Hoarding is a spectrum, and we're all on it somewhere. If you are like most couples (including Katie and me), the two of you aren't even at the same place on the spectrum. I'm probably the least cluttery person in my household, but I've still got plenty of stuff that I can and should get rid of.
5 Financial Benefits of Decluttering
In this post, I'm going to provide some tips on decluttering. But first, let's talk about why this is an important financial principle. I'll give you five reasons.
#1 The More You Have, the Larger Home You Need
Housing is expensive, especially after the run-up in housing prices the last few years. Costs include the original purchase price, interest, realtor fees, insurance, property taxes, maintenance costs, renovation costs, heating/cooling costs, and more. There's also the “keeping up with the Joneses” issue when you purchase a home in a relatively nice neighborhood. All of a sudden, your vacations and cars become more expensive, and the kids just have to go to private school.
We had a large home before our big renovation a few years ago, and now it's a massive home: 6,000+ square feet, six bedrooms, and the equivalent of a five-car garage. Five years after the renovation, we've basically filled it. There are fewer than a handful of drawers or cabinets that don't have anything in them, and most are packed to the brim and bulging. The kids' bedroom floors are covered with stuff because they don't have anywhere to put it, and when my adult daughter smashed up our rooftop carrier by driving it into an underground garage, I was actually happy to be rid of such a large object just to get the space back where we had been storing it.
#2 Stuff Costs Money
Clutter control, as you will soon read, is about both inflow and outflow. Inflow generally costs money—sometimes a lot of money. With online commerce, we don't even have to leave the house to fill up our homes. The less you spend, the more you have. Invested well, what you could have spent leads to earlier financial independence and more freedom. Even if you just give away those savings to other people and charities, it's probably doing more good than filling up your home with stuff you don't need or even really want.
Space has value. I mean, what is your home worth on Airbnb? Pretty darn hard to rent it out if it is full of clutter. While most of us aren't going to rent out our entire home, lots of people are renting spare bedrooms, driveway space, and garages these days. Meanwhile, the self-storage industry is making money hand over fist, storing things we just can't bear to throw away.
More information here:
What a Lifestyle Explosion Looks Like
#3 Nobody Is Impressed by Clutter
Sometimes we spend money we need to buy stuff we don't even want to impress people we don't even like. Taken too far, it all piles up in our homes. If you've ever been in a home belonging to someone on the far right end of the clutter spectrum, you know how unimpressive it is to have a three-foot pile of stuff everywhere in the home with only a little pathway through it.
#4 Experiences Bring More Happiness Than Stuff
The happiness literature is pretty clear that the best thing to purchase, at least if you're interested in purchasing as much happiness as you can, is shared experiences with people you care about. So, spend your money on experiences rather than things, and enjoy the side benefits of less clutter.
#5 Time Is Money
It takes a lot of time to care for all that stuff and to clean your home around it. It's time that could be spent earning more money. Your stuff is literally lowering your income.
More information here:
Does Money Buy Happiness? What the Research Really Says
How to Avoid the Hedonic Treadmill
Principles of Decluttering
As you begin to declutter, keep these principles in mind.
#1 Forgive Yourself
First, stop beating yourself up. It's OK that you wasted a bunch of money buying stuff you never even used. It's OK that you mistakenly used “retail therapy” for whatever reason. It's OK that you might be throwing away something that somebody at some point might actually want or need. It's OK that you have a scarcity mindset contributing to the cluttering. It's OK that you're tossing out workout equipment that you really should be using but aren't and haven't for a long time. We're still storing lumber for a treehouse my wife was planning to build two years ago for a child that will soon no longer be interested in playing in a treehouse. Let it go. That's all water under the bridge. Why would you expect perfection from yourself if you don't expect it from anyone else?
#2 Stop the Leak
Clutter is an inflow/outflow problem. It doesn't matter how much stuff you're getting rid of if even more is flowing into your house. Stop the retail therapy and think long and hard before buying anything new that will have to be stored. You might even have a serious discussion with your spouse and others about gift-giving habits.
#3 You Can Only Declutter Your Own Stuff and Spaces
The clutter that bothers me most is not my clutter. When I point out my wife's clutter, she is quick to remind me of how many backpacks we own (most of which are mine). I count 33 in our gear room as I write this. The truth is that you cannot (or at least should not) get rid of someone else's clutter or clean up “their” space. We all have “our” space in our house. That might be a bedroom, drawer, cabinet, or locker, but even the common spaces may “belong” to one person more than the others.
The kitchen, dining room, and living rooms are definitely my wife's space, and the garage is definitely my space. We'll defend our spaces and our stuff to the death. So, you can really only clean up your stuff and your spaces and then, by your example, inspire others to do the same. Throwing out your spouse's (or even your older child's) stuff without their permission is a quick way to ruin a relationship. In fact, even just bugging them about their stuff may be a big mistake.
#4 The Most Important Thing Is to Get It Out
A lot of the stuff you own has a value to somebody somewhere. Perhaps you could sell it. At a minimum, you could take it down to Goodwill and donate it, reclaiming some tiny part of the value as a charitable deduction. However, that all takes a lot more work than just throwing it out. It's wonderful if you can sell or donate something and if you have the time to do so. But the most important thing is to reclaim your space, your time, and your sanity. If that means throwing away “valuable” things, so be it. You're not really losing money anyway, once you consider the value of your time and newly usable space.
More information here:
How Donating to Charity Is a Tax Advantage
#5 Dumpsters Are Cheap
When we moved out of our home five years ago for seven months while it was being renovated, we had dumpsters hauled in. Most of those dumpsters were filled with carpet or drywall or whatever from the big renovation, but we certainly tossed plenty of our stuff in there, too. It was super convenient to have the ability to throw away large stuff that would have taken months to get rid of if it had to go in our regular garbage bin. Our community also has “bulk waste” days once or twice a year which work similarly to having a dumpster. But you might be surprised just how cheap it is to rent a dumpster to sit in front of your house for a week or even a month while you seriously declutter.
#6 Move Every Few Years (or at Least Pretend)
Speaking of moving, I highly recommend it. Folks in the military tend to move every 2-4 years. Sometimes it is a lot easier to throw something away than pack it up, move it, and then unpack it. We tend to get rid of a lot of unwanted stuff and even trash when we move. But you don't HAVE to actually move. You can just act like it. Why not get a dumpster, take a couple of days, and look at everything you own as though you were moving? Think about whether you would bother moving that thing or just toss it out?
#7 Evaluate for Joy
Marie Kondo might be the most famous declutterer in the world. She recommends you look at everything you own and consider whether it “brings you joy.” If it doesn't, get rid of it. That seems a little overkill. I mean, I don't get any joy from the dishwashing detergent, but if I get rid of it, I'll need to buy some more within the next few days. But I think the principle can and should be applied to much of what we own, including books, clothing, and more.
#8 Time Decluttering Is Not Subtracted from Your Life
Yes, decluttering takes some time and effort, even if you're just tossing stuff in a dumpster. But that's not lost time. It's time you'll gain back when you no longer have to clean, work around, put away, or care for that stuff. Plus, the time you won't spend working to pay for more stuff like what you've already owned and then trashed. No, decluttering GIVES you time, at least on a net basis.
#9 You Can Buy It Back If You Really Need It Later
We always hesitate to give or throw something away because we think we (or someone else) might need it later. That's true. You might. But the truth is that you'll only need 1 out of 50 of those things that you might want later. And you can easily just go out (or jump on Amazon) and buy it then. Overall, you'll still be way ahead in permanently getting rid of the other 49 things.
#10 Consider Support Groups and Professional Help
If you've really got a problem and if reading this article makes you feel terrible and anxious, consider joining a support group like Clutterers Anonymous or even hiring a therapist to help you work through what you're feeling.
More information here:
Dealing with a Shopping Addiction
#11 Get Rid of Half
Not sure how much stuff to throw away? Use a technique I'm trying to just get rid of half my stuff. Clothes are the easiest place for me to say, “I could live with half of this, no problem.” As I type this, I'm looking at my full bookshelf. I even have two copies of some books on it. I may not need one, and I certainly don't need two.
#12 If You Haven't Used It in the Last Year, Do You Really Need It?
Another great technique is to look at the last time you actually used something. Granted, lots of our things only get used in the winter or the summer. But if you didn't use it in the last year, what are the odds that you're going to use it in the future? And if the last year is too short a time period, why not just measure it in two or three years? At that point, you're probably better off just buying it when you need it again. (See #9 for details.)
#13 Rent Stuff
Better yet, instead of buying that thing every few years when you actually need it, why not rent it? You can rent entire homes, rarely used yard equipment, trucks, PT equipment, and much, much more. Yes, there's a little bit of hassle and expense associated with renting, but it may very well be less than the hassle and expense of storing something you're only using once or twice a decade.
#14 Kids Grow Up
We do this weird thing when our kids outgrow clothing and stop playing with toys. We keep them. We think their younger sibling will use it. And then by the time it's obvious the younger sibling is no longer using it either, we think the grandkids will play with it when they eventually arrive. In our four-child household, this accounts for A LOT of clutter. It's clutter that is attached to nobody, clutter that nobody views as theirs. Somebody needs to show a little bravery and just toss it. Trust me, nobody is going to notice it's gone, but everyone will appreciate the additional space and ease of cleaning. Clean once instead of 100 times by throwing it away.
#15 Nobody Else Wants Your Stuff
Most importantly, it's critical to realize that nobody else wants your stuff, especially your used stuff. By the time your kids inherit all your stuff, they don't want the tent you stopped using at age 40 because they'll be 60 when they inherit it, and a 40-year-old tent doesn't work that well anyway. They don't want your clothes or most of your keepsakes, and they certainly don't want your music, electronics, or much of anything else. Digitize the pictures and videotapes, and everyone can have a copy without taking up any space at all. Ask them if there's anything they do want, and put the rest in that big dumpster you rented for a week. As one child said to their aging parents, “My house isn't the graveyard for your stuff.” The dumpster is coming eventually, whether you get it or your heirs do.
Decluttering is good for your health and your sanity. But it is also a financial technique. Employ it regularly and decisively to keep yourself on the left side of the hoarding spectrum and profit.
What do you think? Where do you fall on the hoarding spectrum? What decluttering techniques have worked for you?