Real Life Solutions

Organizing doesn’t have to be expensive or difficult. Getting organized will most often only require your readiness and desire to do so, along with time and motivation. Don’t be overwhelmed by the task at hand. Just take a few deep breaths and you’ll be on your way. The only big mistake you can make is to not start.

1) The most cost-effective way to get organized is to purge. The less you have to deal with physically, the easier it will be. Begin with a simple, quick trip around a room that you’ve chosen to work in and gather together any obvious trash. Newspapers, old catalogues and junk mail can all be tossed. Be sure to recycle whatever you can. We want to help organize the environment too!

2) The next step might actually help make you money. Now is the time to identify anything you currently own that you wish to donate or sell. Donating items to those in need can be very motivating. Knowing that someone else will be able to use an item, as opposed to it simply going into the trash, often makes it much easier to let go. Oftentimes, items donated to charity are eligible for a deduction on your income taxes. Be sure to keep proper documentation as to the item, condition and value. A photo can also be helpful.

3) If you prefer, you can also sell an item, perhaps online, which would bring a more immediate income. You can do it yourself or take the item to one of the many places around these days that will assist you in online sales.

4) Do you feel disorganized every time you leave the house? Perhaps you spend too much time looking for your car keys, cell phone, sunglasses, or your purse? The old saying, ‘A place for everything and everything in its place’ is well known because of how true and how valuable it is. Just imagine how much easier leaving your house would be if you knew, each and every time, exactly where all of your important items were. They’d be waiting for you right where you put them.

5) Decide on a location that makes sense. It may not be the first place you imagine it will be. It needs to be in the easiest and most functional spot. If the place you choose doesn’t feel right, you can always change it. Once you find that spot, then you can choose a container. If you have a number of sets of keys, perhaps a small row of hooks next to the back door would be best. Maybe a small wicker basket where you can leave loose items and then set your purse next to it is your ideal solution.

6) Need to organize your bathrooms? Are your bathroom cabinets a jumble of hair products, lotions, and makeup or personal care items? Shoe boxes make fantastic under-the- counter containers. If you would prefer a more attractive solution, but would rather not spring for matching boxes, a whole $5 roll of contact paper will cover a bunch of shoe boxes. Pick a fun color or pattern that will make you smile when you open the door. Sort like items together in each box. You can even label them if you would like.

7) Look at your closet in a new way. Sometime, the easiest way to organize a closet is to begin by removing everything. We, once again, will want to do a quick purge for anything you know you will never wear again. Anything that doesn’t make you feel fantastic should go. You should smile every time you get dressed.

Group like items together. For this step, you get to decide what that means. It can mean all jeans together, all blouses, etc. or it can mean all clothes of a certain color or category such as dressy or business casual. If you prefer, you can group actual outfits together and even add the accessories.

9) Once you’ve gotten the actual items sorted, you might take a quick trip to the store for matching hangers. Even the discount stores these days have nice sets for reasonable prices and it makes such a difference to get rid of all the old wire and other mismatched hangers you’ve accumulated over the years.

As you can see, getting organized doesn’t have to be expensive at all. Look at it as an investment that you’re making in yourself. The more organized you are, the more efficient you will be–which will leave you with more time for the things you truly love and want to enjoy.

Get Organized Now - An amazing collection of 1,300 organizing tips, ideas and techniques to help you organize your home, your office and your life.

Chronic disorganization can affect every aspect of your life. The wasted time and money caused by disorganization can leave you stressed and unhappy. Disorganization is a very unpleasant way of life, but not a way you can’t work to change. Using the following tools faithfully will get you well on your way to a happier and more organized lifestyle.

1. Calendar/Planner

Find a calendar that works for your family. It can show a day, a week, or a month at a time. Just make sure there’s enough room to include everyone’s activities, as well as birthdays and anniversaries. Everyone’s activities should be placed on the calendar as soon as they are scheduled. To save space you can use small stickers or abbreviations for things like doctor’s appointments (dr.), meetings (mtg.), anniversaries (ann.), etc. Just be consistent with your abbreviations to everyone knows what they mean. Your calendar can also be color-coded with each person having their activities and appointment in one color. If your schedule is in red and your spouse’s is in black, it much easier to glance at the calendar to quickly find your activities. This system is especially helpful as you add busy children’s schedules to the mix. It is important to check your calendar at least twice a day: once before bed to plan for the next day and once first thing in the morning to see what’s going on that day.

