6 Messy Habits That Are Costing You Money
Having excess stuff in your life could be costing you money.
Don’t believe me? Read on for the six reasons why. If you’ve been looking for some motivation to tidy up – this blog is for you!
1. You waste time looking for lost items
The average person spends 6.5 months of their lives – or 5,000 hours – looking for lost stuff. All that running around looking for car keys, wallet or whatever it is you tend to lose takes up valuable time.
Think of what you could achieve in 6.5 months! 6.5 months worth of salary could go a long way and as a bonus, you’ll avoid mad panic in the mornings and show up at work on time and in a calmer frame of mind.
2. You waste money replacing lost items
While the opportunity cost of losing an item is one thing, the replacement cost is a whole added expense. Whether it’s a new drink bottle or set of car keys, replacing lost items adds up and can get expensive. Lets face it, it’s wasted money!
In short – if you’re untidy, you’ll lose things more easily and waste more time and money as a result.
3. You have to pay more for storage space
If you have a lot of clutter and mess in your life, you’ll require more space. More cupboards to store stuff. A bigger home to display stuff. A bigger garage to keep extra stuff – more rooms to shove stuff in and close the door! (I’ve seen a few of those).
I’ve even met people who pay for storage lockers to keep stuff they don’t have space for at home. And when real estate is often the single most expensive thing in a family budget, it’s crazy how much we waste on space for excess stuff.
4. It costs more to clean a messy space
The messier a space, the harder and longer it takes to clean. Clothes scattered on the floor makes vacuuming harder. Large wardrobes means large piles of washing. Cluttered cabinets collect dust.
Messy habits = More cleaning, more cleaning products and if a housecleaner is employed – more money out of your budget.
5. You will miss opportunites
Clutter causes stress. People who live in messier homes are more prone to stress and more susceptible to inadequate sleep, depression and poor mental health. Stress is taxing on our health, and when we are unwell we don’t perform at our best.
Sure some stress is temporary and the outcome results in benefits, like finishing a university paper, or presenting your work in front of an audience. But stress induced by living in clutter has no positives. The money spent on therapy, days off work or missed opportunities induced by clutter is a waste in its purest form.
6. You’ll probably spend more on holidays
A messy home probably doesn’t make the idea of a staycation appealing. In fact the more cluttered a home, the more likely it is you’ll want to escape!
Now I’m not suggesting that tidy people don’t ever feel the need to go on holiday, I’m just noting that the messier your home, the higher the likelihood you’ll want to whip out the credit card and take the next available flight. When a bedroom is sprawled with clutter, the desire to splurge on an expensive hotel room for a romantic night away is high!
So there you have it, six reasons why mess is costing you money. Or better yet, six reasons to get tidy – now!
