Have you ever asked this question, or do you just get stuck in and start decluttering?

So many of us strive for and organised home – but it occurs to me that we don’t really have a definition for what constitutes the perfect organised home.

What do you think? Is it a minimal home with little clutter, is it one where everything is always under control, or does it mean something different for you?

Organising doesn’t have to mean minimal living

Contrary to popular belief, I don’t believe that an organised home has to be minimal – not at all in fact.

The most organised of homes can on the outside look like chaos, but they work like clockwork for everyone living there.

Function wins against looks

Organised homes are about creating a home that functions really well for those living there – its not about being an aesthetically pleasing home – although many people find that once they have created the functionality, they are more at home in their home and consequently want their home to be more stylish and reflecting more of their personality as well.

So, what I suggest to you is that if you are looking for an organised LOOKING home – then you may never actually get to the root of the problem.

You may have everything looking like its organised, all out of the way with plenty of storage etc… – but when you come to find things and live its just as hard as it ever was (its like buying an organising product without knowing whether it will help or hinder you, and it becoming clutter eventually).

Its about creating an organised home beneath the surface and not one that just looks organised.

This will give a wonderful sense of calm to your home, and more time for family, friends, hobbies and relaxing.

Final words….

Work out what you need to run more smoothly in your home and look to set up systems and routines that really help and enhance the way you live – and you really will be on the way to an organised home – YOUR organised home!

One of the things that people find the most difficult to get organised are photos.

We have so many – digital ones spread throughout our computers, on camera cards, on our phones, and physical photos in boxes, cupboards, frames etc… all around the house – and they can easily get out of control.

Of course we want to have photos of our memories, but before long they can get out of hand – so what can be done to tackle the mountains of photos before this happens?

Here are my top tips to help you (I will go into more detail in later posts, but its more of an overview for now).

Save everything on the computer – and BACKUP!

In todays digital world this should be the first place that any new photos get put.

In my home we use dropbox to have a copy saved outside of the computers hard drive as well (in the cloud) – just in case the computer packs up one day and all is lost. The very last thing you want to have to deal with is the loss of all those precious memories – so get things backed up as soon as you can.

Another trick for older physical photos is to scan them into the computer and save as well – that way you have a copy of these too – its time consuming but so worth it!

Filing photos on the computer

I advise a really simple filing format on your computer so that its really easy to access things when you want them, and the easier the system is for you to use, the more likely you are going to actually use it and stick with it.

Usually the easiest way is to have a folder per year, then month, then specific events within that month – something like the example here. You can see that in April 2013 we had a trip to Amsterdam, and there are also folders for any artwork that I scan from my daughter, and general photos that we took during the month.

Dead easy!

That way, when it comes to finding things, we can very quickly scan and see what we need.

Its also really handy when it comes to creating a yearbook as its all in chronological order.

You may prefer to sort by person, or by event only – but I honestly think that a timeline is much easier way to find things, and you can always have a folder in each month for each person if you want to go further as well.

Oh yes, and I also make sure that the photos have a title of something relevant to whats in it – i.e. “At the Zoo – Monkeys!”, or “Chrissy playing in garden with Jenna” etc…. If you don’t do this small step then you run the risk of not knowing what the photo was, and then a memory is lessened.

Declutter

Whether they are physical photos or digital photos, once you have collected them all together and sorted into year and month then is the time to declutter any photos that don’t add anything to the collection.

Get rid of duplicates and bad photos – so you only have the best for keepsakes (after all – you won’t ever want to use the bad ones again – so why let them clutter up the space!).

Don’t print off all your photos

The beauty of digital photos is that fact that you don’t have to get everything printed off. Be selective on what you want to display and only print off exactly what you need to save space.

You can’t possible display everything!

Even albums are becoming less commonplace nowadays as people can look at slideshows from their TV or computer.

(NB – whatever you do printout, add an explanation of what it is on the back (and date if possible) – then as you come to swap displayed photos around or replace with more up to date ones, you can easily add into your storage in the right day/month etc….

Think outside of the box for displaying photos

Think about your camera

What suits you best?

I like to have a good camera on my mobile phone as I always have it with me and can capture moments I would otherwise miss. Other people love to use a proper camera where they can get some incredible shots – its about what works for you.

If you go digital then make the most of technology and et rid of duplicates or bad photos before you even upload them t the computer (and its a great way to be able to check that you have the photo you want before you lose the opportunity to re-take it!)

If you use a camera with film then get into the habit of developing the photos straight away so you don’t lose or damage the film. I also suggest making a copy of really special photos by scanning into the computer – you really won’t want to lose those memories.

Enjoy them!

Take the time every so often to look through the photos that you have.

I love to look over mine at the end of each year when I am putting my photo book together – its great to reminisce and sort through the year!

And also – why else are you taking all these photos unless you are going to look at them? Otherwise they really are just clutter…..

We are now getting into the season of holidays, whether it be a weekend away, a short break, or a full blown family fortnight in the sun.

How exciting!

The run up to a holiday can be fantastic – counting down the days and winding down (or a mad panic to get things done!) – either way you will have more momentum at this time as you know that a really good reward is to follow and you will be able to bow out of normal day to day life for a while.

Unfortunately though, we all have to come back! and thats where a lot of us get unstuck.

Its all too easy to put things to the back of your mind when going away – as coming back seems a long way off. But it does come round, and then you have more to deal with.

Whether you work in an office, work at home, or are a stay at home mum or dad, you need to prepare for your homecoming to ensure that you stay refreshed for as long as possible.

Who wants to step through the door to their home/office to be faced with stress from loads of tasks and deadlines straight away?

No one.

So, here are my top tips to make coming back from holidays so much easier! Hope they help, and as always let me know if you implement anything and how it goes for you.

Clean!

Theres nothing worse than coming home after a really relaxing holiday to find your homes looking in need of cleaning.

