This post was originally published on June 24, 2017.

Genealogy research can be an expensive hobby if you factor in computer programs, tools, memberships, documentation fees, research trips, books, seminars, and conferences! (Hmmm, wonder how much I’ve spent over the years? Not to mention the time invested…)

But it doesn’t have to cost a penny.

I want to help everyone who’s interested in discovering, organizing, preserving, and sharing their family histories regardless of where they live, or how much money they have. But there’s only one of me, and I need to make a living too (so I can’t work for free). In this post, I’ve listed some options for researching and organizing your documents, memorabilia, and photos, in order of affordability.

Free ways to do genealogy research:

People have been using paper records, and storing their pedigree charts in binders and folders for centuries. And they still work!

Here’s a free Family Group Sheet to get you started. HINT: Start with yourself and work backwards one step at a time. Don’t skip any steps!

Interview your oldest living relatives before it’s too late! Don’t wait.

Gather together family documents, old bibles, certificates, records, and photographs and store them somewhere safe.

There are lots of free online resources. Try familysearch.org, and cyndislist.com for starters.

Check your local public library to see if they offer free access to Ancestry, and other databases, like mine does.

Visit other libraries in your area, including LDS Family History Centers, which are open to the public.

Use Evernote, or your own filing system, to organize your electronic records, digital photos, scans of paper photos and records, and the things you find online.

Check out my Genealogy Resource Roundup for more ideas.

Schedule a free 20 Minute Phone Call if you’d like my help getting started.

Inexpensive ways to do genealogy research:

Join a local genealogy society, or one in a region you are researching. The annual fee is usually nominal and some of them have free webinars (new, live, and archived) available to members.

Purchase a genealogy program for your computer, such as Family Tree Maker or Roots Magic, to help you keep track of your data and share it with others. Don’t forget to back up your computer files!

Order the Org4life Ancestry Clutter Flow Chart. It will help you distinguish the treasures from the trash you will find in some of the online public family trees. 

Schedule a free 20 Minute Phone Call if you’d like to discuss coaching options. I can teach you how to do your own research! (This is an ideal virtual service.)

Worth every penny…or so my clients say…

Consider Org4life Family History Research Services (available virtually anywhere).

Order The Gift of an Organized Family Tree for yourself or for a loved one. (This is an ideal virtual service.)

Schedule a free 20 Minute Phone Call if you’d like me to do it for you, or if you’d like to buy a gift certificate for the genealogist in your family.

NOT Recommended:

Do nothing.

Continue letting valuable documents and photos languish and deteriorate in boxes in the garage.

Procrastinate asking the older generation about their lives — and who’s in all those photos? — until it’s too late.

Don’t organize your own genealogy materials…unless, of course, you want to make your research easier and more effective!

Risk leaving all your hard work to someone who won’t be able to make heads or tails of it.

Are you the family genealogist? Are you curious about your past?

What are your favorite free, and not-so-free resources?

Please share in the comments below!

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Hazel Thornton is a virtual organizer and genealogist based in Albuquerque, New Mexico; creator of The Clutter Flow Chart Collection; and author of Go with the Flow! The Clutter-Clearing Tool Kit for an Organized Life. Visit her online at www.org4life.com.

=>>Check out a previous guest blog post from Hazel – a flow chart to help you figure out what to keep and what to toss. 

The post How to organize your family tree at any budget appeared first on Declutter Your Life with Donna Smallin Kuper.