With the cost of just about everything (gas, food, etc.) going up daily, we are all looking for ways to save and/or more efficiently use our money. One expense that you might not have thought about is the “Cost of Disorganization.” If you have a lot of clutter and disorganization in your home, office and your life, then you are wasting money in some form.
Here are a few examples of the cost of a disorganized home, office and/or life:
• “Late Fee Charges” because your bills aren’t organized and easy to pay on time.
* Have a system for bill paying.
– Make a date in your calendar: Pay bills twice a month
– For paper bills, keep a single file folder along with your stamps, return address labels and envelopes.
• Impulse shopping without a list.
* Make a shopping list before you shop — planning equals savings
– Purchase only what you need.
– Stick to the list.
– Don’t shop while hungry!
• Avoid Duplicate Purchases.
* Gather all similar items together; inventory what you have!
• Uncoordinated Errands
* Take time to plan your errand “Circuit”
– Minimize unnecessary travel
– Combine tasks to fall into one longer trip rather than several smaller ones.
• Interest lost on checks before you deposit them (or you loose them all together).
* Use direct deposit or schedule weekly (if not daily) paper check deposits.
– Fees for “overnight expressing” late items.
* Don’t procrastinate!
• Faulty or Inadequate Project Planning.
* What is the cost of your or your employee’s time… probably the biggest expense you have.
* Inefficiency equals money and opportunity lost
• Overtime pay for support staff staying late to do a “Rush” job because:
* It was given to them at the last moment, or
* It was not properly planned in the first place
• The cost of replacing and retraining burned out employees who quit.
These are just a few examples of how disorganization can equal money wasted. At this time we all need to be as efficient as possible in all areas of our lives so we maximize our return for every dollar spent.
Questions for “The Mess Doctor” or if you need professional assistance to get organized contact Barbara Ricketts at MessDoctor@Mac.com or call 661-263-0124.