Who wants to be reminded of the housewok as soon as they step through the door? What you want to be able to do is step through the door, unpack and then relax and get back into day to day mode slowly.

Giving yourself time before going away to do a clean will reap rewards when you come home, but its easy to forget to do this as you can be so excited about going away and don’t want to think about home at all – but you will really thank yourself if you can find time before you go.

Ideally it would be the last thing you do before leaving (packing can be done a lot more in advance), as then you will get the most benefit from it – I have even heard of people hoovering right to the front door as they walk out! (although that may be going one step too far!)

Declutter your TO DOs

A mountain of TO DOs when you return will bring you back to reality with a jump – whether it be errands, shopping, housework etc… – they will all do nothing to extend your holiday feeling much beyond the front door.

Getting your TO DO list tackled as much as you can before you go is crucial in preparation for the fact that you will no doubt have extra things added to it by the time you get back.

Keep yourself one step ahead at all times if possible.

Why not spend a few hours or even allocate a day if you can to getting the TO DOs knocked off – you will be ahead of the game when you return, and really feel even more so that you deserve a holiday after they are done!

Do the washing

Its a really easy win – but get all your laundry up to date before you go away.

This is one of the most crucial things I can ask you to do – as you are guaranteed that there will be loads of washing from your holidays to tackle as soon as you get back – and the last thing you need is to have more on top of that as well.

Also – if you can get everything you aren’t taking away with you clean and ready to wear, then you can be sure that you don’t have to have a mad panic to get a school uniform ready for the following day thats still languishing at the bottom of the washing pile from before you went away…..

Tell people you’re going

Let neighbours know that you’re going to be away and they will then be able to look after your house for you and keep an eye on it – you can then be more sure you won’t walk through the door on your arrival to find a burst pipe has caused a flood, or that you have been burgled.

Leaving a message on your email and phone letting people know you won’t be answering for x days will also minimise how many messages you get on your return – and this can only be a bonus! (However please be careful with this as you don’t want to alert people that your home will be empty for x days too…..)

Add an extra day to your holiday

Whether you work or not, an extra day of downtime booked into your holiday will reap benefits for you. Use it to catch up on sleep, do the washing, sort out your email etc… – anything that will help the most when you get back into your proper day to day life the following day.

This is why a lot of people return from holidays on a Saturday – so they have Sunday as their catchup day!

Don’t schedule events in the first few days back

Whether it be important work meetings, a social event, or a party – anything that you need to be on top form for and possibly need to prepare for – you don’t want to be having to do as soon as you get back.

Use the first few days back for getting back into the swing of things – and not adding extra things to the mix wherever possible.

Give yourself the weekend off

The weekend following your holiday should be as free as possible – again give yourself a break! its tiring to go from relaxing on holiday to back to your daily routine – so having the following weekend free will enable you to regain some of that holiday feel – and relax a little again – before it is too far in the dim and distant past to recall!

In Summary

The most important thing you can do before you go away to help yourself when you get back is to manage your diary really carefully for the week or so after you return.

Making sure that you ease yourself back to your day to day life will really help with catching up and not deleting all the relaxing and winding down you have done during your break.

Next, tackle all those piles that will mount up even more while you are away – washing, cleaning, TO DOs – having them up to date before you go will pay dividends when you return.

Do a bit of preparation before you go and reap the rewards afterwards!

And above all – ENJOY YOUR HOLIDAY!

I had a conversation with a friend the other day about the fact that she wasn’t gaining any headway on her day to day tasks.

She seemed to be a step behind all the way through the day, and unable to catch up on lost time. She was really busy all day with tasks, but totally at a loss as to why other people seemed to get a lot more done – no matter how busy she made herself.

I asked her how she tackled her tasks – and she said (as most of us do) that she just writes them down and works her way through the list each day.

So whats wrong with that?

Why lists are sometimes not enough

Sometimes we have to go a step further when writing a TO DO list – so that we get as much done in the time we have available as possible.

Let me ask you – Do you simply write down your TO DO list and then work your way through it?

Most people do – and theres really nothing wrong with that – at least you are working through it – but you could be missing a huge time management trick that saves you time each and every time you do something.

Its basically this – If you don’t give yourself a time limit on a task, then you will take longer than necessary to complete it.

Let me explain.

You may feel that you are doing everything quickly and getting things ticked off the list, but chances are you will be getting distracted in the middle of things, or thinking about something else, or trying to multitask at the same time, and that will affect how much you actually get done.

You will feel you are busy, you are working through your tasks – but still end up not doing as much as you could each day and feeling overwhelmed.

So whats the answer?

Get to know Parkinsons Law

Parkinson’s Law states that “work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion”.

Let me ask you something right now – do you know how long it takes to mow the lawn, or to sort a load of washing, or to clean the kitchen?

Most of us either have no idea, or a very vague idea which may or may not be accurate – we just work on a task until its done and then move on to the next one.

Allowing yourself as much time as you need to get something done without thinking how long it actually should take means that you take a little bit of extra time for each and every task you do – and those small amounts of time soon add up to make a real difference in how much you are getting done.

To get the most out of our time, its crucial to know roughly how long things take to do.

That way you can allocate slots of time for tasks, and fill your schedule more easily as you will know whether you can fit in a certain tasks into a certain time slot. You will feel less overwhelmed, and be more aware of whats really possible each day.

How can I know how long tasks take?

The key here is to simply keep a time diary for a week.

Its a bit of an effort to do, but will be worth it as it will really identify where you are wasting time, and where you can save it.

It will also show you how long your routine tasks are actually taking.

Simply write down what you do each day and give times that you start and finish each task.

With that information you can then work out more easily how much time things take on average to do, and allocate time slots to tasks.

You should then be able to focus more on each task as you will create a sense of urgency by giving yourself a time limit – and that small change alone should allow you to fit more into the day.

