If moving has taught me anything over the last few months, it is that we have too much stuff. Currently I am moving myself and it so happens, my elderly father at the same time (old people love stuff). I realize clutter is killing us. I will show this by giving examples. This post is a combination of a rant and a “how to,” hopefully to open some eyes.
The amount of plastic crap that I had to throw away in the past few months is sickening. There are constantly things being moved from one location to the next with zero use and it boggles the mind as to why I let it continue for so long. All these old Christmas gifts, devices, wires, and ugly clothes just cause stress. Your clutter is killing you and you do not even know it.
If you ask some people, I am the last person who should write this post. As much as I strive to be I am no minimalist. Still, I have come a long way. I used to have the mentality “maybe I will need it” or “it is worth money.” I clutched on to things like a fat man clutching a burger. One thing people don’t seem to get is getting rid of things is freeing. The goal of this post is to show how clutter is killing us and what you need to do to get rid of your stuff and keep it gone.
A Quick Rant: We Collectively have too much stuff in the United States
Whether or not you agree with the tariffs, think about how terrified China is that they might be added. Look around your house, at all the useless crap that looked good in the moment but added nothing to your life. Now multiply that by 350 million! All of this is adding to our debt and making us more dependent on a foreign country. I am no environmentalist, but the amount of plastic that ends up in our landfills (or oceans) is absurd. We buy stuff, look at it for a few years, then toss it. If you want to help the country, try not adding to the trade deficit. We consume so much garbage in this country, all while going broke.
How Clutter is Killing You: It is Costing you money.
Every egg timer or George Foreman (RIP) pancake maker cost you money. If you look at your closet it is probably filled to the rim with clothes that you hate. All those clothes cost you cash. So, what do you do? Buy more clothes. You buy more gadgets, more stuff. Sometimes it works out, I use the hell out of my air fryer. So many times, it does not (looking at you, back massager).
Then since we have so much stuff, we do not even know what we do have. Which makes you buy multiple items. All of this gets expensive. If you’re a billionaire that might not mean anything. I have been in people’s houses that are extremely wealthy and have so much stuff that it is filling their mansion.
Now imagine if just 60% of the time you said no to more useless crap from China. Instead, you invested it monthly in dividend stocks. How much easier would life be? Even inexpensive crap adds up. We are spending thousands a year, ten dollars at a time.
Then there is the cost to store the stuff if you are a bad hoarder. Storage units are everywhere and a billion-dollar industry. How many of those items that people are paying $120/month for has any real value? We buy stuff, do not use it, pay to move it, pay to store it and wonder why we are broke. Stuff = waste=money gone!
Clutter is Stressful
Have you ever been in a hoarder’s house? It adds to a level of stress that cannot be fully explained. It is like I cannot breathe around it. Most people aren’t hoarders, but the extra stuff still adds a sense of suffocation. Looking through a closet or draw that is a disaster causes stress. Compare that to a clear desk or organized room. There is so much less mental effort.
It is all just unnecessary. Nick knacks and “mementos” just fill up a room and make it look like garbage. They steal space from your house, making it smaller. I mean we spend our hard earn money on things just to fill up our home so we can’t move. For what? People think they need a bigger house; they need less garbage from China.
Add that to the stress of not being able to find things. A closet filled with old T-shirts hides the clothes that you do want. One of the best things about tossing items is finding things you want or need. How many times do you buy duplicates of something because you didn’t realize you already had the item?
Getting organized means getting rid of things. This will lighten your mental load, so you can concentrate on what is important. A clean environment creates a clean brain. If you want to move ahead, stop buying things just to buy them.
Clutter Steals your Time
I mentioned how stressful it is to be overwhelmed with useless items. All of this equals stolen time. If you spend 8 hours digging through closets that is 8 hours of your life wasted. This doesn’t include the time you spent buying all that extra garbage. Dragging it from the store to your home. Then you move it eight hundred times because you do not know where to put it. It will ultimately end up on a shelf somewhere.
God forbid you do move, the amount of time to take useless crap from one house to the next is exhausting. You are breaking your back to move that Walmart dresser filled with old clothes. No thank you. Spend your time and energy on things that really matter.
Clutter isn’t Only Things
Although this post was originally about too much stuff, it got me thinking. There is non-material clutter. It is like George Clooney’s speech in Up in the Air. What is in your suitcase? What is weighing you down, People can be clutter. Too many friends or acquaintances take up too much of your time. do not get me wrong, every man should have his own tribe, but it should be small. Trying to maintain a relationship with too many friends clutters your life. If you turn around every week and do not have a second to yourself, you have cluttered your life with activities.
Tips to Have Less Clutter
These are some of the ideas I am coming up with to get less clutter. No one is perfect, but I feel like I have come a long way in terms of getting rid of crap.
- Do not Accept Swag: Companies are notorious for giving away “swag” with their names on it. Trust me, you do not need another water bottle or T-shirt. They do not give away things with monetary value anyway.
- If it is worn, torn, or ugly throw it away: How many things do we have that have long out lived their usefulness? I believe in having a few high-quality purchases rather than a ton of low-quality items. You are not going to fix that iPad or TV… and yes, those shoes need to go!
- Get rid of the “I might need it” or “it might be valuable” mentality. If you do not use something, sell it. If it isn’t sold, then pack it up and send it to Goodwill. No need to hang on to useless crap.
- 5 Things a day rule: Throw away 5 things you have been saving for no good reason daily.
- Christmas is the worst for clutter. It has turned into a nightmare, exchanging less gifts or demanding consumable items will go far.
- Do a Spring cleaning, throw away things and take an inventory of all your items. No need to buy six bottles of olive oil, because they keep ending up in the back of the pantry.
- Facebook Marketplace and Craigs list are your friends, get to selling, you would be surprised what people will pay for.
- Look at your schedule and your friends, if you are overbooked cut it in half to focus on what is important.
Conclusion: Get Rid of Your Stuff: How clutter is killing you
That is my rant on how clutter is taking over our lives. All we do in this country is consume. Clutter is a symptom of a bigger problem. It is a result of all the garbage people are pushing down our throat so they can control us. Getting rid of clutter is more than just freeing up money, it frees your mind. It is using your resources to enhance your life and getting out of control of those that want you poor.