declutter

The 52 Week Declutter Challenge

January 9, 2014 By Jeffrey Strain 13 Comments

You have too much junk. I feel pretty confident making that statement because I have far less stuff than most people, and I have way too much junk. This became apparent as I was going through stuff as part of my 52 week make money challenge. As part of that challenge, I am hoping to sell some of the things I have but no longer use, in order to make some extra money. While that’s still a goal, as I’ve been going through the garage I’ve been finding far more things than I realized I had. It’s become obvious that what I really need to do is a major decluttering.

The problem I have with decluttering is the same problem that a lot of people have with saving money. Over the years I’ve formed the habit of saving stuff “just in case,” rather than selling it or getting rid of it in some other way. It’s a habit that I need to break, and it seems that a great way of breaking it has been staring me straight in the eyes: a 52 week declutter challenge.

Over the next year, I plan to rid myself of 1,378 items from my house. The concept is pretty simple. For each week of the year, I’ll get rid of a corresponding number of things from my home. For example, in week one I’ll get rid of a single item. In week two, I’ll let go of two separate things. In week three, three items would vanish from my house. This will continue until week fifty-two when I’ll remove 52 things from my house. Doing this on a weekly basis will have me purging a total of 1,378 items during the year. I’ve created the handy chart below so that I can track the purging (and you’re welcome to as well), and make sure that I stay on top of the challenge.

52 Week Declutter Challenge (click on image to print)

While the standard declutter challenge is a perfectly acceptable way of going about the challenge, I think that I’ll actually do the alternate version. I’ll be getting rid of the same amount of stuff, but this version gives me the option of choosing how much I purge from my home each week. At the bottom of the chart are numbers from 1 to 52, one for each week in the year. Each week, I’ll keep track of the number of things I have disposed of and cross that number off the bottom of the chart. I’ll then write that number next to the week. For example, if I get rid of 23 items in week one, I’d write 23, and then 23 for the total number of items decluttered. Then in week two, if I disposed of 12 items, I’d write 12 next to week two, and then add that 12 to the 23 items from week one, for a total of 35 things removed from the house.

I think this version will give me more flexibility and a greater likelihood of achieving the goal. I know that I tend to be more motivated to tackle clutter at certain times over others, and when I’m in this mood I can cross off the higher numbers. When I’m not as motivated, or when I become extremely busy on other projects, I can purge a smaller number of items.

Alternate 52 Week Declutter Challenge (click on image to print)

52WeekDeclutterChallengeEditableWithBlueChart

There is a wonderful thread in the forums that has been ongoing for a number of years which is devoted to people explaining what they have decluttered. If you are having trouble trying to figure out where to start and what you should get rid of, then this is a great place to begin. I’m excited to embark on this challenge and reap all the benefits that come with reducing the amount of stuff that I have.

Please feel free to print the charts for yourself if you know that decluttering is something that you need to do this year. If you know someone who would benefit from this type of challenge as well, please pass it along the them. I think this should be a fairly simple and straightforward way to declutter, and I also hope it helps others that need to do the same.

10 Daily Actions Keeping You in Debt

June 4, 2013 By Danielle Warchol 5 Comments

It’s hard to get out of debt. Sometimes it’s easy to feel that no matter how hard you try, you’ll never be able to pay off all your debt and expenses. While you might have reassessed your finances and figured out how to begin paying down your debt, it’s important to understand how to minimize debt in all areas of your life. For instance, you might not even realize that you have a variety of daily habits that are keeping you buried in debt despite your best intentions. The following are a few of the more common ones.

Spending More Than You Have

It’s easy to spend more money than you have whether it’s by writing a check, swiping a card, or willfully ignoring the decreasing amount of money in your bank account. Just because you have money in your bank account, it doesn’t mean you have to spend it as it many times has already been allocated for other recurring expenses. Fooling yourself into believing that if there is money in your bank account at the moment that it’s OK to spend it is an action that will continue to keep you in debt.

Impulse Purchases

Impulse purchases are one of the worst habits keeping you in debt. You might really want to stop and get that pastry or that new tech gadget or piece of clothing, but actually buying those items on a whim is contributing to your debt. If you tend to make impulse purchases on a daily basis, you should take steps to seriously curb this habit so that you don’t put yourself into even more debt.