Take a leaf from Donald Trump

I heard that Donald Trump only allows meetings to last 15 minutes – that way he focuses people on what they actually want to talk about and gets to the point much more quickly rather than spending loads of time on general chit chat.

Maybe thats why hes so successful.

He can fit more into the day by having shorter meetings, by simply creating an urgency and a focus.

This all sounds perfect in the office  – but can it work at home too?

I tried this a while back, and when I was consciously looking at the clock and trying to do things in certain times, I genuinely got more done. I felt more productive and I felt I had something to aim at at each stage of my day.

I also found as a nice side effect that, rather than feeling rushed and more stressed by having things timed, as I thought I might – the opposite was true. I had more focus, was more sure that I would be able to fit things into the time I had given it, and generally felt calmer.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a robot – I sometimes did it fine, but sometimes I went overtime slightly. I didn’t stress over those times, merely using the time allocated as a guide – but what I learnt was that I was getting so much more done, as I wasn’t dragging my heels from task to task.

I used the time I had available (that which I had set) and got the task done – and who can argue with that?

In summary

The most productive people will have made this way of doing tasks a habit so that they now don’t even realise they are doing it – its sort of an internal stopwatch.

They will complete tasks with more of an urgency than other, less productive people, even though both people seem just as busy as each other.

Remember that tasks will grow to fit the time available for them – so start to manage your task times so that your tasks don’t manage you.

Always allow yourself a reasonable amount of time to do each task, theres no need to get stressed by this at all, but be aware of the clock (you could use a stopwatch for a real race against time!), and focus on the task in hand.

So – how much more could you get done if you knew how long things took? Theres a challenge for you….

If you have young children there will no doubt be a whole array of large plastic and wooden colourful toys throughout your home.

If they are a little older you will still have an abundance of toys throughout the house.

They are taking over!

Whether you have a designated space/area/room for toys or not, they seem to take over.

The most organised of children can still be overwhelmed if they have too many toys, or if their friend(s) come over and start getting everything out. It can look like a bomb has gone off in your home when everyone leaves!

Its just too much fun to play rather than tidy up as you go, and thats absolutely how it should be, but not all the time or chaos will rule!

So how can we get organised while still making it fun to play?

Get into nursery mindset

I have taken my inspiration for this post from my daughters old nursery, and now her school.

It got me thinking that how come after a full day with a LOT of children playing on everything, did they manage to still have a tidy place?

Look closely and its simple really – they all have zones for each specific type of play, and type of toy.

They really do live by the “Everything in its place” organising rule.

So why not create more of this at home?

Children are used to this way of doing things, so naturally will be more at ease when their home reflects their nursery/school.

It stands to reason really.

Why create zones?

Zones are important for several reasons when it comes to toys

It just makes life easier – and who doesn’t want that!

How can I create zones?

Creating zones doesn’t have to be complicated.

Using baskets, boxes, areas within a room – label with what the zone is (a picture label works really well with younger children), and make each place accessible to the child so that they can easily get what they want and put it away at the end.

Think about your childs capabilities, how easy something would be to tidy away, or to get out – and make each zone appropriate to that (as well as in the most appropriate places in the house).

For instance – having a large plastic tub for all lego and building blocks makes it a lot easier to throw everything back in after playing than if you had the original boxes for each set of lego and asked them to pack them away into those each time….

And – how much easier is it for a child to create a quick drawing before school if theres a table for them with all the pens and paper they need right by it? – rather than you having to fetch things from a cupboard each time…..

Its just about making things easy – both for you and for your child(ren)

What kind of zones can be created?

Heres a list of my favourites – but really it depends on your childrens hobbies, likes and dislikes, and even what your space can allow for.

Please don’t feel that you have to have everything in this list – I for one was not a fan of messy play when my daughter was young (thats what nursery was for!), but we loved to cook and read and draw so had zones for these activities – you do whats right and comfortable for you and your family.

Reading Zone

Probably the most frequently used zones that will crop up in most homes.

Reading is such a key skill for little ones, and giving them a place to store their books and access them will pay dividends in their progress – as will reading with them as much as you can.

I have a bookcase specifically for my daughter in her bedroom. We felt that reading was an activity that was suitable for the bedroom as from a very young age we read to her every night – and now shes a little older she likes to read in bed herself.

If you choose to have a reading zone downstairs, then add a pillow or a comfy seat nearby so that they feel its a nice place to be.

Drawing/craft Zone

Pens, crayons, paper, glue etc… can be really crucial to keep in one place – after all you don’t want pen marks on walls or glue sticking everything together!

Having a place to create for smaller children can be a great way to get them involved in this sort of activity as it makes it easy to do rather than storing it all away and having to spend longer setting up.

I have a small table with 2 chairs for my daughter in our kitchen so its a sociable area (but also mostly wipe-able if there are accidents!), and she loves to spend time there creating her masterpieces!

You could also have a white board, or a blackboard, or an easel of some kind – but beware of the paints and messy stuff as this may still be better off kept out of the way for some little ones until they are older (I keep mine close to this zone but a little too high for tiny hands to get to without asking first!)…..

Art display zone

How many pieces of artwork does your child produce each week? I’m betting quite a lot!

The task of giving each piece some attention can be difficult when you have so much, so its important to recognise their art and display it, if only for a short time.

Have a noticeboard, a wall, a digital photo frame (scan artwork in – its a genius idea that I will be posting about all on its own at a later date – watch this space) – but make sure that there is somewhere for them to hang their creations.

If you rotate regularly then you can easily keep the ones that really show development or are particularly gorgeous, and they will be less worried about the ones that get recycled……

TV Zone

In todays society its sometimes frowned upon to let the kids watch TV. However I think that a lot of TV is very educational and can be a good and productive way to spend a certain amount of time. Its also a wind-down and way to relax after a busy day.

With that in mind, I think that having a TV for the children that is in a sociable place (such as a kitchen, family room etc…) is vital, so you can still interact and they are not just staring at the TV, and so that you can monitor what and how much they watch.

