037: Home: Finance: Getting Rid of Stuff

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Topics

One way to save money is to Own Less Stuff.

De-junk your home regularly and donate it or sell it.
If you don’t need it, don’t buy it.
Before buying something make sure you will have a home for it when you take it home.
Focus on experiences rather than things.

a messy playroom

De-junk your home

Once a year, the Mitchells go through their home and pull out the stuff they don’t need or want any more. They either donate it to a local thrift store or hold a yard sale. They do this regularly and are always surprised how much they still get rid of every year.

Dave’s been thinning his t-shirt selection and realized he had about 50 t-shirts and only really wears 10-15 regularly, so he got rid of most of those.

Another tip for trying to thin your clothing selection is to turn all the clothes hanging on hangers around in your closet, so they hang backwards on the rod. Then as you wear that item of clothing and put it back in the closet and hang it up, you put the hanger on the right way. After a year, wearing your clothes through every season, you can see at a glance that the hangers that are still turned backwards are the clothes you could probably get rid of because you haven’t worn them in a year.

On a side note, you could also clean off the junk from your computers once a year.

Questions to ask when buying Stuff

Do I need this or just want this?
Will I use it constantly?
Could I just borrow this instead?
Do I have a home for it?
What experience would be a better investment than Stuff?

Mitchells talk about their family tradition of playing board games or card games weekly as a family. That time together creates experiences and memories that don’t clutter the house.

Final Thoughts

Evaluate the items in your home. If you don’t use them regularly, consider getting rid of it. If you have several of the same item, consider getting rid of a few.

Start De-junking a little area at a time, but keep moving throughout the house. Eventually, you’ll find that you are happier with less stuff.

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo suggests that you keep only the few things that bring you joy.

Getting Things Done by David Allen says your brain and your home need to be rid of clutter to feel freer, happier and more relaxed.

This week’s photo is titled “Playroom” and is by Elizabeth. You can find it on flickr