Buying Things You Already Own

Buying things you already own is also contributing to your debt problem. Do you need to buy lunch or dinner at a restaurant or takeout place when you have food in your house or apartment? Do you need to buy coffee when you can make it at home? Do you need to stop and pick up more clothing when you have a closet full of clothes with the tags still on? Stop buying things you already own and focus on using what you have. If you find that you are purchasing things without realizing that you already have them, it might be time to declutter your house.

Buying Things You Don’t Need

Buying things you don’t need is another problem for anyone already in debt. As with buying things you already own, the problem of buying things you don’t need just contributes to wasting money you should be saving. When you make a new purchase each day, reassess whether or not you really need that item. Instead of buying it without a second thought, take a moment to determine whether or not you’re wasting money on something you don’t actually need.

Using Credit When You Have Cash

Sometimes the problem with spending too much money is that it’s easy to swipe a card and figure out how much was spent at a later date. When you carry cash, you’re limited to the amount of money you can spend on one purchase. While it’s great to have a credit card for emergency purchases, using one for everyday items could be the reason why you’re racking up the bills. Try only using cash for daily purchases so you can limit how much you buy and reassess what you’re buying.

Not Tallying How Much You Spend Each Day

While some people may consider this a burden, tallying your daily purchases is a good way to recount how much money you’ve spent in one day. Chances are you’ll find that you’re spending a lot more money than you need to be spending each day. This can help you figure out how to eliminate money from your daily spending habits.

Not Putting Money Aside

Putting a little money aside each day is a great way to help your debt problem. It doesn’t have to be a large amount of money. It can be anything from spare change in your wallet to a dollar a day. A small amount goes a long way when it comes to saving and anything you can do each day to contribute to paying down your debt is worth it.

Not Budgeting

Budgeting isn’t only for monthly or yearly financial plans. You can set a budget on a day by day basis. This might seem like a hassle for some people, but it’s a great way to keep you from overspending or wasting money on impulse purchases.

Not Being Consistent

Not being consistent with your money habits is another big reason why you’re still in debt. It’s easy to make a huge deposit into your savings account one month, but to not save for the other eleven months. Consistency will help keep you on track with your savings plan.

Not Knowing How Much Money You Have

One of the worst things you can do to your finances when you’re in debt is not knowing how much money you actually have. If you’re not aware of the amount in your bank account, you run the risk of spending money you don’t have. Knowing how much money you have will allow you to keep better track of your spending habits and help you steer clear of falling even deeper into debt.

(Photo courtesy of Bradley Gordon)

10 Financial Reasons You Should Declutter Your House

May 1, 2012 By Dana O. Crandell 6 Comments

It’s no secret that removing clutter from your home makes for a more pleasant, healthier environment. Less mess makes for easier living and better entertaining, too. What may not be quite so obvious is the fact that eliminating disorder from your home may have financial advantages. Is an untidy living space having a negative impact on your bank account? Let’s examine some of the economic reasons for cleaning up around the old place.

Having Less Means Learning To Need Less

We tend to think we need more belongings than we really do, to live comfortably. TV shows, commercials and even our friends are constantly showing us new things we can’t live without. Taking the time to sort through the items you’ve accumulated can be a real wake up call. Once you start to give up a few unnecessary things, you’ll realize how little importance they had to begin with. The change in mindset that comes with this realization can ease the pressure we put on our finances by wanting more.

Wealth Requires Health

Clutter promotes poor air quality and the growth of things like mold that can affect your health. Allergens, germs and vermin all love disarray and all can wreak havoc on your body. Poor health affects your work and, in turn, your financial wellbeing. A general cleanup and reorganization can help get you back to your healthy, productive self.

Organization Is Beneficial – And Contagious

Once you’ve cleared out unneeded items and get your home organized, you’ll find yourself living more efficiently. Things get easier to find, everyday tasks take less time and life just runs more smoothly. That promotes a good attitude that will soon carry over into your work. What’s more, it’s likely to encourage you to reorganize your finances. Once you realize the benefits of getting organized, it’s hard to live any other way.

