7 Sneaky Ways Decluttering Saves You Money
Have you ever connected the clutter in your house to the clutter in your mind? Have you connected the clutter in your house and mind with financial clutter? Any kind of clutter causes both mental and physical drain, and once you lose your grip on organization it can be hard to get it back again. On the other hand, when you get rid of clutter in your living space and mind, it can make room for the things that matter most—increasing your time, peace, productivity, and yes, finances.
Everyone has their own reasons for accumulating clutter, and to be honest many would argue that more intelligent and creative people accumulate more clutter. Even if that’s true, most people want to be organized and the beginning of a new year is a great time to start. Understanding what you’ll gain by letting go helps you confront the situation and make permanent, positive change.
How Decluttering Can Save You Money
We want you to think of your finances like a toddler—stay with us here—when you turn your back on them they could be doing any number of things. Clearing out your physical space helps you focus on your financial space as well. Here are a few quick financial wins:
- • After spending hours cleaning out your closet, you probably won’t feel like going out and buying new clutter.
- • Clearing your space creates a feeling of release for material things and allows you to also let go of some of those financial burdens too—like subscriptions you never use.
- • You’ll likely come across something you want to sell or donate (and claim a tax deduction).
- • You could actually find money; yes, literally find money.
- • You’ll save money by not needing to replace items you can’t find (“Where did I put my . . . ?”).
- • If you have a storage unit, you’ll see obvious savings in monthly rental fees when you empty it.
- • You’ll start to see organization spill over into finances (for example, you’ll pay fewer late fees, because your bills aren’t lost in clutter).
Overall, when the emotional effect of clutter brings you down you are less likely to make good spending choices and achieve your financial goals. Whether you recognize it or not, your clutter can have a direct or indirect influence on your pocketbook.
Where to Start
Considering the psychology of clutter, without organization (pick any area of your life) uncertainty has a way of lingering in the back of your mind until it becomes full-blown worry—and you may not even know what you’re worrying about. But how do you get started? How can you declutter your home and have that organization flow into your finances?
Few of us will be able to declutter our homes and finances in one day, and if we try it can become and overwhelming hopeless chore. Make decluttering and organizing a refreshing, cleansing, and empowering process by following these ground rules:
- • Define what is important to you and what’s holding you back by diagnosing your overarching organization problem. Your clutter probably isn’t caused by laziness.
- • Devise an overall plan and schedule to keep you focused on the big picture while you tackle small chunks at a time.
- • Schedule donation drop offs or pickups to give you deadlines.
- • Don’t buy any storage containers before you declutter—you’ll end up spending money to save more stuff.
- • Dedicate pockets of time to the task (even 15 minutes can make a difference).
- • Sort items into keep, toss, and give piles.
- • Toss anything that isn’t beautiful, useful, or something you adore.
- • Go for quick wins where you’ll see a big difference like getting rid of unwanted furniture or organizing your pantry before you decide to go through that shed in your backyard.
- • Take pictures of sentimental items and it’s easier to let go of them.
- • Create a place for everything and keep everything in its place.
- • Consider debt financial clutter.
- • Make a declutter list.
It’s best to create your own declutter list, but use this example to get you started:
Weekly | Monthly | Semiannually | Yearly |
Bathroom | Kitchen pantry | Kitchen drawers and cupboards | Videos, DVDs, books, toys, and music |
Laundry room | Medicine | Clothing | Office |
Bedroom | Refrigerator | Closets | Shoes |
Car | Bills, finances, purse or wallet | Garage or shed | Basement or attic |
When you realize that you are not defined by what you accumulate, it’s easier to release it. Chances are you won’t miss any of it, and you’ll not only gain peace of mind but the skills to minimize everything from your wardrobe to your budget.
Decluttering your finances is the perfect time to evaluate or create your financial strategy. At Paradigm Life one of our main goals is to provide free, relevant financial information to help you create that strategy. On a personal level, we want to share a financial plan that stabilizes your finances and tidies up your future and the future of your loved ones. It’s called the Perpetual Wealth System, and it offers a way for you to build wealth and have access to liquid cash when you need it. We are excited to invite you to take 2 minutes to sign up for a FREE, extensive eCourse called Infinite 101®. You’ll receive access to video tutorials, articles, and podcasts. It literally costs you nothing to become educated on this ideal financial strategy and start changing your wealth paradigm!
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