3 Simple Steps to Get Organized and Save Money

Owning a lot of stuff is expensive. And your disorganized belongings can cost you even more money. If you cannot find something, you rebuy it. One of the most commonly lost items is paper and original documents can be expensive to replace. Excess stuff costs time and money because important possessions are buried under things you don’t use or need. The good news is, if you get organized, you can save money, too.

It starts by understanding that when you reduce the volume, spaces have a way of organizing themselves. Owning less creates the organization you’re looking for. The perfect bin or a bigger house will not solve the problem. In fact, it typically makes it worse.

A larger home is more expensive to buy, furnish, heat, cool, insure, and maintain. And you cannot buy your way out of disorganization either just by acquiring organizing tools. Buying organizing solutions will only mask the problem because excess stuff is the problem. And once upon a time, all that stuff was money.

So how do you turn the tide on disorganization and save money? These three steps and mindset shifts will help.

1. Identify the Excess Items

Start by identifying areas in your home that feel full or cluttered. Where are you trying to store too much stuff? These areas are spaces where it’s difficult to find things and where you cannot easily move around. You’re constantly rearranging because the room is full without margin. These rooms are places you just avoid entirely.

Is the closet overflowing? Do you have endless piles of paper? Do you own enough books and bookshelves to start your own library? Is your garage a place where things go missing? No matter the space, stocking up from a sale is not always a money saver. Food is more likely to go to waste in a full fridge or pantry because you don’t know what you have. Have you ever purchased an item in bulk and threw away half of it because your family doesn't like it anymore?

Donation centers are filled with brand new clothing and the original tags. Perhaps you have items like this in your closet? And yet, you still get dressed every day from a laundry basket. Are there piles of unread books but no time to read?

Once you identify the excess, applying the next step will help.

2. Set a New Boundary

Set boundaries for every category you own. This mindset shift ensures that our physical possessions don’t own us. Think of boundaries as another way of budgeting not just your money but your time and space, too.

Before you buy, consider if there is room for another small appliance in the kitchen cabinets. Filling your kitchen counters with appliances makes cooking at home difficult. This leads families to choose expensive takeout instead. If there isn’t room for a new gadget, see if you can make the recipe a different way. And always designate a home for things before you buy. Respect the boundary you have and resist storing kitchen items in the garage or basement.

Similarly, keeping all your clothing in one closet will save time and money. No more searching through bins of off-season clothing when the weather changes. By setting a smaller boundary for your wardrobe, you keep only the items you wear and shop smarter.

3. Intentional Shopping

Now that you’ve defined boundaries for the items in your home, you’ll need habits and systems to keep it that way. This is where you can save the most money. Be an intentional shopper and make necessary purchases. By bringing less stuff into your home, it will be easier to live within the boundaries you established, and create more organization. Before you shop, adopt these money saving habits.

Create A Weekly Meal Plan

Start your meal plan by assessing the inventory of your fridge, freezer, and pantry and build as many dinners as you can without shopping. Research substitutions for unique ingredients. Buy only basic staples and items that complement the meal plan. Make a list and stick to it.

Use Up Consumables

Whether it’s cat food, travel toothpaste, cleaning products, or toilet paper, use all of it. Cancel subscriptions that have gotten out of hand. Resolve to not shop until absolutely necessary. (Yes, that means groceries, too.) Virtually any cabinet will be more organized with less stuff. Using this inventory will save money and reduce waste.

Borrow, Repurpose Or Reuse

If a need arises in your home, stop and consider other options before you buy. Avoid buying at all cost. Could you borrow the item from a neighbor? Can you repurpose or reuse something you already own? Don’t allow yourself to impulse buy.

Borrow, Don’t Buy Books

The goal of any book lover is to read more books not own more. When you reduce the number of books you own, you will read more. I purge my entire book collection and started reading more as a result. Pass on all the books that do not fit in your newly established boundary and stop buying books altogether. Maintain your boundary by borrowing from the library. The library is free and has various formats (hardcover, paperback, audio, and e-reader). You can save thousands of dollars by borrowing from the library.

Stop Paper Before It Enters Your Home

Establish one inbox as your paper boundary. Ensure that important documents such as bills are stored here. Process paperwork once a week so it doesn’t overwhelm your space and you avoid late payment fees. Stop at the recycle bin after collecting your mail to dispose of catalogs and coupons featuring advertisements. Take it a step further and stop credit card offers, loan pre-approvals, and catalogs from entering your mailbox by registering with Opt-Out Prescreen and Catalog Choice. Fewer advertisements means less buying.

There’s no question that owning less stuff will save you money but it’s not easy to shift your mindset and adopt new habits to reduce the items in your home.

Try this: Review your bank account and your average monthly expenditures. Make a note of the number. Consider how you feel about what you’re currently spending and saving. Could you make better decisions? Would you like to increase your savings each month? Set a goal.

Then, for 90 days adopt the five intentional shopping habits above. And review your bank account at the end of the 90 days. What’s the new monthly expenditure? If you commit to these five habits, you’ll see a significant difference. And your home and finances will be more organized too.

Looking for more advice on how to manage your finances? Meet with an Old National Banker for a free financial review.

This article was written by Amy Slenker-Smith from Forbes and was legally licensed through the DiveMarketplace by Industry Dive. Please direct all licensing questions to legal@industrydive.com.