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Greetings!
Aahhh,
it's finally here: Summer! Skies are blue, temperatures are balmy,
and the tomato plants are growing like crazy. If you're like me,
Summer is your favorite time of the year. It's a time to slow down
and really enjoy life.
This
newsletter is full of ideas to help you get more out of your Summer.
As ever, it is our goal to provide useful information and tips to
help you keep your life in balance, and to be on call for you when
you need help. We'd love to hear from you what you would like to see
in upcoming issues of our newsletter.
With
watermelon wishes and dreams of lazy days,
Ellen
Lovelace, Owner
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June
Calendar |
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 14
Flag Day
19
Father's Day
21
Summer Solstice
Flag
Day started as a grass-roots movement in New York and Pennsylvania in the late
1800s to display the flag on June 14, the date of the official
adoption of the Stars and Stripes in 1777. In 1949, President
Truman made it official with an Act of Congress. Be sure to
display the flag proudly this year and take a moment to ponder
what this symbol of freedom means to you.
Father's
Day is always observed on the 3rd Sunday in June. It was
started by a woman who was raised by her father, and who
decided there should be a day to celebrate Dads, too. In 1924
President Coolidge proclaimed it a national celebration. Let
your Dad know how much he means to you this year. QCS can be
sure he has the perfect gift waiting for him on his special
day.
In
the northern hemisphere, the Summer Solstice is the day of the
year with the most daylight hours, marking the first day of
the season of Summer. In civilizations both ancient and
modern, there are many festivals and celebrations around this
day. Why not plan your own solstice celebration this year?
There's simply no better day to get outside and enjoy all that
Summer has to offer.
Have
other dates this month that are important to you: birthdays,
anniversaries, etc.? Visit our Forget
Me Not page on our website to learn how QCS can make sure
no important date ever goes forgotten again.
To learn more about
Old Glory, click here
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Making
Your List and Checking it
Twice |
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 A
to-do list can be a very valuable tool in managing the various
demands of work and home. There is a simple efficiency in
being able to see all of your responsibilities and obligations
in one place. And there is no better feeling than crossing
something off the list. Some of us have even been known to
write something on the list just so we could immediately mark
it off as "Done!"
However,
to-do lists do have their drawbacks. It can be easy to have
multiple lists going at once: one in the kitchen, one at work,
one in the car, one by the bed... It can be hard to keep track
of all the random pieces of paper. And no one (such as your
spouse or personal concierge!) has access to the lists but
you.
Technological
advances have seen people turning to devices such as PDAs or
software programs to keep track of their to-do lists. The
latest innovation, however, takes the to-do list to the Web.
Services such as Backpack (www.backpackit.
com) and Use Tasks (www.usetasks.com
) allow users to make multiple to-do lists and sublists.
They then allow others--your spouse, assistant, colleague--to
make changes, add things, or cross things off of your list.
Users can designate others who are able to access their lists,
or can make the lists available to the Web at large. Other
services to investigate include Basecamp (www.basecamp
hq.com) and Ta-Da List (www.tadalist.com).
Some services are free, while the more feature- laden ones
charge a small monthly fee.
Getting
organized can be an endless struggle. Services such as these
can be of great help. Remember that if you'd like further
assistance, call QCS. We are terrific organizers and can help
get your life back on track.
(Note:
Inclusion in this article does not imply endorsement of any
service or method by QCS.)
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Brides,
Brides Everywhere! |
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 Does
it seem like everyone you know is either attending a wedding,
participating in a wedding, or getting married this month? It
certainly might, as June remains the most popular month for
weddings.
The
custom of June as the wedding season dates back to ancient
times, when June was the bountiful season between planting and
harvesting crops. Food was plentiful, and days were warm and
long. The first full moon of June is called the Honey Moon, as
June is believed to be the best month to harvest honey. As a
result, newly married couples were often fed dishes containing
honey, which was believed to bring love and fertility. Easy to
see where today's Honeymoon got its name!
Weddings
these days have lost much of their sentimentality and ties to
ancient traditions. Instead, many have become huge, lavish,
complex productions. The recent news about the "Runaway Bride"
in Georgia has shed
light on the stress and overwhelmed feelings experienced by
many of today's brides. (In fact, on newly released tapes of
her confession to the hoax, she talks about how she had only
one day left and way too much to do: rehearsal dinner,
manicure, pedicure, etc.!)
Weddings
and the planning process do not have to prove to be too much
to handle. No matter how large or small a wedding is to be,
there are steps that can be taken to minimize the stress and
maximize the enjoyment. QCS is available to provide expert
guidance and planning throughout the process. We can even just
be there for you on the big day, to make sure everyone hits
their marks and the band gets paid on time!
If
you're attending a wedding this month, we've got terrific
ideas for unusual gifts the happy couple will love. We've also
got the time to scour those registries and pick out the
perfect item for you to give.
Contact
us and let us show you how we can help make the big day
extra-special for everyone.
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How
Long Should I Keep
These?? |
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While
working with clients to organize and de-clutter their homes,
one of the most common questions we hear is about how long
documents such as tax returns and cancelled checks should be
kept. Most people keep much more than is necessary, and for
too long. Here are some guidelines to help you get the paper
clutter under control.
Paycheck
stubs:
Keep for 12 months, then toss/shred. May need to provide proof
of employment or income, or to track hours for professional
training needs. Deposit
slips, ATM receipts, debit receipts: Verify on next
bank statement, then toss. Save debit receipts for
tax-deductible expenses or warranty proof. Bank statements & cancelled
checks: Save statements for three full tax years.
Save cancelled checks (and registers) for one full year, then
shred all but those that are tax-deductible expenses. Non-tax-deductible credit card
receipts: Save to verify all purchases and credits
on next statement. Keep receipts for warranteed items (staple
to warranty for safe-keeping.) May want to keep receipts for
large-ticket items in a fireproof lockbox to provide proof of
replacement value. Tax-deductible credit card
receipts: Verify against next statement, then file
and save with other tax records for three full tax years.
Credit card
statements: Verify all charges and
credits/payments. Keep for 12 months, may need for disputes or
proof of purchases. Utility
bills: Verify account credits for payments, then
toss. Tax
returns: Keep for three full years, if your filings
were accurate, with receipts for all deductions. If you
underreport your income by 25% or more, you can be audited for
up to 6 years. If you don't file or file a fraudulent return,
you can be audited anytime.
Remember,
any documents you decide you no longer need that have a social
security number or a still- valid bank account or credit card
number should be shredded. Consult your accountant or tax
professional for further information.
(Note:
Information deemed accurate at time of publication. Some
information courtesy of www.irs.gov and "Organizing Plain and
Simple" by Donna Smallin.)
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