1) Make a paste of baking soda and water and rub on insect bites to relieve itching.

2) Remove coffee and tea stains by scrubbing pots or cups with baking soda and a plastic scouring pad.

3) Add 1/3 cup baking soda to a wash cycle as a bleach booster or to the rinse cycle for cleaner smelling laundry.

4) To remove black scuff marks from floor, rub them with a paste of baking soda and water.

5) Clean fiberglass showers and tubs with baking soda sprinkled on a sponge. Sponge clean and wipe dry.

6) Soak sour smelling dishcloths and sponges in water and baking soda solution.

7) Use a solution of water and baking soda to clean and deodorize the inside of your microwave.

Put a few spoonfuls in a cup of water in the microwave, boil for two minutes, then wipe down the inside with a sponge.

9) Sprinkle a little baking soda into the laundry hamper to minimize odors.

10) Remove crayon marks from walls by scrubbing gently with an old toothbrush and a paste of baking soda and water.

Originally published at Suite 101. Rachel Paxton is a freelance writer and mom who is the author of What’s for Dinner?, an e-cookbook containing more than 250 quick easy dinner ideas. For recipes, tips to organize your home, home decorating, crafts, holiday hints, and more, visit Creative Homemaking at http://www.creativehomemaking.com.

Article Source: WAHM Articles

As the world aspires to become more “green”, my own household has jumped on the bandwagon. We recycle newspapers, shredded paper, plastic bottles and jugs, etc. Everything we can recycle we do recycle.

Many of the items that are used in our homes every day can be recycled. Paper, certain plastics, soda cans; the list goes on and on. But by the same token, many of those same items can be reused instead.

Here are just a few items that you use in your life everyday and the ways they can be reused:

Water Bottles
If your family likes bottled water, but you don’t like the cost, or you would like to find a way to keep those bottles out of the landfills (without overworking the recycling centers), then invest in a charcoal water filter for your kitchen faucet. While the filters will have to be replaced about every three months on average, you can still save money by installing it and refilling all those bottles. You can also refill soda bottles, sports drink bottles, even milk jugs with the filtered water.

Butter, Margarine & Whipped Topping Tubs
There are more uses for plastic butter and margarine containers than I could even begin to list! First of all they make great food storage! If you prefer to use your matching Tupperware for that, there are still a ton of reasons to keep these containers handy.

One of the best ways to reuse these containers is for mixing. I use them for cake & muffin mixes, pancake mixes and even pudding. Just pour in your measured ingredients, put the lid on and give it a good shake. Pop the lid off and pour! You can even give them a bit of a squeeze forming a “spout” to make your mix pour out smoothly! This makes cooking & baking super easy and it’s a great way to reuse the containers over and over again.

I also like to use the 3-pound sized tubs for coatings! Make super easy chicken nuggets! Mix up your favorite coating recipe, drop in your chicken chunks and shake, shake, shake! You can do this with any type of coating!

The small, one-pound tubs are perfect for mixing paint, for holding homemade play dough, for sorting beads, and many, many, many other uses! You are limited only by your imagination on what you can do with these handy little containers!

Plastic and Glass Jars
Many companies are now using plastic rather than glass jars. I reuse plastic peanut butter jars to store my homemade sauces and salad dressings. Some brands of spaghetti sauce use very nice decorative glass jars that are perfect for refilling with gift mixes! You can find gift mix recipes with a quick internet search. Top the jars off with a piece of fabric, cut with decorative shears, or use a lace doily and thread a delicate ribbon through it. Tie it on the jar lid and you are all set with a beautiful hand made gift!

My husband likes to reuse jars in the garage for nuts, bolts, stray nails and more! He fastens the lids of the jars to the underside of wooden shelves, fills the jars with the tiny items and then screws the jar up into the lid. They hang there, freeing up shelf space and since they are clear, it is easy to see what they contain!

Baby Wipe Containers
You can buy refill packs for just about every brand of baby wipes. Save the containers and refill them. If you find you still have too many of these handy plastic containers, use them for just about any small item you can think of. They are washable and stackable, and they are perfect for crayons, colored pencils, markers, hair clips, sponge curlers, cotton balls, cotton swabs; the list goes on and on! Use them in the bathroom, the nursery, the garage or even the home office!

