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What is Clutter Costing You?

Updated: May 28



The cost of clutter is more than just financial.


5 ways that clutter costs you.

  1. Financial Cost - The financial cost of clutter is the most obvious. If you cannot find the items you are looking for, it costs money to go out and buy another. Having excess may also cause you to rent a storage unit or buy a bigger home to fit all of your belongings. There is a financial cost associated with the upkeep of clutter and keeping things organized as well.

  2. Emotional Cost - Do you have clothes in your closet that are too small but you are saving for “when you get to that size” but every time you look at them it causes you to feel guilt or shame because you are not that smaller size? Do you have boxes of items given to you by family members but every time you look at them you feel negative emotions, sadness or guilt? Decluttering and letting go is an emotional process. It is worth it to not have clutter accumulate and perpetually make us feel miserable.

  3. Productivity Cost - When our homes or workspaces are cluttered, we are preventing ourselves from living our most productive and effective lives. If you have piles of paper around your office that you are constantly sorting through, you are wasting valuable time that you could be producing work or spending with loved ones. A cluttered home makes every room seem daunting to clean or to start organizing which causes people to procrastinate addressing it and ultimately makes you more stressed.

  4. Health Costs - Visual clutter can easily trigger feelings of stress, overwhelm and shame. Stress impacts our health in a plethora of ways and our motivation to want to do other things. Not living in a home you love or living in a space that causes you to feel shame can have an impact on our self confidence. Low self confidence can have an effect on our decisions and actions to live a healthy life. Clutter oftentimes also causes dust and dirt to accumulate, mold to grow and even critters. All of these can cause serious health effects and are avoidable.

  5. Relationship Costs - Clutter can cause stress on our relationship with people we live with as well as those relationships we have the folks outside our homes. If one person in the house is disorganized and the other is orderly, it can cause friction in relationships. There may also end up being arguments about chores when in reality if there is no system in place, it makes it very difficult to remain organized. If overbuying leads to financial issues, this can lead to compounded stress. Clutter can also cause us to feel embarrassed or shameful about our homes and not invite company over.


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