2. Notebook and Pen

Don’t try to keep all your thought in your head. You’re bound to forget them. Writing things down makes them more concrete and much harder to forget. A small notebook is a great place to write down your To Do List, Grocery and Errand Lists, or even just short notes about things you don’t want to forget. If you don’t like the idea of carrying a notebook around with you when you’re out and about, check your cell phone. Most cell phones have a program (often called Notepad) that allows you to type and save notes on the phone. The only downfall to this method is that it may not be as easy to you’re your shopping list off to someone else in the family. Whichever method you choose to use will give you the benefit of having all of your notes in one place which makes it much less likely for you to misplace important notes.

3. Laundry Basket

A laundry basket can be used for more than just carrying laundry. Take a laundry basket around to each room with you as you straighten up the house. Any items that do not belong in the room are placed in the basket to be removed. As you enter rooms for which your basket contains items, put them away. More decorative baskets can serve a similar function when placed at the top and bottom of a staircase. Items that are upstairs but belong downstairs (and vice versa) can be placed in the basket by the stairs. As you or another family member passes the basket on their way to the stairs, they can grab the items and return them to their proper places.

4. Box for Receipts

Your box can really be anything from a shoebox to an attractive photo box. Every time you buy something from the grocery store, department store, or small retail shop, put your receipt in the box (except for high-ticket items, which should be filed in your filing cabinet). By keeping all of your receipts in one place, it will be easy to find the one you need when something needs to be returned. Just remember to weed out the box periodically so it doesn’t get too full.

5. Timer

Keep everyone on schedule when getting ready in the morning. If bathroom time seems to be an issue, allot a certain amount of time per person. When the timer goes off, it’s time to switch. Young children (and some older ones) benefit from “racing the clock” for each morning task. Be sure the timer is set for an age-appropriate amount of time for each activity. They should then try to get dressed, etc. before the timer goes off. You can also benefit from using a timer while you work. Set the timer to go off every 15 minutes. If you’re still on task when the timer goes off, great! Reset the timer and keep working. If you’re off task, reset the timer and refocus yourself on the original task. A timer will also help you keep your breaks in check so your 10-minute break doesn’t inadvertently turn into a 20-minute break.

6. Garbage Can and Donation Box

Clutter often causes disorganization. Too much of anything can slow down your morning routine and cause things to be lost. Go through your items and get rid of unnecessary things by either throwing them away or placing them in a box to be donated to a local charity. As you come across things in your daily activities that you do not need immediately place them in either the trash or your donation box. A donation box can be stored under the bed or in the closet so you can add to it whenever you find something you don’t need. The items in the box should be donated on a monthly basis to ensure the box doesn’t get too full.

7. Label Maker

As you organize your house, label each box, shelf, and drawer. You and your family will be able to quickly find items that are needed. The labels will also rid your house of excuses like, ‘I don’t know where it goes.’

8. Bill Paying System

You can create your own system or use one like the Easy Bill Paying System. It should consist of some sort of filing system for unpaid bills and paid bill categories (utilities, auto payments, credit cards, etc.). You should also keep all of your necessary items for paying your bills (pen, envelopes, stamps, etc.) with this system. As soon as you receive a bill in the mail, place it in your bill paying system. Then on the same day each week (or every 2 weeks) sit down and pay all of your pending bills. After the bills are paid, place the bill summaries in the proper categories of your system so it’s simple to look up information when necessary.

9. Filing Cabinet

Your filing cabinet should contain both hanging file folders and manila file folders. Each hanging folder should be labeled with a general category such as Insurance, Bank Statement, Warranties, etc. Within those folders you may want sub-categories like health insurance, auto insurance, etc. These sub-categories should be labeled on manila folders that are placed within the hanging folders. File papers into the proper folder as you receive them and it will be easy to find them as needed.