Plastic Grocery Store Bags
There are many, many great ways to reuse the plastic bags you get at the grocery store!

I have little trash cans all over the house. I like to have one in each room so that when I am in that room and need to toss something out, I don’t have to go into another room to do it. With all those little garbage cans around, I need small liners. Instead of spending the money on new liners, I reuse my plastic grocery bags. They are a perfect fit!

We also save them up and use them when we hold garage sales. They are perfect to hold your customer’s purchases, or to wrap breakable items.

These bags make great packing for shipping too! Whether it is for business or you are shipping gifts, they will cushion your items and get them there safely! And unlike newspapers, you don’t have to worry about ink rubbing off and staining your packed items!

Canvas Totes
If you find you have a surplus of the grocery store “can liners”, invest in a few basic canvas tote bags. You can pick these up at craft stores, in a myriad of sizes for very little. Use them when you shop for groceries, books, office supplies (or just about anything else) and ask the check out clerk to bag the items in your totes. Give them as gifts and encourage others to do the same thing!

Plastic Meat Trays
Plastic meat trays come in just about any size, from packaging for a single steak, to a large family pack of ground beef. I have reused plastic meat trays to sort all types of things! Outgoing mail, small toys, art supplies; the list goes on and on. And they fit great on shelves! Just wash them out and they are ready to go! The small ones are perfect for organizing the home office!

Foaming Hand Soap Bottles
Why buy a new bottle of foaming hand soap every time you run out? Those can be refilled with just about any type of soap, body wash or bath gel! For an 8 oz foaming hand soap bottle, refill with 2 oz (1/4 cup) of liquid soap, and 6 oz of water. This will save you a ton of money on buying a new bottle each time, and will help keep them out of the landfills!

Magazines
While magazines are a recyclable product, they also make it a lot less boring when sitting in the doctor’s or dentist’s office! Call around and ask the local clinics if they would be willing to take them off of your hands. You can also try nursing homes. And don’t forget all those Highlights for Children or National Geographic for Kids! If they aren’t badly beat up or written in, your local children’s shelter would probably love to have extra reading material for the kids in their care!

Make an artistic statement!
Art teachers at your child’s elementary school are always looking for donated things like cardboard paper towel and toilet paper rolls, juice containers, milk and egg cartons, colored paper, and much, much more! Call your child’s school and ask what types of things you can save to donate to the art program!

There are so many things that we can reuse in our homes if we just take the time to think about it and get creative! So the next time you get ready to toss something in the trash, instead ask yourself how you might reuse it! You never know what innovative ideas you can come up with!

Now if we could just find a good use for dryer lint!

Kandi Traxel is a WAHM and the owner of Shop With a Mom http://www.shopwithamom.com and A Love of Coffee http://www.aloveofcoffee.com

Article Source: WAHM Articles

Spring is in the air! It’s still chilly outside, but the glimpses of sunshine and warmer days are inspiring me to get out my cleaning supplies and begin my spring cleaning.

Every time I am in the middle of cleaning I think of other things I need to get around to doing and then forget about them later. I decided to sit down and make an exhaustive spring cleaning checklist. My list details every cleaning task I could think of, everything I hope to get around to taking care of this spring.

By no means, don’t think that you have to complete everything on this list. If you are a stay-at-home mom, you can probably comfortably accomplish at least two to three of these tasks a week. Get your kids involved and have them help!

Some days I won’t do any cleaning, and other days I might accomplish two or three of my spring cleaning tasks. If you work outside the home, it’s easy to let some of the cleaning go, but if you try to work in one or two small cleaning jobs on the weekend, you will be proud of your accomplishments. It’s amazing
how cleaning just one small area of your house can make your whole day and make you feel like you got something done.

