Storage and Organization Products that Will not Break the Bank

We've all set a New Year's resolution to be better organized.  On second glance though, it can be a daunting task when you try to factor in all the necessary tools you'll need to purchase in order to gain control over the clutter in your home.  However, you don't have to break the bank in order to organize your life and tame the clutter beast.  If you look around your house, you may even find some ingenious storage and organization tools right under your nose.

You need to assess your organizational needs before you go shopping.  If your office area is creating chaos in your life,  consider investing in a filing cabinet or portable file boxes and a box of hanging file folders and develop a workable filing system for yourself.

You can probably even find unused coffee cups for pen and pencil storage, and small baskets or boxes that would neatly tuck inside a desk drawer and hold paperclips, pushpins or rubber bands in your home.  If your closet is giving you fits, a second closet rod or shoe or sweater organizer can easily be added to consolidate clothing items and put them within easy reach.

Your favorite discount or home store has a large selection of storage bins, drawers, baskets, boxes, and bags available at affordable prices.  And though they aren't necessary when you begin your organization product, having durable products that are up to the task of being sorted through, moved and repurposed are smart investments.

But probably the best organizational tool you can invest in is a calendar.  It can be in planner form, or a desk or wall calendar, as long as it's easily accessible and has plenty of room for you to schedule your organizational projects and household tasks.  Make a commitment to maintaining your organized areas on a regular basis, and you'll probably free up time to tackle others around your house or office.

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Smart Grocery Shopping Strategies

Grocery shopping is a chore most of us dread.  It can be especially frustrating once you get home and realize you forgot to get an item or you neglected to give the clerk your coupon for that great buy one get one for free deal. You organize every other aspect of your life, so focus that organizational discipline towards your grocery shopping efforts as well.

Start by planning your shopping trips. In order to make a list of what you'll need for meals that week, you'll also need to get into the habit of planning your meals out each week.  Choose a day of the week to do your shopping and stick to it.  If you do your grocery shopping on Wednesdays when the ads break, be sure your menu planning is completed on Tuesday.  Once you've completed your menu, you can construct your shopping list.

It's also important to take a current inventory of your pantry and cupboards, and add any staples that are running low.  It's easy to forget that you used the last can of mushroom soup in that new recipe you tried, so make sure you have a couple of other cans on hand when you make it again.
Keep a shopping list posted to your bulletin board or refrigerator, and be sure each family member knows where it is located. That way they can easily add an item to the list that is almost gone or request a favorite item on the next trip.

There are printable grocery shopping lists on the internet, but you might want to consider devising one of your own and saving it on your computer so it can easily be printed each week.  Leave room on your list to flag yourself about which items are listed for sale and which ones you have coupons for.  Make sure your coupons are organized and in order and that you have a copy of the current ad in case there are any discrepancies once you get there.  Come armed with calculator in hand to avoid suffering from sticker shock at the checkout register.

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Organize your Bill Paying to Avoid Stress and Worry

Bills can create headaches and cause stress for all of us.  They all seem to come due at the same time, and there never seems to be enough money to make ends meet. Factor in the time involves writing checks, addressing envelopes and hunting down postage stamps, and it's a chore many of us would gladly relinquish.  But with some simple planning and organization it's a task that can become easier and less stressful.

The first step is to establish a central location in your home.  Make sure all the tools you need are in the same location: an inbox or folder to store incoming bills, pens, postage stamps, envelopes, your checkbook, a calculator and your computer if you use financial software or online banking services.  Then when the time comes to sit down and pay the bills, you're not left hunting and searching for that lost light bill.

Develop a list of your bills that includes the type, the average amount, how you're billed (online, through the mail, or by automatic deduction from your bank account) and the due date.  If your utility bill tends to stay the same from month to month, notate that on your list so you can easily determine how much to budget. File this list with your other tools.

