Every day, we hear more news about the economic woes in the U.S. and around the world. This continual bad news can start to make you feel like you've lost control over your bank account and perhaps even over your life in general. This month, I ask you to view things from another perspective: I believe that getting organized can put all of us in more control over our homes, our offices, our finances, and our lives.

Don't get me wrong: I certainly won't claim that decluttering can prevent job loss, or that creating an effective filing system can change what happens on Wall Street. But I do believe that little things can mean a lot. Setting up a bill-paying system can help you avoid late fees and other penalties, and can help you have a clearer picture of your finances each month. Clearing out unwanted and unneeded things from your home can help you focus more on the stuff that matters. Putting some simple systems in place for storing things like food and household or office supplies can help you avoid buying duplicates of things you already have, thereby saving you money.

Here's another way to put more money in your pocket each month and to clear your life of things that are bringing you down: consider getting rid of your off-site storage space.

Reconsidering Storage Units
Are you spending more on storing your stuff each month than you're spending on yourself? Could the money you spend on storage go to better uses? Does the stuff you have in storage really deserve to be in your life? If you rent a storage unit, now is a great time to reconsider whether you need it.
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An additional way to make the most of your cash each month--and to enjoy healthier, more nutritious family meals in the process--is to create a weekly meal plan. I recently spoke with my fellow Professional Organizer and friend Connie Johnson about meal planning, and she gave me some awesome tips to share with you.

Save Time and Money with Meal Planning
A weekly meal plan can save you time and money, make it easy to create healthier meals, and spare you the nightly "What's for dinner?" scramble. Here are nine tips on creating a meal plan that will work for you.
Click here to read the article now, or cut and paste this link: http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art35767.asp

Knack: Organizing Your Home Wins Best Organizing Book!
I'm thrilled to announce that my book, Organizing Your Home, was named Best Organizing Book at the 2009 Organizing Awards on January 31 in Los Angeles! The award is such an honor, and I've been so pleased to hear from people who report that the book has really helped them harness the power of organization in their lives.

Organizing Your Home is a colorful, easy-to-read guide to bringing more organization to every room in your house. The book is designed to make it easy to find the specific tips and ideas you’re looking for quickly and easy. You can find the book on Amazon or at your favorite local bookseller. Please let me know what you think!

Want more organizing insights? Visit the BellaOnline Organization site, www.bellaonline.com/site/organization, for tips and ideas on saving time, money, and stress while making the most of your life every day.

Here's to a bright spring ahead of us!

My best to you,
Emily Wilska
Organization Editor
www.bellaonline.com/site/organization