Have more free time, more money, and less stress by organizing yourself and your activities for a thrifty lifestyle. It is very easy to do with just a few simple changes in how you approach the daily routine.

Kitchen

Thrift begins with a clean and organized kitchen. After the housing payment, food is the next biggest chunk of the budget for the average family. Unlike the housing payment, the food budget is flexible with the possibility of saving several thousand dollars in one year, so this makes the kitchen the first area to tackle.

Start with organizing the pantry. Put the canned goods in categories such as soups, vegetables, tuna, fruit, gravies and sauces, etc. Put the oldest food in the front of each group. This will ensure that it will be eaten before the expiration date. Any food that is at or near the expiration date should get a red line across the lid (use a permanent marker).

Do the same thing with the boxed food except put the red line across the front of the box so you will see it at a glance.

Now organize the rest of the kitchen. Clear the clutter off of the counter in order to have a nice work space as well as a pretty appearance. Only the appliances which are used daily, such as the toaster or toaster oven, should sit out on the counter. The rest of the appliances should be put on a shelf for easy retrieval. I bought a 3-shelf closed-door pantry unit that fits nicely in the corner of the kitchen. Since it is only 3 shelves high, I put the microwave on top of it and this cleared up even more space on the kitchen counter.

Put pots and pans and mixing bowls in a cabinet near the stove. Hang a spice rack on the wall. Get rid of the counter-top paper towel holder and attach one to the underside of a cabinet. Follow through with putting like things together.

A kitchen that is organized is a kitchen that is streamlined for easy cleaning. A clean and organized kitchen becomes an inviting place where you will want to cook. Thrifty people eat nearly all of their meals at home and spend about half as much on groceries. If you were able to cut your grocery bill in half, how many dollars would you save in a week, a month, a year?

The Rest Of The House

Organize the closets so you can find what you need, from light bulbs to tools. This way you will not waste money buying another wrench or another picture hanging kit. The old phrase, "a place for everything, and everything in its place" is part of a thrifty lifestyle.

The good part about organizing the rest of the house is that many people are able to toss a lot of junk. Just as with the kitchen, an organized house is fast and easy to clean.

Shopping

After making the grocery list, walk room to room making a list of what else you might need to do. It might include dropping off clothes at the dry cleaner, returning a rented video to the store, and filling up the gas tank of the car.

Combine the necessary chores with your shopping trip. This has three benefits. First, you will have everything done in one trip. Second, you will spend less money because there will be fewer trips to the store (fewer chances to spend money). And third, you will have more free time by not having to make separate trips to accomplish what needs to be done.

Time Management

Thrifty people keep a calendar and refer to it frequently.  By taking the time to write down upcoming functions or events, you will have the ability to shop the sales for any needed gifts.  For example, if you know that there will be 5 birthdays during the next 3 months, and you plan for those birthdays in advance, you will be able to pay cash instead of using the credit card and you will have plenty of time to check the ads for an appropriate gift that is within your budget. 

Time management is an important part of a thrifty lifestyle.  It can be started for the price of a calendar.  Or, be really thrifty and find a free calendar.