From The Age today: how a pensioner survives under the poverty line: ‘She makes ends meet by being organised — a skill she has had to learn the hard way. Read the full article here.
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Get rid of clutter, get organised and increase efficiency.
Lissanne, I’m not quite sure what your point is here. The story is hardly a promotion of organisation; it’s more about the difficulty of making ends meet on an inadequate income. There are no organisational tips and the following quotes don’t really lend themselves to the subject of organisation
“I had to stop doing things,” she said.”
“She no longer has a car because soaring petrol costs made it untenable.”
“Her pension is just enough to live on and treats such as going to the movies are rare.”
Hi Elizabeth, I don’t think good quality content has to be all about tips – although I do supply a lot of tips, free, to readers of my blog and newsletter. Having said that, this story did feature some cost cutting ideas that readers stretching the budget might find useful! This primary reason this story piqued my interest because it speaks of someone having to revisit the way they shopped, spent and consumed in general – this takes planning. Planning is a key part of being organised. Whether we have ‘enough’ money (or not enough) planning and being organised will help cut costs. Someone on a budget is often has no choice but to make better organisational choices, as this story illustrates. I can think of more ways that Barbara might be able to extend the theory – including shopping and cooking in bulk (freezing food is a great money saver), sharing meals with friends or neighbours, and taking advantage of discount movie days or free screenings. For most, public transport is a very affordable way to get about – but it takes planning and attention to time management.
As a general rule, organisation takes a bit of effort but is worth it. I’ve been very poor more than once in my life and still ate well and had a full life! Like the story says “Barbara makes ends meet by being organised”. How is the non-organised person on a limited income coping? Better or worse? I would suggest they might be in more of a pickle, with any missed payment or late bill incuring more despair, (get your paperwork under control so you can pay bills on time!) and lack of time management can mean eating more expensive meals rather than really planning things out and shopping around. Organising takes time and effort, but is like money in the bank. It pays off!
If you’re specifically after organisational tips, my book SORTED! (http://shop.sorted.net.au) features (in part) over 250 time, stress and money saving tips so maybe that’s more helpful to you! Thanks for commenting.