Home Organizing Can Lead To Economizing
Professional organizer Julie Morgenstern, author of "Organizing from the Inside Out," says organizing your home is not only about being tidy, it's about saving money.
"For 2009, we all recognize that the days of excess and sloppiness are behind us," she says.
Morgenstern says in years past, it was easy to stay in a financial fog, where finances and budgets were blurry at best. But in tough times, organizing can lead to economizing. You can't save, Morgenstern says, if you don't know what you have.
"In a tight economy, one of the first things that you can do to take control is to organize your space, and really go room by room, area by area, and re-claim what you own," she says. "Know what you own, so that when you do go shopping, it's mindful; it's for things that you really need."
Morgenstern recommends starting with your kitchen. If it's not ship-shape, you could be pushing stuff to the back of the pantry, spending more money on stuff you already have. Plus, she says there is too much temptation to order take-out food.
"We spend so much on food, and if you can re-claim your kitchen, start cooking again," says Morgenstern. "But your space needs to be organized, to make it easier to put a meal together, and easy to clean up when you're done."
Another place to take inventory is your closet. Pare down so that you can find outfits you forgot you had, before you go buy anymore.
"We work with clients with all the time and the sock and underwear drawers overflow, and then they can't find two socks that match in the morning," says Morgenstern.
Morgenstern says once you know what you have, you can map out a strategy for tracking your spending. That way, you'll know exactly what you can afford, and where you should cut back.
She says there's a very simple way to do that. For one month, she says, put 100 percent of your purchases on a debit card if you can.
"That means gasoline, if you drive; it means coffee," she says. "It means all of your groceries, and your restaurants, everything all on one card, preferably a debit card. At the end of the month, you will see exactly what you spend."
With a clear snapshot of your spending, you could be more in control, for the rest of the year.