When trying to save money it is important to remember three things. If you remember to reduce, reuse and recycle you will find you will save money.

The first important thing to remember in saving money is reducing the clutter in your home. It is important to do an overhaul of your home. I know this can extremely overwhelming, but it is well worth your effort. I recommend to my readers to first go through the clutter that is in clear view in your home. If you do not have a lot of free time on your hands, spend a minimum of 15 minutes a day in purging and decluttering. Do not become emotionally attached to items, because that is how clutter starts.

After you clear the clutter that is in plain sight, begin working on the closets. If your stuff does not fit in your closets, do not go out and buy bins to store it. That just creates clutter. If it does not fit in your closets or storage areas it is important to purge and not to buy storage bins.

Also make sure you are reducing what is in your fridge and freezer. Try to limit the amount of times you go to the grocery store. Plan your meals and try to use the majority of the items in your fridge and freezer before making a trip to the store.

When your home is organized and clean, you know what you have and do not have to go out and buy new things.

Reusing and recycling are two things that go hand in hand. I am an avid recycle lady in several different areas of my life. Being a military spouse and a mom of small children, I do not typically purchase new furniture. I am on a budget and the military moves or my children are also hard on the furniture. My dining room set was purchased at a yard sale and most of my family room furniture I have purchased at consignment. All the pieces look brand new and were purchased at a dramatically reduced cost.

Another area I like to recycle is when shopping for my son’s clothing. My son is 3 and I love dressing him in collared shirts and nice shorts and slacks. However, I typically do not buy any items new. I am a huge consignment shopper. Trust me, this is not an easy task. Little boys are hard on their clothes. However, with planning and persistence you can find great deals. For example, I purchased eight pair of dressy slacks for my son recently for $5 and all of the items look brand new. I also bought his entire summer pant wardrobe for $13.

I would encourage you to think outside the box when you recycle. Before you go out and buy something, think about whether or not you have something around the house you can use in its place. Recently when organizing underneath my bathroom sink, I used a tin foil cake pan that I already had lying around the house to use as my container to hold my beauty supplies.

If you remember the three Rs in your home, I promise you will save money.

Do you have money saving tips or great decluttering ideas? E-mail them to localnews2005@yahoo.com.