Find Hidden Money by Organizing Your Home



Getting organized provides many valuable and smart opportunities to give yourself a raise.
By Lorie Marrero
By Amanda Rohde/Getty 
 
 
#1: See what you have.
We always say that visibility is the goal of almost any organizing project, and gaining that visibility to your stuff allows you to make smarter purchases. If you know that you already have four pink sweatshirts, you won't need to buy another one.

 #2: Use what you have.
Along with making smarter purchases, the visibility you will gain from organizing your home allows you to avoid waste. Planning your meals and being able to find and use what you have purchased means less spoiled or stale food being thrown out. You're also more likely to use coupons and gift certificates when you have a system for locating them. (A simple accordion check-file from the office supply store works well.) Try planning your meals and thus grocery list around what is on sale this week or month.

#3: Stop late fees and unnecessary charges.
When you have an organized system for paying bills, you avoid expensive late fees and even worse, damage to your credit rating. Keeping closer watch over your bills also means you may catch those recurring charges for something you don’t use any longer. You can also learn that you might not have the right plan for your cable or cell phone, which provides huge potential savings.  Decide on a permanent home for your bills and decide on regular bill-paying days.

#4: Find actual money!
You may find actual money…especially coins.  They can add up.  You may also find those unused gift cards! Organizing clothing, purses, and your paperwork often yields a fun bonus. Don't forget that rebate opportunities and warranty information can help you get some money back too.

#5: Get back some of your precious time.
Time is truly more valuable than money, since you can never get wasted time back. When you organize your home, you can save the time looking for your keys, your bills, and your missing shoes and spend it doing something else that matters to you more. 

#6: Get a possible tax deduction.
Organizing your family's closets, toys, books, and DVD collections can help you while you help others. Visit donate.goodwill.org to use the Donation Impact Calculator to see what good your donations are doing for people in your community.

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