SPRING CLEANING CHECKLIST

KITCHEN

___ CLEAN OUT AND ORGANIZE REFRIGERATOR
___ CLEAN INSIDE OF AND UNDER STOVE
___ CLEAN MICROWAVE
___ CLEAN TOASTER OVEN
___ CLEAN AND ORGANIZE PANTRY
___ CLEAN AND ORGANIZE FREEZER
___ WIPE DOWN INSIDE AND OUTSIDE OF KITCHEN CUPBOARDS

BEDROOMS

___ WASH OR DRYCLEAN BEDSPREADS
___ ORGANIZE/PURGE MASTER BEDROOM CLOSET
___ ORGANIZE/PURGE CHILDREN’S CLOSETS
___ ORGANIZE/PURGE CHILDREN’S TOYS

GENERAL

___ WIPE DOWN ALL DOORS; CLEAN DOOR HANDLES & MOLDINGS
___ WIPE OFF WINDOW SILLS
___ CLEAN INSIDE OF WINDOWS
___ WASH OR DRYCLEAN CURTAINS
___ DUST MINI-BLINDS
___ CLEAN SLIDING GLASS DOORS INSIDE AND OUT
___ REMOVE MARKS FROM WALLS; APPLY TOUCH UP PAINT
___ CLEAN WALL MOLDINGS
___ DUST CEILING FANS
___ DUST PICTURE FRAMES
___ DUST LAMP SHADES
___ STEAM CLEAN CARPETS
___ STEAM CLEAN FURNITURE
___ WASH OUT WASTEBASKETS
___ DUST ARTIFICIAL PLANTS
___ CHANGE BATTERIES IN SMOKE DETECTORS
___ ORGANIZE LINEN CLOSET
___ WIPE DOWN AND CLEAN UNDER WASHING MACHINE AND DRYER

OUTSIDE

___ CLEAN UP FLOWER BEDS
___ FINISH RAKING LEAVES
___ PREPARE PLANTERS FOR PLANTING
___ CLEAN AND FILL WATER FOUNTAINS
___ STRAIGHTEN STORAGE SHED
___ HOSE DOWN PATIO
___ CLEAN PATIO FURNITURE
___ CLEAN WINDOWS ON OUTSIDE
___ INSPECT AND REPAIR WINDOW SCREENS
___ WASH OUT GARBAGE CANS
___ CLEAN BARBECUE

Rachel Paxton is a freelance writer and mom who is the author of What’s for Dinner?, an e-cookbook containing more than 250 quick easy dinner ideas. For more recipes, gardening, organizing tips, home decorating, holiday hints, and more, visit Creative Homemaking at http://www.creativehomemaking.com.

Article Source: WAHM Articles

Conserving water is something we must all do, especially during the summer months. If you live in the Southern States, you are more than likely still experiencing droughts and conserving water is a must. Below you will find some helpful hints that will help you conserve water this summer and can apply throughout the year.

1. Run the dishwasher and washing machines when you have full loads.
2. When in the shower, place a bucket to catch extra water that can be used to water your plants.
3. Plant native plants to avoid wasting water on irrigation or a better option would be to xeriscape which would require less water.
4. Do not use running water to defrost or thaw your meats or frozen foods. Defrost in the refrigerator overnight.
5. Reduce your use of kitchen sink disposals which require a lot of water to function; obtain a composter to dispose of food waste.
6. Don’t let the water run while brushing your teeth or shaving.
7. Check leaky faucets, pipes and irrigation systems and have them repaired as soon as possible.
8. Hot water on demand saves water and energy.
9. Make sure to know the watering rules and conservation guidelines required by your state.
10. Start conserving water today, because every drop counts.

Apply these easy tips to your daily routine and you will be doing your part in conserving water.

This article was written by Dr. Daisy Sutherland, a Chiropractor by profession, and home-school mom to 5 children. Dr. Sutherland writes many articles on health and nutrition. Dr. Sutherland’s first love is education and is able to share her knowledge and experiences through articles as shown. View more of her articles here: www.healthynutritionhints.com

Article Source: WAHM Articles

As the summer rolls around, those that have well insulated homes are feeling the chill even when it is hot outside. Insulation keeps your home cooler without overworking your air conditioner; hence, saving you money on your energy costs every month. Cooling and Heating bills account for over half of your energy costs every year. Instead of walking around in the dark or washing your clothes and dishes once a week-why not just make sure that your home is well insulated?

