|
Assessments:
During our initial phone consult we will set up a convenient time for a project assessment. I will come to your location and go through the area(s) to be organized with you. We will discuss your organizing needs, determine which area(s) are of highest priority to you, and I will go over my role in the project as your organizer as well as answering any questions you may have. Typically I am at a location for 1 - 2 hours depending on the size and scope of the job and the number of questions you may have. After returning home I will complete an outline of the project and the initial steps I recommend taking to begin the project. This will be emailed to you for review and if the plan is acceptable then from there we will set up an initial appointment.
Assessment visits within travel range are a flat fee of $40, I do not charge hourly for assessments because I do not want you to feel rushed as we tour your space. There is no additional charge for the assessment report. Please note that if you have multiple locations, for example a home and a rental property the rate will be $40/property.
|
Organizing Appointments:
Appointments can range from 2 - 8 hours but are typically 3 hours in length. I will be working side by side with you during that time in much the same way a music teacher giving a lesson would (but unlike a music teacher, I will be working as well as directing.)
Why 3 hours? I have found that appointments over 3 hours are too tiring for many clients to handle (making decisions is hard work!) and under 3 hours is usually not long enough to complete a significant sized area. However, longer or shorter sessions may be scheduled depending upon the circumstances involved and the needs of the client, seniors may, for instance, need a shorter session and clients with a pressing deadline, like an iminent move, may need a longer session. Appointments are charged by the hour at a rate of $40/hour.
Why by the hour? Organizing work is custom work directly involving you, it is not like contracting or cleaning in which the client is consulted but not actively involved. The length of your project is determined largely by two factors, the speed with which you can process options and make decisions and your motivation and ability to do maintenance work between sessions. This can vary widely from one client to the next thus also does the length of time it takes to complete a project, and no two projects are ever exactly the same. On our assessment visit I will show you a comparison of actual project hours between two very different clients to give you some idea of the variance.
What if I need other types of assistance? I maintain a list of service providers I have either used personally or have had recommended to me by other clients, organizers or friends. This list includes related services I have encountered a need for in the past, anything from bulk trash haulers to counselors. I will gladly share these recommendations with you.
Do you offer evening or weekend appointments? I offer appointments weekdays between the hours of 9 - 5 and Saturday afternoons. Currently I cannot accept any more Saturday only clients.
|
|
|
Complimentary Donation Service:
This offsite service is included in your onsite hours fee. If you have donations to make at the end of our session together I will happily deliver them to my local Salvation Army and obtain a tax receipt for you.
For this client my car was filled to capacity with brand new sweat shirts from a defunct business (about 8 large trash bags worth) which had been stored in her home office for many years. In one session we freed up all this space, she saved the time, effort and cost of delivering it herself and gained a sizeable tax deduction - a triple win for her!
|
|
Project Assembly - Eat That Elephant offers simple offsite project assembly at a discounted rate.
This family wanted all their warranties and manuals stored in an easy to access format. In our sessions together we had found all the current warranties, purged the unnecessary ones and discussed the best way to organize them. Once those steps were completed I subcontracted the assembly work to college students offsite. She got her binders done without any of the hassle, saving her time and money and allowing us to continue our work on other projects.
|
eBay Sales: Often clients have large items in the way of their organizing projects or small items that are very valuable. In these cases I will list them on eBay or Craigs List, as a local pick up for the large items. They get rid of their items, make some money in process and have no hassles hauling or advertising the items. Plus there items go to people who truly need them - win/win for everyone! Commission and standard eBay/Paypal fees are charged for this service.
|
|
