We’re all ready to take on the the new year, and get as organized as possible. January is one of the best times to implement a new routine, especially one that will give you peace of mind within your home and maybe even help you reduce or eliminate debt. The beginning of the new year has always been the time our family re-evaluates what we need to do to stack on track financially. But, we wouldn’t dare spend a bunch of money trying to get organized. What would be the point of that? Here are 4 frugal way to organize your 2015, without breaking the bank
Use Your Phone
Just about everyone has a smart phone these days, yet we only utilize about 10 percent of its amenities. We’ve already paid for it, and pay a monthly bill to use it. Why not use it to stay organized? The calendar on your phone will keep your family on task, and you as organized as possible. Be sure to plug in all doctors appointments, school closings, and even when you plan to take a vacation this year. You can even plug in the due dates of your bills, so you will be less likely to miss a payment. Once you have all important dates entered, share the calendar with your spouse or other family members. They will easily be able to add all of those dates to their own calendars.
Google Calendar
If you are unable to share you calendar through your phone, take advantage of Google calendar. This FREE tool works well for anyone that has a gmail account. I love how google makes it very easy to share this, and even add others to dates within your calendar. There are ways to color code certain events. Or, you can do like I do, and dedicate a color to each family member. When there is an event or appointment for one of our family members, I assign their color to it. This is so helpful when I’m out of town, and my husband needs to see what doctors appointments or school functions the kids have.
Free Online Family Planners
This is the perfect time of year to get in on New Year freebies! There are so many great bloggers who offer free planners or organizers for their readers.While the planners are free to download, you will have to buy your own binder and print from your own home. So, it may not be free in the long run, but it sure is cheap! Check out this family planner from Jamielyn of I Heart Nap Time. If you’re a blogger, Staci from 7 On A Shoestring has a free blog planner that I just adore. Also, Regina from By Regina has a great printable to document daily, weekly, and monthly business tasks for bloggers.
Plan Your Year In A Day
This one task has opened up so many opportunities for me and my family. By planning our whole year in just one day, we’ve been able to experience so much more, and more importantly, staying debt-free in the process. For the past 3 years, my husband and I have sat down, pulled out all of our bills, lists of birthdays and anniversaries, and all of my blog commitments, and we placed them all in their appropriate dates. There are some interesting steps to take to accomplish this in a day, and I share them all with you in my ebook, How To Plan Your Year In A Day. I promise you, once you finish, you’ll feel like an organizing guru!
