Comments on: Decluttering and Your Money

By: ~M

~M — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 16:15:06 +0000

Hi Trent,

I recall seeing a advice or a link to advice about decluttering on your blog. Specifically, I remember the suggestion to start with some cash and to require the person to buy back his stuff/clutter …otherwise, it’s taking up spaces/resources/money. We’re planning on moving soon, and I’d like to share that link with my husband. Can you send me that link, please?

By: Lex

Lex — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 21:11:42 +0000

loved it.

(stands up slowly)

Clap… Clap…. Clap..Clap…

By: Diane

Diane — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 15:25:13 +0000

re: #4 Jon – If you take this suggestion, please don’t add the empty cases to the landfill. Donate them to your library instead. The cases wear out long before the DVDs. Seems like we’re always scrounging for intact cases. The landfill won’t be grateful, but we sure will!

By: littlepitcher

littlepitcher — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 13:38:10 +0000

Another factor: house dust, mildew, and dust mites can create low-grade allergic inflammations which impact attention and thought.
Second: one criminal family in this region, with one or more relatives in the mortuary business, will remove cancer tumors, dry and pulverize them, and use them in enemies’ houses or on relatives with property bequests. The fellow who got me the info said they claim a 30% success rate. Keep the clutter down and the dust out, for your own good.

By: Landon

Landon — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 05:35:42 +0000

I’ve noticed I got tons of magazines lying around. Basically I signed up for a bunch of subscriptions but never had time to read the magazines. It really takes away from the appearance of my condo and was a waste of money.

The best thing is to just collect them in a box and give them to a friend with similar interests.

By: LaToya Irby

LaToya Irby — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 04:43:07 +0000

I definitely agree and I’ve written about this, too. People with clutter may have trouble finding their statements, checkbooks, etc. when it’s time to pay bills. As a result, payments may be late. Not only that, you may end up re-purchasing things because you can’t find them.

I think the same mindset that keeps you from focusing on keeping your physical space organized also keeps you from organizing your finances. Personally, I can’t think when things are out of order and my affairs tend to follow suit. When I clean up, I can handle business better.

By: Joe

Joe — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 01:39:15 +0000

I’ve adopted the “one in, one out” philosophy, but my problem is that I’m a pack rat and tend to hang onto “stuff” because I might need it some day. So, while I don’t accumulate as much stuff anymore, I’m not really getting rid of any either…

By: Steve

Steve — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 19:14:24 +0000

My entire house is a clutter attractor. It’s not affecting my finances as far as I can tell – we don’t have a larger home to store it, a large percentage was bought at thrift stores and yard sales, etc. Maybe it’s only because we have a large income and a willingness to stack things ever slightly higher.

We are getting to the point, though, where a new baby and the resultant acquisitions could lead to a larger home unless we get rid of a big chunk of stuff. Stuff we haven’t used in a while, but my wife is not willing to part with. Any advice for that?

By: Rose

Rose — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 19:05:16 +0000

I’ve actually started decluttering last week. I started with my bookcases which hold tonnes of books, DVDs, old CD-Roms etc. Pretty much everything I could I listed on Amazon – if it doesn’t sell in the 60 day period then it’s going to a charity shop, as it is I’m selling loads as I do match the other prices or compete in most cases. So I’m decluttering and making money at the same time, and following your ‘date it’ tip (if I want to read it then I’ll take it off Amazon).

I found that it’s much easier for me to sell things or to try to first than to just give them away – maybe it’s my mind-set of “I paid good money for this, I shouldn’t just give it away”.

By: chacha1

chacha1 — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 17:32:47 +0000

#14 and #16, studies don’t get done unless there is money in it. There is no drug in development to treat cluttering.

If you are really interested in some of the science, there is a major new book out called “Stuff: Compulsive Hoarding and the Meaning of Things.” Just searching “stuff” or “clutter” in books on Amazon will give you quite a list.

Of course, if you’re just interested in throwing out the correlation because I didn’t cite ten studies on Clutter Science, go right ahead.

By: WendyH

WendyH — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 15:45:27 +0000

I think the financial aspect of de-cluttering also depends on the extent of clutter vs a real hoarding issue. Are you buying things because you can’t find the one you have, or it’s been damaged due to lack of care? Are you throwing away expired food because it’s buried in the back of a cabinet? Do you eat out because it’s physically impossible to do anything more than microwave in your kitchen?

I helped a friend do some de-hoarding last month, we filled a 10 yard dumpster and made 4 trips to charity, and that was only 3 rooms of her house. All of the above are examples of the condition of her home. Her disorganization severely affects the ability to run her business efficiently or to do timely maintainence on her home.

By: Diana @ frontyardfoodie

Diana @ frontyardfoodie — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 14:30:04 +0000

Well everyone is making a big deal about the correlation between clutter and finances but for myself and my own house I feel the connection. I hate clutter and every few weeks I go through my house and get rid of stuff because I just can’t stand it! I do have a room that I never want anyone to go into because it hold wrapping paper, Christmas decorations, winter (or summer) clothes out of season and things like that. I suppose I should probably organize it in a way that doesn’t stress me out since those are pretty necessary items in there but as of now I feel like it’s just clutter.