Also, this material works as great soundproofing. Wherever the framing in a house is open, such as in the attic or under floors, insulation can be added. Also, there is no need to hire a contractor, since most people can install their own insulation.

Summertime heat can be brutal–especially if you do not have adequate insulation in your house. Heat in the attic can leak through the ceiling and spread throughout your house. Depending upon where you live, most cities require (by law) insulation with an R-value of 30 to R-49. Insulation can be improved greatly by adding batts made of fiberglass over whatever insulation you currently have in the attic. Another option is to do it yourself by buying loose fill insulation at your local hardware store and installing it in your attic.

Many of these companies will rent you an insulation blowing machine freely based on the amount of insulation material you purchase. In olden days most of the houses didn’t have adequate insulation. Insulation is very much required in winter as well as summer as heat transfer mainly through floor. I have insulated many floors in my time. Even though it is difficult work, i can assure you that it is really worth in the long run in terms of cost saving and benefit to the homeowner.

Another reason why your house might not retain cool air in the summer time are air leaks. Air leaks can occur through fireplace flues, badly insulated windows and doors. No one wants to lose their nice, cool, air conditioning air, due to leaks. Something to consider is leaving winter storm windows on during the summer as a way to retain cool air. Or, you could install weather stripping which is easy to install and may save you lots of money in the long term. The best way to check for possible air leaks is on a windy day, light incense and watch for where the smoke blows in or out of the house.

While many people “winterize” their home before the cold hits, it is just as important to “summerize” your home before the heat hits. Ventilation is one of the most overlooked parts of preparing your home for summer. With the ventilation system, double check that foundation vents are open, check that the eave or soffit vents are clear and not clogged with debris. Finally, make sure the attic has adequate ventilation as a build-up of heat and moisture can lead to dry rot.

Amy is a occassional columnist commentating DIY issues, whilst working on Screwfix Direct Clearance Offers on behalf of eComparison.

Article Source: WAHM Articles

I am by no means a neat person. This humorous list is from my own vast personal experience with the messes. You may have your own. However, if you are organizationally challenged, you WILL relate to this humorous top ten type list! I am an official wannabe neat freak. Unfortunately, all you will get from me is humor, support, and insights into the mind of an organizationally challenged work at home, homeschooling, overworked, and underpaid Mom of two.

OK…so when these things are goin’ on in el’ fridgeO…well, it may be time to…ya know…

* You have some old fruit that could be donated to science for a new type of penicillin.
* Your magnets have gone on strike.
* Your Baking Soda is fuzzy.
* There is something in there with a hairdo.
* Your milk is still in a glass container from the 50’s.
* There is a hardened mass at the bottom that may be used to cut diamonds.
* You would rather use the fast food ketchup packs than what’s in your ketchup bottle.
* You swear that something is living in the veggie bin.
* Your lunch meat has become jerky…and you didn’t plan it.
* You can smell the contents of your fridge from the living room.
* When there is a package in there that says cheddar, but you swear it’s limburger.
* And…when what you thought were brussel sprouts are actually icicles.

I hope this made you laugh and encourages you to clean your refrigerator! It can be quite a daunting task, however, once you get it clean, you will be happier! Plus, you will reduce the risk of getting any food born illnesses!

I would love for you to stop by ThouShaltClean.com and submit your own humorous tales. However, I must warn you, if you are naturally neat, you may not fit in to the chaos!

Copyright © Lara Velez, ThouShaltClean.com

Lara Velez is a Christian wife and homeschooling Mother of two. She is a published writer, successful web designer (http://designedbylara.com), and the owner of ThouShaltClean.com (http://thoushaltclean.com), a site for the organizationally challenged. She also enjoys cooking, writing, scrapbooking, and web design.

Article Source: WAHM Articles

As I was walking this morning there was a beautiful rainbow in the sky. I started thinking how each color could represent some part of organization in our homes. (I can’t help it, as a professional organizer my mind works that way). The story I was told as a child about the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow was fun and I always wanted to find that pot of gold. Now I am older I know real gold is found here in my own home with my family and friends.

But as a professional organizer as I organize for women I see how often clutter takes over lives; causing disharmony, contention, financial problems, stress and a myriad of other problems.

