9 tips to reduce clutter & save a TON of money
Whether it’s a priority, necessity, New Year’s resolution, or politically charged decision, this blog is about shopping from the most personalized, values-aligned “store” that exists. Nope—not Target, Walmart, Amazon.
I’m talking about shopping from home. Your home.
OK, OK. Maybe your own home doesn’t give you the dopamine hit of strolling the aisles of a major chain store. Or maybe it feels more like you’re battling through a crowded and end-of-the-day messy Home Goods where everything’s been picked over in disarray. Or maybe you crave that boutique experience (btw I can help you achieve that).
Whatever your hesitation is, I can assure you there’s tons of great finds in your own home right now—that will save you money in the short term AND help prevent you from overspending or impulsively buying what you don’t need in the future.
Here are 6 things my clients R E G U L A R L Y say during our decluttering sessions:
Wow, I didn’t even know I owned that—I just bought more (OR, I was just about to buy that)
You know, “It doesn’t exist if I can’t see it.” Maybe it was gifted to you in a bag with other items from your mom or a friend, and you never actually looked in the bag or put the items away. Or, your partner purchased it but you didn’t know and it was never given a home.
I forgot I bought those; how exciting!
You know, life happens so fast, and you saw something at the store or online that caught your eye but it quickly became (literally) buried by the chaos of everyday life and lack of systems in your family. Or how sometimes we’re just in autopilot tossing things into our literal and virtual carts without pausing to consider what we may already have.
I didn’t realize I had so many of these.
You know, the bulk purchasing, the subscribe-and-save auto-renewals, the buy one/get two free, etc. Maybe you never opened the packaging or removed them from the bag. When items don’t have a specific home in your house, it’s easy to lose track of quantity.
I lost sight of it and forgot I had that.
You know, the items that were shoved to the very back of the closet or were pushed too deep into the pantry.
I thought I must’ve thrown it away or donated it because I couldn’t find it.
You know, when you’re so busy managing inventory and moving items out (but not as fast as more is coming in), but you can’t find what you want or need.
Whoa, that’s a lot of cash you just found there [in my hasn’t-fit-in-10-years coat pocket, in that old birthday card, in a random bag], thanks Kim!
This literally happens when we work together—”omg, here’s another twenty” or “did you know you have this uncashed check that’s not expired yet?” Know what else people have a ton of, that becomes clutter? Forgotten, unused gift cards. I’ve seen amounts and quantities that could literally provide an entire family with Christmas, or start out a new expecting parent with needed baby supplies.
Real-life uncovered funds from a cluttered bedroom of an actual client: We found enough cash for her to legit pay for my session.
Do any of these sound familiar? I’m not trying to call you out; I’m trying to reinforce this is normal for so many of us.
So, are you willing to put in some time and effort right now to save LOTS of money (and reduce clutter!)? Follow these 8 steps.
Get your family together and agree on a no-buy/shop-from-home month (or week, if that feels too long). It forces you to work together to find creative ways to manage. Hold each other accountable and if you feel like there is something you need, talk it out together to see if something else would work instead.
Hard pause on subscriptions and those grocery/household items that “magically” show up at your door each month. Look at what you have. Yes, you “save more money on that bulk order of cat litter” (it’s technically not saving money if you’re buying what you don’t need), but you also currently have 5 huge boxes sitting in your basement.
Communicate with each other when you need something and someone knows where it is, or everyone can help look: “The water filter needs to be replaced but I can’t find them. Has anyone seen the box of filters or have a clue where it is? Do we have any left? Help!”
This also means holding firm on your boundaries from well-intentioned family or friends who give you random gifts without consent, and asking explicitly what you need/want such as clutter-free gifts, experience gifts, or a donation to your favorite cause.
By the fresh staples you need (bread, fruit/veggies, milk etc) but skip everything nonessential. Take inventory of what’s in your pantry and use up what you have. Let go of “rules” for meals—have breakfast for dinner or mix flavor profiles or have a “leftovers” buffet. Finally crack open those canned goods, use the sauces you swore you needed, eat the snacks on snacks on snacks on snacks on snacks.
Resist the temptations of "you can’t beat this price” and use up the rest of that skin care product that you had to have.
Check on your medications/supplements and consolidate what’s not expired—use it up before you buy more. (If it’s an option, put a few extras in your drawer at work, your car, your purse, so you don’t need to buy more if you’re out.)
Force yourself to use up all those gift bags and blank cards you’ve been accumulating before purchasing new ones.
Light the candles you have and don’t buy more until they’ve been fully used up.
Take note of what people actually like and dislike. Notice what you have excess of (in my house, it’s honey) and why (my wife loves to support local businesses and my son loves dipping almost everything in it). Or, in my case, as Jess tells people publicly, “Kim has way too many books about clutter” lol. Use up the honey, donate (some of) the books. Give every category of things homes that are visible and intuitive to you and your family. Then you can take a quick visual inventory or snap an actual picture on your phone.
Actually do the laundry in entirety so everyone has easy access to their full inventory. Notice what each family member is wearing (and is not). Clear out old sizes, overly loved pieces, and not worn items to make getting dressed much quicker and tidying much easier. Talk to each other about your most treasured clothes and how you can mix and match to create different outfits with a few faves. Notice how we don’t need new, new, new all the time to switch up our look.
Unpack those DOOM bags. Take everything out of the reusable bags, the plastic totes, the junk drawers. Group similar items together and talk about where the best home is for that so everyone agrees on/knows where to go…when you need a new battery, when we run out of shampoo, when we need a tape measurer, etc. Erase the category of miscellaneous bins.
You know I have to say declutter. Get rid of the excess that’s making finding these items harder—break down the cardboard boxes, clear out the trash, toss anything obviously broken or toys missing parts, donate what your kids have outgrown or no one uses. Look for those easy-to-remove barriers to address that yield smoother daily routines.
Borrow. Do a clothing swap with friends or check in with fellow parents to see if anyone has extra jewelry making supplies for your tween. Ask to use your neighbor’s 6-ft ladder for a garage project. Go to the library—you can borrow tools, household items, music, movies, games, books, and more. If you print items maybe once a year, ask a friend if they could print it for you instead of buying a printer.
Feel inspired? You know you’ve got buried treasures (and literal cash!). Go get started…see what you already have, it’ll surprise and thrill you. You’ll see the benefits of excavating your own goods in the bank in no time, as well as some peace of mind in your home.
No judgment if you want/need help from a pro—it certainly goes faster and helps set up systems for your family that prevent clutter in the future. I’m just a shame-free call away.