Throw Away Junks, Organize, and Save Money

By Pinyo, on August 20, 2007

Right now my house is in the midst (mess?) of a renovation project. We are updating our bathroom which recently sprung a leak due to an array of broken and rusty pipes. We are also converting our dining room to a dual purpose “home office-guest bed room” combination in anticipation of the arriving baby.

We figure spending about $10,000 now will extend the useful life of this house for another 7-10 years before we have to bite the bullet and upgrade to a bigger house. We did some research late last year and the result was not good. For a modestly bigger house in a slightly better neighborhood, we essentially have to double our current mortgage. To us, one extra bed room does not worth $150,000.

Where is it?

With any renovation project, I have to look for stuff that I have not used for years. This makes me realize how important it is to throw away old junks and organize things that I am keeping. I cannot tell you how many times I have to run out to my local hardware store or Home Depot to buy tools and supplies that I have in my storage. But because it is not well organized, I could not find what I needed and ended up going out to buy new. Not only is this a complete waste of money, it also adds to the pile of junk I already have.

Image courtesy of The Productivity Factory

5S Process

When this renovation project is over, my family and I will be doing some 5S activities. 5S is a productivity improvement process originated in Japan. The 5S are five major steps as follow:

• Seiri (or “Sort”) — this step removes all items that are not needed in the current space. This involves moving items to the right locations (e.g., tools to the workbench, clothing to the closet or laundry room, books to the shelf, etc.) and throwing away items that are no longer needed.
• Seiton (or “Set in Order”or “Stabilize”) — this step arranges all remaining items so that they are readily accessible and labeled so that anyone can find them easily.
• Seiso (or “Shine”) — this step basically involves sweeping and cleaning. The purpose is to keep everything in top condition and ready to be used.
• Seiketsu (or “Standardize”) — this step defines the normal condition and how to correct abnormal conditions. When abnormality is detected, it can be quickly corrected to restore the normal condition.
• Shitsuke (or “Sustain”) — this ongoing step defines the process that will be followed regularly to maintain the normal condition.

Well, time to go back and put up more plastic barrier to fight off dust. Yuck!

This article was featured in the Carnival Of Homeowners #13 hosted by Homeowners Insurance Lowdown.

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Pinyo is the brain behind Moolanomy personal finance blog and a few other web sites. If you like this article, please subscribe for free daily email updates.

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1. The Friday Gathering for 8/24/2007 | Gather Little By Little
2. Organization saves me money?? « Thrifte Hayseed’s Weblog