How to get (stay) organized for 2009 (Part 1 - Organizing can save money))

Here it is, not even a month into the new year, and already the New Year's resolutions are falling by the wayside. Is that because making resolutions is not good, or because our resolutions are out of line, or made on the spur of the moment?

Absolutely not! For the most part, our resolutions are made in good faith. We tend to replay the past year in our minds toward the end of the year and our New Year's resolutions grow out of our dissatisfaction or uneasiness with the year that is about to end. We want to do better this year, to make a fresh start, or improve in a few areas. There's nothing wrong with that. In fact, we are to be commended for making those resolutions or goals for the coming year. The desire to improve or change things for the better is fantastic! So, to begin with, congratulate yourself for making those resolutions.

Now, on to the topic at hand. If you've made any resolutions about getting organized during the New Year, that is a great resolution and one well worth the effort to keep. And keeping that resolution can actually save you some money during the year which will help as you wait out the financial crises. Yes, here are a couple of ways decluttering your home can actually save you money!

• Avoid late fees. Standolyn Robertson, president of the National Association of Professional Organizers in Massaschussetts says, "People want to feel more on top of things - all of a sudden a finance charge is a big deal." A year or so ago, when the credit card bill came in, it didn't hurt so much to just toss it on the pile of bills waiting to be paid and forget about it for a while. A late fee wasn't going to kill you. Today, a late fee can do a lot more damage. "People have the money but they can't seem to get the stamp and checkbook and bill all on the same desk at the same time and out the door," Roberston says.  Being organized can help avoid those late fees. 

So, determine to pay the credit card bill, or any others that might incur a late fee, as soon as they come in. If you are used to paying bills at the end of your pay cycle, switch to paying them at the beginning of the pay cycle. That will prevent the "too much month at the end of the money" syndrome to which many people fall prey. And you will never have to worry about a late fee because you lost the bill, or forgot to pay it, and you will be saving money!

• Declutter first, then buy storage. A second way you can save some money with organizing is by decluttering first, then deciding what kind of storage you need. I've heard people say, "I am going to be cleaning out a closet this week. I have to go out and buy some storage bins first." So they head off to the department store and spend money on file cabinets or fancy plactic storage bins only to find out they didn't really need them. Since they have all that storage space, they might as well fill it up. So the decluttering isn't as effective as it could have been. Things that might have been tossed will get saved because they have the room after buying all those new storage items. 

So, declutter first, then determine what you need for storage. You probably already have storage containers or boxes around that would work. And thereby you will be saving some more money which can be put to better use!

• Declutter the kitchen. Another way to save money is to declutter your kitchen. If your kitchen is a mess and you can't find room on the counter to prepare your meals, you will be more likely to go out to eat. It is just simpler that way. But it is also much more costly. You can save a lot of money by eating at home most of the time. Save eating out for a special treat and you will enjoy it much more. Save it for celebrating things, like getting a room organized! So you might begin your organizing for the year with the kitchen. Most clutter in the kitchen is a result of two things.

1. Things just were not put away after being used, or were not washed yet and cannot be put away. That is easily solved - wash them and put them away. 
2. Things are in the kitchen that do not belong there. That is also easily solved - put them where they belong. Avoid the temptation to just move the pile to another room. Rather, put everything where it belongs, otherwise you'll have to do it later which multiplies the work rather than helping it.
   

There, now you have a decluttered kitchen, and you will enjoy the experience of cooking more, that is after you go out to eat to celebrate getting the kitchen organized.

With a little effort to keep that New Year's resolution to get organized, you can save yourself some money this year. Give it a try. Those dollars will add up. And when the economic crisis has passed, you will be in better shape financially because you are not wasting as much money. Congratulations. Time to go out to eat and celebrate!