Organizing to Save
I feel like organizing is often associated with buying things - more bins and more baskets to hold more things. I know I made this mistake when I started my business as a professional organizer over 10 years ago because I went out and bought a ton of inventory! I learned quickly that 90% of my clients already owned all the storage products they needed. What they really needed help with was storing less stuff and having systems that helped them find and put things away. When I can leave a client with a space that has the right level of possessions organized in a way that makes sense to them, I know they will continue to reap these benefits for years to come.
Less Excess Purchasing
When we know exactly what we have and where it is, we spend less at the store. I often see extreme duplication of items in homes and it’s usually because the client is unsure what they already have at home so they buy more ‘just in case’. Organizing a home means we can see and find what we have and we find we will spend less overall because we know what we own. And those bargain bulk buys from the big box stores? It’s not a bargain if you don’t or can’t use it before it expires. Better to let the excessive stuff stay at the store than store the store’s stuff in your home!
Free up our Time
Time is money as the old saying goes. Studies tell us the average American spends 2.5 days a year looking for stuff. Imagine what we can do if we invest the time gained from an organized home or office into more productive areas of our lives? I remind clients that Benjamin Franklin said, “every minute spent organizing, an hour is earned”. The time we gain from better organization is the true Return on Investment (ROI) for the work of organization.
Less Upkeep
Here is another statistic - an organized home takes 40% less work to clean. Who wouldn’t want a home that is faster and easier to keep tidy and costs less overall to maintain? I have had a client tell me in an assessment that she and her husband were taking a half day off from work to get ready for their house cleaner to arrive. My rule of thumb is that an organized space should never take more than 10 minutes to ‘tidy’. When we have a place for everything, it’s easy to get everything back into it’s place.
Better use of Square Footage
I just helped a client move to a space that was 50% smaller than his current home through effective decluttering. I worked with another client to clear their basement to prepare for a remodel which gave them a needed increase in living space for their family rather than the expense of moving to a larger home. Organization means using your home for living, not as a storage locker. For more tips to declutter before a move or remodel, see these tips from my blog post - Declutter your move - 5 tips to get you started downsizing.
No Fees or Fines
Disorganization is expensive! The dollars lost to overdue library books, late fees on bills, and replacing our lost glasses or keys really add up. Disorganization can cost us now and in the future, as these late fees impact our credit score. Need to return something on time? Put the thing in your car now or add a reminder alarm the day it has to be returned. Schedule time each week to make returns. Streamline bill payment processes with automatic minimum payments so that you literally cannot forget to pay or set reminders for key dates.
Less Stress, More Health
Clutter and disorganization create stress, especially for women. We know that stress is terrible for our health and is a leading contributor to disease. A client told me that her disorganized garage literally made her angry when she came home. I loved how happy her garage made her after I spent 6 hours on it. 86% of people claim that having their house in order creates a pleasant feeling of well-being. A sense of well-being and better health is truly priceless.
Turn Clutter to Cash
We can convert unused items in our home by selling them. I leave this option for last because it can be complicated. I always recommend to my clients that we assess how much time they want to invest in the selling process and focus their efforts on the items that will provide the largest returns. I helped clients with everything from how to use ThreadUp, to selling things on FB Marketplace, to whole house estate sales. Let me know if you are considering this option, I’d love to share my tips and resources to help you turn your unwanted things into dollars.