Do A Home Inventory While You Declutter

While you’re deciding what’s worth keeping and what’s not, take a detailed inventory of what you keep. This not only helps you estimate the value of your belongings, but can be of great value in case of loss, theft or disaster. An accurate home inventory can make a huge difference when dealing with insurance companies. Many companies require home inventories in order to cover anything within your home on a claim.

Make Some Money

After you’ve rummaged, have a sale. Many of the items you decide you no longer need may be of value to someone else. When you’ve decided which things you can live without, have yourself a rummage sale. Drop the profits into your savings account. There’s nothing quite like watching your saving grow to bring about peace of mind.

Eliminate Storage Fees

If you’re really successful in removing the clutter, you may find new storage space in your home. This can translate into less cost for storage space you need elsewhere. In fact, going through any outside storage facility you’re renting may turn up more items you don’t need. By the time you’re done, you may find you no longer need to pay for storage.

Eliminate The Need To Buy Duplicates

A thorough run through of every space in your house will probably turn up some items you know you had, but can no longer find. If those lost items are important, you’ve saved yourself the expense of buying replacements for them. That’s more money in the bank.

Increase Heating And Cooling Efficiency

Heating and cooling systems depend on air flow to regulate the temperature of your house. Filling the spaces on your house with too much stuff breaks up and restricts air flow. You may actually discover that air ducts are partially or completely blocked. All this makes your heater and air conditioner work harder and increases fuel consumption. Opening up space can make a noticeable difference in your bills.

Downsize

You may be able to downsize. Once you’ve eliminated the mess, you may find you actually have more living space than you need. Instead of finding more stuff to fill the empty space, why not consider moving to something more affordable and efficient? Maybe this is a good time for a fresh start to go with your new attitude.

Increase Your Home’s Potential Value

If you’re considering selling your home, there’s absolutely no better time to get rid of the disorder. Showing an untidy house gives a very bad impression. Potential buyers will wonder how well the house was cared for if they’re wandering through a maze of your belongings. Clean up the mess to improve your chances of getting the best price.

(Photo courtesy of ninasaurusrex)

10 Reasons Storage Units are a Waste of Money

April 3, 2012 By Danielle Warchol 6 Comments

When it comes to storage units, many people are simply throwing away their hard earned money. There aren’t many legitimate reasons that someone truly needs one. Unless you’re renting a storage unit for a specific reason with a set time period (for example, you’re moving and there is a three month time gap before you can move into a new place), you’re likely wasting a whole lot of money. This is especially true if you have a storage unit because you just don’t have enough room in your current home. Sound familiar? Below are 10 reasons that storage units are a waste of money for most people.

Storing Clutter

Most people rent or buy storage units because they have too many items in their home. Unfortunately, the first items that get boxed up to go into storage are the unnecessary, rarely used items. If you currently rent a storage unit, do you actually know what you have stored away? Chances are you have a lot of unneeded clutter and are storing items you’ll never use again. In this case, you’re essentially paying to store useless items and you’re better off selling them.

Stolen Property

Storage units might be hard to break into, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen. There are people who store incredibly valuable items in storage units, after all. Most storage companies claim that they’re not liable for items that are stolen or lost. If your storage unit is broken into and your items stolen, you lose out on that money.

Weather Hazards

Storage units that claim that they’re not liable for stolen property are also usually the same companies that won’t compensate you for weather damage. If you end up renting a storage unit that has mold or water damage, your property will be ruined, and therefore useless. These weather hazards are often concealed when you’re first shown the unit, so you might not even know they exist.

Prevents Downsizing

As stated, the reason most people chose to rent a storage unit is because they no longer have space in their home. If you’re moving to a smaller house or apartment, your focus should be on actually downsizing your belongings, not storing them away. If you don’t have room in your new home, why pay for a storage unit? If your true goal is downsizing, there’s no need to waste money by putting things in storage.

Empty Space

Unless you have an extremely large amount of items to store, you’re probably going to be wasting space. One of the easiest ways for storage companies to make money is by renting large units to people who don’t maximize the space. Only have a few pieces of furniture? Look at all that empty space in your storage unit that you’re still paying for. Don’t pay for space you’re not using.

Not Maximizing Space in Your Home

There’s probably space in your home you’re not using that could be used for storage. Instead of paying exorbitant rates for a storage unit, start getting creative with storing items at home. Build shelves on your walls or in your closets. Store things under your bed. Buy furniture that doubles as a storage unit. With a little ingenuity, you can find some new places to store your items.

