How a Simpler Lifestyle & Decluttering Can Save You Money

How a simpler lifestyle & decluttering can save you money

So let’s get to it. Here are some ways a simpler lifestyle can save you money!

1. Avoid re-buying things you can’t find

When you have more stuff than you can easily manage and keep track of, you’re bound to lose items or not be able to find them when you need them. Which is so frustrating!

You might even end up re-buying an item because you can’t find it or don’t have the time (or desire) to look for it!

The great thing about decluttering and embracing a simpler lifestyle is less stuff in your home means it’s easier to keep track of what you have. And find it when you need it!

Not only saving you time, stress and frustration. But also saving you money when you aren’t re-buying items you can’t find!

2. Selling clutter can earn you money

While I don’t always recommend selling everything you’re decluttering, simply because selling items takes a lot of time and energy. Time and energy you might be better off using to declutter!

But there are times when selling the items you’re decluttering makes a lot of sense.

Maybe you need the money to cover household expenses. Or maybe you’re motivated to declutter and sell items to reach a financial goal. Maybe you’re donating less valuable items and choosing to sell the more valuable items instead.

Whatever your reasons, if you have the time and energy to put towards selling the clutter you’re getting rid of, you have the potential to not only save money by decluttering but actually make money too!

Even if you choose to donate all the clutter you’re getting rid of, your donations can often be used as a deduction on your taxes. Another great way decluttering can save you money!

3. Stop wasting money organizing clutter

When you try to get organized before decluttering, not only will organizing that clutter likely end up wasting your time and your space. It’s also likely you’ll end up wasting money on bins, baskets and other organizing products you don’t actually need.

Organizing clutter will never be a long-term solution to getting organized and making your home easier to manage. The problem is still there – you have too much stuff to manage in your home.

Always get rid of the clutter first. Then once you’ve thoroughly decluttered, you can focus on getting organized. And at that time intentionally buy any organizing products you need.

The great thing is, with less stuff to organize, you’ll likely need fewer organizing products too. Another way decluttering can save you money!

4. Get rid of the storage unit

Many people have resorted to using a storage unit as a long-term space to store clutter. Adding a big monthly expense to your household budget!

Clearing the clutter from your home and your storage unit means you’ll no longer be spending money every month to store clutter.

While there are times when storage units are necessary and helpful. Like when you’re in the midst of home renovations, moving and in between houses, etc. Many times, a storage unit simply becomes a place to collect clutter you don’t want to deal with or make decisions about.

Not only will decluttering to the point where you no longer need a storage unit save you money. But it will also take a big weight off your shoulders when you have less hidden clutter to worry about.

5. Inspires you to buy less in general

Often when you’re decluttering, it can be a bit horrifying to see how much money you’ve spent on stuff you didn’t actually use, need or love.

And while that can be a hard lesson in the moment, it’s important to remember it is a lesson. And a valuable one if you let it sink in!

Instead of beating yourself up about how much money you’ve wasted on the clutter you’re now getting rid of. Use it to change your decisions moving forward.

Use it to inspire you to make more thoughtful and intentional purchases from here on out. Not only helping you reduce the amount of stuff and clutter you own. But also helping you spend less money on things you don’t really use, need or love.

6. Increases contentment

Another great way embracing a simpler lifestyle can help you save money is by increasing feelings of contentment. Helping you appreciate what you already have and recognize it’s enough. Rather than always looking for the next newer, better, trendier, shinier thing to make you happy.

Part of embracing a simpler lifestyle is recognizing that the things you own and the stuff you buy aren’t what bring you lasting happiness and contentment.

It might feel good in the moment to treat yourself to something new. But we all know from experience that it’s usually not long before those good feelings wear off and you’re back to looking for the next thing to buy to make you feel good again.

Focusing on gratitude and feeling content with what you already have are great ways to reduce the likelihood of giving in to the temptation to buy more and more. And luckily, increased feelings of gratitude and contentment are two of the feelings a simpler lifestyle often brings.

Become a pickier purchaser

Not only that, but when you choose to own less and only keep things in your home you truly use, need and love, you become a pickier purchaser.

Instead of buying things just because they’re on sale, or because you’re looking for a mood boost, you become more selective about what you allow into your home. Helping you make more thoughtful purchases and likely saving you money too!

Learn your triggers

The more you practice making intentional purchases, the easier it becomes to identify what triggers you to shop in the first place.

Maybe you tend to shop when you’re bored, sad, stressed, feeling insecure, etc. Once you can start identifying those triggers, you can make the conscious choice to do something different instead of shopping. Helping you avoid spending money on stuff you don’t need and adding clutter to your home!

