The More You Know - Five Ways Being Disorganized is Costing You Money

FACT: Being disorganized is costing you money. 

Let me say that again. Being disorganized is costing you money. You may not have personally experienced that single large loss that properly hammered the point home, but I can guarantee you've felt some of the smaller losses. The smaller losses add up over time and make a big impact on your wallet and earning potential.

No judgment here. The struggle to get organized and maintain it is universal. It looks different in every home and in every business, and the root causes of disorganization can be just as varied. We can all benefit from a quick look around our home and our lives to see how we are losing money by being disorganized and what we can do to change it.

This list is by no means exhaustive, and some of the examples can easily fit into more than one category. I just want you to see how getting organized and finding the systems and strategies that work best for you, your family, and your business can help greatly reduce the cost you're currently paying. 

Late Fees & Overdraft Fees

Ever unearth a bill from under a pile, check the date, and realize it's past due? Or receive a notice via email, and just pass it over? Or maybe there is no bill at all. An amount is due every week/month/quarter and the due date just passed you by? You simply forgot to pay it?

BAM: LATE FEE. The money was in the account, but because of disorganization, the bill is now even higher. At the light end, perhaps there's no late fee because it was the first missed payment. Lucky you! At the heavy end, this goes on your credit report and lowers your credit score for years. This affects your ability to qualify for loans and credit cards and increases your interest rate - the amount it costs you to borrow money. This small loss just grew into a big loss and a giant headache.

​Many of us have budgets that require bills be paid at certain times based on when we receive our pay. A disorganized budget (outdated, not adhered to, etc.) may lead to a low balance and an inability to pay on time. BAM: LATE FEE. BAM: OVERDRAFT FEE. 

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Convenience Items

Organization is a valuable tool when creating a schedule and planning your time. The more disorganization, the more convenience items are needed. Had a long day at work and don't feel like making that dinner from scratch like you planned? No problem! Pizza it is!

The difference here is choice. The organized person simply has more time and more choices. Compare the above to someone who wants to come home and relax. But there's nothing to eat, so he has to take the extra time to grab something quick on the way home (an extra expense and hardly ever healthy) or pay to have something delivered (again, an extra expense). The first person could have cooked at home or chosen to order pizza. The second person had no choice but to spend the extra money or go hungry.

Other small losses:

• Buying ready-made and frozen dinners because of poor or non-existent meal planning
• Hitting the supermarket on the way home for paper towels because you didn't take a shopping list last time you went to your favorite discount store
• Grabbing breakfast on your way to the office because there's no morning routine and you're running late...again
• Eating out during the day because nothing is packed for lunch

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Missed Opportunities

This is the one that feels like a punch to the gut. This is where the regret and frustration is really felt: missed opportunities at home and in your personal and professional life because of disorganization. 

Small, gut-punch losses:

• Missed out on a great coupon, deal, or discount because there's no system for processing mail or because it was forgotten or misplaced
• Missed out on a personal opportunity because of a misplaced phone number or poor scheduling/planning
• Missed out on a business opportunity because leads continually slip through the cracks and there's no plan or process for follow-up
• Missed out on a business opportunity because of a lost client file

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Replacing

Spending money to replace things you know are in your home...somewhere. If you're organized and things in your home have a home, you'll know whether you're out of something or not. No more guessing or replacing items you can't find. 

Common items you may have re-purchased because you couldn't locate the original:

• Over-the-counter medications
• Office supplies
• Charging cords
• Food items 
• Any purchase you JUST MADE

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It's Ruined

This expense goes hand in hand with #4 but still deserves mention and focus. Disorganization leads to waste. Nothing lasts forever, and the longer something is misplaced and unused, the more likely it is to be ruined, broken, outdated, or otherwise useless when you do find it.  Dry rot, rodents, insects, water damage, spills left unnoticed too long, expired items such as food and medicine - all affect your bottom line. They take more time to remedy once they are discovered and more time and money to replace or mend. 

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What are you thinking? Does reading how you're losing money through disorganization make you want to move forward on your organization journey? Which one of the above do you find most present in your life? Which is the most frustrating?

Wondering where to start? I highly recommend starting with the Sunday Basket®. You'll run your home, stay on top of your papers, avoid many of the above pitfalls, and stay on top of your to-dos while improving the organization throughout the rest of your home. Check out our Sunday Basket® blog post for more information and our Workshop page to register. Contact us if you have any questions!

Happy Organizing!

​Would you like to live a more organized life? Contact us today to get started!