How to Declutter Your Life… And Fill Up Your Wallet!

Ten years ago, Japanese minimalism took the world by storm – and an organizing consultant Marie Kondo had a lot to do with that. It all began with a book called The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, which was translated into multiple languages all around the world and later followed by others, as well as a Netflix show. In fact, her second show called Sparking Joy with Marie Kondo is premiering on the video streaming platform this very month!

Kondo talks about how to declutter your life, learn to live with fewer material things and keep your home tidy and organized a lot easier. However, there are additional advantages to living the minimalist lifestyle – and one of them is a chance to save more money than ever before. If you’re looking for an explanation of how this works exactly… We’ve got 5!

1. The higher your bar for new purchases, the less you spend

The main idea of Marie Kondo’s teaching is to hold every individual thing you own in your hands, think about it, and decide whether this one sparks joy for you or not. If it doesn’t, it doesn’t belong in your life – or your home!

It might feel strange at first, but once you get used to the practice, it becomes way easier to shop, too: you don’t spend your time and energy on buying things that you know won’t last or ones that won’t make you happier. By replacing ‘This one will do’ with ‘This one sparks joy’, you will become a lot more thoughtful about your purchases – and spend less money than ever before!

2. The less you have, the less you spend on maintenance

Even before they discover Japanese minimalism, most people are conscious about unnecessary stuff taking up space in their home – however, they rarely ever take the time and money that goes into maintaining them into account.

Unfortunately, many things require regular maintenance, even when they’re not used on a regular basis. Electronics need to have their software updated, mechanics must be lubricated, and leather shoes must be waxed! By re-examining what you have in your rooms and closets, you’re likely to lighten the load of the upkeep – and save money every year.

3. The more things you don’t need anymore, the more you can sell

If you get serious about Japanese minimalism and don’t just throw away absolute junk, you’ll find yourself with a lot of stuff that’s still in pretty good shape, even though you don’t need it anymore. Why not sell it and earn an extra buck?

Things like event dresses, books, niche kitchen appliances (like veggie spiralizers – we just had to go through that phase, huh?) are often used once or twice and spend the rest of their lives untouched. Use Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, or local online groups to place free ads (or even organize a good old-fashioned yard sale if you have the outside space!), say goodbye to the stuff you don’t need, and get money for more thoughtful buys in the future!

4. The better you know what you own, the less you double-spend

We’ve all been there: we can’t find the duct tape, we go buy some, and find three other rolls at home the following week. The more things you own, the easier it is to lose track of everything… which is precisely how a lot of us end up with 37 forks at some point in our lives.

As you learn how to declutter your life, you will first have to reinspect everything you already own. Prepare for surprises and unexpected discoveries! Learning what you already have and where exactly everything is stored will allow you to avoid buying doubles in the future. Re-examining your stuff on a regular basis would be ideal – and once you declutter properly, it won’t even take much time.

5. The less time you waste tidying up, the more you can earn

What is the main reason behind your decision to learn how to declutter your life? The majority of people would answer this question with the simplest of truths: they don’t want to waste their valuable time organizing, cleaning, and dusting – and the less you have, the quicker you finish. In addition to that, having more free time can be a perfect opportunity to take up a side hustle or explore passive income streams.

The problem most people face when trying to boost their income is the lack of time to really research and discover their options. More often than not, they assume it’s going to be really time-consuming, require additional training, or include other hurdles. However, once you learn how to declutter your life and find a few free extra hours in your week, you have more time to sit down, do your homework… and see earning money can actually be effortless!

One of the best examples is the Honeygain app, which pays you free money for simply sharing your Internet connection with its world-leading web intelligence network. Once you download and install the app on your device, all you have to do is run it and gather Honeygain credits that can later be exchanged for cash or JumpToken! Curious to give it a try? Sign up by clicking the button below and collect $5 worth of free credits as a starting gift!