Hasta La Ideas

Order a copy today of ​Never Too Busy to Cure Clutter​ by Unclutterer’s Editor-in-Chief Erin Rooney Doland.

’Tis the season to track packages.

When I was young, making a purchase via what we called “mail order” went something like this:

• Find the perfect gift in a catalog
• Make your purchase by either sending in your billing information or talking on the phone
• Two to six weeks of crossing your fingers in hopes that your gift actually arrives

It was an act of faith, plain and simple. Today, we can monitor every twist and turn in a package’s journey from distributor to doorstop. I’ve found two apps that do just that very well. Here are my favorite smartphone apps for tracking a package.

The criteria

Before I name my picks, let me share my criteria. First, any app worth considering must support multiple carriers. Sure, UPS, FedEx and others have their own dedicated solutions. I’m sure they’re great too, but unitaskers aren’t allowed, even when it comes to apps.

Next, and this goes without saying, it must be easy to add package info. Those numbers are typically long and complex, and the smarter an app is about managing them, the better.

I also want push notifications. That is, a little alert to pop up, triggered by criteria I define: change in status, arrival in a new state, scanned at a certain facility, etc.

Finally beautiful presentation is essential. While not crucial to functioning, I do have to look at the thing, and it should look nice. With that said, let’s get to my picks.

For iPhone: Deliveries

For me, Deliveries ($4.99) is the package-tracking app I want on my iPhone. I used it for years across many iterations and iPhones. While I’ve tried others, I’ve always come back to Deliveries. It meets all of my criteria and more.

Adding package information to Deliveries is so easy it’s ridiculous. The app automatically notices when a tracking number is on your phone’s clipboard and offers to create a new entry for it. So all you have to do is copy it from the confirmation email and then launch Deliveries. It notices the number as well as the correct carrier all on its own. Just hit the confirmation when it asks if you’d like to create a new entry and that’s it!

One thing to be aware of is that Deliveries won’t always pull the name of the item that’s being delivered. As far as I can tell, that depends on the site of origin. If it can’t see it, you can easily tap the edit button and fill it in yourself. Still, the app does the bulk of the work for you.

Deliveries also supports many carriers, and color-codes entries for easy, at-a-glance reference. For example, packages being delivered by UPS are brown, those from FedEx are purple and so on.

And yes, there is support for push notifications. You can set these up however you like. If you’re a real “Type A,” you can get an alert whenever the package status changes. Otherwise, you can simply get a ping when it leaves the distributor and another when it’s waiting at home.

Lastly, this app looks pretty. Not just pretty, but useful. The color-coding is very helpful and the built-in map support lets you track the journey. In short, Deliveries is absolutely worth every penny of its $4.99 price tag.

Android – ParcelTrack

If you’re on the Android side of things, go and pick up ParcelTrack (free with optional in-app purchases). While it’s not as pretty as Deliveries, it is just as useful, easy-to-use, and reliable. Just like its iOS counterpart, it meets all of my criteria.

As for carrier support, ParcelTrack covers over 20 across the U.S., Canada and the U.K., including UPS, USPS, DHL (Express), FedEx, TNT and more.

As for entering package info, ParcelTrack takes a different approach. When you install the app you’ll receive a special, private email address. Then, when you receive shipping confirmation via email, simply forward it to that special address. ParcelTrack extracts all of the information it needs and creates an entry for you. It works quite well and takes very little time. Also, much like Deliveries, ParcelTrack offers automatic carrier detection.

As your package travels from Point A to Point B, C, D….you get the idea, ParcelTrack sends free push notifications on a schedule that you define. And here’s what else is cool — scan the bar code of a package that you’re shipping and stay informed as it meets your intended recipient.

There you have two great apps for tracking your holiday packages. Whether they’re headed your way our if they’re out to family and friends, you’ll be right there with them.

Post written by David Caolo

Order a copy today of ​Never Too Busy to Cure Clutter​ by Unclutterer’s Editor-in-Chief Erin Rooney Doland.

These three small, useful tools help me save time and be more productive.

Universal socket

After living in Canada, England and now the United States, we have items that have been built with both SAE and metric-sized nuts and bolts. It is time-consuming, not to mention frustrating, going back and forth to the toolbox trying to figure out if the bolt is 12mm, 13mm or ½ inch-sized. The universal socket saves me time. I only have to grab this one socket for multiple jobs. It also works on nuts and bolts whose corners have been slightly ground-down causing ordinary wrenches to slip. It is also useful in fastening and detaching odd-shaped things like hooks and eyes. It won’t take the place of a heavy-duty socket set that a car mechanic might need but it is amazingly useful for all those jobs around the house.

Damaged screw remover set

We’ve lived in rental housing most of our lives. To do small repairs, sometimes we need to remove screws that are rusty, damaged or covered with layers and layers of paint. The damaged screw remover set has been very useful. These bits fit easily into a multi-head screwdriver or power drill and remove all types of screws including slot, Philips, Robertson, hex and Torx. This little kit has saved us from a lot of heartache (and smashed fingers) and made repair jobs much easier.