Here is a beautiful legend I found about the rainbow. It is based on a Native American Legend:

Once upon a time the colors of the world started to quarrel: all claimed that they were the best, the most important, the most useful, the favorite.

GREEN said: “Clearly I am the most important. I am the sign of life and of hope. BLUE interrupted: “You only think about the earth, but consider the sky and the sea. It is the water that is the basis of life.

YELLOW chuckled: “You are all so serious. I bring laughter, gaiety, and warmth into the world. Without me there would be no fun.” ORANGE started next to blow her trumpet: “I am the color of health and strength.

RED shouted: “I am the ruler of all of you - I am blood - life’s blood!

PURPLE spoke with great pomp: “I am the color of royalty and power.

Finally, INDIGO spoke, much more quietly but with just as much determination: “Think of me. I am the color of silence. You need me for balance and contrast.
And so the colors went on boasting, each convinced of his or her own superiority. Suddenly rain started to pour down relentlessly. The colors crouched down in fear, drawing close to one another for comfort.

In the midst of the clamor, rain began to speak: “You foolish colors, fighting amongst yourselves, each trying to dominate the rest. Don’t you know that you were each made for a special purpose, unique and different? “From now on, when it rains, each of you will stretch across the sky in a great bow of color as a reminder that you can all live in peace.

In our homes the things we chose to have around us can each have a special purpose, each unique and different. But when our possessions become clutter we no longer have peace and harmony. Just like the rainbow colors who worked together to bring peace we can have peace by reducing clutter in our homes.
Here are some tips on how to reduce clutter:

*Before buying something ask these questions: Do I have a place to put this? Do I have something like this at home? Will I miss this if I don’t buy it? What can I get rid of in my home if I buy this?

*In your clothes closet after you have worn something hang it with the hanger facing the opposite direction. This way you can see what clothes you really wear. Donate the clothes you aren’t wearing, those you avoid because you don’t like but are perfectly good.

*Make sure all the clothes in your closet are wearable. If there is a button missing or a seam that needs fixing, take it out of your closet and only return it after it is fixed. You will keep avoiding wearing it if it isn’t in wearable condition and it clutters your closet.

*In the kitchen donate the dishes you are keeping but never use. (I’m not talking about special occasion dishes). It’s those dishes “you might use someday”, but never do. The dishes you use weekly place in the most convenient area of your cupboards.

*Go through your pantry, check for expiration dates, and get rid of outdated food. If you have canned foods you have had for awhile plan a menu for that week to use it.

*Use containers to contain everything. This really helps to cut the clutter as it defines how much you can store. Label what is in the containers.

By reducing and eliminating clutter in our homes we will have finally found the pot of gold we searched for at the end of the rainbow when we were children.

Marilyn is a creative organizer who helps women, seniors & their families to create space and end clutter in homes and offices by setting up custom made systems.
Visit her website http://www.marilynbohn.com for free organizing tips.

Article Source: WAHM Articles

Running a household can be daunting, especially if you have children who are expected to help with the chores. It’s difficult getting them to do their work, and even more difficult to keep the house clean, uncluttered, and organized. If you’re feeling overwhelmed with it all, here are a few tips for keeping a clean, organized house.

- Promise each other that you won’t get sidetracked while cleaning. You won’t read the books that you find under your bed, or get distracted looking through old pictures you found in a box. Those can be set aside and saved for later, a reward for getting your work done.
- If you can’t be home when your kids arrive home from school, leave instructions for them on a tape recorder. For kids who are old enough to be home alone but are still young enough to get lonely, your voice will reassure them.
- Hire a professional house cleaner to handle really tough cleaning jobs. The family can watch and learn from their work as well.
- Have a brainstorm with your child about how to cut down on the quantity of items in his room, and how to arrange it so that everything has a place.
- Use comforters instead of bedspreads, so that bed-making will be that much quicker and easier.
- Instill the habit of one toy or game at a time. The first one must be put away before another can come out. This cuts down on the likelihood of game pieces being lost, and rooms being turned into disaster zones.
- Consider not using a toy box. Kids will dig through them and throw everything out of them, trying to find one particular toy at the bottom.
- Use the “one thing in, one thing out” rule. Whenever your child gets a new toy, tell him to pick an old one to get rid of. If it’s in good shape, give it to Goodwill.
- Teach basic cleaning skills and techniques. Remind kids that dust falls downward, so start dusting up high, and finish down low. Remind them to pick up boxes with their legs, to avoid straining backs.
- Keep it simple. Get rid of all the “stuff” you thought would make life better, but really just complicates it. For instance: the waffle iron or yogurt maker, the toys with missing parts and clothes that are never worn.