Having an area where all TV items go as well works fantastically – have their DVDs, computer games etc… all set up in this one space and everything will be to hand when you need it.

School Zone

This is a place for their school bag, any packed lunch boxes and drinks bottles, PE kit etc…. – so that they always know where to find it when needed.

Homework Zone

Children are getting homework from a very young age, and so a  homework zone is a great idea to ensure that its easy to complete as quickly as possible.

A desk in a slightly quieter area of the house (still so you can see whats going on, and ideally not in the bedroom as this is more their place to relax) works really well.

In fact, this could be the place that the computer sits, so you can also monitor any computer time as well.

Dressing up zone

A box of dressing up clothes is a great idea, where you can add in some old clothes of your own and some costumes that they all seem to need for school at some time or another!

Its a great way to keep everything together, and when they have friends around everyone can grab an outfit easily!

Building zone

Most children have building blocks, lego or something similar – and having a box or boxes where all this can go is really worthwhile – as is ensuring that the children can easily grab and open the boxes (don’t leave them high up on shelves as they can get heavy)

Music Zone

Whether they are small and have lots of plastic musical instruments, or bigger and are learning an instrument properly – why not create an area where music and noise works well!

Other possible zones

There is a really never ending selection of zones you can pick, what about science based toys, a place for all soft toys, place for a collection – see what you child needs and go for it!

Don’t get overwhelmed

This all sounds like hard work doesn’t it!

Well, you have these toys in your home, so you do have to find a way to store them well, and trust me, once you’ve set up zones around the house you will thank yourself for it as you will spend a lot less time sorting things out at the end of the day, and finding lost toys all the time.

The zones don’t have to be fancy – they could simply be a box on a shelf or a mat on the floor – what matters is that similar things are together, and there is a place for everything.

It will actually help the children not get overwhelmed as well, as they will be able to see what they have so much more clearly, and probably be able to play more easily with everything.

Its also a good chance to rotate toys if you have little room in your home – as you can store away certain “zones” and have them reappear over the course of the year – so that children can get a chance to play with everything and not get blase about what they have.

Get tidying!

Its also important that children know that they have to have a little tidy up time at the end of each play in a zone – it just makes sense for them to tidy away the craft when finished, or put the pieces from a game away after its done with.

If you leave it too long then thats when things get lost.

Remind yourself that children have to do this at nursery/school every day – so its not an alien concept to them. It may take a little time to start a similar idea in your home, but it is completely possible (and the younger you start it, the easier it will be to become a habit for them)

In summary

Get into the same mindset as your childrens nursery or school can really help when it comes to organising toys.

Work out what zones your child needs and create a space for each – whether it be along one shelf in a room, or dotted around the house – the important thing is that you child(ren) will know where to go when they want to play with something specific.

Zoning toy areas will give your child a better view of what they have, enable you to rotate toys so that they use everything over the year, and also to make tidying up that much easier.

Have fun and let me know how you get on getting your kids toys organised!

Now, I have to admit that I’m slightly addicted to Pinterest.

It took a while for me to try it, as I thought facebook and twitter were plenty to keep me occupied – but Pinterest is a fantastic visual tool and you can do so much with it.

Best of all – you can share some great ideas and its a very visual place to be, so is full of inspiration at a touch of a button.

I urge you to take a look if you haven’t as yet – its well worth it!

Anyway – I sort of digress from my main point, in that I had such a fantastic response from readers to my post a few weeks ago with inspirational quotes I had to do a follow up post with my favourite clutter quotes – some will make you smile and others may just give you the motivation to get started – but whichever you get drawn to I hope they are useful!

May. Kids are on holiday for a week, Adults have a couple of bank holidays to look forward to as well, the suns out, its not long to summer, and generally things are looking good.

Its definitely one of my favourite months!

(oh and my little girl turns 5 right at the end of the month – where has the time gone! – Happy Birthday Jenna!)

Time for a spring clean?

January was about getting back to normal after Christmas, February was about planning the year and putting goals together, March was about setting some of those plans in action by getting the TO DO list sorted, April was about getting the cleaning an decluttering started, and May is about getting back some time to do what you want to do.

Up until now this year we have been concentrating on getting a feel for whats important to you, and drawing a line in the sand on the household tasks and the TO DO list. Now is the time to think forward and get prepared for getting even more organised this year – but you can only do that if you have the time….

We all have the same amount of time to get things done, but some get a lot more done in their day than others.

Why is that?

It basically due to the fact that they have created habits that help them to manage their time more effectively.

What I want you to look at this month is where you could be more clever with your time, and gain back some pockets of time in order to get the more interesting things done, and who doesn’t want more time!

To get you started, here are some links to my favourite time management posts for inspiration:-

The top 12 time wasters and how to avoid them

How to create more time

How to decide whats Urgent vs. whats Important

15 Time wasters to delete from your life

How to be on time for everything

If you only gain one extra hour this month then use it wisely – have some fun with seeing where you can save time, and as always I’d love to hear about it!

2013 Diary Printout

Here is a print out diary for you – which can be added to a normal ringbinder or into a filofax system, which I  personally use. I find that it works really well to have spaces to add in birthday/anniversary and other event reminders, TO DOs and a diary with times in so you can see at a glance where you have free time (if any!)

2013 Year Diary from www.organisemyhouse.com

May Monthly Checklist

Also, here is a handy checklist to get you in the habits of setting monthly goals, creating new habits, and basically being your backup for a more organised start to the month

(I suggest printing it out and working through at the end of April so that you are ready to go).

MAY TO DOs

Other things to look at in May

• 2 Bank holidays in the UK – make the most of a couple of extra long weekends. Either go away for a short break now the weather is getting better, or why not use the first day of the weekends to catch up on chores and the TO DO list? – you still have 2 days to relax, but you’ll feel great when you know you’ve caught up a bit.

