, use, or love. 
3. Bathroom:   Launder towels and washcloths and make sure you have one for each guest.  Don’t forget about toiletries such as a fresh bar of soap, shampoo, and conditioner.  This is especially important with current airline security; let your guest to know they can leave these items at home. 
4. Getting around town:  It goes without saying that traffic is going to be interesting.  Encourage your guests to take public transit, providing them with transit maps and schedules.   Translink offers a Games Transit Pass that provides unlimited travel on the bus, SeaBus and SkyTrain (including to the airport.)  Go to www.translink.ca. 
5. Set the stage in your living room:   When you’re not going to an event, you will be watching it on TV, so make sure you have plenty of seating. Consider bringing in extra chairs or use pillows on the floor to give everyone a comfy seat.  
6. Stay energized:  With so many events and activities, guests may be coming and going all day long.  Get lots of snacks, energy bars, nuts and candy around so everyone can help themselves if they need a snack.  Also don’t forget about coffee, tea, and hot chocolate, since it may be cold on the mountains.  Providing your guests a list of recommended restaurants is always a great idea to help them decide where to dine. 
7. Dig out the extra winter gear:  It’s going to be chilly on the mountain, but winter clothes take up a lot of suitcase space.  You don’t have to go out shopping, but dig out the items you don’t use anymore.   Set aside gloves, hats, scarves and ski jackets so your guests can pack less and take home more souvenirs. 

What better way to celebrate the Olympics than to host guests and show them our fabulous city?  Use our 7 Organizing Tips To Prepare Your Home For Olympic Visitors and you’ll go down as a legendary host during this celebrated time. 

Christa Wagner is a local organizing diva; for more information on home and office efficiency, go to www.savvysolutionsorganiznig.com or contact author Christa Wagner at 778.839.5792.

Last year I introduced my Meal Planning Made Easy system and its gotten really good reviews, but a common comment is…. “I still don’t know what to make for dinner.”  I understand getting dinner on the table is a challenge for busy Moms and families so this year I am going to help you get dinner on the table with my “What’s For Dinner?” posts. 

Now, I am not a chef and most of my recipes are just tried and true recipes from chefs or my favorite cookbook.  But that’s half the battle, if I tell you what I’m having for dinner, then you can use these recipes in your own home.   Using the Meal Planning Made Easy system, you can keep track of the recipe your family loves making meal planning easier each week. 

Both my husband and I are feeling a little under the weather so this evening, I am making my very Chicken Noodle Soup that always makes us feel better.   It’s my Mom’s recipe and you will love it.  It’s simple, warm and delicious. 

Chicken Noodle Soup: 

1 large can of chicken stock
Fill can with Water
1 chicken breast
3 stocks sliced celery
3 stocks sliced carrot
Handful of frozen spinach
Handful Rosemarina Rice Pasta or Large Egg Noodles

 Directions:

1. Place stock in large soup pan.  Add water to fill. 
2. Boil chicken in stock and water.
3. Add sliced celery and carrots and boil for 30 minutes. 
4. Remove chicken and cut into small bite size pieces.  Add back to pot.
5. Add spinach, cook for 45 minutes on medium.
6. Add pasta last 15 minutes.  

You can have homemade soup in no time; this is great served with a grilled cheese, a panini sandwich or on it’s own.   If you try it, let me know what you think. 

Vancouver Professional Organizer, Christa Wagner created Meal Planning Made Easy to help busines families and Moms get dinner on the table.  For information go to www.savvysolutionsorganizing.com. 

I read the funniest article yesterday in the Vancouver MetroNews.  It was called Bank On A Happy Holiday When You Plan Ahead.   I found this funny, because like the writer every year I tell myself I am going to Christmas shop throughout the year so I have little to do in December.  And every year this just doesn’t seem to happen.  I always manage to get it all done.  I think deep down I just love the hustle and bustle the last few weeks before Christmas. 

Now I know there are people who are done with their shopping and all their gifts are wrapped and good for you!  More power to you.  But for the rest of us here are a few tips to still have an organized and stress free holiday season – even though there is still more to do.

