I can’t believe how fun Day 1 of Financial Decluttering was! There are now over 700 members of our Financial Decluttering Group on Facebook and the photos were in abundance. Clean wallets, galore, y’all. Participants found money they didn’t know they had, cleared out cards that had expired YEARS ago, and even discovered gift cards with balances on them. What a way to kick things off.
Just a reminder, don’t forget to join the Financial Decluttering Facebook Group for ideas and encouragement. People were sharing apps and ideas beyond my thoughts, too. We really are better together.
And since these assignments are designed to be quick and fairly painless, you can easily catch up in a day. You’ve only missed Financial Decluttering Day 1: Clean Out Your Wallet so far.
Day 2: Clean Out Your Refrigerator Door
Our second challenge shouldn’t take too long, either. We’re heading to the refrigerator but not even taking on the entire beast. We’re sticking with just the door. We’ll pitch items that are expired. We’ll store items in the back that don’t get used as often. And we’ll think through how to make this a more effective place to store the items you need.
Why It Matters:
Busy families need their refrigerators running efficiently to save money and time. More than just a place to store last year’s hot dog condiments, the fridge door is typically the first place your eyes fall when you open up your chilly friend. Placing the items you need the most there while tossing those that are outdated is vital in helping you save money and use what you already have.
How to Do It:
- Take everything out of the fridge door
- Throw away anything that’s expired.
- Throw away anything that’s opened but you don’t anticipate on using.
- Donate unopened, non-perishable items you know you won’t use.
- If you have reusable water bottles in your cabinets and space in the fridge door, fill them with water and add to the shelves. When you need a bottle of water, it will be cool and ready. Plus, the fuller your refrigerator is, the more efficiently it uses energy.
- Stash items that you’ll still keep but don’t deserve fridge door status in the back of your refrigerator.
- When you’re finished, take a photo and post it to the challenge post in the Financial Decluttering Group. We’ll celebrate your victory. And/or post on Instagram with the #FinancialDecluttering Hashtag.
- You’ll get bonus points and virtual fist bumps for interesting discoveries!
How to Keep It That Way:
Tending your refrigerator door isn’t too difficult. The bottled water trick helps us to keep from purchasing disposable bottles of water. After removing the bottles from the dishwasher, I immediately refill them and place them back into the fridge again. This serves a couple of purposes.
- I find it difficult to get the bottles completely dry after they wash. I’m always afraid they’re going to grow bacteria if I place them back into cabinet slightly damp.
- When the girls need a water bottle for their lunches, it’s ready and at hand.
- I have no excuses when it comes to grabbing a bottle to take to the gym. It helps me monitor how much water I’m taking in, too.
- Fun fact: I add a wee bit of lime juice to my water bottles because I like the flavor.
I can’t wait to see all you achieve this month. I’ll be sharing my own journey in the Financial Decluttering Facebook Group and via e-mails. Be sure you subscribe for both.
Leave your fridge door victories and tips in the comments! Help all of us be better managers of what we have.
Our new book Your Money, Your Marriage is now available! Be sure to check out videos on managing money together on Facebook.
My book is now available: Slaying the Debt Dragon: How One Family Conquered Their Money Monster and Found an Inspired Happily Ever After. You can also check out The Debt Free Devotional
This post contains an affiliate link. That means when you get a great deal, learn about a way to save, or maybe even something for free, I may end up making a small commission. All prices are subject to change.
[…] minutes and you’ve only missed Financial Decluttering Day 1: Clean Out Your Wallet and Financial Decluttering Day 2: Clean Out Your Refrigerator Door so […]