Hopefully, using these tips, you’ll find that your home life is at least a bit more organized, and a bit more fun.

To learn more about keeping a clean, organized and happy home while teaching your children to assume personal responsibility, visit http://www.KidsChoresAndMore.com, an eBook and other bonus items on teaching responsibility by Judy H. Wright aka Auntie Artichoke, family relationship coach and author.

You are also invited to attend free teleclasses each Thursday on various aspects of family relationships. Register at http://www.ArtichokePress.com You will be glad you did.

Article Source: WAHM Articles

Short answer - absolutely you can save money going green! The term “going green” typically refers to any activity that lessens your impact on the environment and/or doing your part to conserve and recycle our everyday resources. There are literally thousands, if not more, ways to actually “go green”, and with the help of blogs and the internet in general, we have a real shot as we move into 2009 of going green by leveraging and taking advantage of many different and unique methods.

In contrast to going on a diet when you’re trying to lose weight - generally the diet food costs more than “regular” food, so besides actually losing weight, there is no other benefit to going on a diet, and it can be quite expensive, but that’s quite the opposite when you go on an earth diet (conserving less energy, recycling, etc…). When you make a concerted effort to “greenerize” yourself (yes, new word!), you stand the chance to save quite a bit of cash in the process!

For instance, let’s look at a few popular ways that your every day consumer can go green:

1. Carpooling

2. Public transportation

3. Using compact fluorescent lightbulbs (CFL’s)

4. Setting your thermostat a few degrees higher in summer

5. Wash clothes in cold water

6. Hang dry your clothes instead of dryer

7. Install low flow shower heads

8. Using reusable water bottles

I could go on and on about different ways to go green, but the eight ways listed above are perfectly easy and acceptable ways to help the environment, and best of all, you’ll save money using every single method!

Doing a quick average, I would conservatively say that just by doing the above, you could save anywhere from $250-$350 per month, and to your average 4 person family, that’s a nice chunk of change that can be saved or used for other bills (like your mortgage!). Recently, a poll came out that said only 12% of consumers are really “going green”, while another 41% were considered “light green”. Just imagine if we could get that first number higher, it would make a much greater impact than most people could imagine.

So I encourage you to make a list right now that lists out ten ways you can start going green today. At the end of 30 days, give yourself a true estimate on how much money you saved by comparing it with your regular costs. Saving money by going green is so addictive that you’ll find yourself cutting back and conserving even more to enjoy all the extra cash you’re putting back in the bank!

Justin Kander writes for Green Experience, an environmental blog.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Justin_Kander
http://EzineArticles.com/?Save-Money-by-Going-Green&id=1503192

I’ll bet you’re wondering what organization has to do with saving money.

Actually quite a bit!

Imagine that you’ve been looking all over your house for that book/DVD/sunglasses/whatever and you can’t find it. Or imagine that you’re at the store and can’t remember if you still have any bananas or jars of strawberry jam.

Simple things, right?

Well, when we can’t remember what we have and don’t know where to find what we have, we usually end up buying it again. And then, before you know it, you’re like my aunt with 17 umbrellas.

My mother always says that once you replace something you can’t find, you’ll find the original missing item. I’m sure many of you have heard that as well. But for as many times as we’ve heard this, we still do not take action and bring some organization into our lives to avoid spending money when did not need to spend in the first place.

So, what do we do about this? The answer to almost every organizing problem is to have a system. Why a system? Because we are creatures of habit and mostly prefer to do things the same way every time. Not only that but with a system you have less to remember. You just follow the system.

There are a couple of systems you can put in place to help you save money in various areas of your life. Here are 4 areas in which you will want to find a system that works for you to help save you tons of money in the end.

