Is your stuff taking over not only your home but also your budget. Here are some ways that too much stuff can get you stuck.
Let’s start with the obvious. If you buy a lot of stuff then you spend a lot of money. For the most part, less stuff means that you are spending less. Of course for the savvy, you can still acquire a lot of stuff without paying much or anything for it. There are so many ways to get stuff for free these days: freecycle.org, curb shopping, dumpster diving and signing up for free offers. Think this puts you in the clear from a frugal point of view? Think again. Too much stuff has other financial costs even without the original cost of purchase.
Maybe I am just scared straight from watching one too many episodes of hoarders (one lady paid for a total of six storage units each month for all of her extra stuff), but I can’t help but think about how all of that clutter costs us. The storage facilities are one example. She was spending money on storage, and you may be too, even if it is only paying for a larger home or a room that is used only for storage.
There are also many maintenance costs associated with stuff. It has to be cleaned, it has to be fixed, and it has to be upgraded. Sometimes you have to buy more stuff in order to make your original stuff worthwhile, such as video games for a video game system.
With too much stuff, it can be hard to appreciate it all. There just isn’t enough time to read all of those books, watch all of those movies or cook with all of those neat tools. You get left unsatisfied and tend to spend more. In contract, being able to have the breathing room to appreciate fewer things means that you are more likely to actually enjoy your possessions.