If you have a lot of clutter in multiple rooms, hiring a professional organiser to make over your entire home is not fast or cheap.
Is it possible to hire a professional organiser on a budget?
We have some ideas to get you the best possible value out of your Professional Organising sessions.
Professional Organiser on a budget – before the session
- Watch TV shows like The Home Edit and Tidying up with Marie Kondo to be prepared for the process.
- And/or read some decluttering books. Peter Walsh has some great ones.
- Decide your priority room, the area in most need of help.
- Do a scan of the room and get rid of anything obvious. Out of date food, broken items, rubbish. Things you already know you don’t want.
- Get familiar with Facebook Marketplace. List something online for sale to get a feel for the platform.
- Book in one Professional Organising session to start with.
Professional Organiser on a budget – during the session
- Be clear that you want to continue decluttering after the session. That way the Professional Organiser can structure the time accordingly and cover all the basics.
- The Professional Organiser will be working alongside you. Ask questions and absorb as much info as possible about their technique so you can apply the same strategies yourself.
- Roll up your sleeves and work hard so you get through more.
- Ask for homework, or further extension of what was done in the session. For example maybe the organiser threw all the Lego into one tub and can suggest you buy a divided container and sort by colour or shape.
Professional Organiser on a budget – after the session
- Do the homework, apply the techniques. Go deeper in each area and also tackle another area.
- Sell your unwanted stuff online to recoup some or all of your expenditure. In other words if you have plenty to sell, it might cover the cost of the PO. Selling clothes does not bring a big return for your time, but it all adds up. Furniture is a bit more worthwhile.
- When your motivation dips or you have encountered a difficult area, book another session to maintain momentum.
- Stop buying stuff so you don’t repeat the cycle and accumulate clutter. Or have a one-in, one-out policy for purchases.
- Stay tidy with these tips.
- You can also consider some online organising courses to hone your DIY skills.
Professional Organiser on a budget – the big picture
- It’s common to spend tens or hundreds of thousands to renovate and add storage space to a house. Decluttering is a lot cheaper, a longer-term solution and incredibly satisfying.
- Getting a grasp on what you own means you won’t re-purchase items unnecessarily.
- You will save money long term by understanding your relationship with stuff and how to manage it.
- In other words, it may seem expensive but it’s not really!