10. Commitment

I know this isn’t a physical tool like the rest, but without a commitment you’re likely to fall back into your old disorganized ways. You have to commit to being less disorganized. Commit to using the tools daily. Commit to getting a system in place and giving it a try before making modifications so it works for your entire family. Finally get your family committed to the system as well. Without their support, even your best efforts to have an organized household will fail.

Get Organized Now - An amazing collection of 1,300 organizing tips, ideas and techniques to help you organize your home, your office and your life

One of the biggest problem with keeping a clean house is that cleaning the entire home can seem overwhelming. If you save all of your cleaning until Saturday or Sunday, you’ll have a six-hour job ahead of you, and nothing will get done because you’ll want to put it off. Instead, try these ten quick cleaning tips for a more organized home. These tips will keep you from dreading the cleaning binge on the weekends when you finally have time, and will leave you less stressed out during the week.

Use one or more of these home cleaning tips to keep your home clean and free from clutter.

Disinfecting Wipes Clorox, Lysol and even some of the major grocery stories manufacture disinfecting wipes (sometimes called Sani-Wipes) that can work wonders for cleaning sinks, bathtubs, toilet seats and even small messes on the floors. Purchase one container (usually thirty wipes) for each of the bathrooms in your home and one for the kitchen. Every time you go to the bathroom or use the kitchen, take a minute to run a disinfecting wipe over all of the surfaces. You won’t have to worry about wringing out or cleaning a sponge or rag, and it takes just a minute or so. This is one of my favorite home cleaning tips.

Squeegee Keep a squeegee (less than $4.00 from Walmart) in each of your bathrooms. Whenever you take a shower, squeegee the shower walls to avoid build-up of mildew. You should also teach your spouse and children to use their own squeegees. This will make cleaning the shower a much easier chore when you finally get down to using tile cleaner and a sponge. You can also keep a spray bottle of a bathroom cleaner in the shower. Spray the walls before you start the water and let it sit while you’re getting undressed and preparing for your shower. You can rinse the walls while you’re taking a shower, then squeegee when you’re done (works great with a detachable shower head).

Cleaning Bucket Rather than running around your house, trying to find the type of cleaner you need, store each set of cleaning supplies in its own separate bucket. That way everything is there when you need it, and you can transport it all easily with an easy-to-carry bucket. You can also use a caddy, if you prefer. Later, if you need the bucket to fill with soapy water, you can simply rinse it out in the sink or at the garden hose and refill it with your cleaning supplies.

Clean in Sections There is nothing worse than cleaning an entire room and then discovering that you missed spots. Instead, clean in sections from left-to-right or top-to-bottom. Not only will this prevent you from missing areas of the room, but it will also help your mindset when you realized that you’ve cleaned half the room.

Trash Bags Take a tip from restaurants and stores, and keep several trash bags stored underneath the in-use liner in your trash cans. This way, you won’t have to go looking for a new trash bag; you can just pull one of the spares from the bottom of the can.

Extension Cord Rather than switching outlets every few minutes, use an extension cord on your vacuum cleaner so that one outlet will allow you to clean the entire story. For example, if your living room is the center of your home, plug the cord into an outlet in your living room and then vacuum the whole house (or story).

Toothbrushes Recycle old and worn-out toothbrushes and keep one in your kitchen and in all of your bathrooms. When you’re cleaning and can’t get a hard-to-reach spot, the toothbrush will come to the rescue. Just be sure to rinse out the bristles when you’re done.

Empty the Sink Before going to bed every night, be sure that all of the dirty dishes have either been stored in the dishwasher or cleaned at the sink and put out to dry. It can be disheartening to wake up to a sink of dirty dishes, especially when you’re looking forward to a cup of coffee and some time to relax.

Hand-Held Vaccum A hand-held vacuum that works off of batteries is a wonderful little gadget that you can use when a job is too small to warrant pulling the big vacuum out of the closet. You can use it to clean up spilled cereal, dog hair, little clumps of dirt and any other mess that tries to ruin your day.

CD’s Even if you’re only cleaning for ten or fifteen minutes, it always helps to have a little music in the background to keep you going. Press “play” on the stereo every time you start a cleaning chore and the minutes will tick by much faster.

