THE CLUTTER ISSUE

I've always been a disorganized person. This isn't my desk, but it's really not that far from what it looked like when I did have one, which I don't anymore. I have cubby holes, storage cabinets, and drawers. I'm the gal who doesn't have a junk drawer, I have several. Please don't get me started on how many times a year I do "Spring Cleaning."

Throwing away things I bought is HARD! That's $5. This is $10. That's got sentimental value. That's...nope that's going to come in handy some day. Well, that day never comes and I'm stuck with a gizmo whatchamacallit I've only used once.

Being disorganized in a truck is disaster! Rather than everything having a place, its place is wherever I just threw it. I will not say I don't throw anything away. Garbage is garbage. It's gone. But, the toothpaste I bought a month ago is half full but I can't find it, so I go and buy another one. Pretty soon the first one shows up and now there's 2 I can't throw out because they're still only half used.

It's also pretty pathetic that my bathroom products grow pretty quickly. How many shampoos and conditioners can one girl use? Lotion? Several. Perfume? A couple. Medicines of all kinds end up multiplying all by themselves.

I bought a bin thinking I would just put it all in one place and that way I wouldn't have a bunch of bottles and packets stashed away everywhere. It became the junk drawer from hell. I call myself an idiot on a regular basis just because of that stupid idea.

Well, I figured out something. I'm a hoarder. I'm a binge and impulse buyer. I'm a slob. How did this happen? What can I do to fix it?

I told you I purchased the Dave Ramsey books The Money Makeover and The Complete Guide to Money. I also began my first budget. It's not the first budget I've EVER started, but it's the first budget I haven't been terrified of.

The point I'm making here is this, I'm going to have to clean up my act. From the clutter and disorganization in my environment to the clutter and disorganization in my finances, I need to change.

With the decision comes the first step, which is the budget. I won't tell you details, but it's a mess. There's room for improvement. Wiggle room to tweak it until it gives me what I need. This isn't what I want. It's what I need.

He pointed me to a free budget making app called Everydollar. It's easy to use and does the math for you. That's pretty good for me. Math is not one of my favorite things.

While the budget is something I can't expect instant success with, the clutter issue can be. A little time off, a bottle of 5-hour energy, and I am attacking the clutter in my life.

Might be a few days from now, but I'll let you know how it's going.

Thanks for being here,

Renae - The Truck Driving Woman