• The kids have half term this month so get organised now and book in some play dates for the kids and coffee for you and their mums, or a day out, and even work out some chores that the kids can help with – another way to get things crossed off the list!

May Facts

• Birthstone = Emerald

• Flower = Lily of the Valley

• Bank holidays for the UK are May 6th and May 27th – Enjoy!

• May Day – May 1st

• Zodiac Signs –  Taurus April 20th to May 20th and Gemini May 21st to June 20th

What do you love/hate about this time of year?

Leave your comments at the bottom of this page as I’d love to know!

Heres to a very organised and time rich May – Enjoy!

and as always, make this month really count for you…..

In todays financial climate we are all looking for ways to maximise our incomings and minimise the outgoings, while still being able to enjoy a luxury or two along the way.

Listed below are 80 great ways to save money – quick changes we could all make to make our money go that little bit further.

Good luck and let me know how you get on!

Saving in general

1. Learn to be happy with what you have

Probably the most important advice I can give is that its not worth trying to keep up wit the Jones’ as they will always have something bigger and better than you. The grass is always greener, isn’t that the saying?

2. Cut out the “it only a few pounds” mentality – those pounds soon add up

If you manage to cut your spending down by just a pound a day – that could pay for a holiday by the end of the year – think big and you’ll save loads.

3. Hide the credit card and pay cash

If you only pay by cash then you are much more likey to be able to save money. You won’t have the means to overspend as easily, and paying by cash has been proven to make you think more about what you buy.

4. Make a budget and stick to it

Creating a budget is one of the most important things to do when trying to save. If you can balance your incomings and outgoings then you should naturally be able to save a little extra each month, and you’ll be more in tune with what you have.

Saving when shopping

5. Think before you buy

Do you really need what you are about to purchase?

6. Find a credit card that gives cash back – for a shop you use a lot

Lots of credit cards now offer cash back incentives, and some are tied to certain stores. Shop around and see what deals you can find – and if you do get a good deal attached to a store make sure its a store you would need to spend in anyway – so the money back vouchers go to good use!

7. Don’t buy labels

Labels and brands cost more. Sometimes its worth it – but not always – shop around and look at reviews before you part with your cash

8. Speculate to accumulate

If you buy a lot from somewhere, and can save with offers, then it may be worth doing. Amazon offers their prime members free delivery on thousands of items once you’ve paid £49 per year. It could work out to be a huge saving if you do it right! (its also usually 1 day delivery, and you get access to the kindle book library for free books once a month as well!)

9. Compare prices online for the best deal

Especially for larger purchases its always worth doing a little research online first. When you search in Google for instance, write down the product and then click “shopping” and all the prices at different stores will come up in a list for easy comparison.

You can also find loads of comparison sites out there too.

10. Know what you buy, and if somethings on offer and will last, then stock up

Theres no point in passing over an offer for dishwasher tablets one month if you don’t need them there and then if you always use them and when you go next month they are full price again. Grab them while you can at the good price and you’ll save in the longer term.

11. Shop in sales

Sales shopping can save you money when done right. Buy what you need and don’t get sucked in!

12. Shop out of season

Buying out of season can save a load of money as well – Christmas decorations get reduced in January, summer clothes in the autumn etc….

13. Return things you have bought in error – don’t let the money be wasted

Its all too easy to decide its not worth the effort to take something back – but you are wasting money.

Next time you go to the shops take the item with you (for ease keep it in the car for when you are passing)

14. Shop online – and look for money off codes

Don’t ever buy online without first searching for a discount code for the shop first. Type in the shop and the words “discount voucher” and there are several websites that will tell you whether you can get anything off – its money for nothing!

15. Don’t pay for bags in shops – take your own

Its only a few pence per bag – but again it adds up – and it takes up no space or weight to carry a couple of carrier bags in your handbag when you are out and about.

16. Try and barter when buying – you never know what you could get if you don’t ask!

In the UK we are not very good at asking for discounts, but more and more shops are willing to discount or offer something extra if they get your business.

17. Give yourself a week to cool off when you are tempted to impulse buy – you usually go off the idea by then!

How many times have you seen something in a shop that you just HAD to have, even though you hadn’t even thought about it until you saw it!? Give yourself some time to think about it before you buy.

18. Try out Costco for bulky shops

Costco and similar shops are always worth a look – you can bulk buy and find some great savings.

Saving around the house

19. Make money from your unwanted stuff

Sell your old mobile phone, sell old DVDs, in fact, sell anything you don’t want anymore. Ebay is a great place to start and there are loads of other sites out there that will give you cash for your things.

Music Magpie – EBAY -  Money Saving Expert has a tool for finding best price for your phone

20. Collect spare change

Have a change jar in your home, ideally by the front door. That way, when you come in you can get rid of whats in your pockets and have it all in one place – you’ll be amazed at how quickly it adds up.

21. Take your thermostat down a degree

One degree difference in your home won’t be felt – apart from in your wallet!

22. Make your own cleaning products

Vinegar is a great all round cleaner that costs much less than loads of different cleaning products – and is less harmful to the environment as well. If you have the time you can save loads doing this.

23. Using your dishwasher for a full load costs less than washing by hand

Who knew!

24. Learn how to DIY – and do jobs before they become large problems that cost more to fix

It will cost a lot less to do minor fixes yourself than to keep getting a tradesman in.

Saving on transport

25. Walk whenever you can (or cycle)

Get fit and save money – its a no brainer really!

26. Never buy cars new

They lose thousands the second they are driven off the forecourt

27. Can you share lifts with someone else to work or to school?

Any time you can use less journeys will save money. If you are going the same way as someone, it just makes sense!

28. Can you work from home once a week?

In todays world, working from home has become a real option for many. If you can, request that you work from home once a week – this would save travelling costs and commuting time.

29. Unladen your car

More weight in your car means it takes more petrol to get anywhere – make your car as light as you can to conserve fuel.

