Stop! Listen closely. At the end of this post, I will tell you to leave the computer and go clean out your purse. You then MUST come back and tell me what you find. Any treasures? Any change, doctor's appointment cards you almost missed, old bills, Mentos?
After you are done, wash the bottom thoroughly with anti-bacterial soap because, honey, you don't know what that purse has picked up along the way. Taking care of where you carry your money is one more step to taking care of the money itself.
That one was a bonus.
Now here are 10 MORE tips to finding the hidden resources in your home:
1. HIDDEN MONEY in YOUR JUNK DRAWERS: Make an appointment with yourself and clean out a junk drawer. After you are done, set up the next appointment with the next drawer. I cleaned my pantry this summer and found a $10 Blockbuster giftcard. The best part, they sell food now. In a pinch for a snack, the girls and I feasted on huge peanut butter cookies and soda. Not the healthiest choice but it did the trick for the moment.
2. INVENTORY YOUR STUFF: What can you give away, sell, simplify? The less you have, the easier it is to manage.
3. DOUBLE CHECK BILLS for ERRORS: Are your bills accurate? When you look closely before paying, you will be amazed what you find. Believing that the cell phone store would actually think about MY interests, I didn't catch on for a couple of months that my husband's phone had not been added to my our family plan when I upgraded my phone (having broken the other one from WAY too much use). Fortunately, they credited the back charges but I had to find the error.
4. ADJUST the TEMPERATURE: Are you cutting down (or off) the air conditioner when you don't need it? Open the windows and get some fresh air. Winter is coming. Wear a sweater or two before cranking up the heat. The
difference in your bill could mean a special treat for the kids or a new purse (to take care of all that found $) for you!
5. LOWER YOUR ELECTRICITY: Are you cutting off those lights & computers and unplugging those chargers? An electrician told me recently that those little DS & cell phone chargers hanging from my walls use as much electricity sitting there in the outlet as when they are actually charging something.
6. RECYCLE your TRASH: Time to sort those cans, bottles and papers. Not only do you cut down on trash bags, you become acutely aware of the resources leaving your home. Some extra-savvy recyclers actually store up the
items and earn money taking them to a recycling warehouse.
7. FOOD MANAGEMENT to AVOID WASTE: Manage your refrigerator, pantry, freezer so that nothing is left behind. As with all these topics, this could and will be a whole post by itself in the future. Having prided myself in the great savings at the fruit market, I just had to throw away a spoiled banana because I didn't see it under all the other quickly ripening ones. Make sure to freeze fresh produce and meat you are not going to eat right away. Frozen bananas make great shakes and breads.
8. USE INGREDIENTS you HAVE ON HAND: Check out your pantry for all those bags of flour and sugar and dusty spices. Cook, bake, get your family involved. Not only will they learn valuable lessons to teach their children (NOTE: I am including your husbands on this one) but the difference versus buying premade, prepackaged items can significantly cut down your costs.
9. INVENTORY your STORAGE AREAS: Time to clean out these too. Christmas is coming and you may find gifts stashed that you totally forgot about. List what you have before buying ANYTHING ELSE.
10. BOOKS: Need inspiration? Sitting quietly on my shelf, I just found Dave Ramsey's The Total Money Makeover and Mary Hunts' Cheapskate Monthly. Both books and websites have rich motivating tips and programs for getting your money under control. The Bible has some great quotes on this topic also like "Give us this day our daily bread" (Luke 11:3) and ". . .and the borrower is servant to the lender." (Proverbs 22:7b)
Now, go get that purse and do the DUMP! Sort, organize and head over to the forum to share what you found!
Stay Tuned for Hidden Resources in Your Community, World, Online,. . . .
Sarah Peppel blogs about her crazy world at Genesis Moments and contributes frugal beauty tips and reviews at Chic Critique.
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