THE $1 TRILLION U.S. DEFICIT; How To Keep Your Household From Heading In The Same Direction

Oct. 25, 2010 - PRLog -- The average American wastes 55 minutes daily while looking for things they know they own but cannot find; sound familiar? Could this include mail gone missing?  Harris Interactive research concludes that 23% of adults incur fees on bills paid late.  While household shortfalls may not be anywhere close to the U.S. government deficit,  a great number of American families are dangerously close to the precipice of falling into the same relative abyss due to avoidance of weighing and taking responsibility for financial decisions.  

Virginia Barkley, a New Orleans-based Professional Home Organizer specializing in helping people declutter, adds that a Day Runner Survey found that 65% of people put themselves in the category of being either ‘very’ or ‘insanely’ busy which exacerbates the challenge of keeping on top of financial matters, in addition to all other household responsibilities.  Virginia coaches her clients to come up with simple and integral daily methods to keep the clutter from returning once spaces are re-organized, and, ‘it all starts’ she says, ‘with raising our awareness of both our environment and our actions.’

Second to raising our awareness of how we spend our money, Virginia highly recommends a monthly budget to keep impulses at bay and to create a conscious choice mindset for purchasing which balances familial needs within budgetary limits.  While sounding counter intuitive, Virginia believes that making these conscious financial choices feels more empowering in the long run than the temporary adrenalin rush that follows an impulse buy.  

Beware, she cautions, of having more month than money, because no impulse purchase will be able to remove the stress of not being able to pay the bills.  And, as a home organizer, Virginia has seen her share of impulse buys end up in the clutter pile - only to be donated, given away or tossed out.

When creating your budget, Virginia advocates taking out a certain amount first that will go into both a savings account and an emergency fund for unexpected expenses.  Secondly, she advises to decide on a specific amount of expendable income for monthly entertainment.  It’s all about setting priorities and valuing both your present and future financial security enough to stick within the boundaries of your budget.

Lastly, pay bills when they arrive in order to avoid misplacing them and having to pay a late fee.  It’s one less pile to reckon with AND it keeps you more aware of your monthly balance.  
Raising our financial awareness, maintaining a monthly budget that puts money into savings first, and paying bills as they arrive in the mail are three actions that can be implemented immediately and show promising results in a few short months.  

Virginia offers a downloadable guide entitled, 5 Easy Steps To Get Your Brain in Gear & Start De-Cluttering Your Home TODAY, at http://thedancingant.com.

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TheDancingAnt.com / MORE LIVING.less stuff is a popular home organizing website that shares tips and tricks for de-cluttering and creating an organized and peaceful home environment.