Store With a Friend or Family Member

Of course, storing your items with a friend or family member only works if you actually have a friend or family member who’ll agree to store your items. If you do, this doesn’t mean you should overdo it and store everything there. But if you need temporary storage for a couple months, see if they’ll take some boxes or furniture. You’ll end up storing for free than paying costly monthly fees.

Increasing Fees

Depending on where you rent, you could face increasing fees each month or year. Some companies have a “special” deal when you first start renting, but will increase fees as more time passes. Other companies also charge more if you’re only renting for a short time period. Even if you shop around of decent rates, be wary of how much extra you might be charged after the fact. Always read the contract to look for hidden fee increases.

Replacing Items is Less Expensive

This is hit or miss depending what type of items you’re storing. If you’re storing furniture or appliances for a long period of time (because of traveling, deployment, or college, for instance), it might be cheaper to just sell those items and buy them again when you need them. The fees you pay for long term storage will probably be more than what the item is really worth. Before you rent a storage unit, look over your items and calculate their worth. Is it really necessary to keep the items or can you buy them again later?

Losing Your Items if You Miss a Payment

Due to the recent reality shows about storage units, most people now know that if you miss a payment, you’re in danger of losing all your items. Storage companies can make a lot of money from selling items in your storage unit. Worse, they’re not lenient about missing or late payments. You’re usually granted a very small time period to pay back the money. You don’t want to risk losing your items, do you? Even if you’re only storing clutter, you’re still losing out if your items end up in someone else’s hands.

So what can you do to avoid wasting money like this? Learn to live with less and become aware of which items you own are useful and which are merely adding to the clutter. While it may be easier to throw all that stuff into a storage unit to deal with later, you pay for that procrastination. Save yourself the stress of having to think about what to do with all that junk and sell what you can, donate the rest and set yourself free. You’ll feel better and so will your pocket book.

(Photo courtesy of pmsyyz)

Declutter and Uncover Your Sanity

November 8, 2008 By Jennifer Touchette 4 Comments

The other day I found myself considering the purchase of another filing cabinet. Yes, not quite a monumental decision, but one that takes careful consideration because my family lives in a 1000-square-foot home. Where will that filing cabinet take away precious space? There just aren’t many options.

The size of my home isn’t much smaller than the one I grew up in, yet we seem to have less space. One look into our storage areas and that filing cabinet revealed the answer. There is clutter creeping into the space we need.

I’m still in the process of going through our home and deciding what to cull and what to keep. It goes beyond the mere fact of saving the $150 it would take to buy a new filing cabinet. It helps to reinforce that we can continue to be comfortable in our cozy home.

Additionally, there is the hefty financial consideration of moving to a bigger home. While it would be great to have more room, my region of the United States features home prices that are well above the national average. The cost of selling our home and buying another that we could afford would not only bloat our mortgage and tax bill, but only get us a fixer-upper.

Decluttering our space relieves us of the pressure to justify the cost of a new home. Not only that, but removing what my family doesn’t find useful also reduces the number of things to store and maintain.

That filing cabinet: My filing cabinet is proof that we have a way to go to achieve a paperless society. For instance, paper proof of income and expenses is still recommended for our taxes every year. However I still see many things that can be discarded.

There is a lot of advice out there, but a good place to start is with the folks in Pueblo, Colorado, at the Federal Citizen Information Center.

I like that article in particular because they recommend what you can keep at home and what should go in a safety deposit box.

I’m going to take this filing cabinet decluttering a step further and shuffle my discarded personal records down to a local shredding business. The company guarantees the records are completely destroyed and I appreciate the peace of mind.

Those storage areas: I am guilty of shoving things into the closet to just get the stuff out of my way (and out of the way of two inquisitive kittens). The consequence, of course, is that the closet becomes stuffed beyond use.

My remedy: tackle one storage area at a time and take out all of the stuff hiding in the nooks and crannies. When it’s down to what should be in the closet, for example – clothes, shoes, etc., close the door and look at what’s left. Sort out what you want to keep and put it where it should go. Then get the rest of that stuff out of the house!

The kids are old enough that they can help me with this task in their rooms. We go through the toys they haven’t touched for more than a year and clothes they’ve outgrown or don’t favor. They decide what to keep and what to give away.

