Organize + Energize: 10 Ways Disorganization Is Costing You Money

Tuesday, September 16, 2014

Kristin MacRae, GoLocalWorcester Organizing Expert

Being disorganized will cost you money over time. You may even take the hit immediately if you are searching for missing cash or a large check. I hope this article is an eye opener for some who are in denial that they aren’t losing or wasting money due to their disorganization.

Turn these negatives into positives and put more money in your pocket or your savings account. Take a vacation or go for a special night out.

Here are 10 ways your disorganization is costing you money:

• Paying unnecessary fees. Missed appointment fees, late fees, bounced check and bank fees. These are all fees that can be avoided just by being organized. Schedule all of your appointments and due dates on a calendar. Have a working organized system to keep track of when your bills are due and stay organized with your check book.

• Purchasing duplicate items. Do you have 2 pairs of the same shoes floating around your home? You probably bought the second pair because you really loved them, couldn’t find the original pair and went out and purchased another. This happens with small and large ticket items. Once you get organized, you will be able to see everything you have and will know where everything is. You will never waste money on a duplicate item again.

• Losing cash and checks. I find money in every home and office I organize. I get so excited for my clients when we find money! It’s new found money, but you know at some point they were tearing the house apart looking for that cash or check.

• Expired and too much food. Plan ahead for the supermarket. Make a shopping list from your organized food pantry. Meal plan, prepare and portion your food ahead of time and this will help you save money.

• Hiding Gifts. How many of you purchase gifts months before the holidays? You take the gifts home and hide them so nobody will find them. Maybe you stuff them in the back corner of your cluttered closet, under the bed or high on a shelf in the hall closet. The holidays roll around and you completely forget where you hid them. Designate a spot in an organized area for your gifts this year.

• Wasting gas. Get organized with the errands you have to tackle and you will save money on gas by not running all over the state. Here is an article to help you get on track with your errands.

• Missing receipts. You want to return an expensive item, but you can’t find the receipt. You are now stuck with this item or you return it and receive the price it’s selling for now. That price is usually much lower than you originally paid for it. Create a working organized system to contain your receipts.

• Renting a storage space. Are you housing some of your belongings in a storage pod or in an off-site storage unit? Take a trip to the storage unit and re-evaluate what you are storing and if it’s worth the extra money you are spending each month.

• Impulse purchases. Before you head out shopping, whether it is clothes, furniture or food, always have a list. Be prepared and take inventory of what you own ahead of time so you won’t waste money on impulses purchases. Most of the time an impulse purchase never gets used and has a home in the back of a closet.

• Time costs money. You have all heard this saying. I’ll end the article on this note. My dad, a successful small business owner, always told me, “Every shot has to count. Everything you do, you can’t waste time and energy. You have to put your nose to the grind and get it done right the first time. Time relates to money. Bottom line, the more time you waste looking for things, it turns into money lost.”

Kristin Carcieri-MacRae, the founder and owner of Organizing in RI, has always enjoyed finding creative ways to streamline the environment around her. She has appeared on air on Patricia Raskin's Positive Business Radio and her articles have been published in the Rhode Island Small Business Journal and New England Home Life. Kristin's CD, Organizing Basics, is a 1-hour guide for the person who wants to get organized but doesn't know where to start. She is also available for organizing workshops. Tune into her weekly radio show, Organize, Energize! on Mondays at 8:30am on http://www.talkstreamradio.com.

Related Slideshow: 10 Minute Organizing Projects

Declutter and Organize

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Spices

As you take all of the spices out of the cabinet, check for expiration dates and smell for potency. Categorize and itemize your spices to how you utilize them. Contain them in a spice rack that fits the space where they are kept. Don’t purchase a spice rack until you are finished organizing. You want to measure the space and make sure the rack fits and holds all of your spices. There are a variety of spice racks out there. Choose the one that best suits what you need it to hold.

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Makeup

How many items do you touch in the morning to find what you need? You want to be as efficient as possible in the morning and having your makeup organized will be a big time saver. Do you have difficulty deciding what to keep or toss? When is it time to throw away makeup? Aline Sarkis, a Providence, RI-based makeup artist, states lipstick can be used for 2 years or until it starts to smell like a crayon. Mascara is good for 2-3 months. Eye shadow is good for 2 years and foundation is good for 1-2 years. Aline also states that some makeup and skincare will be marked with an expiration date of 6-12 months. Begin counting once you start using the product

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Women: Purse

Depending on the size of your purse, and what you keep in your purse, this may take you a little longer than 10 minutes. Empty the entire contents of the purse on a table. Declutter, categorize, and itemize the contents. Break this process down and take it one category at a time. Develop a system going forward so the inside of your purse doesn’t look like a cyclone hit it. Contain receipts, gift cards, money, and makeup.

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Men: Wallet

It’s time to empty all of the receipts out of your wallet. Do you also store receipts and random items in your car? While you are tackling this project, head over to your vehicle and declutter the center console and glove compartment.

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Underwear drawer

If you aren’t using drawer organizers, you should start now. They are very inexpensive and will maximize the space in the drawer. How many of you wear the same item over and over again? With drawer organizers in place, you will be able to see everything you own and can categorize and itemize. Nothing will ever get pushed to the bottom of the drawer again.

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Under the bathroom sink

If you haven’t taken everything out of this area in awhile, you may find some scary items under the sink. Empty the contents, itemize, and categorize. Throw away anything that you can’t recognize. Contain items in containers that fit the space like a puzzle. Once again, utilizing containers will maximize the space and allow you to store more items. Develop a simple system where you can locate items and locate them quickly.

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Pets

Ninety percent of my clients have a pet. It’s time to organize their belongings. Medicine, leashes, bandanas, clothes, dishes, food, etc. Take this time to also organize any paper work related to your pet. Set up a filing system for your pet. Keep their medical records, rabies and vaccination information categorized in these files.

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Junk drawer

Nobody says you can’t have a junk drawer. Junk drawers can be organized. You just have to think about if you need everything in this drawer and if there is a better place to store the items. Remember, store like items together. If you have tools in the junk drawer, maybe you should keep them with the tools in the basement.

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Office supply drawer

So many people have office supply drawers that are out of control. Money is wasted on purchasing duplicate office supplies. It’s very difficult to figure out what you need to purchase if items are scattered all over the office and are disorganized.

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Top of your office desk

If you can’t see the top of your desk, take this time to focus on this area and categorize and itemize what is there. Do you have a working filing system in place? If so, once your desk is cleared, make a habit of filing once a day or a couple of times a week. If your system isn’t working for you, it may be time for you to re-evaluate your system and make it work for the way you function.