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StitcherClutter costs a lot of money and can tremendously affect people’s lives more than we realize, and Ingrid Jansen has seen it all. Letting go of what you don’t need frees up space, time, and resources to focus on what truly matters. In this episode, we’re discussing how to define clutter, understand how to get rid of it, and explore its impact on your finances and life.
You can’t go overnight and change all of the habits that have been ingrained to you.
Sponsors:
- Half-used. Sort of like a glass-half-full optimistic outlook, only much different. When the olive oil, shampoo, condiments in the fridge, and cleaning products under the sink are half-used and we’re at a crossroads in decision-making: should I buy more just cuz? OR should I make it FULL used and minimize waste? We’ll learn from Ingrid the right answer to that one. BUT for now, if you want your money to only be half-used and potentially earn some interest try a high-yield savings account – we like CIT for their current 4.05% APY at frugalfriendspodcast.com/CIT
Check out some relevant episodes
Ingrid Jansen is one half of the Declutter Hub. She and Lesley Spellman are the UK’s leading authority on decluttering and organising your home.
The Price Of Clutter
Ingrid has worked with many people and has seen the impact that having a lot of clutter can have on their lives and finances. Clutter creates so much chaos in people’s homes that it can affect their overall well-being. While many assume that those with a lot of clutter spend less money, that’s often not the case. In fact, people with clutter tend to spend more money because they often can’t find what they need in the chaos.
Changing Lives With Decluttering
One of the members of Ingrid’s Declutter Hub decided to follow the process and plan of decluttering they shared. The last tip in the process is you have to do your paperworkㅡyou don’t start with it because it can be difficult. You have to have the other areas in your house under your control before you deal with the paperwork, and this member did. She found her insurance documents, such as for her car and home. While doing so, she compared car insurance prices and saved £450. There are so many amazing things we can unravel in decluttering!
Baby Steps to Declutter
Start small. You need to start somewhere easier, and usually, the kitchen is a more accessible place to start because you already have plenty of cupboards for you to utilize. Then, use what you have by gathering all your things or supplies and see what you already have. It’s incredible when we realize how much of the stuff we buy we already have. Start shopping from home as it creates awareness, which will help change your clutter mindset.
Declutter. Organize. Storage.
Social media bombards us with these aesthetically pleasing organizing videos with beautiful storage but Ingrid is here to tell us that you don’t need to have a lot of spares and storage with engraved labels! Decluttering comes first before organizing then comes the storage. When we see these containers we usually think we should buy them to become organized but it should be the other way around, you have to be super organized to have a beautiful pantry with plenty of storage boxes or containers.
What are the most embarrassing things you've discovered when decluttering?
- Ingrid: Ingrid is thankful that she grew up close to Amsterdam. She has come across some interesting items in her lifetime, including one instance where she opened a bed drawer and thought to herself, “Hmm… that’s not for me!”
- Jill: Jill was used to moving and arranging her things along with it, so one day, she came across one of her middle school journals and she felt embarrassment creep up in her!
- Jen: When Jen was cleaning her packet drawer, she found an open packet that had made the other packets gross.
Get more from Ingrid
Bill of The Week
Thank you Ingrid for sharing your bill about a restaurant chain called ‘Bills’ in the UK!
Thanks so Much for Listening!
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Totally relatable
I truly love listening to this podcast. It’s sensible doable not-radical ways of thinking about money. It has rejuvenated my appreciation for what I have and the potential of what I can have.
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