Saving on bills

30. Switch suppliers

Don’t just keep renewing at the same supplier every time – look around on comparison sites for the best deals and you could save loads.

Places like Energy Helpline , First Utility and Uswitch can help.

31. Use skype whenever possible – free phonecalls!

32. Are you maximising all subscriptions?

Whether it be magazines that you don’t actually get time to read, or a digital TV package that you don’t really use all of – see if you can either cancel altogether or cut down on what you are getting charged.

33. Clear your credit card

If you don’t pay off your credit card each month you are being charged a lot in interest payments – so get into the habit of paying it off asap. Also – look where you have loans that have high interest payments – pay off these debts first and you’ll save more in the longer term (mortgages for instance are usually a lot less interest rates than other loans, and so its not always the best use of your money to pay off your mortgage if you have other debts at higher rates

34. Rethink your mobile phone

What minutes/texts/data do you actually use? Are you paying for too much in your current contract? Would you be better off paying as you go etc…. – all worth asking!

Saving on Luxurys

35. Cut down on non essentials

If you don’t really need something , ask yourself if you will really miss it. Are you just buying some things out of habit?

36. Swap cinema for film nights at home

An easy swap as you can create a cinema feel at home – get some popcorn and make yourself comfy!

37. Move house

OK so your home isn’t necessarily a luxury – but where it is located may well be.

Are you spending lots of money for location? Could you lower your mortgage and bills by living a couple of miles from town? Are you driving too far to work/school and could you relocate nearer to save travel costs? Its worth looking at!

38. Eat out less often and make special meals at home instead

Eating out has become a lot more common nowadays – but why not substitute at least one meal a month for a lovely meal at home? Light candles, get a nice bottle of wine and create a great atmosphere – you can usually make great savings this way.

39. Quit smoking or at least cut down

40. Buy furniture and accessories for the house from online stores such as made.com or achica

41. Do things with your children that are free rather than expensive days out

Often a trip to the park, a picnic, feeding the ducks, window shopping in town etc.. are all as good as anything you could pay for in your childrens eyes.

42. Use Groupon for treat holidays and days/evenings out

Voucher websites offer great deals – so subscribe to a local one and see what they have to offer. The offers could make great presents, or treats for you – just don’t overdo it!

43. Holiday out of school holidays if you possibly can

Even if you have school age children, sometimes their holidays don’t fall in peak travel times (as they could be a slightly different half term week than most for example) – so do your research!

44. If you are regular pub goer – why not have friends to your house once in a while – get them to bring a bottle

Socialising at home means you can usually hear yourselves talk a bit more as well! (and a bottle of wine at home costs less than a glass at the pub more often than not!)

45. Use the library

Don’t spend loads on books – the library can often order the book that you want in if you can’t find it on the shelves – take a look and see what they have to offer. (an added bonus is you don’t end up with book clutter after you have read it either!)

46. Try a staycation rather than a holiday

Holidays can cost a lot – so why not just stay at home instead? Turn off all the usual distractions and take a look around your locality with a tourists eyes – you will see things in a new light, explore places you’ve been meaning to, and get to sleep in your own bed each night – bliss!

Saving on Beauty

47. Use trainees for hair cuts and colours

Haircuts and especially colours can cost a load of money. Often trainees have slots where you can get a bargain – and as they are monitored by the hairdressers you are usually in safe hands – and it can be a huge discount.

48. eek out time between treatments such as haircuts and waxing

Leaving it an extra week or two could mean significantly less appointments over the year – and significant savings too!

49. Buy products online for discounts on RRP

There are some great online shops that offer discounts on beauty products – my favourite at the moment is Gorgeous

Saving on Gifts

50. Consider making presents

If you are a great cook it would be lovely to bake some cupcakes and wrap beautifully for a present, or what about a peice of art – if you are good at something , use it to your advantage.

51. Consider giving a homemade voucher for a present

If you can do something for someone, then a voucher for that would be well received and only really costs you your time. What about an offer to babysit for a new baby present for example.

52. Regift

Giving presents that you have received but don’t want/need can be a great way to save pennies – but a word of warning – label clearly so that you don’t end up giving it back to whoever gave it you in the first place!

53. Secret Santa?

Most people who work in offices utilise a secret Santa over Christmas – where you put everyones name in a hat and then take on each – you have to buy one present for that person only. That way everyone buys one present and everyone gets a present.

This would work really well to keep costs down in a large family – and you could have a high budget for that one present so that they get one great present – but it would still cost less than getting something for everyone.

54. Only buy presents for the kids in the family at Christmas

Once kids come into the picture, then familys naturally get bigger very quickly. Why not just buy for the children from now on?

55. Have a budget for birthdays and Christmas presents and stick to it

I’ve mentioned this before – but its worth repeating! When you have large families but still want to get something for everyone, why not set a present limit per person? My family has a £15 limit on Christmas presents and honestly we have barely noticed a difference apart from to our wallets!

Saving on fitness

56. If you don’t LOVE the gym, then cancel your membership

The gym is a great place if you use it often and get your moneys worth – however for a lot of people it just doesn’t add up. Why not look at a pay as you go gym, or individual fitness classes local to you, or even just walking/running more for free?

57. Go out with friend for a walk instead of meeting for coffee

I have just switched to walking and running with friends to catch up – as it not only gets us fit, but stops us spending money on coffee and the inevitable cakes!

58. Buy a fitness DVD rather than attending a class every week

This is a simple trick that saves a fortune as a DVD is often as much as just 1 or 2 classes. Get more out of them and change your routine by swapping DVDs with friends as well.

Saving on eating

59. Swap takeout for home made takeout

It can be just as easy – for instance swap takeout pizza for a frozen or fresh one from the supermarket – you won’t notice the difference!

60. Buy from cheaper supermarkets and don’t buy branded foods

Some supermarkets are more expensive than others, so when budgeting look for the best value for money for your regular shop – and try and buy the own brand options rather than the more expensive alternatives.

