Janet Schiesl

Basic Organization

You can get organized without spending a lot of money. Actually, you don’t have to spend any money. This might seem unreal if you have been watching The HOME Edit on Netflix. They spend a lot of money on products that make everything look wonderful, but is it more organized? Can it be maintained? There are many small things you can do to be more organized without shelling out cash and they don’t take much time at all.

Try these tips below:

• Plan Meals. Have a plan. Use your calendar to schedule easy-to-make meals on the days you don’t have a lot of time.
• Turn your hangers around to identify the items you never wear. This is a great exercise to do with the change of seasons, in Spring and Fall.
• Note everything down in your calendar. I mean everything! Then look at your calendar every morning.
• Make a grocery list. This goes along with planning meals. Once you get into the habit, writing a list will only take a few minutes.
• Organize your pantry. Knowing what you have and making it easy to find will save you time and money.
• Sort piles into groups of like-items. Doing this exercise will help you identify good homes for these groups of items.
• Reuse empty containers to store things. You can organize without spending money by using what you already have.
• Organize your loose photos in chronological order. This is a big one! If you own a lot of physical photos (digital too!) it can be overwhelming.
• Write down family routines and post them for all to see. Sharing schedules is a great way to communicate with your busy family.
• Live with less. YES! Limiting what you own will bring you more space and less stress.