How to Organize Your Life and Save Time and Money

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Inside: Learn how to organize your life so you can save time and money…even if you’re a hot mess just struggling to find your pants.

Do You Struggle to Organize Your Life?

Is your answer a resounding “Yes!”? Same, girl. Same.

I often struggle to organize my life. Organizing does not come naturally to me. I struggle to be organized at home. When I worked outside the home, I struggled with organizing my office.

Organizing my life is something I’m constantly working on. When it comes to organizing, I must focus, be intentional, and work to make it a practice. And as with many good habits I try to implement, sometimes, I fall short.

Let me be clear. I’m not an organization expert or guru. Those people, God love them stress, me out a little.

I’m not a perfect organizer, nor will I ever claim to be. We all have different strengths. Organizing is not one of mine. BUT. I’m here to tell you that if you struggle too, then number one, you are my people. Number two, there is hope.

I say that because I think when organizing doesn’t come easy for us, it can lead us to feel flawed and “less-than.” And if you’re like me, sometimes you might even feel like you are failing just a bit.

But I’m here to tell you that when I do put my mind to it and make an effort to organize my life, I do see progress.

Life is a little easier. Good things happen. I feel more peaceful. I’m more relaxed and calm.

And I save time and money.

So take heart, if, like me, you struggle. Because I promise, you can implement these tips to organize your life. You don’t have to do it perfectly. You just have to try.

Listen, life is just a series of making progress. Sometimes you take baby steps. Sometimes you make great gains. But don’t let the fear of being imperfect stop you.

Don’t say “oh, well I tried and I failed, so I’ll just never be organized.”

Maybe you won’t ever be completely organized. But even the spurts where you are organized can add up. Even a few wins and successes in organizing your life are better than nothing.

You may not realize it, but even the intentional act of taking steps to be organized is beneficial. And keep in mind that organization strategies can be adapted to suit your individual style and preference.

Here’s how being organized in your daily life can save you time and money.

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Organizing Your Life Helps Reduce Stress

When your personal items are organized, you won’t waste time wandering aimlessly and trying to locate them.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve dug through my closet looking for a particular pair of pants, because I didn’t have my clothes organized by item. Or the stress I felt while looking for my voter registration card because I didn’t have it filed properly.

The key to efficient organizing is to come up with a place to keep something and stick to it. I know, it sounds so simple. But sometimes it’s just hard to implement. I’m all over the place and usually in a rush. So for me to set aside time to create organized spaces is a challenge.

But if you take the time to create organizational spaces, it will work for you.

For example, if you want to keep all of your home repair and home improvement receipts in one file, make sure you keep all of the related documents that same file.

Don’t be afraid of too much sorting. You might be satisfied to keep all insurance paperwork together. But on the other hand, you might want to separate it out into smaller categories, like auto, home, life, etc. The more categories of things you use, the easier it will be to locate what you need when you need it.

But, and this is important, don’t overwhelm yourself overthinking the categories. I tend to get stuck in “analysis paralysis.” So for me, sometimes it’s easier to have a more general file. For example, I don’t keep separate files for every type of insurance we have. Instead. I keep all of our policies together in a file called “Insurance.” You just need to do what works best for you.

Organizing Your Life Keeps You From Buying Unnecessarily

Staying organized also keeps you from buying things you already have, but you’ve forgotten about or lost. I’ve done this with all kinds of things.

I’ve purchased new winter gloves when I forgot I actually had a new pair tucked away in the corner of a closet shelf. I bought a book that a friend recommended, only to find that I already had that book at home.

And the worst? Once, we had to buy a new car key fob because somehow, our spare got thrown out with the trash.

True story.

All said and done, these types of purchases can end up costing you a significant amount of money for items that you already have. I don’t even want to think about how much money I’ve wasted in this way.

The good news though, is that you can always improve. By cleaning and organizing those designated “junk” drawers, closets, and other various black holes where things get lost, you will easily find the item you’re looking for the next time you go searching.

Take it from me, this can truly help you avoid unnecessary purchases and impulsive buys in the future. It’s an easy and simple habit you can implement right away to see results.

An Organized Life Helps You Remember Important Details

Let’s face it, life gets really crazy sometimes, even when you’re intentional about slowing down and maintaining balance. It’s just how life works.

So, it can be hard to keep track of every detail during those times when you have a lot going on in your life. Sometimes, bills get lost in the shuffle and go unpaid, or household maintenance gets overlooked.

Case in point: Once, when a family friend was over visiting, he went to turn on the kitchen faucet to wash his hands. No water. Not a drip. That’s right. Our water had been shut off.

My husband was mortified.

At the time, I had been really stressed at work with a lot of deadlines and a crazy schedule. In addition, I was navigating new motherhood. Sue me.

The point is, by keeping track of all your activities and deadlines, you can get them done in a more efficient manner, make sure every detail is taken care of, and ensure your visitors can wash their hands.

Organizing Your Life Saves You Money on Shopping

Here’s where I really fail to have the most opportunity to improve.

If you plan out a monthly menu, you can buy many of your groceries in bulk, saving time and frequent trips to the grocery store. When you prepare a list ahead of time, you can also look for specials and sales things you plan to buy.

Even doing this on a weekly basis can help you stay organized and save money. You won’t end up wasting food that you bought on impulse or spending a lot of money eating out because you don’t have anything to cook at home.

My mother-in-law plans a weekly menu religiously. I’m always amazed by her organization. My poor husband. I think he’s still traumatized by my struggles with organization. But that’s okay because I CAN DO HARD THINGS and I AM GETTING BETTER.

The same applies to non-food items that can be bought in bulk and stored for later use, as well. Think toilet paper and paper towels, Ziploc baggies, trash bags, etc.

Nothing is worse than realizing you’re down to one roll of toilet paper. I’m not saying that this has happened in our household. I’m also not saying it hasn’t.

Staying organized and keeping essentials stocked up saves you the stress of running out to make a special trip for more. It also saves you the stress of dealing with annoyed family members who don’t have Ziploc bags for school snacks or paper towels to clean up messes.

You can also plan out birthday or holiday gifts ahead of time. By doing this, you can keep an eye out for good deals, plus make sure you are staying within budget.

To Sum It All Up

While it may take a bit (or a lot) of effort, organizing your life allows you to use your time more efficiently and save money.

Not only that, but the more thought-out your budget or schedule is, the less worry and stress you will feel.

Curious about how clutter affects your brain? Check out this post.