2994: How To Declutter Without Feeling Wasteful: Is Decluttering a Waste of Money? By Antonia Collins

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[00:00:40] [SPEAKER_00]: This is Optimal Finance Daily, How To Declutter Without Feeling Wasteful by Antonia Collins of BalanceThroughSimplicity.com. And I'm your host and personal finance enthusiast, Diana Merriam.

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[00:01:17] [SPEAKER_01]: How to declutter without feeling wasteful. Is decluttering a waste of money? By Antonia Collins of BalanceThroughSimplicity.com.

[00:01:31] [SPEAKER_01]: Decluttering can be difficult or daunting, and we often find excuses or reasons to avoid or put it off. A common argument that I often hear is that decluttering is a waste of money.

[00:01:43] [SPEAKER_01]: In this article, I'd like to share my thoughts on how to declutter without feeling wasteful.

[00:01:49] [SPEAKER_01]: Decluttering is a positive experience.

[00:01:52] [SPEAKER_01]: First and foremost, decluttering is meant to be a liberating and exciting opportunity to create time, space, and freedom in an otherwise cluttered home, schedule, and life.

[00:02:04] [SPEAKER_01]: Decluttering doesn't have to be stressful.

[00:02:06] [SPEAKER_01]: Of course, there are times when we have to get rid of stuff that we might not normally want to.

[00:02:10] [SPEAKER_01]: Maybe you're sifting through the personal possessions of a loved one who's recently passed away.

[00:02:15] [SPEAKER_01]: Perhaps you're downsizing and have to let go of stuff to fit into your smaller, new home.

[00:02:21] [SPEAKER_01]: However, decluttering because you want a change, a fresh start, and or because you've got too much stuff and want to reclaim control over your life by having less instead of more,

[00:02:32] [SPEAKER_01]: decluttering for these purposes should be realistic, empowering, and positive.

[00:02:37] [SPEAKER_01]: There are so many tips and resources to help you declutter your home and life.

[00:02:42] [SPEAKER_01]: Decluttering problems.

[00:02:44] [SPEAKER_01]: However, decluttering does also throw up some challenges.

[00:02:47] [SPEAKER_01]: Common decluttering problems include lack of time, lack of motivation, lack of support from others in your home,

[00:02:54] [SPEAKER_01]: lack of strategy, feeling overwhelmed, and not making decluttering fun.

[00:03:00] [SPEAKER_01]: Sometimes we don't prepare for decluttering.

[00:03:02] [SPEAKER_01]: We make a few decluttering mistakes and we get stuck not knowing how to overcome them.

[00:03:07] [SPEAKER_01]: We may even declutter and then still find that our home looks cluttered, but we don't know why.

[00:03:13] [SPEAKER_01]: However, a very common decluttering problem is how to declutter without feeling wasteful.

[00:03:19] [SPEAKER_01]: We feel guilty for getting rid of something that we spent money buying.

[00:03:22] [SPEAKER_01]: We regret the purchase, but don't want to declutter because it feels like a waste of money.

[00:03:28] [SPEAKER_01]: How to declutter without feeling wasteful.

[00:03:31] [SPEAKER_01]: Number one, the waste comes when you purchase an item unwisely.

[00:03:37] [SPEAKER_01]: Shopping without being mindful of what and why you're buying it is, I believe, where the true waste comes in.

[00:03:43] [SPEAKER_01]: That's the moment when the money leaves your purse, hand, or bank account.

[00:03:48] [SPEAKER_01]: Getting rid of something that's been sitting in your wardrobe unworn for three years

[00:03:52] [SPEAKER_01]: won't waste money any less than the moment you bought it in the store.

[00:03:57] [SPEAKER_01]: Shop mindfully and wisely.

[00:03:59] [SPEAKER_01]: Number two, donate or give away.

[00:04:03] [SPEAKER_01]: If getting rid of an item feels wasteful, try to donate or give away things.

[00:04:07] [SPEAKER_01]: There are many people who can't afford to buy the item new and who would dearly love what you no longer want.

[00:04:13] [SPEAKER_01]: Donate to charity or give away to those who could really benefit.

[00:04:18] [SPEAKER_01]: Number three, change your language.

[00:04:20] [SPEAKER_01]: I'm using the term get rid of items because it's a useful catch-all term.

[00:04:25] [SPEAKER_01]: However, I equally mean donate, recycle, or sell.

[00:04:30] [SPEAKER_01]: If you struggle with feeling wasteful in decluttering, then I encourage you to watch the language you choose.

[00:04:36] [SPEAKER_01]: Get rid of sounds negative, so replace that with pass on, give new life to,

[00:04:41] [SPEAKER_01]: or make better use of in your thoughts and feelings towards decluttering.

[00:04:46] [SPEAKER_01]: Number four, sell if you need.

[00:04:49] [SPEAKER_01]: While selling comes with its own pitfalls, it's certainly a way to generate a bit of money if you need to build your finances.

[00:04:56] [SPEAKER_01]: Perhaps the money you make could be put to a better use, such as towards creating experiences and memories with your family and friends.

[00:05:03] [SPEAKER_01]: I'd rather enjoy a day out with my kids than having extra stuff sitting in my cupboards.

[00:05:08] [SPEAKER_01]: Number five, getting rid of perfectly good stuff.

[00:05:12] [SPEAKER_01]: Much of the clutter in your home might be of perfectly good or really good quality and condition.

[00:05:18] [SPEAKER_01]: Although it can be difficult, you're not obliged to keep something because of its quality or condition.

[00:05:23] [SPEAKER_01]: There are many people who would enjoy, benefit from, make use of, and be delighted to receive these items.

[00:05:31] [SPEAKER_01]: In many cases, the items would be used more often, be given a fresh breath of life, and bring joy to others.

