Comments on: Warning: Are Any of These 5 Things Keeping You From Being Frugal?

By: JoAnne Turner

JoAnne Turner — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 21:27:37 +0000

I am in the process of selling my home and am downsizing. It feels good to disgard what I don’t need anymore. I am a widow and my house is just too big. The less I have to move the better because I am moving in with my parents and talk about hating to let things go. My mother is getting better except for the grocery store, she lived through the depression of the 30′s and it is hard for her to part with anything, let alone they should run out of food…..LOL

Organize is the key.

By: steve nelson

steve nelson — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 00:34:07 +0000

Let’s start.

By: TC

TC — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 14:46:57 +0000

GREAT blog. I came here from I hate my message board. Thanks for reminding me that too much clutter isn’t frugal. My mom and dad were both depression era obsessive compulsive, keep everything types and then my dad got Alzheimers which just made it worse. I’m never sure what to throw out etc. Daddy has been gone 9 years now and my brother is 70 and we need to get things CLEANED UP.. LOL

By: Lori

Lori — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 02:24:45 +0000

Good information. Fire extinguishers are one of the few items, as pointed out above, that one hopes is never used and yet is allowed to stick around forever. Lori

By: Suzanne

Suzanne — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 18:21:10 +0000

Staying organized and de-cluttering really is a great way to avoid re-buying things you already have. I am naturally a very organized person, but I know that not everyone is (I hear you, Doug.). One way to stay on top of it would be to say that once a month, you’ll pick a day to go around the house and do a “pick-up and toss” session. Or maybe you pick one room per week to tackle.

If even that all sounds too organized, then take opportunities when they present themselves. Are you having a party? Well, you’ll want to clean the house, so there’s your excuse/opportunity to tackle the “stuff” while you’re at it. Got a snow day? You’re stuck inside anyway – tackle the “stuff.” Once you get used to living a little less cluttered, it gets easier to maintain.

By: IC

IC — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 14:23:06 +0000

Good tips. I also find it really hard to organise my stuff. My husband also organises things more nicely than me. But, I don’t take his criticism well and we fight even for a bottle of misplaced perfume. De-cluterring is even worse. I really get attached to books and even the smallest of trinkets so I continue to build a collection. I still have those ribbon cuttings used on my wedding day. I really intend to reuse them but I don’t have the time to apply my creativity. Well at least I donate old clothes and toys to the needy. Maybe a garage sale is the best idea for me to part with a lot of my clutter and maybe I will make some fast money in the process.

By: CreditShout

CreditShout — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 19:11:20 +0000

Great tips. It might be hard to get rid of things but if you aren’t using them then what’s the use? Thanks for the motivation to keep frugal.

By: KM

KM — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 15:51:06 +0000

When I lived on my own, I always knew where everything was and never kept anything that I didn’t need (ok, except gifts from people who insisted I needed things like a blender, which never even made it out of the box). But now that I live with my family, trying to keep them organized is almost impossible. I try, but even if they agree with my ideas, no one ever follows through with any of them. Our pantry and fridge are overflowing, but it seems like there is nothing to eat, so we go buy more food, probably because all the useful food is in the back somewhere. A lot of food gets thrown away because of this, which really disappoints me, but that happens when you live with other people.

By: KM

KM — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 15:44:34 +0000

I have the same problem. I keep all the coupons at home, but then I end up stopping by a place on the way somewhere and don’t have the coupon with me. My mom keeps a lot of them in her car, but I like my car clean and clutter-free, so I prefer to keep the coupons at home in a drawer. Plus, splitting coupons between two cars is bound to create even more problems.

By: Doug Warshauer

Doug Warshauer — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 01:36:07 +0000

Tracy,
Thanks for the recommendations. I like you first strategy – cheating – best, but 13 years and 4 kids later, that ship has sailed.