1. Grocery Shopping

How many times have you been at the grocery store, without your list, and wondered if you should be an item you’re not really sure if you have or need?

I’m willing to be it happens a lot. It happens more when you don’t have a list. It happens even more when you don’t know what you have in your kitchen.

Here’s what I suggest. Go through your cabinets and fridge before you attempt to make a shopping list. The list you’re about to make is what you can see that you’re missing or low on. Next, depending on how often you shop (I suggest no more than weekly) and plan your menus accordingly. So, plan menus weekly if you shop weekly, two weeks at a time if you shop bi-weekly, etc.

Once you know what you’re going to make, you can look at what you’re missing (from your first list), and make your shopping list accordingly.

When you get to the store, do not deviate from this list. Take appropriate coupons if you want to, but don’t go hungry and leave the kids at home.

2. Shoes

What woman doesn’t like to have a variety of shoes? Unlike men, we must have different shoes for different outfits, occasions, and seasons. However, this love of shoes can go overboard.

This has happened to me, I must admit. While shopping for something totally unrelated, I saw a great pair of gray houndstooth heels in Target. The only problem was the heel was a little too high and the size 11 was probably one size or so more than I needed.

I reasoned that my feet would swell and I wouldn’t be standing long anyway. Plus, the shoes weren’t expensive. Well, I stood for a long time on the day I wore them, it rained, and they were too big. They were worn once and are now on their way to charity. What a waste!

I should have taken stock of what I had and thought about what I was going to wear on that occasion. Had I done that, I would have saved my feet and my money.

So, take note: know what you have before you start adding to your collection.

3. Clothing

What goes for shoes also goes for clothing.

I used to get clothing as gifts from my parents and internally wondered where they thought a 14 year old was going to wear a white ruffled shirt in 1995. (I eventually found a use for that shirt in one of the plays I was in.)

The point is, even though they were trying to be nice about it, the clothing choices didn’t fit my existing lifestyle. We do that sometimes. Whether it’s a trend or something great we saw on someone else, we figure it’s just something we have to have. But, by thinking this way, we often ignore the fact that it’s not our style, it’s not flattering, or it’s out of our budget.

The organization here also revolves around knowing what you have. This will help you determine what you actually need and if there is room in your budget and your closet for the things you want.

4. Bills

The key to organization and paying bills is really simple. Pay your bills on time.

One more time: pay your bills on time.

This advice is most important when the bill is a credit card or loan. Late fees and over the limit fees (sometimes as a result of late fees) can seriously hinder your ability to eventually be debt free. (Who wants to stay in debt forever?)

There are a couple of ways you can do this. You can pay the bills as you receive them in the mail (if you still get paper bills) or as you receive notification by email for electronic bills. Or, to make this more automated and ensure the bills are paid on time, sign up for a 3rd party service, one at your bank, or one offered by your creditor where the payment is automatically debited from a designated checking account each month.

There are a number of ways to have as much or as little control over this process as possible, but the point is to set up a system and stick with it so that you don’t lose money to late fees and penalties.

5. Miscellaneous Items

This is the area where so many people get into trouble.

We find ourselves at the store and we see something we like. We think we have one at home, but we’re not sure. So, instead of waiting until we get home to verify (or call someone who is at home), we purchase the item anyway and end up with multiples. (Remember the 17 umbrellas?)

It’s good to wait to make some purchases anyway, but the more organized you become, the more aware you are of what you have. When you know what you have, then you also know what needs to be replaced or what you’re lacking.

Once you start organizing, you will find a surprising number of items you have bought and you can’t remember why or what it is even for. You will also find the things you thought were lost but were really just buried under foolishness and mayhem called clutter.

Do yourself and your family a favor and stop the foolishness. Get organized and save money. You’ll be glad you did.

How Organization Will Save You Money
Copyright 2008
Wendy Stewart
All Rights Reserved

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Wendy Stewart is your Go-to-girl for being in the know about small business, personal finance, personal style, and wellness. For more free tips on personal finance, visit her blog, Personal Finance Success, at http://personal-finance-manager.blogspot.com

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