January can be a very difficult month – the excitement of New Year is over, everyone has gone back to work and bank accounts are stretched to the limit whilst waiting for pay day. No wonder people get the ‘winter blues’ this time of year! Especially when trying not to spend too much money at the beginning of a new year.

However rather than sit and mope, thinking how awful January is, why not use it to spend some time at home (where you don’t have to spend any money!) and get organized – there’s so many things you can do that you may not have thought about.

Remember, we’re hosting a New Year, New Me & Qmee contest for all of our fans which you can get involved with this January – so it’s not all bad! Go to our Facebook page and tell us what your financial New Year’s resolutions are using #NewYearNewMeAndQmee to be entered to win $100/£80 in your Qmee piggybank.

Take a look at some of our ideas for things to do when spending time at home in January…

Say thank you – the majority of people really appreciate receiving a ‘thank you’ note after Christmas – it means their gift to you was noticed and appreciated. Keeping on top of these notes can be hard during the holiday season when everyone is really busy, but now life has slowed back down again why not spend some time getting on top of it. ‘Thank you’ cards don’t cost much, or you could make your own, and we’re sure your friends and family will love them.

Sort through your gifts – although we know you were grateful for everything you received at Christmas, most people will receive at least one gift that someone else could make better use of. That bed spread that doesn’t match your color scheme, the DVD you’ve already seen a thousand times or that dining set that wasn’t your style could be perfect for someone else. Why not spend an afternoon sorting through your presents, and take the things you don’t really need to your local charity shop?

Have a move around – why not freshen up the way your home looks, seeing as a New Year means a fresh start, by moving the furniture around? Even if it’s just your bedroom, you’ll feel great having a ‘new look’. You may also find a lot of things you thought you’d lost previously by moving the sofa or your bed – you might even find some cents/pennies laying around!

Clean out the fridge – all those opened containers of sauces, dips and marinades you used at Christmas will probably have passed their best-before date next time you remember you have them. Do you really need to keep the almost empty bottles of olives, pickles and other garnishes you only use for special occasions? Organize your fridge and throw out anything you don’t plan on using within the next week.

Sort out your DVDs – now is the time to get rid of all the DVDs you never watch – look online for your new favourites as they’re likely to be on sale throughout January. Many people have a huge array of DVDs and only 10% of those get watched! You’ll feel great when your DVD space is much more concise and a lot tidier.

So, although January may not be your favorite month, there are lots of things you can do at home to keep yourself entertained and get organized without having to spend any money. Do you have anything in particular you’ll be organizing this month? Let us know by leaving us a comment below…