After the cash has left your wallet, after the credit card bill has been paid, how is it possible that you would keep paying for your stuff? You only have to pay for it once, right? Well, if you have too much stuff, you might keep paying for it in nonmonetary ways. Excessive clutter can keep costing you well beyond the original purchase price by effecting your living space, your physical health, your mental and emotional health, your relationships, your time, and your finances. Oh man, that stinks, how in the world does that happen?
***Please note that someone you love, who has excessive clutter, might be experiencing these things*****
The most obvious way that you keep paying for your stuff is by costing you living space in your home. If your cabinets, drawers and closets are full of unnecessary clutter, you don't have room to properly store the things that you actually do need and use. It becomes to difficult to put things away and they start to pile up on in places that are not intended as storage. Hallways become paths, guest bedrooms turn into storage rooms, garages don't have room for the car and dining room tables can't be used for dining. Clearing out the clutter from your home will help you regain use of those spaces as they were originally intended.
The next way that you could still be paying for clutter is with your physical health. If you store items on the floor, they instantly become tripping hazards and can easily cause a fall especially with the elderly. Long-term piles can also become home to insects and vermin and if they get wet can start to grow mold and mildew and effect your breathing. Your body can also have physical responses, like increased blood pressure, from feeling anxious or overwhelmed about your clutter. Removing that excessive clutter can help eliminate these physical threats.
Your mental and emotional health can also take a hit. Over time, feelings of embarrassment, shame, guilt or helplessness can lead to depression. Relationships can start to suffer when your family gets frustrated with excessive clutter and your social life can be effected when you stop having friends over be, or they stop coming over, because it's all just too much. So, not only can it effect your own mental/emotional health, it can start to effect other people's as well.
Excessive clutter can cost you time and finances too. If you find yourself "hunting" for things on a regular basis, you end up spending hours searching for stuff and not on daily life. This might cause you to be constantly be late for work, miss out on family time or feel frantic in your own home. Financially, you might be unable to find what you are looking for and have to go spend more money to purchase "another one" or you run out of space in your home and feel the need to rent a storage locker. Decluttering and organizing your space will help save you time hunting for things and save you money from rebuying items you already have or paying for offsite storage.
Wow, that's a lot of different that you might keep paying for clutter. How do you stop paying over and over? Realizing that it keeps costing you is the first step. Making a plan to let go of your excess clutter is the next step. Reach out for help from a professional organizer or a trusted friend and give yourself some grace. Taking the first step tends be the hardest, but it will get easier over time. Good luck! You've got this!!!
***If you experience negative or suicidal thoughts please reach out to a mental health provider***
Comentários