Organizing for Single Moms

This is about how a broke, single mom can improve her life thru new organization ideas.

1. Start a secret stash. Think of what you have run out of in the last month causing you to run to the store at 10 pm. This could include diapers, something to eat, toilet paper, hand soap. So you find a place like a closet where you can stash a few of these items. Then when you run out some night, you do not have to make that trip. Build it up with some soup and cracker, soda and peanut butter. Thus, you always have a meal of sorts ready.

2. Organize your keys. Nothing empowers you like having spare keys. Find a locksmith shop, not a Home Depot, and begin stopping by every few days, copying keys. Buy a large and an medium sized key ring and use the smaller one for your common keys and the larger one for infrequently use keys. Having done this, make a master key ring with every key that you own on it, in case you lose your keys.

Hide a house key outside somewhere. Make sure you can find it in the dark. Consider giving a key to a neighbor or family member that you trust.

Put an extra ignition key and door key in your trunk under the mat in the trunk. Then wire a trunk key on the undercarriage of your car, like on a tie rod. It will soon become grimy and blend in. Worse case scenario, you can get under there and get into your trunk and get home. Also carry copies in your wallet.

Having become good friends with the locksmith by now, see if you can have him come to your house and give you a free evaluation of where they are most likely to break in, and then the next most likely. Try to tighten up your security.

3. Carry extra money. It is hard if you are running had to mouth, but if there is any way, try to stash a $20 in your trunk. It's also a good idea to have a few dollars worth of quarters on you for vending machines.

4. Switch to all LED lights throwing away the incandescent and fluorescent bulbs. An LED is 23 times cheaper than even a fluorescent bulb. You literally cannot afford anything besides LED bulbs.

5. Set up a receiving area by the entry door. A table where you can sit all of your stuff when you come in from the store. This includes the mail.

6. Set up a desk. I paid $50 for the best desk I ever owned. When people move, they often give away desks. I like big wooden ones where the drawers work. Buy a swivel chair. Occasionally you can find a used one that had some life in it, but usually they are pretty well shot. Go to Goodwill or a garage sale and get a table lamp or two for your desk. Add a fan and space heater and you are in business.

You will need some sort of a filing system. The best is a two drawer lateral file. But you can buy a file box with a handle on it for about $20. I buy a new one for each year. Put a radio in your office, calendar, thermometer, plants and pictures. Make it as comfortable as possible. This is your command center. Its helps immensely in getting organized.

If you cant find a desk, use an old door and two saw horses or a folding table. But desks have drawers and really come in handy.

Get a book shelf, the bigger and deeper, the better. Get a copier/printer if you can afford it.

I like the hard cardboard files with two leaves in them. I set each one up for certain areas of my life: CAR, House, Computer. Then I set up the various leaves for different aspects of that subject...car registration, car insurance, car repairs, car accessories.

You will need a 2 hole punch for the stuff going into the files.

7. Get an upgraded thermostat if you can afford it. Then you can shut off the heat or cooling from your smart phone and turn it on when you are driving home. This slashed my electric bill.

8. Have some sort of calendar to lay out your appointments and review it several times a week. Figure out where the place is before hand and map quest it.

9. Set some goals. Divide them up between health, work, spiritual, home, fun, etc. Write them down where you can see them.

10. Go to Walmart late at night or early in the morning and slowly cruise every isle. Look for stuff that you need. Oh! I need an extension cord for my nightstand lamp. Oh! I need some windshield washer fluid. Oh! I need Claritin. If you have a list, all the better. Many, however, lose the list.

11. Stock up as forced savings. Buy extra canned good, paper goods, mouthwash, etc. It saves a trip and when things get tight, its one less thing to worry about.

12. Carry jars of peanuts, etc and bottled water behind the passengers seat. It saves the time and expense of stopping at the drive thru.

13. Get roadside assistance on your cell phone account. Carry jumper cables and a 12 volt air pump and a couple of cans of fix a flat. Carry a heavy coat, boots and a hat in your trunk in case you have to hoof it out or sleep in your car. A wool blanket is nice too.

14. Start writing down every, dollar you spend. Look for the waste. It also gives you a record of when you bought stuff.

15. For any amount of time that you put into planning, you will save ten times that amount of time. I have tried this and it works. So if you can spend an hour every Sunday night planning your week, grocery list, to do list and such, then you should be able to save ten hours a week.

16. Each Sunday night go to the grocery store and get the fixings for a Zen lunch. A Zen lunch is a brown bag lunch exactly as you like it. Your favorite bread, cheese, meat, mayonase, chips, apples, cookies, etc. Slowly and thoughtful get the items and also get some bags. Get your favorite olives, pickles, etc.

So you start brownbagging and its healthy and cheap. Just don't eat at your desk at work. Get out and eat outside for a break.

17. Run a load of wash every day. I load up at night, get up at 5 and start the washer, shift it to the dryer at 6 and remove it at 7. You may do better at night. Just figure out a routine and get ahead of your laundry. Have a big table for folding area. Folding tables from Walmart work.

18. Get the book "Getting Things Done" by David Allen. It is the new cult time management book. You can buy it from Audible to play on your phone while you drive to work.

19. Try to bring someone into your life to help you organize and then you help them. The energy of two people together is amazing.

20. Join Costco or Sams Club if you can afford it and start buying in bulk.

21. Go on a mini vacation to recharge. Get away for the weekend. If nothing else, go visit a friend. But try to stay away for 2 nights. This will energize you.

22. Get some formidable job all set out to do and go drink a bunch of expresso, go home and tear into it.

So there you have it. Surely some of these ideas will cause things improve in your life.