Money can be a real source of stress for most people. No one likes to take time out to pay bills, especially if funds are tight, but it is a definite must to in our current way of life. Not taking care of your finances can lead to bad credit which can cost you more in interest rates when you need to make a big purchase or deny you all together.

There are a few things you can do to make this process easier, less painful and more organized. These are keeping it simple ways to declutter your finances and make your life easier. If you don’t pay your bills on time normally this can help you get on the right track.

1. The first step is to know where your money goes. This sound easier than you think. Many small and cash purchases don’t get tracked and can be forgotten. So for a month or two keep track of what you spend your money on either on paper or electronically.
2. Once you have completed step 1 – create a monthly budget. This will detail your current income and bills. If you have never created a budget we will be doing an article on Budgeting 101 soon and once it is done I will add a link here. (see Budgeting Made Simple)
3. Auto pay any bills you can to one credit card. I have one that I use to get points, just be sure it is a card you pay off monthly with no exceptions. The point of this is to make it simple not pay for interest. I set this card to auto pay on the date from my bank account. This works for things like gas, some utilities, phone and subscriptions.
4. Pay on-line. I am still amazed by the people who write and mail checks. No more waiting to be sure your payment arrives and the cost of stamps is only going up. Most on-line banking will give you a traceable confirmation number.
5. Use your bank’s bill paying function to pay bills that don’t fit into item 3 or 4. Auto draft is also available (sometime mandatory) for mortgage, personal loan and car payments.
6. Still get bills in the mail? Or email notifications? Then the day you get them set them up for payment on the due date. Don’t wait only to find them in a drawer weeks from now, or buried at the bottom of emails you forgot about. I signed up for electronic bills in my banks bill payer system so I get the bill electronically right in the bill payer app.
7. When your check is direct deposited auto deduct even a small amount to a savings account. Pick a set amount to save even $20 at a time can add up. Keep yourself motivated not to touch it by setting a goal to save or a small wish list purchase once you attain the goal.
8. Does your company offer a 401k match? Make sure you are maximizing your contributions to get the full amount of that “free” money in your retirement fund.
9. Most Americans don’t have any type of emergency fund. Let’s face it, emergencies happen (car/home repair, unexpected bill or illness) and usually at the worst possible time. Having some cash set aside can really make this process much less stressful. As with step 7 auto deduct this out of each check into an account. Set a goal in your budget and replenish if you need to use these funds to cover an emergency.
10. Acorns App – spare change investing. The average person at best has retirement investments. The concept behind this round up investing is that for every purchase you make you will “round up” to the next dollar and invest the spare change. This can add up over weeks, months or years of investing. Even though I have a background in accounting, I don’t have any investments outside my 401K. So to me this was a smart, fast and easy way to start without really carving anything extra out of my budget. If you want to try Acorns, get $5 when you use my invite link.

Hope you find these tips helpful. How do you keep your financial life uncluttered?

No matter what started your desire to de-clutter, just getting started can seem a daunting task. There are a few schools of thought on what is best – type of item or area by area but in the end you just have to pick what logistically makes sense for you and get started.

I found it helpful to think about why I wanted to de-clutter. I found I had very little free time so I wanted to be able to clean more easily. Just the thought of having to move a bunch if items to clean just got frustrating, so for me that was how de-cluttering started.

So I am going to share with you 10 Ways I was able to easily de-clutter and make my life easier. Feel free to adapt these methods to suit your own needs.

1. Just Start – somewhere – anywhere – if you wait for the perfect day and time you will never get to it.
2. Small wins – I think we had 5 remotes for the TV in the living room. I know I won’t get buy in for a universal remote (and you have to pick your battles) so I purchased a small decorative box they all fit in. Now they have a place, they take up less space and they can be picked up easily for cleaning. This can also work for items like chip clips that just accumulate.
3. Make a space for things. In my house any horizontal surface became a place to leave stuff. While it isn’t realistic in my house not to have any items out, I did make a spot for each person to keep certain items they use daily or need for that week. Providing a small bin/drawer/box for those items is best since it will encourage people emptying it when they run out of room. So now instead of a counter full of items I have 2 “inbox” style bins for the required items. These can easily be moved if we have company or want to wipe down the counter.
4. Clean out the pantry/cupboards/cleaning supplies. This can be an easy thing to do and you will be surprised at the amount of expired items. Also get rid of things your family tried but won’t eat, we all have those things. I will put things together I can toss in a crock pot on a weekend. Also don’t forget to make a list of what you need to get at the grocery store. See my cleaning closet make-over below.