 Steve Thompson is a full-time freelance writer. In addition to the more than 3,000 articles he’s written for AC, he has also written articles and other materials for more than 100 happy clients

Get Organized Now - An amazing collection of 1,300 organizing tips, ideas and techniques to help you organize your home, your office and your life

Keeping a small living space organized poses some challenges but there are many ways to organize your small living space.

My husband and I have lived in our small one bedroom apartment for six years now and we are bursting at the seams. We both have a lot of hobbies that require a lot of gear such as skiing, hiking, golfing etc. We are planning on buying a larger place in the next year but until then we have to keep our home comfortable and organized.

Here are some tips on how to organize your home when you are in a small living space:

1. Make sure everything has their own home. This is key to making sure that your home remains organized. If you don’t know where to put things back, they will remain out and in your way.

2. Use offsite storage. Storing seasonal items can clear up space in your pantry and storage areas. This can be pricy, so make sure to do your homework when comparing prices.

3. Use space wisely. We have high ceiling but areas where the wall space is limited. As we have so many books we bought very high and skinny shelves. It took a little while to find them. Furniture stores are catching on that if you live in a large city, chances are you live in a small space.

4. Go through your things regularly. If you have not used that tennis racket in the last ten years, the odds of you using it in the next ten are slim. Pass it on to friends or charities that take in household items.

5. If you have lots of DVD’s and CD’s - store these in a CD book rather than in there cases. This will free up a lot of space in your living room.

6. Purchase furniture that is also storage. We have a leather bench that can store extra blankets and books inside of it and out of site. Underneath a bed is a great place for storage boxes for extra bedding and pillows.

7. And last but not least - try to reduce the amount of things that you bring into your home. This will not only keep your home uncluttered but also help the environment. My husband and I have a rule now - if you bring something new in, something has to go out. This ensures that when we purchase things, we really think about whether we need it or not.

Get Organized Now - An amazing collection of 1,300 organizing tips, ideas and techniques to help you organize your home, your office and your life.

Five bank fees you should stop paying

(ARA) - If you’re tired of getting nickeled and dimed by your bank, it’s time to switch. Irritation with unnecessary bank fees is the No. 1 reason consumers switch banks, according to a recent survey by Javelin Strategy and Research.

“Stopping useless fees forever is a smart way to make your money go further,” says J.J. Montanaro, a certified financial planner with USAA. “The savings can add up to hundreds of dollars a year, which can be used to pay your bills instead of your bank.”

If you’re paying these five fees, it’s time to look for a bank that doesn’t charge them.

1. Overdraft fees - While the new overdraft rules that went into effect on July 1 requires financial institutions to notify customers of their options to opt-in to overdraft fees, finding a bank that chooses to opt-out of the “opt-in” legislation can save you cash. Some banks - like USAA Federal Savings Bank - have eliminated overdraft fees on ATM and debit transactions entirely.

However, if you’ve decided to opt-in to overdraft fees, you’re not out of luck. Many banks provide overdraft protection - allowing purchases exceeding your account balance to be pulled from your savings account or put on your credit card. Check with your bank to see if this service is free. If so you’ll avoid overdrafts and avoid having your purchase declined.

If you choose a credit card as your back-up payment option, be sure to pay off your balance immediately to avoid paying interest, Montanaro adds.

2. ATM fees — If the ATM you use is not affiliated with your bank, that ATM’s bank may charge you for ATM/debit card withdrawals or other transactions. While a $1.50 to $3 ATM fees may seem nominal when you really need to access your cash, they can add up quickly.

Some banks allow you to use any ATM without charging fees. If your bank doesn’t, plan ahead and only withdraw money from ATMs affiliated with your bank. Or you could take advantage of fee-free, cash-back options now offered at some local grocery or convenience store chains when making a purchase.

Better yet, switch to a bank that reimburses you those fees. For example, USAA rebates up to $15 a month in ATM fees - a perk that could add up to $180 a year in savings.

3. Check fees – Cut fees by quitting checks, or at least using less of them. Unless your bank offers free checks, switch to paying bills electronically. This usually fee-free service allows you to pay bills anytime and anywhere you have access to a secure Internet connection.