I personally really enjoyed this post. Thanks!

By: Frankerson P

Frankerson P — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 14:29:19 +0000

Good advice. I’ve been fighting the clutter battle for probably a couple of years now and I’m continually amazed by how long it takes. I’ve removed many boxes and garbage bags full of junk, yet I can still go through the house and fill new boxes and garbage bags of junk any time I try it.

My point is for the new de-clutterer, don’t expect it to happen in one day and don’t give up when it seems like you aren’t making any progress. Getting control of just one drawer may be a big win if you’ve been accumulating for years.

By: Adam P

Adam P — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 13:22:28 +0000

@15 – that’s no better than Trent’s claim. Your anecdotal evidence doesn’t really provide any empirical proof that this connection is there. Point to a study done.

By: Evangeline

Evangeline — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 13:20:01 +0000

#14 Jane–I would agree with the quote you mentioned. I have never seen a cluttered household, office, car, etc. that didn’t have an owner who had financial clutter as well. It’s like they go hand in hand because it’s a mindset (or perhaps a temporary situation like an illness) that sets it all off. When your mind is going in a million directions, and you can’t let go of stuff, when you cannot focus one thing it’s difficult to focus on the money.

When there is less clutter, even my mind is clearer and it makes easier to sit down and tackle the money, even if something is behind or off kilter I can still tackle it because I know when I look around I can say to myself, “I’ve got a handle on the house, the yard, whatever, I can get a handle on the money, too.”

By: Jane

Jane — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 12:41:51 +0000

“You rarely see true financial freedom in a cluttered household. People who have trouble dealing with their Stuff almost always have trouble dealing with their money, too. And that’s because the same emotional triggers and environmental pressures that shape our spending also shape our relationship with Stuff.”

I find it hard to believe that you can truly claim this with such authority. Have you done a study to verify this? Or could you find one?

Just anecdotal: We have a very cluttered household due to having small children and a small house, and we’re doing great financially. No debt, prepaying our mortgage, strong emergency fund, about to pay cash for a new (to us!) car….What am I missing here? In theory the connection might make logical sense, but I imagine that if you actually did a scientific study, you would not find a strong correlation between household order and finances. They seem to be entirely different things.

By: Harrken

Harrken — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 12:33:41 +0000

I actually go beyond Trent’s definition of clutter to include anything that prevents you from having the life you want. A poor financial life and lots of bills are definitely clutter in a persons life. I made this connection when I started getting rid of the what is traditionally consider clutter. It made it extremely easy and rewarding to make the jump to getting out of debt.

By: Angie

Angie — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 12:29:00 +0000

flylady.net – if you need to get on track and learn more about decluttering. I’ve realized I’m a packrat, as already mentioned watching Hoarders will naturally make you want to purge everything. I think the financial advantage to less clutter is that you don’t feel the urge to buy more stuff. Or you work on relationships that could potentially earn you more money through promotions and job opportunities. And, as I personally move through stages of more and less clutter, it affects my attitude about life. Waking up every day to piles of stuff is unsettling, waking up to clean, organized living space is calming. I think I read somewhere that your bedroom should be the cleanest place in your home, since it’s the first thing you see in the morning. Unfortunately, I cannot convince my husband that his DVD collection is nothing more than a symbol to me of our descent into debt – all I see is the money spent on many unworthy movies that weren’t good the first time. But he feels proud of the overflowing collection that doesn’t fit the space designated in our home. It’s a sore subject, all I want is to get rid of the ones we rarely watch, but he’s attached. I just hope he sees my way sometime and weeds some out.

By: Kathleen

Kathleen — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 11:57:42 +0000

Totally agree that clutter and money management go together. I don’t think clutter and earning capacity are necessarily linked. Plenty of top earners have cluttered homes and offices – but then again, those folks probably don’t actively manage their own finances!

By: Chris

Chris — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 10:38:56 +0000

I am beginning to see an analogy between clutter and debt, where time is like a fixed income and clutter is the “debt” that comes from poor management of time (overcommitment, procrastination).

If you have more stuff than you can use and properly care for, you have committed more time than you have available or have not been using that time effectively (both maybe). The maintenance you put off and the things that sit unused are like the balances piling up, that will need to be paid eventually. The wasted time you spend from being disorganized is the interest that eats away at your current free time like interest on debt reduces your discretionary income.

And when you decide to pay off the debt of clutter, expect to have to cut back on your time spent in other areas to deal with it properly, just as you would have to cut back on spending to pay off financial debt.

And like paying off financial debt, when you finally clear the clutter out of your life you need a plan to keep it that way. If you do not make real changes to your behavior, and make a plan for sustaining the changes you are making, it is likely the clutter will just happen again.