Get out of the comparison trap

Finding contentment in a simpler lifestyle is also a great way to resist falling into the comparison trap.

Rather than striving to “keep up with the Joneses” at all costs, embracing a simpler lifestyle helps you resist that comparison. And instead, focus on creating and living a life that brings you joy. Even if it looks different from what others are doing.

7. Embracing the idea that one is enough

Another great way a simpler lifestyle can help save you money is by helping you recognize that one is often enough.

It’s easy to start thinking if you like one item you have, you’ll probably like more of that item just as much.

But often, that’s just not true. First, you might not need more than one. Having multiples might not add any additional value to your life. And second, the value of an item is often diluted when you have more than one.

When you have just one of an item you appreciate it and the value it adds to your life. Having multiples of the item might make them all feel less special or important.

Here’s an example. If you only have one pair of reading glasses, you appreciate and take good care of them. You’re careful to put them in their case when you’re not wearing them so they don’t get scratched and you can always find them.

Now let’s say you have 5 pairs of reading glasses. Because you know you have other pairs, you’re might not be so careful with any of them. They might get set down in random places or lost more often. They become less valuable and important to you because you know you have more.

And in reality, you can only wear one pair at a time.

While some variety can be nice when it comes to certain items. It’s important to recognize that more isn’t always better. And that sometimes having one of something is enough. Not only reducing the amount of stuff you own and need to take care of. But also saving you money.

Just because you use and like something, doesn’t always mean you need more than one.

8. Prioritizing multi-use items

And speaking of owning duplicate items, another great way a simpler lifestyle can save you money is by helping you prioritize multi-use items over single-use items.

Kitchen gadgets are a great example. Instead of owning a strawberry slicer, an egg slicer, an avocado slicer, a garlic press, an apple slicer, etc. You could just own one good knife and a cutting board to accomplish everything those single-use items can do, plus a whole lot more!

Instead of buying every gadget and item that can only accomplish one specific task, save yourself money, space in your home and clutter by owning fewer items you can use for more purposes!

9. Less inventory is easier to manage and keep track of

When you own a lot of stuff it’s hard to keep track of it all. Not only can you lose things and not be able to find them when you need them. But you can also buy things and forget you have them. Then either forget to use them. Or end up buying them again because you forgot you already owned one!

The act of decluttering your home is a great way to refamiliarize yourself with what you own. Not only helping you get full use out of the things you own. But also helping you avoid accidentally buying duplicate items you forgot you already have!

10. Helps you get creative

A fun, often unexpected benefit of a simpler lifestyle is the opportunities for creativity it offers!

When you choose to own less, you often try to get creative before buying something new. Instead of letting buying something new be the first solution, you might try to come up with other solutions instead.

You might try to find an alternative you already own that you could use instead. Or maybe see if it’s possible to get by without the item altogether. Or see if you can borrow or rent an item you know will be something you need only once or very infrequently.

Choosing to borrow or rent rarely used items instead of buying and storing them is a great way to save money and reduce clutter!

11. Wasting less food

Nobody wants to waste food. But having too much food in your pantry, fridge and freezer is an easy way to lose track of what you have and let things go bad or expire before you can use them.

Things get buried, lost in the back, hidden behind something else or just forgotten about amongst the food clutter when you have too much.

Keeping your kitchen, pantry, fridge and freezer simpler and less cluttered means it’s easier to clearly see what you have, keep track of it all and make sure it can be used up while it’s still good. A great way to save money and waste less food too!

12. Avoid late fees & penalties

Clearing the clutter makes it less likely for things to get lost, misplaced or buried in a pile of clutter and forgotten about. Potentially saving you money on late fees and penalties.

For example, if you have a lot of paper clutter, it’s easy to miss or forget about bills until you’ve missed the due date and get hit with a late payment fee.

Even losing track of library books and not being able to find or return them on time can result in overdue fines.

13. Opens the opportunity to downsize

And finally, one last way a simpler lifestyle can help save you money is through the opportunity to downsize.

When you own less, you don’t need as much space. You don’t need as much storage space or closet space.

And you might even realize you don’t need as much space in general. Recognizing some rooms in your home rarely get used and maybe aren’t even necessary for you.

You might be able to downsize your home, choosing to live in a smaller, less expensive home. Potentially paying less in mortgage payments or rent, utility payments, property taxes, maintenance costs, etc.

Downsizing to a smaller home is often a big change that requires careful consideration. But after clearing the clutter and embracing a simpler lifestyle, it definitely becomes clear that it is an option that is available to you.

Have you noticed any other ways decluttering and a simpler lifestyle save you money? Leave a comment and let me know!