Need frugal organization tips

[shellyrhds]

I am in desperate!! need of frugal organizational tips -- everything from under the bathroom sink to the closet to the kitchen pantry to bill payment!! I am returning to college after a long (14 year) break, and I know that if I don't get my butt organized, I will just turn in circles and start muttering to myself come September!! Please help me curb the impending insanity -- any suggestions for Frugal (heck, even blatantly CHEAP) ideas for storage and organizing!! thanks so much!!

[savvymom]

I use baskets everywhere (under the sink, in the pantry, literally everywhere), I believe I got them 4/$1 at the Dollar General Store. I like the baskets because I can just pull them out and easily find what I need. I also use decorative baskets for the bills and such that comes in the mail so it's easy to hide until I get to it.

[forHISglory]

I got gallon glass jars with lids for free at some local restuarants (pickles and salad dressing came in them). I filled them with items that I used frequently and it made it easy to find what I needed in the kitchen: pasta, popcorn, crackers, etc.

Color code your life. Do this with your school materials, with a file box for note cards, notebooks, accordian files, etc. all in the same color for each class.

If you have kids, color code their lives. Colored thread or tape on underwear, socks, etc. can make sorting laundry easier. Color code their lunch things and school supplies. It saves all sorts of arguments.

Also with kids, have them lay out clothes the night before, and have lunches packed the night before. Have their book bags packed and stacked by the door ready to go. When they come home, designate a place for the bags to go, and a place for homework to be done.

Designate one place for your paperwork in bills, banking and so forth. Maybe have an in basket and an out basket.

There are lots more tips, but you are on the right track. Getting organized is half the battle.

[pinkdaisy]

I recently moved and for the most part I tried to reuse as much of what I already had for organizing like plastic rectangle containers of various sizes and many baskets I had gotten for free or nearly free.

One thing I did do is that I had one of those over the shower nozzle organizer things but did not need it in the shower at my new place b/c that shower had built in shelves. So instead I hung it on the wall near my vanity with a hook and I use it to hold stuff like my hairspray, lotion, etc. It even has two little "hooks" at the bottom (presumably for a washcloth) but I used those to hang my scrunchies. It really helps me to keep my bathroom counter clutter free.

In addition to reusing various plastic containers and baskets that I already had, I have also used smaller open cardboard boxes to organize. You can pick whatever size you need and then to make it "prettier" cover with contact paper or fabric, or decoupage with scrapbook paper.

I am also a fan of the plastic shelving if you need more storage room because they are really inexpensive. I have used those along with baskets to organize several rooms of my house.

The other thing I did was I had a plastic lazy susan that I wasn't using in the kitchen so I used it at my desk instead. I have several tins used as pen holders - one for pens, one for highlighters, one for pencils and one for markers. This way I can "spin" the lazy susan for whatever I need at the moment.

For bills, I track every bill paid on a spreadsheet each month but I happen to love Excel! I also put all the due dates on my calendar each month and mark when they are paid so I am certain I don't forget anything and that they are all paid on time. There are many ways to organize bills and personal paperwork, just depends on what you have and what process works for you. Some like to have a file for each month with all the bills for that month in one place while others prefer to file on a subject basis (i.e., folder for electric bill, folder for phone bills, etc.). I also have a folder called "bills to be paid" which stays on top of my desk in an upright file. This is where I put all the paperwork until I pay that bill, so when I open the mail it goes straight into that folder. That way I can always find it when my calendar tells me its time to pay it!

BTW... I love organizing! hee

[elphie]

great ideas above... my suggestion is to pare down what you have, have a yard sale and get rid of unnecessary clutter. We recently had one that we advertised as a $1 sale so I didn't have to worry about pricing anything. We did have a few larger items priced seperately but still it was so easy. Plus I made a few bucks. Everything that didn't sell immediately got loaded into the truck and taken to Goodwill. We also just threw out some stuff. It is so liberating to not have to battle the clutter.

[shoiji]

Plan a head with a monthly budget for each month. Then make sure to stick to it. Definately get rid of any clutter now. If you do not have any stock up on some containers to take food to school with you. Also when cooking try to make as much double batches as possible to help reduce the amount of times you need to cook. Freeze as much as possible for later use. If you don't have one a crockpot may also come in handy for you.

With the classes take as many "easy" courses in the beginning as you can. This way you can ease yourself into the whole going back to school thing.

[Shoshana]

I second elphie's idea to pare down....

If you have too much stuff, all of the organizational tricks and products in the world aren't going to make much of a difference. If you only have what you need/use on a regular basis, the organization nearly takes care of itself.

I'm reading a couple of books on downsizing and organization -- one author (cannot remember his name, he has a TV show & organizing homes is his profession) said that one of the biggest reasons for failure when people try to "get organized" is that they immediately look for new systems and make new purchases, and then spend too much time reorganizing the existing mess.

Good luck!

[pinkdaisy]

Definitely true about the clutter. I am at the point where I want less stuff not more. I am not minimalist but I am more selective about display pieces and just having things I need or enjoy now and don't want a bunch of stuff lying around collecting dust either! I like being able to zip through the vacuuming and dusting quickly without having to pick up stuff to clean. I also live in the south where its HOT and HUMID and call me crazy, but I am finding a clean and airy space feels cooler than the same room amidst clutter even if the temperature is the same. Am I crazy??? lol

[pollypurebred39]

We live in a tiny rancher and there just is not enough room for basic living things or storage things, let alone stockpile stuff. I found a way to make our space work for us. In our schoolroom(was a dining room) I lined a wall with a bank of shelves and other storage stuff. It's a mish-mash of storage stuff. A bookcase, a storage shelf, a plastic wardrobe but it does not matter because I purchased a curtain cable from IKEA. It conects wall to wall. I then took long sheets and made a floor to ceiling curtain(Same color as the walls)and hung on curtain cable. Everything blends in nicely. I did the same in one of the bedrooms, instant closet!

[Ms. Clear]

I second the yard sale idea. You can use the proceeds to pay for your books. Plus, it will be easier to think with more space.

Depending on how much you have, it may be worth taking an ad. It's yard sale season, you could do very well.

[shellyrhds]

Thanks to everyone for the great ideas!! I am definitely going to use the decluttering tip and the basket tips - these are both things that I need to do and that will be helpful I think!!