Un-Stuff Yourself
When is the last time you took a really hard look at the stuff you own? Have you ever stopped to think about the direct correlation between how much stuff you have (or want) and the health of your personal financial situation? In other words, is your desire for stuff wrecking your chances to pay down your debt or build up a respectable savings account?
If you aren’t sure if this applies to you, then ask yourself these questions:
1. Do you have boxes of stuff in your closets that you haven’t opened in years?
2. Do you pay to store a bunch of stuff at a storage facility?
3. Do you have so much stuff in your garage that you can’t park your car in it?
4. Do you have clothes in your closet that you haven’t worn in years and will probably never wear again?
Not only does an abundance of useless stuff within your home create an uncomfortable and chaotic environment to live in, but it also indicates a problem with putting your focus on the real financial issues you should be concentrating on. Sure, a game console with all the snazzy accessories and games can be a lot of fun, but are you saving for retirement? A closet stuffed with clothing can come in quite handy when you’re trying to find something stylish to wear, but do you have high interest credit card debt that is spiraling out of control?
Where are your financial priorities?
Consumers are encouraged to spend, spend, spend and to accumulate all the stuff they can get their hands on. This is a dangerous pattern to fall into because while it’s okay to buy things it shouldn’t be your first priority. For the health of your personal finances, you should first be concerned about paying down your debt and saving some money and then you can start to think about all the fun things you want to buy.
By the way, if you aren’t sure if your home is indeed packed to the gills with stuff, ask yourself this question: If your home burned down to the ground tomorrow, what would you actually miss the most? Chances are you would mourn the loss of photographs and other sentimental items but might not turn too much attention toward the rug in the dining room or the under-the-counter stereo in the kitchen. To put it simply, if you are an average consumer, it’s probably a safe assumption that you have too much stuff.
Rid yourself of the mentality that you have to buy-buy-buy and you’ll find that your personal finances start to improve for the better.
Perhaps you can begin with a huge garage sale as your starting point to ridding yourself of all your excess stuff and bring in a little cash while you’re at it?
For more information regarding un-stuffing yourself, check out Simple Living America.
