Take Stock of Your Stuff
Unnecessary belongings weigh you down and cost you money. Here's how your extra clutter may be impacting your life and finances – and what you can do about it.
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By Margaret Poe
48% of Americans say their homes are cluttered with things they no longer use.
While the majority of Americans (72%) think they'd free up space in their house by purging unused items, 41% haven’t decluttered in more than a year
Nearly half of Americans think they have more than $1,000 in unused items in their homes1.
Pocketbook pain
After filling up their closets and garages, many turn to outside storage to find additional space for their stuff. Currently, 9.4% of American households rent a storage unit. At an average monthly cost of $91, that adds up to more than $1,000 annually2.
Sabotage by sweet tooth
Clutter even may encourage unhealthy eating habits. A 2016 study in the journal Environment and Behavior found that students in a chaotic kitchen ate nearly three times as many cookies as those in an organized one3.
Conquer clutter
You know you don’t need all that stuff piled up around your house. But where do you start?
Try the four-box method to sort through your belongings. Pick one room or closet to tackle. As you go through these objects, put them in one of these boxes:
- Keep any objects you use regulary.
- Sell/Donate anything that no longer serves you but could benefit someone else.
- Trash items that are broken or otherwise unusable.
- Store those belongings you don't use on a regular basis but just can't bear to part with. Re-evaluate the contents of this box regularly.
Snapshot strategy
What do you do with that old leather jacket that doesn't fit but evokes so many memories? Try this: Take photos of your sentimental or nostalgic items, then donate the items. If you know you won’t use them, there's no value in them taking up space in your closet.
Start small
Set a timer and commit to decluttering for a set amount of time – just 10 or 15 minutes. It's easier to tackle a task like this in small chunks.
By taking a hard look at your possessions and getting rid of what you don't need, you can free up space, time and money for what really matters.
1"Americans Have Too Many Things and Not Enough Money, Study Finds," Aug. 29, 2016, OfferUp/ClearVoice Research
2"U.S. Self-Storage Industry Statistics," March 21, 2018, The SpareFoot Storage Beat
3"Clutter, Chaos, and Overconsumption: The Role of Mind-Set in Stressful and Chaotic Food Environments," Feb. 2, 2016, Environment and Behavior
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