There are several reasons this step is
tidying up. As you tidy up, you will
keep your eye out for financial forensic evidence. That is, you will get yourself a box and
place any receipts, statements, checks, etc., into the box. You will use these items later.
As you clean, you will sort things into
categories such as: keep, give away, sell, or trash. You want to keep only the bare essentials. There is no point in keeping things that you
have not thought about in years unless there is a very specific sentimental
value to the item. Otherwise, it goes in
one of the other categories.
Keep your eyes open for things that
could be sold at a garage or yard sale or online with places like E-bay. If there are things you find that have value
but you do not think will sell at one of these venues, you may wish to donate
the item. Quite frankly, if you do not
think it is valuable enough to sell it is probably not worth much to a charity
either.
Charities that accept donations of
items other than money have very high trash bills. It seems that there are people who only
donate items seeking a tax credit. They
think nothing of giving absolutely unusable items to charity for the tax
credit. Some will even donate dirty clothes.
When we had children’s home, we had
people who felt compelled to donate items such as food that had expired years
ago, one shoe from a pair, etc. Do not
do this. Only donate items that the
charity can actually use or sell. Make
sure it is freshly laundered or dry-cleaned.
While cleaning up and cleaning out,
assess all the “stuff” you have accumulated.
Did you ever use it? Should you
have bought it in the first place? What
prompted you to buy it? You may find
that many of your purchases could have been avoided by taking a little time to
think about the proposed purchase before you completed the purchase.
Often, people will find clothes in
their closet with the tags still attached.
Items they have never worn.
Perhaps they bought the clothing hoping they would someday be that size
again. Perhaps it looked good in the
store, but there was never an occasion to wear it. Regardless of why you have it, the bottom
line is that it is just taking up space.
Sell it, give it, or throw it away.
You may also find money that you had
misplaced. Check through all the pockets
of any clothing you are going to get rid of.
Look through all the drawers of any furniture you will be eliminating.
Flip through books as you are going
through things. You may find coins,
bills, and maybe
even an old check or two.
It is sometimes possible to get checks reissued if they have sat too
long without being cashed. The book Hard Core Poor - a book on extreme thrift
reports an incident of this.
Speaking of going through books, there
is a web site, and also a smart phone app, that allows users to search several
online used booksellers to determine who is willing to pay the most for a used
book. As you clean, you may want to
check this site to see if the books you have to give away will fetch anything
in the market place. The URL for that
site is https://bookscouter.com
Remember, you are not just getting
organized; you are also looking for financial forensic evidence. Do not throw away any statements or receipts
until after you have gone through and assessed everything.
Now is a good time to start planning a filing system
for all the documents you need to keep.
It might also be a good idea to purchase a scanner
so that you can scan receipts into your computer. Many receipts fade. Why not create a filing system on your
computer? Store scanned receipts and other documents you need to keep.
Please be advised that all the
information in this course is provided to educate, enlighten, and broaden your
views in life. The information provided
is not a substitute for medical, legal, dietary, financial/accounting, or
religious professionals. Always consult
a professional before you act on any of the information you find in this
course.
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