4. Minimum balance fees — Your bank may expect you to keep a minimum balance in your account and charge you a fee if you slip below. You can side-step these fees by carefully matching your situation with the account requirements. For instance, look for an account that waives the fee for direct deposit of your paycheck, or find an account with no minimum balance requirement.

“In addition, take advantage of helpful tools such as free online financial management tools, account alerts sent via e-mail or text messages that are triggered when your account runs low,” Montanaro says.

5. Fine print fees — Are you charged a fee for monthly account maintenance, or does that bill you receive in the mail each month cost extra? “It pays to sweat the small stuff and fully understand what your bank is charging you,” Montanaro says. “Instead of paying your bank to send you a paper bill each month, see if you can sign up to receive it electronically for free. This option will save you money and can make it easier to keep track of your statements.”

Montanaro adds that investing time to manage banking needs and find a bank that doesn’t overwhelm you with fees can add up to real savings of potentially hundreds of dollars each year. “In times like these, it’s important to make every dollar count and ensure it’s working for you - not your bank.”

Living Within Your Means To get a grip on what fees your bank is charging, Montanaro suggests carefully reviewing your most recent checking and savings account statement.

As a kid grocery shopping looked like fun. As the parent, it is a chore that many of us could do without. Here are a few tips to save you both time and money on your next excursion to the grocery store. You might just change your mind about the experience after trying one or two.

First, why do people dislike going to the grocery store? You probably don’t like the long checkout lines or the time it takes to go up and down every aisle to find what you are looking for. Or, it could be the high cost of food and other grocery items these days.

Now, examine the following tips in light of what bugs you about the grocery store:

1. Clip coupons – This point can’t be stressed enough. Using money-saving coupons on the items that you use most is free money. Some grocery stores routinely double or triple coupons. When you want to try something new or exotic, use a coupon to get a discount off of the full price.

2. Create a grocery list from your meal menus – Meal planning saves money at the grocery store because you start with a list that encompasses everything you will need for all meals that week. Only pick up those items. With a list, you can target what you want and get out of the store fast.

3. Visit the grocery store early in the morning – This works for stay-at-home moms. Everyone else is at work so you will have the place pretty much to yourself. Many trucks deliver supplies to the grocery stores in the morning. You’ll be the first to get the freshest cuts of meat and the best produce.

4. Know your store. The biggest pet peeve has to do with the need to shop every aisle to find something. Choose a grocery store that has all of the food and qualities you like in a supermarket. On your grocery list, put the number of the aisle next to the item. Now, you won’t skip over the bread on aisle two while looking for the green beans which are on aisle four.

5. Stock up on common staples. Since you plan your meals every week, you know which items are needed most. When shopping, it’s okay to buy those items in bulk so that it cuts down on weekly shopping bills. For instance, if peanut butter is a lunch menu item most of the time, buy a lot when the peanut butter is on sale to save money.

These tips make you want to run to the grocery store right now don’t they? Start with one and eventually use all five to shop like a pro.

For more tips, visit Menu Planning Central - and learn the quick and easy way to get dinner on the table and enjoy more quality tim with your family.

Coming up with quick easy meal ideas on the spot can be hard.

What are you serving for dinner tonight? How about lunch on the weekend? It can be a daunting task to come up with meal ideas especially if you have kids. Here are ten quick easy meal ideas for family meals try one tonight.

1. Spaghetti – It’s easy to quickly boil noodles and simmer some spaghetti sauce. Spaghetti has so many add-ins your family will enjoy: Italian sausage, hamburger, diced vegetables and a variety of herbs and seasonings. For a low calorie meal, use spaghetti squash in place of traditional noodles.

2. Tacos – Olay! If your family likes Mexican food, whip up a batch of tacos for dinner. Use hard and soft shells for variety. For family menu planning, dice the fixin’s ahead of time so you can just pull them out on taco night.

3. Macaroni and cheese – What kid doesn’t like this as a dinner main dish? Spice it up with diced tomatoes, crumbled bacon, sliced hot dogs or hamburger.