61. Buy larger pots of things rather than individual servings as its cheaper

If you read the labels on the supermarket shelves they normally do the maths for you and give you a price per 100g or the appropriate measure – you may be surprised at how buying larger portions on what you use daily anyway may save money (yoghurts, milk etc…)

62. Use leftovers for a meal the next day – cook wisely

Have pasta with Pesto for tea? It works really well with a salad for a cold lunch the following day as well. What about roast meat for sandwiches – the list really is endless!

63. Menu plan – make the most of what you buy

If you plan your menu for the week then you can more easily use your food sensibly. For example – you buy a large bag of carrots one day and use them for a casserole one night, then crudites for lunch the following day, and then as a side the day after. You use up all the food that may have been wasted if you planned for completely different meals each day.

64. Don’t always buy fresh

Frozen fruit and beg is often more nutritious, you get less waste as you only cook what you need, and it costs less usually than its fresh equivalent – triple bonus!

65. Get baking

Do you buy cakes and biscuits a lot? Why not bake them for much less cost, and freeze ready for when you need them – much healthier too as you can pick what goes in them!

66. Have a soup night

Soup costs pennies to make – use up leftover veg, stock etc… and create a really nutritious meal once a week.

67. Buy a flask

OK – so you are buying a flask – but if you make your morning coffee up before you leave the house – you will spend a lot less over the course of a month on your coffee hit each day – it all adds up.

68. Have a meat free night at least once a week

Meat is the most expensive part of the meal usually – so going without can make a difference to your spending. Try bulking your food up with lentils or beans instead.

69. Shop for fresh food at the end of the day

Often, supermarkets and shops discount fresh produce at the end of each day – so you can grab a real bargain if you time it right!

70. Drink water rather than juices all the time

Waters free – enough said!

71. Don’t buy pre prepared or ready meals

You are paying for the convenience – but in reality is can be just as easy to make batches of stew/bolognese etc.. and reheat those when you can’t be bothered to cook.

72. Grow your own

If you can, try and grow some of your food yourself  even if its just a herb tray on the kitchen windowsill – it can save you loads!

73. Make a shopping list and stick to it

Don’t get tempted by the special offers – if you didn’t have it on your list – you didn’t need it!

74. Take snacks wherever you go out

Whether its to work, the gym, for your children – whenever you are out and about ensure you have some snacks with you. If you bulk buy in your weekly shop then the same product can cost significantly less than if you buy individually on the go (think multi packs of crisps, or packets of biscuits, or grapes and other fruit)

Saving on Clothes

75. Shop at second hand stores

You can pick up great individual items that no-one else will own, and for a fraction of the price of the high street. Look at charity shops as well.

76. Fix clothes or take things in rather than buying new

If you have lost weight, paying someone (or learning how to do it yourself) to take in that dress you love will cost a lot less than buying new.

Try and fix holes, sew hems back, reheel shoes etc… before you look to buy new, and you can save money.

77. Don’t buy clothes that need dry cleaning

Dry cleaning costs money – your clothes will therefore cost you ongoing – worth thinking about!

78. Air dry washing whenever possible

Use the washing line – or an air-er rather than your tumble dryer whenever you can to save a load of cash.

79. Wash clothes on the coolest possible temperature

There are lots of detergents that work well at 30 degrees now. Also don’t use quite as much conditioner – you’ll barely notice in your clothes but it will last longer.

80. Wash clothes when they’re dirty

I mean visibly dirty! How often have you washed clothes that really don’t need to be washed – be honest!

In summary….

There are loads of ways you can save money without even really changing your lifestyle that much -so why not try a couple this week and see what a difference it makes to your pocket – you may just be surprised!

NB – Please note that some of the links in this post are affiliate links where I will earn a small amount of commission if you click and purchase something – this does not cost you a penny though and helps me to run the site – thanks in advance!

Whats your TO DO list looking like?

Does it seem so overwhelming that you aren’t even sure where to start and so why bother starting at all? – or are you the type to get loads crossed off every day and are in control of things, even though things keep getting added to it?

Whichever you are, my betting is that you always have something on your TO DO list at the end of each day.

So – is it really possible to get it down to nothing – or are we forever chasing an impossible dream, and beating ourselves up in the process for not getting everything done…..

What do you think?

I asked this question to my lovely facebook followers this week – and everyone was in agreement that there was no way your TO DO list could ever be blank – unless you were talking about your daily TO DOs rather than your master TO DO list of course.

Although everyone wanted to know a way to do it (I’m working on it I promise!!!)

It depends which TO DO list you are talking about!

I am in full agreement that a daily list shouldn’t overwhelm, but help to you progress towards what you want to achieve.

Really we are talking here about the Master TO DO list – which should be everything you need to do at some point in time that can’t as yet be scheduled into your diary.

Getting the Master TO DO list under control

I talked in a recent post about how to organise your Master TO DO list so that it is more manageable, but didn’t cover whether it would be possible to get everything done ever.

My thought – NO.

It simply isn’t possible to get everything done at any one given time, why?

Because life gets in the way.

No sooner have you got one task done, you will find that that either creates a new task, or someone else has created one for you.

Your TO DO list is a cyclical beast!

Learn the cycle of your TO DO list

What is important to understand and acknowledge when you have a TO DO list is whether things are staying on the list for too long.

Your TO DO list should manage tasks – both incoming and outgoing.

Tasks shouldn’t be left on the list for months/years……

You know the types of things – things that you really don’t want to do, things that can be swept under the proverbial carpet, the clutter from your TO DO list that you simply aren’t seeing anymore.

New things always seem more inviting

Its the same with anything – you are happy with a specific item in your home until you see a new version – and then you want that.

Its just the same with TO DOs. The newer the task usually the more urgent or relevant to your life it is.

How can you combat those TO DOs that threaten to stay on the list forever?

