Episode 252: The Cost of Getting Organized

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One of the many comments I hear as a professional organizer is “I wish I could afford to hire someone like you!”

The truth of the matter is that getting organized does require time and a level of intentionality, but it doesn’t have to cost a lot of money.

Dave Ramsey says “where a person spends money is a reflection of their priorities,” and I have seen that play out in my own life.  If someone handed me $500 I would rather go out to a nice dinner with friends, or put it towards a home improvement project.  Whereas someone else might want to go on a shopping spree or put it towards a vacation.

There’s no right or wrong answer, it’s simply a matter of priorities.  Even if no one is handing you a stack of Benjamins,  if you want to get organized, I assure you that you can do it on a shoestring budget.

The greatest organizing tools I have to offer you are vision, strategy and a plan of action. Today I am going to walk you through my exact process that I do with my clients. It’s completely free, the only investment is your time. You can always add the fancy bins later if you so choose.

1. Before you begin, I want you to ask yourself 2 very important questions:

• “Do I want less stuff or do I just want to know where my stuff is?”
• “What’s more important to me, stuff or space?”

When we look at IG or Pinterest, there’s one common theme-LESS. Lots of white space, in between shelves, hanging rods, under cabinets.

2. Which leads me to point #2- I recommend using social media for inspiration, but be mindful of trying to keep up with the Jones. You can accomplish much of what you see online with stuff you have in your home, or inexpensively-you don’t have to have a custom closet and bins from the Container Store to have an organized space.

3. Before you dig in, come prepared with the essentials:

• Bins to sort
• Bags to donate
• Post-its or label roll to temporarily label categories
• Music/podcast to keep you motivated
  4. Pick one space to declutter and set a limit on how long you are committing to stay there (ie: until this space is done, for 20 min, 2 hours…) The time doesn’t matter as much as following through on your commitment.

     5. Here’s where my 4 pile method comes into play. As you are emptying the contents, sort the items into these piles: 

• KEEP (in that space only)
• DONATE
• RECYCLE 
• RELOCATE (anything you want to keep, but doesn’t live in the space you are organizing.  This can mean it’s going to a different room, or going into memorabilia, or getting returned to someone.)

     6. Once you’re done, now it’s time to ZONE, Corral, Contain. 

• This is where you can get creative, and figure out what products will make you feel good about your space–remember, an organized space needs to accomplish 2 things:

• HOW IT MAKES YOU FEEL
• HOW QUICKLY CAN I FIND WHAT I AM LOOKING FOR?

Regardless of where you are in your life with age or financially, you are capable and deserving of living an organized life. 

I’m here for you every step of the way!

XOXO-

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