4. Pizza – This is not the store-bought or the delivery. Keep several prepared pizza crusts on hand (like Boboli for instance). On pizza night, let the entire family choose which toppings they want on their pizza. Prep time is fun so it doesn’t last long and it takes about 20 minutes or so to bake.

5. Skewers – you can create tasty chicken, pork, seafood or beef kebobs quickly. Skewer the meat and your favorite vegetables and place them in a sealed container until meal day. This is the benefit of meal planning – getting prep work done early. Cook your tasty kebobs on a gas grill or use a grill pan indoors. This is my personal favorite quick easy meal idea!

6. Hot dogs – Nothing could be easier than throwing them in a pot of boiling water or grilling them up. For the health-conscious family, use light franks or turkey franks by Oscar Mayer or Ballpark.

7. Chef salad – Salads are always quick to fix but they usually lack something in the taste department. With a chef salad you get your portion of protein from lean ham or turkey. The taste comes from the add-ins: bacon crumbles parmesan cheese, tomatoes, shredded cheese, black beans and cucumbers. Use others that your family likes.

8. Grilled cheese sandwich – Dinner doesn’t need to be a four-course meal. For a new taste, add deli meat or a juicy tomato.

9. Tortilla wraps – Create delicious quick sandwiches with your favorite flavor of tortilla. Glaze with mustard or low calorie mayonnaise. Add crunchy veggies and diced chicken, pork or beef.

10. Leftover creations– Use leftovers to create salads, casseroles, sandwiches and soups. Don’t let anything go to waste if it can be used for new meals.

Use some or all of these quick easy meals above to help you get dinner or lunch on the table faster.

Visit Meal Planning Central A Quick and Easy Way To Get Dinner On The Table and Enjoy More Quality Time With Your Family.

Let’s face it; it’s often easier to give up our efforts to get organized than it is to jump over the hurdles. But the hurdles don’t have to defeat us. We can overcome each and every one and succeed in this journey to getting organized. The hurdles can be conquered. Join us as we tackle a few of the hurdles to organizing that we all face.

1. Procrastination: Let’s face it, it’s easier to put off an unpleasant or overwhelming task than it is to do it. So, what do you do to accomplish something you’ve been procrastinating on? You schedule it! Just like scheduling appointments for any other thing, put time on your calendar specifically for organizing. It doesn’t have to be a lot of time, just put it on the schedule. If it’s an appointment on your schedule, you are much more likely to follow through.

2. Lack of Motivation: You know it needs to be done, but you just can’t make yourself get up and do it. So, here are a few ways to help you motivate yourself. 1) Put on some peppy music. It is true that when there is upbeat music playing, our mood perks up and we move a bit faster. 2) Visualize the finished product or end result. When you can picture in your mind what your end result will be, it’s easier to get it accomplished.

3. Where do I start?: This one can sometimes be quite a stumbling block as we look at the whole picture. When we look at the whole, we can easily become overwhelmed. So, pick the room that bothers you the most. Then, break that room down into quadrants and work one quadrant at a time. As you begin to see progress, it gets easier to continue. And, by breaking it down into manageable bites, it is a lot easier to swallow.

4. Lack of family cooperation: This hurdle can sometimes be pretty difficult to work around, but it’s not impossible. Start out by scheduling a family meeting. Give yourself time to plan what you are going to say and how you are going to approach your family. Enlist your husband’s support ahead of time. You might share with him how much less stressed you will be if you have some help. This will help the two of you present a united front when you have the discussion with the kids. For the kids, go over the rules and the consequences for ignoring or breaking the rules. Be sure you and your husband are in agreement and be consistent about following through with the consequences. When the kids see you mean business, they’ll quickly fall in line.

5. It has to be done today: Chances are this is one of the hurdles you are subject to. To overcome this one, you need to change the way you think. You know that this physically can’t be done in one day. Even those television organizing shows take several days to declutter and organize only a few rooms, AND they have a team of people to help. A helpful way to change the way you think is to remember that your home didn’t become disorganized and cluttered in one day, and it won’t be reversed in one day. Reasonable amounts of time every day will be what wins this battle.

