This may not be true for everyone, but at least for me, frugality and staying organized go hand in hand. When I know where things go and where they are, it helps me avoid buying multiples of certain items. It also keeps my head clear and less stressed; when I get stressed, my will breaks down and I'm more likely to make unnecessary purchases (i.e. "I feel stressed out, so I don't want to make dinner, let's just go out to eat!")
The thing is, I'm not naturally a very organized person. I'm getting better as I get older, and especially now that I see the necessity for it, but it's still a struggle for me.
So one of the things I do to help me stay on top of it is to break it down into more manageable smaller tasks. I have a table in my living room that tends to be the landing spot for items not in their original place: papers, bills, little toys picked up off the floor, bobby pins, change--you name it, it's probably there! I also have a spot on my counter that tends to accumulate stuff as well.
So pretty regularly I take all of that stuff, put it in a pile on the floor with some paper grocery bags I have on hand, and I try to sort as quickly as I can, putting everything into the bags that are categorized by room. I then "deliver" the bags to each room, and as I find the time, I put stuff away in its spot. If I only get through a couple rooms/bags by the end of the day, I still feel okay since the items are contained and at least in the room they're supposed to go to--but most times I'm able to finish it in a short time.
When I'm regularly organizing like this, it helps remind me of how much stuff I have, and therefore don't feel the need to keep accumulating more. All the change I find goes into a special jar that's usually used to buy my kids a special treat. I have realized that I never need to buy hair ties or bobby pins again, because they don't magically disappear like I once thought--they just need to be rounded up from every nook and cranny of the house, haha. And the same goes for Legos!
Once again, I realize this isn't directly a "frugal tip," but it definitely helps me overall to make frugal choices!
April 18, 2019 at 12:48PM
