Week 3: Shopping Smart

• About This Week
• The Smart Investment
  • Where to Invest: The Life-Changers
  • Where NOT to Invest: The Experiments
• Case Study 1: The Smart Investment
• Case Study 2: The Experiment
• This Week’s Focus: Strategic Planning
  • For Smart Investments
  • For Affordable Experiments
• FAQs
  • “I’ve already bought heaps of organising products that didn’t work. What went wrong?”
  • “How do I know if something is a ‘smart investment’ or an ‘experiment’?”
  • “What if my partner thinks I’m wasting money on organisation stuff?”
  • “I’m on a tight budget. Can I still create an organised space?”

About This Week

This week, I want to go over some of the basics when it comes to the investments you’re making in your home.

Did you know that in 2024, market research reported that the global ‘home organisation products’ market was worth over 14 Billion USD? source. That’s an enormous industry built around selling us storage solutions and organisers. But here’s a question worth asking - are these products actually helping people? (or are they simply more clutter with a nicer label?)

Now that you understand your space and your natural organisation style, you’re in a powerful position to make decisions that truly serve you.

The Smart Investment

At this point in the programme, we can begin working out which organisation equipment (if any) will genuinely help you in your space.

But we don’t want to invest in things that won’t work.

This is why we’ve spent so much time already getting to know the space, and understanding how you want it to function. We’ve also taken some time to get to know you, so that you can make wise decisions when putting things back together again.

Where to Invest: The Life-Changers

Smart investments are the solutions that will serve you daily for years. These are worth spending more on because they become the foundation of your new organised life.

It’s worth investing properly in spaces such as:

• High-traffic areas you use multiple times daily
• Spaces where poor organisation causes regular frustration
• Systems that save you time on repetitive tasks
• Storage that protects valuable items
• Solutions that work with your natural habits (not against them)

Where NOT to Invest: The Experiments

Sometimes you need to try something to see if it works for your life and space. These are perfect opportunities for affordable experimentation. You might just need a box or a clutter catcher to see if something will work first (before making it beautiful). If you want to save money, check the function with a basic box - you can come back to the form later.

Case Study 1: The Smart Investment

This is the story of my pantry - a high-traffic area that is foundational to the harmony in my kitchen.

I have a 1920s kitchen with its original deep-shelf pantry. When it came time to organise this space, I faced a choice: try to use the deep shelves as they were, or invest in a solution.

If you’ve ever seen an older home with a deep-shelf pantry, then I assume you may have witnessed the chaos that tends to happen in there. Things get… lost. And after three or four years, they tend to be found. But sadly, after everything they’ve been through, they just aren’t the same.

So, it was time. I decided to invest in ten lazy Susans. Yes, this meant I didn’t use every inch of space in the cupboard, but what it gave me was more valuable: a perfectly organised pantry where I have easy access to everything inside. In a deep cupboard, accessibility is key.

But I didn’t stop there. I also invested in a smart speaker (echo dot) and placed it right next to the pantry. Now, whenever anything runs out, I simply say “Add olive oil to my shopping list”, and it’s done. Every time I go shopping, my shopping list is perfectly organised.

So, for the last three years, my pantry has been perfectly and easily stocked. It’s an old pantry that might not look “designer,” but it is truly functional and has changed my life.

This is where a smart investment (lazy susans, and an echo dot) has more than paid for itself in the peace and simplicity it brings to keeping my home stocked and running smoothly.

Case Study 2: The Experiment

Let me share another story. For years, I had a small pile of clothes in the corner of my bedroom.

When I worked with the FlyLady system, this was called a hot spot. If you’re not familiar with hot spots, these are the designated zones in a home that get out of order quicker than you can blink. The idea is that you need to constantly manage your hot spots (daily)

But managing hot spots is exhausting. It’s relentless. And most of us simply don’t have the time or energy to keep on top of it every single day. So, every time I walked into my bedroom, more often than not there was a clothes pile staring back at me, telling me I was a ‘slob’.

I used to beat myself up about this, thinking I was getting life wrong.

But when I came across the Clutterbug system, I started to notice something. These weren’t dirty clothes. They were my pyjamas, a t-shirt, some jeans… the kind of clothes that I’d wear again during the week before they needed washing.

But they weren’t clean either. It doesn’t feel right putting them back into a drawer with the other pristine/clean clothes.

Eventually, I realised I wasn’t a slob. I just didn’t have a “home” for clothes that are ‘in use’.

So I decided to experiment with some baskets where that pile naturally formed.

Since I wasn’t sure this system would work for me, I bought three simple baskets from Kmart for about $15.

Well, it turns out it was perfect for me!

Now that I know this system works, I can invest in nicer, more decorative baskets if I wanted to. But honestly? The simple ones do the job.

The point is, I needed to test the concept affordably first, so three woven baskets for $15 was budget-friendly, and it worked.

This Week’s Focus: Strategic Planning

Before we have our next four-hour session, it’s a good idea to put some time into strategic planning.

If you find yourself wanting to purchase anything, ask yourself these questions:

For Smart Investments

• Will this solution serve me daily for years to come?
• Does this address a consistent pain point in my routine?
• Will this save me significant time or reduce regular stress?

For Affordable Experiments

• Am I still figuring out how this system will work in my life?
• Can I test this concept with something simple first?
• Is this solving a problem I’m not completely sure exists?

FAQs

“I’ve already bought heaps of organising products that didn’t work. What went wrong?”

this is incredibly common! Most people buy organising products before they’ve decluttered properly or understood their personal style. A beautiful set of matching containers means nothing if they don’t suit how your brain naturally works.

The good news? Now that you know your Clutterbug style, you can look at those products with fresh eyes. Some might actually work for you in a different space. Others might be perfect candidates for donation if you decide they are not actually right for you.

“How do I know if something is a ‘smart investment’ or an ‘experiment’?”

Ask yourself: have I solved this problem before, or am I still figuring it out?

If you’ve lived with a frustration for years and you now understand exactly what you need, that’s likely a smart investment.

If you’re trying something new and aren’t quite sure it will stick, start cheap and simple.

“What if my partner thinks I’m wasting money on organisation stuff?”

This is where the strategic approach really helps. When you can explain why a particular solution will work (because it suits your organising style, because it addresses a daily frustration, because you’ve already tested the concept cheaply), it’s a much easier conversation.

Also, it’s worth noting that smart organisation investments often save money in the long run. My smart speaker has prevented countless duplicate purchases over the years, which has helped tremendously.

“I’m on a tight budget. Can I still create an organised space?”

Absolutely. Some of the most effective organisation solutions cost very little - or nothing at all. Repurposed boxes, baskets from op shops, containers you already own but are using in the wrong spot.

I can’t tell you how many ‘containers’ in my home are just empty old boxes with a pot of sample paint! You can be as creative as you like.

The most important investment you’ve already made: the time and energy to understand your space and your style. That knowledge is worth far more than any product you’ll buy.