[00:05:38] [SPEAKER_01]: Number six, acknowledge past decisions.

[00:05:42] [SPEAKER_01]: The decision to buy or acquire an item is something that we need to take ownership for.

[00:05:46] [SPEAKER_01]: I've made plenty of unwise purchases, but I made them nonetheless.

[00:05:50] [SPEAKER_01]: I don't like to regret them, but I prefer to learn and avoid making the same decision again.

[00:05:56] [SPEAKER_01]: We're all a product of our past decisions, but how we deal with those decisions shapes our future.

[00:06:03] [SPEAKER_01]: Number seven, swap regret for hope.

[00:06:07] [SPEAKER_01]: How we think about things has a big impact on how we feel about them.

[00:06:11] [SPEAKER_01]: Shift your thoughts from a negative mindset that's going to hold you back,

[00:06:14] [SPEAKER_01]: and replace it with positive hope for the future and what a clutter-free home will give you instead.

[00:06:21] [SPEAKER_01]: Number eight, ask the right decluttering questions.

[00:06:25] [SPEAKER_01]: Knowing what questions to ask of yourself and every bit of stuff you hold up to assess

[00:06:30] [SPEAKER_01]: will help you declutter with confidence and clarity.

[00:06:33] [SPEAKER_01]: You might still regret spending the money in the first place,

[00:06:36] [SPEAKER_01]: but when you consider what value your stuff is adding to your life right now,

[00:06:40] [SPEAKER_01]: or holding you back from, then it might help you come to terms with your feelings of wastefulness.

[00:06:46] [SPEAKER_01]: And number nine, focus on the benefits.

[00:06:49] [SPEAKER_01]: Some of the benefits of decluttering are going to be priceless and far more precious than the price tag

[00:06:55] [SPEAKER_01]: on stuff you might be struggling to declutter now.

[00:06:58] [SPEAKER_01]: Although there is inevitably a trade-off in every decision you make, keep versus let go,

[00:07:03] [SPEAKER_01]: just remember why you're doing this and what you're going to gain as a result.

[00:07:08] [SPEAKER_01]: Let go of feeling wasteful when decluttering.

[00:07:12] [SPEAKER_01]: The guilt or shame around wastefulness that we sometimes feel when decluttering

[00:07:16] [SPEAKER_01]: is a burden that we need to let go of.

[00:07:19] [SPEAKER_01]: It doesn't serve us to regret past decisions, but instead, I myself try to look to the future.

[00:07:25] [SPEAKER_01]: That future is brighter, calmer, with more space for joy and opportunity

[00:07:30] [SPEAKER_01]: when I'm not struggling to manage my home and the stuff in it.

[00:07:34] [SPEAKER_01]: Be kind to yourself, be positive, and take power over your stuff instead of letting your stuff hold power over you.

[00:07:42] [SPEAKER_01]: Learn from past mistakes.

[00:07:44] [SPEAKER_01]: Gift your wanted clutter to others for whom it won't be clutter.

[00:07:48] [SPEAKER_01]: Decluttering takes confidence, practice, and trial and error.

[00:07:52] [SPEAKER_01]: It's not always easy, but in my opinion, it is always worth it.

[00:08:00] [SPEAKER_01]: You just listened to the post titled,

[00:08:02] [SPEAKER_01]: How to Declutter Without Feeling Wasteful is Decluttering a Waste of Money?

[00:08:06] [SPEAKER_01]: by Antonia Collins of BalancedThroughSimplicity.com

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[00:09:16] [SPEAKER_01]: Thank you too, Antonia.

[00:09:18] [SPEAKER_01]: Good point there with tip number one.

[00:09:20] [SPEAKER_01]: Waste comes when we purchase an item unwisely.

[00:09:24] [SPEAKER_01]: So paying attention and having that awareness around our money and purchases is really important.

[00:09:30] [SPEAKER_01]: If we can stop the impulse purchase before it happens,

[00:09:33] [SPEAKER_01]: then we have a much better chance at reducing waste.

[00:09:36] [SPEAKER_01]: But the best thing I've done, which I used to talk about a lot,

[00:09:40] [SPEAKER_01]: but it's been a while now, so it's worth repeating,

[00:09:43] [SPEAKER_01]: is tracking my expenses.

[00:09:45] [SPEAKER_01]: Actually income too, but if that's too complicated or will prevent you from doing it in the first place,

[00:09:50] [SPEAKER_01]: then simply watching every dollar spent is the perfect exercise to have better awareness around spending.

[00:09:58] [SPEAKER_01]: There's no excuse now because the tools for doing this have gotten so much better over the years since I've been doing it.

[00:10:04] [SPEAKER_01]: I used to do it with an Excel spreadsheet.

[00:10:06] [SPEAKER_01]: It was very manual.

[00:10:08] [SPEAKER_01]: I had to keep all my receipts.

[00:10:10] [SPEAKER_01]: But now if most of your charges are to your credit card or bank account,

[00:10:14] [SPEAKER_01]: there are tools that can automate this for you and you can see the charges come in.

[00:10:19] [SPEAKER_01]: You'll get the notification without even doing anything.

[00:10:23] [SPEAKER_01]: My favorite one is still YNAB.

[00:10:25] [SPEAKER_01]: That stands for You Need a Budget.

[00:10:27] [SPEAKER_01]: You can find our write-up about it at oldpodcast.com slash track.

[00:10:32] [SPEAKER_01]: So that's my extra tip for you today.

[00:10:34] [SPEAKER_01]: Thank you for being here and listening to me and for subscribing to or following the show.

[00:10:38] [SPEAKER_01]: And I'll see you tomorrow where your optimal life awaits.