I was up late last night watching Hoarders (whoa!) and I was just amazed at the damage caused by the clutter in one`s life. In this particular episode, the featured hoarder (Susan) had over 5000 dolls crammed in her house. The house was rendered unusable by the amount of clutter (primarily dolls). After the house was finally decluttered, the sale of the dolls yielded Susan over $1000. It really got me to thinking what role clutter takes in one`s life and how important it is to conquer it.
I have to admit that while I am not a hoarder (nowhere near it, actually), I certainly need a bit of help to get organized and clear my home of clutter. I came from a household where my late mother was habitually clean and organized and my father was fairly tidy himself. I tended toward being a bit less organized, and need frequent prodding to keep my room clean. When I moved away from home, and without any one to monitor my situation, I started becoming a bit cluttered and disorganized. The clutter had a detrimental effect on me, psychologically, spiritually and financially.
Fast forward to present. I am (finally) in a home I can call my own, with an office that my husband and I share. When we moved here, there was literally an avalanche of papers, magazines, documents and items clogging this area. It took nearly a whole weekend, and a huge bag of shredding later, the paperwork was reduced to a manageable level. My husband purchased two filing cabinets, and we proceeded to start putting things in labeled hanging files. And so this system has more or less worked (for him), I still am struggling with what I should keep, and what I should toss. But I clearly know that this has an impact on my financial health, and it's something I am definitely working to improve.
Why declutter?
1. The most obvious reason? You'll feel better, physically (less things around to accumulate dust, therefore cleaner air!), psychologically and spiritually. It is freeing, liberating, exhilarating to inhabit a space free of clutter and debris. You can clear your mind, breathe deeply, and enjoy the space you inhabit. You don't have to fret about where you are going to store a new purchase!
2. It has a truly detrimental effect on your financial well-being. What happens when you are dealing with a mound of papers stashed in some random corner? Bills get misplaced, and therefore get unpaid, or paid late, dinging your credit score in the process. Receipts which are needed for your yearly tax return are MIA resulting in an inaccurate (and potentially costly!) tax bill at the end of the year.
3. It's the vital first step in any good financial plan! You have to start by knowing what exactly your financial situation is--that means having pay stubs, credit card statements, banking statements, insurance invoices and other vital documents within arm's reach. Outlining a budget (an important first step towards managing expenses) requires that you know what money is going into and out of your bank account. All these statements need to readily available and accessible by you!
No comments:
Post a Comment