But, what about

The Zen of Giving Away Your Stuff

September 30, 2008 By Denise Trowbridge 10 Comments

>Here’s something marketers don’t want you to know: Stuff cannot and will not ever make you happy. In fact, stuff can make your life more complicated and miserable than you can possibly imagine.

I learned this lesson a really hard way. I nearly lost everything in Hurricane Katrina.

I say nearly because we didn’t know what happened to our house and everything in it until more than one month after the storm hit and broke the levees in New Orleans. We didn’t know if we’d lost everything in a flood or if our house was even standing.

To our surprise, my husband and I mourned very few of our possessions during that time. The flat-screen TV? Nope, not a thought about it. The fancy stand mixer in the kitchen I thought I couldn’t live without? Nope. Didn’t care about that either.

All we wanted were our photo albums, the quilt my mother-in-law made out of my wedding dress, the bird feeder my late grandfather had made for us, and Squeaky, the semi-ferile yard cat who flat-out refused to get in the carrier when it was time to evacuate.

Realizing we didn’t care about all the other stuff we owned was profound. It wasn’t what we expected. And it caused us to seriously rethink our relationship with stuff.

We had never spent a lot of money shopping. Big-ticket items were few and far between, but I admit that I used to fill the void left by my crappy job with knick knacks and furniture. My husband would buy lots of books and CDs. All those little purchases added up to a lot of stuff over time.

Then, in a time of disaster, to realize we didn’t care about the little things that we bought to make us happy was profound. Especially because it turned out that none of our stuff was ruined, and we had to lug it all from our house in New Orleans to our new house in the Midwest. It’s no fun to lug hundreds of heavy moving boxes full of stuff you no longer care about onto and off of a moving truck.

That moment we knew we had to change, and our realizations about stuff turned into action.

We began to simply get rid of our stuff. For free. Yes, some of it has sold on eBay and Amazon, but most of it has gone to families who needed or wanted it more than us through our local freecycling group. We’ve given away a full-size bed, lamps, clothes, garden tools, and computers, just to start. We’ve also donated myriad items to the local Salvation Army. We’ve given things to friends who truly appreciated them more more than we did.

Our goal is to get to the point that we only have what we truly need, plus a few objects that give us a significant amount of joy, rather than dusty boxes and shelves filled to the brim with a lot of things that we thought would make us happy, but that have since lost their luster.

We still have a lot of boxes of stuff to give away, but with every item that goes out the door, we feel more free, like a great burden has been lifted off of us.

Giving away your possessions changes your relationship with material goods. When it’s gone, you realize that you don’t miss it. This has a cascading effect. It’s good for the spirit and good for the pocketbook.

You no longer want that must-have whatsit, because you can see that you don’t really need it. Or, that you won’t be interested after a month or two. You also become aware of the stories you tell yourself in order to rationalize a purchase, or to rationalize keeping something that is no longer useful to you. We are very tricky, telling ourselves we need things we never or rarely use.

Having fewer possessions shows you how much upkeep owning lots of things requires, from space to store it, to money to pay the Visa bill you ran up buying it, to maintenance and insurance costs on big stuff like extra cars or boats. When a box of stuff leaves my house, I am relieved because I no longer have to find a place for it, dust it, and I am no longer responsible for its well being.

You can live more comfortably in a smaller space when you have less stuff. And smaller spaces come with lower bills.

It’s also much more relaxing to live in a house filled with few objects you really enjoy than with a lot of things you only kind-of like. Physical de-cluttering leads to mental de-cluttering.

You start to truly understand that once you get to a certain level of comfort economically and physically, owning more doesn’t appreciably improve your happiness in the long or short-term. In fact, once you have shelter and some basics, you can live a comfortable and happy life without all the extra stuff. I didn’t fully understand this until I thought I had lost everything.

Stuff for the sake of owning stuff is worthless. It saps your energy and your pocketbook.

Why give it away? It feels good to share what you have with others. And if you are serious about unloading years worth of purchases, it’s a lot faster and easier to give it away than it is to sell it.

This is how we’ve made peace with our stuff, and made a lot more room for Squeaky, who has had a serious change of heart when it comes time to get in the cat carrier.