Organizational Bliss of Maturity

One of the reoccurring themes when one is reading about frugality is that it is very important to be organized. House organized, paperwork organized, clothing organized, everything organized.  For those who are not organized, this sounds like bullshit and effort. It also sounds like bullshit that isn't worth the effort.

When I was younger, I kind of prided myself on disorganization . . . mostly because I didn't believe I could live any other way. I didn't care if clothes were put up or dishes washed or floors were clean.  I didn't see the point (unless things were getting to the point of unsanitary) and didn't want to go through the trouble. If anything has changed about my life for the better, it is that I now completely believe in living in an organized environment.

I don't always accomplish this, but it is what  I want.  I also believe, as the frugal experts state, that organization is one of the foundations to living a less expensive life.

For one thing, when you value tidiness, everything that you bring into your home needs a designated place of occupation. This should be a rule.  Nothing comes into the house unless it has a place. When you have storage space, this rule is pretty easy.  When your potential storage areas are full, this rule becomes a little more complex. You can't bring anything new in unless you get rid of something else.  Every purchase is now weighed against what you already have.  So instead of just analyzing if this is something you can afford, you also have to justify the space it will occupy.

Being organized also allows you to have a running inventory in your head of what you already own.  When you're disorganized, you lose stuff. You misplace it and forget where you put it. Sometimes you forget you bought it in the first place. This is why I currently have to almost full bottles of nail polish remover. It also explains why we just bought strips of velcro when we had an unopened package in a storage box. When you have no idea what you own and where it is, you'll keep buying replacements for it. Needless money spent.

Most importantly, in a culture where time is money, being organized saves you time. You KNOW where the wrapping paper is.  You KNOW where the tool to fix the whatever is. You know where the light bulbs are stashed.  When things have designated spots, putting them away is easy.  The soulsucking task of putting away my clean laundry has gone from over ten minutes to less than two. If I need to look at my bank statement from June of 2009, I know where it is. No rushing around, no frantics, no stress.

I'm pretty sure if 18 yr old me was reading this, she'd laugh her ass off.  She'd be shocked at how practical and mature I've become in my thinking (if not always in my actions) where proper placement of all things is concerned. She'd see this as a total waste of time and think it really sad that I ended up so OCD.

Then again, she couldn't find her shoes. I win.