5.  Clothing is something we all have more than we need. They say we wear about 25% of what it is in our closet. My goal was to up that percentage. Initially I did a quick clean out of items I hadn’t worn in a year. Make a critical decision keep or donate and moved on. Then I had a bunch of items I need to try on to decide so I left them in a certain area of my closet. I put my work cloths in one section – and as I wore things I started to put them back as outfits or things that could be mixed and matched. (one pair of dress pants with several tops) Every day I got dressed for work I would try on one of the items in the must try on section and make the critical decision keep or donate and moved on. This was easier for me than doing it all at once.

6.  Buy Less! I make a shopping list now. I know what I have in my closets and cupboards and I don’t buy items I don’t need.

7.  Kids Toys – get bins toys can be placed in as part of the clean-up process. Make it a habit you take it out then you clean up by bed time. Holding even small children accountable isn’t as difficult as it sounds. Allow them to decide overall when they outgrow something if they want to give it to a sibling or if that doesn’t apply donate it so someone else can enjoy it.

8.  Books. I had tons of books including audios on cassette and CD. I have an extensive audio library now which doesn’t need a CD or cassette I just listen via and app on my phone. So I donated all my audios to a local library who was thrilled to get them. I also did a critical review of my books. We have a great used book store and I was able to turn many of them in for credit to get new books. I just kept asking myself, will I ever read this book again? Or would anyone else in my household read this?

9.  Knickknacks. These accumulate and can be a serious clutter point. Pick a few you truly love and get rid of items you don’t love. I had a friend make a coffee table with an area inside to display items with glass on the top. You can find ideas on how to do this on Pinterest.

10.Cords. Extra cords just pile up and accumulate. I have an old popcorn bucket we keep them in. I cut a paper to fit and create sections. If a cord hasn’t been used in a year and we have no idea what it goes to… it gets tossed. Plus we keep extra new phone charger cords etc. in case we need a spare or for traveling.

My house is still a work in progress. I can imagine it will be for some time but it gets easier and easier as you go and you learn how to tackle that one spot and move on. In the end it has saved me tons of time. My house is easier to clean, it’s easier to pick out what to wear and visually just less stressful to look at. Hope my suggestions help you on your journey.

I will admit I am not a “hard core” minimalist. However, I have embraced much of the theory and methodology. Some people think Minimalism means boring and without style but it doesn’t have to be that way. You can add key decorating elements into a room without clutter.

One of the biggest changes I have made is in my closet. It’s still a work in progress but I have reduced what I have to create mix and match outfits for work and fun.  Classic vs Trendy can save you a bundle in clothing costs. You can easily get a few trendy accessories to go with your classic cloths that don’t go out of style next season.

Comfortable and functional furniture is the foundation to any room, at least in my house.

Of course these photos are probably unrealistic if you have pets or children but you can see how they bring the room together with a few simple accessories. A big benefit to lack of clutter is how much faster and easier you can clean.

Outdoor spaces can be comfortable, functional and simple. Using a couple of elements and color you can still have a stylish and attractive space.

This style certainly has visually more but it is organized and functional and these are frequent use items.

Enjoy the simplicity of feeling good about yourself and being healthy.

You can even plate your food visually to make it more appealing to eat healthy.

Simple but elegant outdoor party set up.

This is a classic look with the bolder lip color for a more fashionable look.

Adding a few plants and pillows can really bring a room together without a lot of clutter.

A few special items on a shelf unit complete the elegant look but don’t appear cluttered.

This is a beautiful but simple indoor table setting.

A kitchen with simple colors and cabinetry.

This is a bedroom with a clean look with decorative pillows and bed accent.

These images can give you some ideas on how your space could look if you removed some of the clutter. Getting rid of all your clutter everywhere is probably unrealistic. However, with some simple changes you can tackle certain areas and make a big difference. We will be posting some ideas on easy ways to de-clutter your spaces.