Does Frugal Living mean Cluttered Living?
In order for us to live a more frugal life and live below our means it requires that we re-use items instead of going out to buy something new. However, does that mean that our frugalness causes us to live in a cluttered house?
There are many uses for bread bags, shower curtains, plastic containers, glass jars and so on. But does that mean that we have to keep it all. Will the guilt be to much to bear if we throw away one or five? What is a good number of items to keep for re-use? Is it three, five or one?
It is true that before you toss something you want to pause and ask yourself’¦
- Can this item be fixed?
- Can this item be re-used in a new way?
- Can this item be donated to someone else?
But still the question arises, how long do we need to hold onto things? Do we apply the 6-12 month rule of non-use to determine that we throw it or give it away?
I believe there is a very fine line between frugal living or even green living and living a VERY cluttered life. There are people who don’t know where to draw that line, because they live in it and it builds ever so slowly around them. There are others who seem to be able to keep all that they need and get rid of the rest without trouble.
How would you answer these questions? To start, at what point do you draw the line when things move into the clutter area? Can you lead a cluttered life and still be frugal?
Perhaps you haven’t even considered it’¦ let us know what you do to separate frugal living and cluttered living.
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Dawn C. is site owner of Frugalforlife.com where this is a repost from: Frugal Living and Cluttered Living. Dawn is residing in Colorado with her spouse, Teri, of 11 years.
Photo credit: stock.xchng.
I will admit clutter, what some people might call clutter anyway, is a big problem for those of us who are trying to live frugally.
Sometimes its not hating to throw things away “just in case” its the stockpiling of things that you will use that are on sale or only come in what I call “Institutional Size” (sometimes your friends think you should be Institutionalized for buying a package that big..}:D ) but its the only way to get it at a reasonably decent price.
Can you say “SAMS, Costco, BJ’s”????
Classic example is Toilet Paper…not terribly expensive but Bulky.
Should you spend $3 a week at the grocery store for a 4 roll package or spend $30 to buy a 72 roll case at the Warehouse Club that will last you Six months…(75 cents a roll compared to 41.7 cents for those who can’t do the math..}:~>)???
You WILL end up using it, but just where do you store it??? Would your friends think you’re crazy and call it “Clutter” because if they opened the cupboard under the sink its packed full of toilet paper??
The same goes for Foodstuffs…but in the old days (grandparents) everyone had a Pantry or Root Cellar or both. Only the most expensive homes today have a walk-in Pantry leaving you to store that 8 pack of green beans from SAMS in a bin under the bed.
Maybe the space that would have been devoted to such storage in the past has been given over to housing the Home Theatre with Surround Sound.
~ Roland
Dawn: At one point when I was writing for BlogHer, I interviewed The Thoughtful Consumer and this is what she had to say about clutter:
I read somewhere that when you hang on to things, you stop the flow of abundance in your life. Do you agree that clutter can be a negative force, financial or otherwise in our lives?
Good stuff!!
“Does Frugal Living mean Cluttered Living?â€
Not if you’re doing it right. Being frugal is about being conscious about what you buy, consume, and get rid of. If you use canvas grocery bags, for instance, you are preventing innumerable plastic bags from showing up in your life (and filling up your junk drawer). You aren’t directly saving money in that example, but you are saving space and trouble (“what do I do with all these $%@#@ plastic bags?”).
Another great frugal strategy is investing in one quality item for multiple uses (in other words, BEWARE of GADGETS). If you have a decent kitchen knife, you can also use it to cut pizza; if you have a toaster oven, you can use it for toast as well as broiling and even baking (small things). No need for a pizza cutter or additional pop-up toaster – that’s both frugal and space-saving.
The end result of frugality is more time, energy, space and money for what you really value in your life.