Some organised people suggest adding a date to your TO DO list when the task was added – and to scan to see whats been on there the longest – getting those crossed off quickly.

Others suggest rating the tasks from 1-5 for both urgency and importance (5 being the most and 1 being the least) – multiplying the number together to give each task a rating, and then working through them like that.

I think that both of these can be very time consuming, and in the amount of time you’ve spent working out what TO DO – you could have actually done something instead!

If you use your TO DO list each day, then you should simply get used to adding things to the bottom of the list as they come in, and starting at the top of the list when you are adding tasks to the diary.

NB – if you are working with sublists such as TO CALL, TO BUY etc…. then just use each sublist in the same way.

Urgent tasks by their very nature should be date specific, so can be added to your diary within a specific time frame anyway – so should never hit your TO DO list – so we are only talking about tasks that can be done at literally any time in the future, and if anything suddenly becomes urgent on your TO DO list you should usually be able to scan and see it quickly if you look at it everyday.

Don’t beat yourself up

This post is really here to say that its alright if you don’t ever finish your TO DO list – as its pretty much impossible – what is important though is to make sure that things don’t stay on there for long – as these are the tasks that will make you feel worse every time you look at the list.

Who wants to feel bad?!

Simply put – Manage your TO DO list so that it doesn’t overwhelm you – and you never know, one day soon you may be staring at a blank piece of paper that is titled TO DO LIST……. I can dream can’t I!

You have started getting more organised because you want to change certain parts of your home or life that aren’t working as well for you as they could be.

It may be small tweaks or large changes, point is that you want to change something.

So you start to make these changes, and feel like you are progressing – but how do you know for sure that you have achieved something?

Organising tasks often aren’t visible – they may include making changes to how you use your time, or how you shop – they may involve clearing clutter from spaces in your home that aren’t used often or aren’t in plain site.

Its all very well and good getting busy and becoming more organised, but if you don’t stop every once in a while to actually see how far you’ve come, then you may be doing yourself a dis-service.

The consequences of not tracking your progress could be that you simply get a little demotivated and stop for a while, worse still you stop for good, or you may even suffer from burn out as you can’t see that you have tried to do too much too quickly – and who wants any of those?

Track your progress

It is really important to track progress when you start getting more organised, as its one of those things that can be really difficult to measure fully.

Its not like you are revising for an exam, and can see by what you’ve revised (and how far through a textbook or manual you have read) exactly how far you’ve come.

Think about it – if you are losing weight, you can track how much you lose each week/month and look back over your progress easily. When you see how much you’ve lost it can spur you on even more.

If you didn’t keep track then you may well forget the details and not give yourself as much credit as you deserve.

Its exactly the same with getting organised.

Now I’m not suggesting a huge extra task of writing down everything you do every day – but I really believe that its worth keep hold of your TO DO lists that you have finished, and moving the tasks specific to getting organised onto a DONE list.

The DONE list

How satisfying to create a  list that has been done!

No work to do, just the satisfaction of reading what you’ve accomplished.

Creating one may just give you even more motivation to continue as well, which can’t be a bad thing!

And its easy to do – whenever you cross a TO DO off your TO DO list, add it to your DONE list (could be done at the end of each week).

Group the DONES in weekly portions, so you can see at a glance how far you’ve come – and trust me – you’ll be astonished at what you get done each week when you see it written down.

You may not think you’ve done a lot some weeks, but seeing it written down means theres no arguing!

(Another great name I’ve seen for this type of list is a TA-DA list!)

Are you doing the right things?

Another great reason for tracking progress is that you may find that you are always completing certain kinds of tasks, and leaving others that you don’t like so much (ironing for me!)

If you can see that you have done loads, but are leaving the less liked things on your TO DO list – then you will realise quite quickly that you will either not get those things done at all, or you will end up with loads of the least liked stuff at the end… neither of which works well when trying to get organised and stay motivated.

Keeping on track

Alongside checking that your DONEs are well balanced, you may use your DONE list to ensure that you aren’t doing too much, stretching yourself too far, or the reverse (too little!)

If you can clearly see what you have done each week then you can gauge whether you can fit more or less into your schedule so that you can maintain the momentum.

Getting organised shouldn’t mean creating too much pressure on yourself – it should mean that you can fit things easily into your routines, and become more productive as a result.

Indeed – you may even see that you are getting a little more done each week that the last, and this may be a direct result of you getting more and more organised – enjoy the journey!

Use your DONE list to reward yourself!

I wrote a post a while back about rewards, and the DONE list is the perfect way to see how far you’ve come, but also that you deserve a treat for all your hard work!

It needn’t be a big reward, often just a quiet cuppa will do the trick -  but its so important to recognise how far you’ve come at every stage and acknowledge it in some way.

After all – if you were in an office and a project was completed successfully – chances are you would all be going out for drinks to celebrate – its the same thing here!

I don’t want to write it all down though…..

It really doesn’t take a long time to write it down, and you will be pleased you did when you see progress – but if you don’t like writing things down there is another way to track progress.

Why not take before and after photos of each task you complete?

Much like how I write a post about my organising projects on this blog, you could have a visual reminder of how far you’ve come – and that simple picture can really tell a thousand words!

(I use this a lot with my interior design business, as you can easily forget the amount of work thats gone into changing a room – its always worth doing!)

NB – This can only work on some organising tasks though such as decluttering, filing, sorting out cupboards and wardrobes etc…. – it won’t work with sorting out how you use your time for example – but its better than nothing if you really don’t want to write it all down.

In summary…

Its so important to track your progress as its important to see how you’ve come – especially when you are just starting out on your organising journey.

Create a DONE list or take before and after photos, as you have always come further than you think

Reward yourself as well – as this will keep motivation high, and you will want to keep going more and more.

And lastly – give yourself a pat on the back – as just reading the posts on this blog means you are getting more organised and want to create changes – so GO FOR IT!