Glass cutter

I originally purchased a glass cutter for a weekend craft course on stained glass windows. Since then, I’ve used the glass cutter several times and I’m really glad we have it. Almost every time we move, the glass in a picture frame or a mirror gets broken.
With the glass cutter (and leather gloves and safety glasses) I have been able to cut the glass down to smaller sizes so I can wrap it in cardboard (usually a cereal box) and safely dispose of it.

Do you have small tools like these that you just can’t live without? Please share your stories with our readers in the comments.

Post written by Jacki Hollywood Brown

Order a copy today of ​Never Too Busy to Cure Clutter​ by Unclutterer’s Editor-in-Chief Erin Rooney Doland.

Each week my son and I don our Boy Scouts of America uniforms and head to a meeting. Shirt, pants and hat come out of the closet and join us for a week of adventures, be it a lesson during a meeting or a few days at the camp site. Since these aren’t every day clothes we take care in storing them when the fun is over, which got me thinking about the care an storage of uniforms in general.

Uniforms need special care, from those you need for work to the military uniforms worn by the men and women in the armed forces. What’s the best way to store them? Read on.

Military uniforms are a special case. If their owner is still active, they’re often stored in places (barrack boxes or rucksacks) in case of rapid deployment. That being said, there are seasonal variations in uniforms as well as uniforms for special occasions. The same storage and organizational rules apply here as for civilian clothing; have it laundered or dry cleaned right away, store the uniforms separately from civilian clothes and store uniform parts (tops/bottoms) together if possible.

Most military uniforms have “accoutrements” that are worn with the clothing: pins, medals, name and rank badges and patches that can’t be laundered and will move from today’s uniform to tomorrow’s uniform. It’s best to have a small basket to corral these items either wherever you disrobe or in the laundry area. Accoutrements for special occasion uniforms should not be stored on the uniform (e.g. metal pins can rust and stain) so a small jewelry organizer tied to the clothes hanger (and easily shoved into a suitcase for traveling) is ideal.

Long term storage for military uniforms (insect proof bins, out of dampness etc) is the same as for civilian clothes.

Military members have lots of boots and shoes. For long term storage, stuffing boots with acid-free paper helps keep shape and prevents damage. Parade shoes (super-high gloss) should be stored in a zippered cloth bag.

Let’s move on from military uniforms and look at other sorts. There are general rules that apply to all sorts of uniforms:

1. Avoid hangers for uniforms that will remain unused in long-term storage. The seams could stretch if left hanging for a year or more.
2. 100% acid-free boxes are a good way to go. They protect uniforms efficiently, let you avoid hangers and allow air to circulate.
3. Avoid vacuum-sealing uniforms as you could find permanent wrinkles have set in if left for a long time.
4. Avoid putting them in the smallest space possible. Allowing air to flow will help prevent mold growth.

These tips will keep your uniforms looking good for years to come. Preserve their usefulness, significance and memories with ease. You’ll be glad you did.

Post written by David Caolo

Order a copy today of ​Never Too Busy to Cure Clutter​ by Unclutterer’s Editor-in-Chief Erin Rooney Doland.

The process of getting organized often requires buying a set of shelves. Like many other people wanting to get organized, I would go to a department store and buy a heavy, flat-pack shelving unit, haul it into my house, and unpack it. Then, I would have to wait for my husband or children to come home because it always required at least two people to assemble the unit with pegs, screws, and nails — if all of the parts were included in the package.

These MDF/pressboard shelves often warped with the weight of books or other heavy items. We’re a military family and move house about every three years and often these shelving units broke or fell apart during a move. We sometimes disassembled and re-assembled them, but it was time consuming and the re-assembled units were never as sturdy as they were before they were taken apart. We ended up replacing many of them over the years — expensive for us and not good for the environment!

Now, I have finally found a solution to my shelving problems and hopefully to yours as well — Origami Rack.

Just like the traditional art of paper folding, Origami Racks assemble/disassemble by folding and unfolding. There are no tools required! Watch the video to see the 4-tier Garage Shelf set up in ten seconds. It is made from steel and can hold 250 pounds (110kg) per shelf!

Origami Rack has other products that are great for inside your home. The Easy Organizer 12-Cube holds 5.5 pounds (2.5kg) per shelf and would be ideal for storing shoes, sweaters, toys, linens, and more. It simply pops open fully assembled.

The Origami Computer Desk would be ideal for people who travel for work perhaps setting up at trade shows, or for students who live in small apartments and dorm rooms.

The Deco Tiered Display Rack can be used in a bedroom or living area as a stylish organizing solution or in the office as a classy printer stand.

The other thing I really like about Origami Racks is most of the products can be fitted with wheels. You only need one person to assemble and disassemble and move these items.

If you have a mobile component to your lifestyle, and you have a desire to be organized and productive, make it easy on yourself and consider Origami Rack.

Post written by Jacki Hollywood Brown

A group of Wall Street Journal staffers have taken buyout packages.

Politico reports that the following people are leaving this week or over the next month:

Gary Fields, Neil King, Sudeep Reddy, Mary Lu Carnevale, Melanie Trottman, Anna Sussman, Autumn Brewington, Laura Landro, Tracy Armstead and Jessica Yu.