Being Organized Saves You Money

I don't think that I'm naturally organized. I do have to work at it. But then whenever I say that people always leave comments like "your house is so organized". So maybe I am on a certain level. I'd give myself a B for organization. I had a friend who Really was organized. For example, she had everything in her garage stored in plastic bins, the bins were numbered and she had an inventory of the bins on her computer and a print out. So if she wanted to find flowered teapot #1 she could look it up on her computer and know which numbered bin it was in. That's being organized!

I like things to be tidy and it's hard for me to function when things are messy and seem out of control. But even if it didn't come naturally to me I would do it if it helped me be a better manager of our money. The one thing I've realized in organizing my garage is that I thought I had a pretty good handle on what I had, but I don't! I know I've said before that you can never have enough urns but really, how many urns do I need!

I counted 10 urns in the garage and 4 that I'm using in the house not counting the ones that are in the garden and patio. That's enough I think! So on the decorative accessories/paint front I need to get better organized. I found out that I have several cans of paint that look very similar! Even though they're Ooops paint - I still don't need 3 different gallons of robin's egg blue paint! I do have a pretty good idea about what I have in my pantry and freezer though.

This is how I organize my chest freezer. I use the Ziploc Big Bags to organize my freezer items by category. I got the idea to use these bags from Brenda(Thank You!). They're not freezer bags but just storage bags. I have all my chicken in one bag, all my beef & pork in another, and veggies in another. I have one for frozen convenience food like a few Lean Cuisines, T.G.I Friday Fajitas etc. (It's cheaper to make one of those than to go out to eat when you don't feel like cooking). And one for shredded cheeses. I use a little plastic bin to gather a few odds and ends. Somethings like frozen pizza are just stacked underneath the bags. Using these bags keeps all the like things together and makes it easier to get stuff out. I don't have a written freezer inventory but I usually make note when I get something out if an item is low. Like if I get a package of chicken legs out I see how many more packages there are.

An organized pantry and freezer lets you know what you have and what you need. You don't buy what you already have enough of. Plus you know when you're getting low and can plan to buy on sale.

Being organized enough to know what you already have and where it is saves you money! Think of all the times you knew you had something but didn't know where it was so you bought it again! Or you didn't even know you had something already and bought it again! Do you know how many AA batteries you have? Every time we're in Home Depot my husband asks me do we need batteries? How many staplers do you have, how many do you need? How many extension cords do you need? How many bags of sugar, flour etc do you have? Do you really need more measuring spoons?

Here are some other ways that being organized can help save you money. If you coupon, you can save money my keeping your coupons organized and knowing what you have and taking them with you!

You can save on late fees if you have a system for paying your bills, knowing when your library books are due, or when movie rentals are due. You know these days, one late bill on any credit card can increase your interest rate on all your cards! Also, how many times have you had to pay extra to send a payment by overnite mail or even when you make a payment by phone they try to charge you a "service" charge!

You can save money on gas if you organize your errands so that you're not wasting time and gas running around. I usually have one day where I try to do all my errands in a certain area. Then I have a day at home. Then I might have another day where I do all my errands in the other part of town. That way I'm not running around everyday here and there.

Those are just a few ideas. How has being organized helped you save money? Or, how has being disorganized cost you money?