This is a guest post by Prerna, from The Mom Writes
One of the most common reasons, folks, like you and me, put organising projects on the back-burner is because it’s considered expensive. You know, buying containers, getting labels, installing organisers and more.
However, what if I told you that getting organised can actually save you plenty of money? Yes, and you can then use that money saved to get that pretty organiser you’ve been eyeing!
Here’s how to get started for free and save money as well:
1. Cut Clutter
Involve the family in this and ask every member to pick at least 3 items that they no longer need or use. Clothes, toys, books, gadgets, sporting equipment, craft or hobby supplies. The list is long and if you have a family of 4, you’ll have at least 12 items to begin with.
Add to this other household items that you think can go and you can either have a small garage sale or a nice bundle of things that you can sell on eBay, Gumtree or any thrift store and earn some nice latte money as well.
2. Read Your Bills
The next time you get your phone or Internet bill, don’t just pay it up. Read it and analyse it to see if you’re being charged for services you don’t need or don’t use. Chances are you will be. Call up your phone or Internet service provider and negotiate a better and usually, more cost-effective plan for your family.
3. Organise Bill Payment
Did you know that paying late fees on bills can easily be dealt with by getting organised about paying bills? Yes, it can. At the start of each quarter, sit down with your planner, phone, calendar or notebook. Choose what works best for you as a reminder system. For me, it is a combination of my phone and planner.
Go over ALL the bills that need to be paid every month. Set reminders for them in your phone. Mark the dates in red on your calendar. Jot them down in your planner or household notebook. But make sure you ‘note’ them.
Where possible, set up automatic payments for recurring services. We did that for our insurance payments as well as mobile phone payments. Best thing ever!
We’re busy mamas and if you commit everything to memory, chances are something WILL be forgotten. Let that not be the case with your bills.
4. Use What You Have
Finally, whenever you’re getting organised, before investing in fancy equipment, go through your house and see what could be used to organise, sort and store. For instance, you can easily organise drawer storage with some spare cupcake tins and ice cube trays!
Also, identify your BIG projects and make lists of things you’d need to get them all sorted out. For instance, if you need to organise the laundry room, do you need a laundry basket or two, a shelving unit, a caddy for supplies? Make the list and look at what you already own that can be used. For instance, that spare shelf in the garage can be moved to the laundry room instead and prettied up with a coat of paint, right?
Using what you have is a great way to get organised and save money on organising supplies as well. Sometimes, we have what we need, we just need to look a bit harder for it.
Is the thought of spending money stopping you from getting organised?
About The Mom Writes
Prerna Malik is the owner of The Mom Writes, a site that takes busy mamas from overwhelmed to organised. When she isn’t blogging for a living or running a social media agency with her husband, she’s baking cupcakes with her daughter or organising a closet in her home. Download her free eBooks on organising and productivity for busy moms and make organising a money-saver right now!
Find our guest: Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest
