5 Ways Your Clutter is Straining Your Finances

Most of us have clutter, right? Whether it’s a storage closet, a basement, a room, or an entire house, many of us have spaces we can’t fully use because those areas are filled with stuff. But, have you ever thought about how much your clutter is costing you? Here are five ways that having too much stuff can get really pricy:

1) Needing to buy new things.

When we need to run to the store and buy something because we can’t find scissors or clean socks again, we’re spending a lot of time, energy, and money on unnecessary items.

Likewise, when we step on our kid’s favorite toy that’s buried in a clutter pile, we usually dig into our pockets to fork out some cash so we can replace the beloved item.

2) Not wanting to be home.

When our houses are a mess, being home isn’t fun or relaxing. So whether it’s going to a movie, hitting the mall, or getting coffee on the town, it’s tempting to spend time and money doing anything except going home to a disaster.

3) Restaurant meals.

When our kitchen counters are piled high with dishes and our fridges are full of moldy items, the last thing we want to do at dinnertime is clean up our mess and search for edible food just so we can sit down to eat.

So we go to a restaurant. More time. More gas money. More cash for a dinner out.

4) Late fees.

When we can’t find the water bill, the overdue library book, or the movie we rented, we’re going to owe some fines. And those fines can add up to hefty, but completely avoidable, amounts. Like the time my husband asked our kids if the library was a free place to visit and they adamantly insisted that library book “rental” is a paid service. Ahem 🙂

5) Storage space.

Maybe you’re storing your items in a storage facility. If so, you probably know the dollar amount. But even if you’re not using a storage facility, you could be spending big bucks to store your stuff.

For example, the median home cost is about $200,000. Divide that by an average of 8 rooms per house which would include a kitchen, living room, 2 bathrooms, 3 bedrooms, a basement or garage, and a home office.

If just ONE of those 8 rooms in a $200,000 house is filled with clutter, that’s $25,000 for a storage room. That’s not even including the interest you’re paying if you have a loan on your house. If you have two rooms filled with clutter, then you could be spending $50,000 to store your clutter!

Renters, you’re not off the hook either! If you rent, multiply your monthly rent by 12, then divide that by the number of rooms you have. For example, $900 rent over the course of a year is $10,800. If you live in a 2 bedroom, 2 bath apartment with a kitchen and living room (6 rooms total), that means you’re paying $1,800 a year for storage. More if you have closets filled with junk.

Do the math to find out how much your own clutter is costing you – you might be shocked at the price. If you’re ready to un-bury yourself from clutter so you can save hundreds – or even thousands – of dollars a year, then get my new book, Chaos to Clutter-Free. It’s only $4.99. You’ll save more than that in your first week of going clutter free.

Have you ever considered how much your stuff is costing you? If you got rid of your clutter, what would you do with the cash you’d save?