During this process you might have discovered that your due dates are scattered all over the calendar, which can make paying bills in a timely fashion difficult at best.  Contact the companies and see if they'd be willing to change your due date to more closely adhere to your payment schedule and to more closely coincide with the due dates of other bills.

Online bill paying is a great way to not only save money on postage. If you choose to be billed electronically, it can reduce the amount of mail you receive and have to file.  Since most payments post to your account quicker than a bill paid traditionally, it also allow you to correct a bill paying mistake quicker and avoid problems as a result.  Most banks offer online bill paying services, and many companies have bill paying options online.

It's probably a good idea to consider paying bills twice a month, or each time you receive your paycheck.  Scheduling bill paying as a regular task will make it easier to deal with and will decrease the chances of missed or late bills.

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Keep your Contacts in Order and Let Your Fingers Do the Walking

In this modern age of electronics and rapidly advancing technology, you'll find many options available when it comes time to upgrade your address book and daily planner, even if you should decide to stick with your tried-and-true paper version.

Paper-based planners, contact management software, tablet and smart mobile phones can all help you get your schedule and contact information organized quickly and effectively.

Don't keep separate contact books for work, home and other activities.  Instead, merge them into one with clearly labeled divisions or categories.  You might also decide to color code with small labels to designate personal, professional, or other types of contacts, such as your child's school or troop leader. Collect all your addresses before entering them.

Don't forget to include community resources, professional associations and co-workers, medical and dental providers, insurance contacts, and other professional and personal business contacts in addition to your personal address book. Check that addresses are current and correct, and update those that aren't. Be sure to include alternate phone numbers and e-mail addresses where applicable.   Devise a system, such as a calendar tickler to remind you of birthday, anniversary, graduation and other and holiday cards.  Notate whom you sent them to and when.

Should you choose to update to a tablet or mobile phone for contact organization, those equipped with Blue Tooth technology have the capability of synchronizing with computers if they're within a few feet of each other.  This is a quick and convenient feature that alleviates the worry of cables or ports.

If you decide to continue to use your paper planner, be sure to photocopy important information so you'll have it at your fingertips should your planner be misplaced or destroyed and you have to recreate it.  Try to choose one that allows you to easily add more pages or different types of tools such as a receipt folder, business card organizer or detailed calendar.  This way your planner grows with you when events in your life dictate, such as a career change or addition of an activity.
 

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Kick your Pack Rat Tendencies to the Curb

Most people who define themselves as a packrat usually hate to get rid of their belongings because they might need it down the road.

The main problem for a pack rat is what to do with all the stuff he or she accumulates. Being a good organizer does not necessarily mean you have to get rid of everything you have, but it does mean keeping things in an organized and orderly fashion so that when the time does come to use it, you'll be able to find it. Organized pack rats usually find space to store their stuff in one place.  A disorganized packrat can become overwhelmed by 'stuff' and their family life and mental health can suffer as a result.  It's very easy to get depressed and feel blue when it feels as though the clutter is closing in on you.

Ideally, a pack rat should strive to keep those things that are truly important, throw away the detritus, and maybe have a yard sale once in a while. Some community education programs offer one-day classes on organizing closets and homes, and these may be helpful if the clutter level is getting unmanageable.  

Sometimes it's very difficult for a packrat to break the habit of hoarding and keeping things.  If you have a family member who is a packrat, offer to help them weed through their belongings and get a handle on the situation.  If the packrat is you, it's time you asked yourself some honest questions.  Make the process of weeding through things as pleasant as possible.  Most likely you'll be able to have a huge yard sale, or some community organization will benefit greatly from the donation of your unneeded items.

After you've purged your excess items, work on developing a long term organizational goal that will send up a red flag to warn you if you are beginning to collect too much stuff.  Remind yourself how hard you worked to get rid off the excess and how good you felt afterwards.  Take a picture of your house in after mode, and look at it every time you thing you're starting to slip back into your old habits. Keep on top of the clutter so the clutter doesn't overwhelm you in the end again.

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