Finally Organized - Finally Free -  An amazing collection of 2,175 ideas, tips and techniques for organizing your home, your clutter, your time, your schedule, your money, your paper, your family and much more!

For singles, creating a budget is relatively easy. They tend to have a good handle on how much money they have coming in, and when tracking expenses, they only have their own to think about. But creating a family budget is a whole new ball game.

Most families have multiple sources of income. And when there are multiple spenders, that makes things much more confusing. This is one of the main reasons that families lack a formal budget. But having a budget and sticking to it can greatly improve a family’s financial outlook.

Making a family budget may be tricky, but it can be done. Here’s how.

1. Take inventory of all income. If a certain source of income fluctuates from month to month, use the lowest amount or average it out.

2. Keep track of all expenses for a month or so. Keep all of your receipts, and ask all family members to turn theirs in to you each day.

3. Add up your monthly expenses. Be sure to include bills, debt payments, groceries, and everyday expenses such as lunch money and transportation costs.

4. Get the family together and discuss ways you can trim the budget. Getting input from other family members will help you determine which expenses are necessary and which ones could be cut down or eliminated. Maybe you or your spouse could start taking lunch to work instead of eating out, or maybe the kids can drop an extracurricular activity.

5. In addition to individual expenses, discuss how you can cut down on the electric bill, groceries and other necessary family expenses. Consider such things as carpooling or taking public transportation, buying more generic foods and adjusting the thermostat.

6. Estimate how much you can save on regular expenses, and cut the completely unnecessary items out of the budget. Then refigure it and see where you stand.

7. If you end up with a surplus, allocate a portion of it to savings. If you’re in the red, go back and rework the budget until you have more income than expenses.

Being Realistic

One reason that family budgets often fail is because they’re just not realistic. It’s great to cut down on expenses, but sometimes we tend to go too far. For example, cutting entertainment out of the budget completely might look good on paper, but we all need a little diversion every now and then.

Instead of cutting such things out of the budget completely, consider finding ways to lower the cost. Going back to the entertainment example, maybe you’ve been going to dinner and a movie as a family twice a month. But eating in and renting a new release would be much cheaper, and you would still get to spend quality time together.

Individual expenses can also be tricky. This can be resolved by allocating a certain amount for each family member to spend each week. If someone spends his entire amount before the week is up, reevaluate his expenses and adjust if necessary.

Creating a family budget can help keep spending under control, leaving more money to pay down debts and save for future goals. But in order to succeed, close monitoring is essential. Your efforts will be rewarded, however, with less financial stress and more money in the long run.

Click Here For Your Copy Of Budget Living and Discover How to Live on a Budget & Save More Money Than You Ever Thought Possible - Without Giving Up All the Things That You Love!

Keeping an organized home through the ups and downs of family life isn’t easy. Here are a few quick and easy home organizing ideas to help get you started.

If you make the storage options decorative and fun, it’s doesn’t seem as much like work. For example, if you want the kids to pick up their dirty laundry and put it in the hamper, put a basketball hoop over it. See who can make the most baskets in the least amount of time. That mound of socks and underwear will disappear in no time.

Under-the-bed storage boxes have been a staple of home organizing for years. They have new ones that have hinges, wheels, and all kinds of improvements that make them easier to use. They may seem expensive to buy enough for the whole family at once, but if you pick up one every couple weeks, or once a month, you’ll soon have all new storage for everyone. They are great for out of season clothes, toys or books.

Giving things away to charity not only helps someone else, but it helps you stay more organized by freeing up valuable space.

Even if your children don’t have to share a room, a bunk bed can be a great space saver. The top bunk can not only be used as storage, but it can make a great homework area for an older sibling when there are toddlers around that won’t stay out of their things. Use a thinner pad, instead of a mattress, some pillows, a lap desk, decent lighting, and you have a wonderful workspace. It also keeps all the homework in one area, so it’s less likely to get lost or clutter up the dining room table.

In order for the house to stay organized, the whole family has to be involved. If you are starting a new routine, be sure to explain the new rules to everyone, practice it for a few days, reminding everyone what needs done. If you stay consistent, it won’t be long before your whole home is in order.

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