Wednesday, January 7, 2009

Works for me Wednesday- Saving Money Through Organization




My friends and I were talking the other day about how we try to save money in our households. The normal comments began to surface such as cutting and printing coupons, looking for great deals and setting and sticking to a budget. It seems in this economy my friends and I are always looking for some extra and creative ways to stretch a dollar. Not only to save but to be able to do some extras with with our kids. ( We are fearful of a toddler mutiny fueled by boredom and sharp little minds. We try to stay one step ahead of the angry mob.... so far we have been successful.)

It was at this conversation that I realized how organization saves me a ton of money. If I am organized, I can find things. When I find things I don't go out and buy more only to lose those same things later and spend yet more money.


A classic example is my pantry. It can grow wild and I swear some small pantry troll goes in there and messes it up. I can't find the items I need and think we are out. I buy said item at the weekly grocery store outing. I then find the missing item a couple weeks later, after it has gone bad and feel awful as I throw it in the trash. There is nothing I hate worse than wasted food!! It also makes it hard to fully menu plan when you don't fully know what ingredients you have, still need or need to use.


It doesn't have to revolve around food however. The same goes with almost everything in this house. Scissors seems to be a problem for me. I can never find a pair when I really need them. I then pick up a pair at the store only to stash them somewhere and the cycle continues. I bet I have 567 scissors lurking in this house. That is kind of scary now that I think about it. Note to self: Find all scissors before my son finds them and "styles" his sisters hair. For my girlfriends reading this.... you may be getting scissors for your birthday. Act surprised.

Craft items are really hard for me. I get all excited about starting a craft and then along the way I lose my craft material and my excitement and I stash it away vowing I will come back to it. I don't of course... because I can't find it. I bet I have enough foam letters and numbers to start a preschool but don't ask me where they are.

So its with these admissions that I am vowing to save money in a new way this year. I am going to try to put the extra time and effort into staying organized this year. It may seem like extra time each day making and keeping things tidy. I know however that extra time will result in saved money and headaches. Lists and organization containers will help me with my quest. Who knows..... maybe I can take the money I save on scissors and put it towards a nights out with my mama friends. Now that is motivation enough for me :)



2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Great frugal tip/reminder. It also saves time! Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

Anonymous said...

This is something I need to do too. Many is the time I've had to buy something I had at home, because I couldn't find it. :)