• Order holiday cards from Shutterfly.com.  There is nothing easier or less expensive than sending a holiday photo card.  It takes about 15 minutes to create and then all you have to is print labels and stamp.  Simple and easy. 
• Use Send Out Cards for a traditional holiday card:  I love this service and I can finally get birthday cards out on time.  You can send all your holiday cards in a few quick steps. 
• Print labels:  Using labels from any office supply store, print address labels right from your computer. 
• Take advantage of Amazon.com.  No matter what I am buying, I shop at Amazon first.  They have everything and from all different retailers.  This year I was buying something for my Mom from Wine Enthusiast.  I went to Amazon first and the price was 50% less and shipping was free since I was over $25. 
• Prepare Meals Ahead:  Not everything has to be done the day of the party or on Christmas Eve.  Create a menu and consider what you can make ahead of time and freeze.  Think about the entire meal so you can spend more time with your family and friends rather than in the kitchen. 
• Hire a personal chef or go gourmet:   Many people don’t want the hassle of cooking and baking.    Hire a personal chef and they will come to you and no one will know otherwise.  We recommend Maxime Personal Chef.  Or go gourmet and get prepared dinners at a local gourmet grocer near you.   

Maybe one of these days I will get my shopping done before December, but until then I will use these time savings tips to get organized ahead of time and join the crowds in the days before Christmas. 

We wish you a very merry holiday season and lots of luck in the new year!

A few weeks ago at the POC Conference in Calgary I listened to keynote speaker, Les Hewitt, author of The Power of Focus.  He was amazing and I learned a great deal listening to him.  One topic that really resonated with me was habits and how they determine your future. 

According to Les Hewitt, 47% of my everyday behavior is habitual and it’s extremely important to be aware of what habits are not working for me.   I need to remember I can change any habit if I really want to.  That’s the tough part. 

So I made a list of my bad habits and one of mine was focusing on what I didn’t want.  Isn’t that strange?  To focus on what you don’t want, rather than what you do want.  And I found myself doing it all the time.  So since the presentation, I have been focusing on what I really want and its amazing what happens when you focus.  Thank you Les! 

So what are your bad habits and what can you commit to letting go of in the new year?  We would love to hear from you. 

Savvy Solutions provides a variety of services that empower you to live a more organized and productive life.  Christa Wagner is located in Vancouver, BC.

In a previous post, we recommended starting dinner earlier in the day, which saves time in getting meals ready for the family. If you are stumped on what foods can be prepared ahead of time, here are a few suggestions. Most of these make delicious leftovers, too!

• Casseroles – Usually you can make these ahead of time, then pop them in the refrigerator and take them out when it is time to bake

• Soups – They taste better when they simmer for a while anyway!

• Pizza – You can put the dough in the bread machine and leave it, then chop up all the toppings and place those in a container in the refrigerator. If you don’t have a bread machine or time to make dough, tortilla or pita bread makes a great substitute.

• Chicken for grilling – I usually parboil some chicken thighs or whole breast and marinade them. At dinnertime, pop them onto the grill for a few minutes and you have a quick meal!

• Salads – Throwing together a crisp salad all ready to go is a good and healthy addition to any meal! Pasta salads are great to make in advance too.

• Bread – If I get my bread in my bread machine by 1:00, it is ready for dinner. Fresh, warm,  homemade bread is delicious! If I am making dough for rolls, I will start it in the morning and in the afternoon get it all ready and bake right before dinner.

For more help, use our Meal Planning Made Easy system with step-by-step reminders to make meal planning and shopping easier for busy people.  For less than take-out, you can get dinner on the table every night.

In September I had the opportunity to work with Blink Media on an organizing segment for their Get Connected Show.  The show is airing tomorrow during Small Business Week (the week of October 19).  I had so much fun and was thrilled to be apart of the event.   Thank you Blink TV. 

On the show we work with a client who is struggling with some organizational issues.   Our client was fantastic.  Like many of my clients they had a home office space that had too many purpose, little storage space and just too much stuff.  We were able to help by letting go of some unneeded items, we created a home for things using some great office products, and since it was a Get Connected Segment, we incorporated some pretty cool and very functional computer tools.  The client was thrilled and overall it was a super day.

The show will air on Thursday, October 22nd on BNN at 5:00 PM PST, and on City TV on Saturday October 24th at 9:30 AM PST.   Visit their website for exact viewing times.   I will also post to You Tube as soon as I receive my copy!

Christa Wagner is a Professional Organizer located in Vancouver, BC.