I consider myself to be an organized person. In fact, it gives me a rush to take a big ‘ol mess and make it look amazing.

Even the most organized people, including myself, have moments where they can’t find things or have paid a late fee on a bill that got tucked away accidentally. I believe most people want help getting it together, but just don’t know where to begin. No one is immune from disorganization –whether it’s a junk drawer or a hidden closet – and everyone has an area that could use some TLC. And if you have children, your chance of having these areas triples.

Most people make goals to become more organized but few people know where to begin. It doesn’t have to feel overwhelming if you tackle your clutter in stages. Today is the first in a series of posts related to home organization.

Here are some tips for getting organized and staying that way.

Step No. 1 – Don’t touch a thing.

It may seem crazy but the first step to getting a grasp on your organizational problem has nothing to do with sorting, alphabetizing, labeling or tossing items. Clutter is as much an emotional issue as it is a physical problem.

You have to figure out why it is that you’re holding on to all of the stuff. For example, many people hold on to items out of fear or loss. Piles of paperwork can symbolize fear of dealing with problems or finances. While an overabundance of toys for children who have outgrown them can really be a sign of a parent’s unwillingness to accept the end of innocence with her children.

Step No. 2 – Imagine for fantasy world.

Picture in your mind how you’d like that area of the house to look in an ideal world. Close your eyes and really try to see it how’d you like it. Whether it’s a toy corner in your living room or the master suite, you need to have a great mental picture to motivate you. Now that you’ve set your goal (that great fantasy image in your mind) you have to take all of the actions necessary to get to it.
In most cases that means letting go of what you’re holding on to now in order to reach the place you really want to be. When you start to feel yourself resisting change or trying to justify holding on to an item remember your goal and stick to it. You can’t continue to carry the past around with you if you want what’s in the future.

Step No. 3 – Sort it Out

Each item in a given space must receive an assignment: fix it, donate it, toss it or relocate it to another area of the house. Whatever items are left should be those items you want to remain in the space. I recommend using big plastic bins or laundry baskets to help you with the sorting process.

Not enough time to dedicate to a whole room? Skip your evening sitcom and allocate 30 minutes to organize one drawer, sort through one stack of papers, or sift through a mystery box in the garage. You’d be surprised how much you can do in such a short amount of time.

Grappling over those last few items? Ask yourself questions these important questions as you evaluate the items.

Is it something I’ve used in the last 12 months? Do I really need it? Do I love it? Can I live without it? Is this item in my mental picture of my fantasy room?

If you answer “no” to one or more of these questions you should seriously consider pitching the item.

I really hate wasting food. Not only is it like throwing money in the trash, it also makes me feel incredibly ungrateful for what I have. Like you, I’ve seen many images in the past few weeks of Haitians enduring starvation after they’ve been through trauma after trauma. It makes me cringe when I think of how much I take my fully stocked pantry for granted.
For my final five tips for saving money on groceries I have compiled a list that I hope will provide some extra money in your budget and keep you and I from having excess food on our shelves that spoil.

1. Stockpile your savings. And then eat them. I use my garage as my secondary pantry. We’ve installed wonderful shelves in the garage where I store extra food and supplies. I stockpile deals that I can’t pass up and then I have my own mini store in my garage that I can shop from. For example, canned vegetables were on sale for 2 for $1 recently.

2. Carefully compare Costco costs. Costco is usually cheaper than paying full price for items at the grocery store. However, it’s almost always cheaper to buy grocery store sale items than to shop at the warehouse giants. Everyone knows it’s hard to escape Sam’s or Costco for under $100, and I’ll be the first to admit that it’s easier to buy items in bulk than to shop smart and save. I recently did an experiment where I banned myself from Costco for a month. I found that it was easier to get by without those monster-sized cases of tomato sauce than I imagined. As an added bonus my monthly food bill went down, too.

3. Cook with easy recipes only. Not only does it save you time it really does save you money, too. Really it’s quite logical – if your recipes require fewer ingredients you need to buy fewer things to make dinner (saving money) and it also requires fewer steps (saving time). I love watching “Five Ingredient Fix” on the Food Network because it gives you lots of great recipes that are fast, cheap and healthy. What more can a busy gal on a budget ask for?

4. Buy less and shop more often. It’s a simple supply and demand principle from Econ 101. If you have more demand than supply you’ll always be fiscally sound. I try not to stock up too much on perishables but instead replenish my fridge every five to seven days. I find we waste a whole lot less and it forces my kids to find other things to eat than the easy go-to items.

5. Have Plan B on ice. We’ve all had those days where we our best-laid plans don’t work out quite the way we intended. We’re all starving and worn out and it seems to be easier to just eat out. Instead of hitting a drive-thru or ordering pizza it’s always great to have a backup plan ready in the wings. I try to find items that can be cooked from a frozen state or prepared quickly out of the pantry. It doesn’t have to unhealthy either. Instead of frozen chicken nuggets there’s always pre-made soups or raviolis.

There are lots of quick meals that can still be healthy. I write down a substitute meal on my dry-erase board and use it as needed. I also keep a printed list on my fridge of quick and easy meal ideas. (Here’s mine from a previously blog entry – http://3girlsandapug.com/2009/05/01/foodie-fridays-29-quick-and-easy-week-night-meals/ )

Question: What do you do to save money on your grocery budget?

A major segment of my Christmas Sanity Plan is to clean out my closets.

I know it seems like a weird thing for me to start a big organizing project when I am up to my eyeballs in wrapping paper and Christmas tree lights. But it’s actually a great time clean out the closets.

Hear me out on this one because I know it sounds like adding one more project before Christmas is crazy, but I promise it’s worth it. Once the last gifts are unwrapped you’re still one giant step away from regaining your sanity: finding a home for it all come Dec. 26.

So I recommend embarking on this one- or two-day mission a week or two before Santa makes his first delivery. (Decluttering always cuts down the time spent cleaning for holiday guests too.) Chances are you’ll find small hands that are willing to help if they think it may raise their ranking on “the nice list” in the days just before Christmas.

Here’s the game plan:
1. Sort it out. Take the time to sift through what toys your kids play with and what can be donated. Remove games that are missing major components or toys that are beyond repair. You’d be surprised how much kids’ interests change in a few months’ time span. They may be more willing to part with items than you imagine.
2. Sell it. Use craigslist.org or ebay.com to sell things that you can make a reasonable return on and others might want during the holidays. For example, video game components and games are big sellers as are doll houses and play kitchens. Teach your kids to use these sites as an incentive to move out the old in preparation for the new.
3. Donate items. In tough economic times, donation centers would love to have more donations of popular toys in good condition. This can be a great way to teach your children about charity and service as well. It always makes my kids feel better about giving up some of their treasures from years past if they know those items will be used by someone else who will appreciate them.
4. Look for openings. Once you’ve sorted out the old, you should find you’ve got a few openings for those that are new. After-Christmas cleanup will be a snap if you take a few minutes now to rally the troops and get your toy soldiers working like Santa’s elves.

Question: What do you do with toys and/or clothing that your kids grow out of?