What does clutter cost you?

**Tree0164** · 11-12-2004, 01:45 AM

Re: What does clutter cost you?

I would say probably around the same. Hey honey do you know where X is. I really need to get with the flylady and just throw out a lot of junk that we have accumluated and really keep the things that we need.

**Lori63** · 11-12-2004, 02:31 AM

Re: What does clutter cost you?

I have little piles of mail, kids' school papers, coupons, etc. everywhere-drives my husband nuts! I try to get a handle on it every Friday (guess that means today I should get off the computer)because it's my day off, but I usually end up grocery shopping, etc.

**crosses** · 11-12-2004, 07:11 PM

Re: What does clutter cost you?

I have a problem with this. My house never seems as clean as it should be and I often have a hard time finding the things I need. I need to declutter more. I just have a hard time throwing stuff out. If I do, I end up needing whatever I threw out the next week it seems. Something for me to work on.

**terry1156** · 11-13-2004, 06:18 PM

Re: What does clutter cost you?

I think this is an area that people don't even think about when considering their spending habits. If you can't easily find things, then you are losing time and money. I must admit I'm not the best at it and need to improve. I'm sure I have at least $100 in "hidden costs" that come from not being as well organized as I should be.

Join Date: Aug 2025 · 11-17-2004, 08:43 AM

Re: What does clutter cost you?

Clutter may be costing you more than $100 per year. Have you ever heard or read one of Suze Orman's books? She talks about money in sort of like a spiritual sense in that money will be drawn to you if your house is free of clutter. I totally agree. I was watching one of her speeches and she picked a couple of people out of the audience. She looked in one lady's purse. It was cluttered with ravled up coupons, lipstick, and basically junk. She then asked a man to pull out his wallet. All he had was a money clip and his money folded neatly in it (and stacked in order). Suze Orman could tell just by that what each of those persons financial situation was. Hint: The guy with the money clip had zero credit card debt.

**terry1156** · 11-17-2004, 07:37 PM

Re: What does clutter cost you?

Originally posted by debtfree

Clutter may be costing you more than $100 per year.

Yes, you are probably right on that. it's a hard one to measure, but I'm sure there is a lot of hidden costs I have never even thought about in clutter.

**PrincessPerky** · 11-24-2004, 05:08 PM

Re: What does clutter cost you?

I think clutter is one of the most expensive things to have in the house. I have recently managed to get my kitchen in better shape and have enjoyed cooking way more often, so the cluttered kitchen was costing me in convenience foods.
I am working on the rest of the house. I figure if I ever get my bedroom in shape I will stop wanting to go out with my husband and instead enjoy being there with him. (not that I don't but the piles of 'stuff' are distracting - hey if it is this good with the distraction can you imagine with out it?)

**vendigirl** · 11-24-2004, 06:19 PM

Re: What does clutter cost you?

I've been thinking about this question ever since it was first posted. I can definitively say that clutter has cost me at least $2.50 a day for the past 5 months. My bathroom closet has become a dumping ground for everything under the sun, so when I go to change the kids' diapers I can rarely find the cloth diapers and covers that I need- or more specifically I don't even try. It's just easier to put on a disposable diaper. So, I figure 4-5 diapers per kid per day at at least $.30 a piece it sure adds up! And that's just the one thing I can calculate. I have no doubt there is more. BTW, I cleaned that closet out today and saved myself $3. LOL

**terry1156** · 11-25-2004, 07:21 PM

Re: What does clutter cost you?

I have been thinking about this too. I was in the garage the other day and cleaning up my work bench. I realised that I had purchased doubles, triples and more of all kinds of things because I couldn't easily find them when I needed them. The more that I look around, the more that I realize that this is a very expensive issue that has flown under my radar screen for a long time.

**PrincessPerky** · 11-27-2004, 06:57 AM

Re: What does clutter cost you?

I know I just posted but I was thinking, clothes are clutter. See if I can go a week without running out of clothes (or doing laundry) then my kids should to right? But they didn't have 10 years of wearing he same size to accumulate clothes (which I actually don't have that many but still more than the kid who constantly outgrows stuff) So you think you need to go get more clothes for the kid, who is a typical and wears the same two or three favorites every chance he gets! I figure in his two years of life that has cost me at least 100$ a year.

And my MIL who has the most cluttered clothes closet in the world is constanly buying more, now they have the money so it is theirs to waste, but I think if she could find what she wants to wear she wouldn't have to go buy something all the time.

**dealsaver** · 10-13-2005, 09:17 AM

Re: What does clutter cost you?

Nagging from my spouse.

**elcheapo** · 11-20-2005, 08:14 PM

Re: What does clutter cost you?

clutter would make me go crazy so it would cause me my sanity ( no offense to clutter lovers)

**lisajane** · 11-20-2005, 11:24 PM

Re: What does clutter cost you?

I sense the need to write an article soon :P This is such an idea I've been thinking about lately. I know for a fact for a few people in my life, not being able to find things has meant multiple trips to the store to buy toothbrushes, jeans, etc... Other things like losing your phone and having to pay money to get another one. Yes... that happened too. This person racked up almost 450 in expense in 2 months because the person they lived with is a paper hoarder, and there is no room for anything. So yes, clutter costs people big time.

It costs some less then others, and some extremely more then others.

**abowers** · 11-21-2005, 06:52 AM

Re: What does clutter cost you?

Originally posted by Tree0164

I would say probably around the same. Hey honey do you know where X is. I really need to get with the flylady and just throw out a lot of junk that we have accumluated and really keep the things that we need.

I like the fly lady website... I signed up for emails expecting maybe one a day, but I came home from work and had basically one email per HOUR that i was gone!! So I unsubscribed. But flylady does have good tips for reducing clutter.

What does clutter cost you?