Loading ...Frugal Living and Cluttered Living
If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS blog feed. Also check out more information on how FFL got started. Thanks for visiting!
This message will go away after 3 visits.
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.
If you have more to say and would rather write a guest post on this, let me know.
+Meg wrote a good response to this: Re: Frugal living and cluttered living
My wife and I have been grappling with this problem — it chafes me to spend good money on something that we’ve purchased before and discarded. She’s more of a de-clutter person, and she’s right that if we haven’t used something for 2 or 3 or 10 years, and there is no immediate prospect for using it again, we should probably get rid of it since the cost of storing/maintaining it probably exceeds the cost of replacement.
February 13th, 2008 at 12:01 pmThanks for the link love!
February 13th, 2008 at 3:44 pmI suppose you can be frugal if all your clutter came out of a dumpster. My moms house is full of clutter, but she was no where near frugal in acquiring it all.
Dawn’s note: That is one of the possible scenarios.
February 13th, 2008 at 5:59 pmWhat about living as a minimalist, and only buying what you really need (and will use often)? For example, limit your wardrobe, only have 1 or two sets of dishes, one blanket, one or two bathroom towels, etc. Or is that too drastic?
Dawn’s Note: I wouldn’t consider that drastic at all, some might, but it comes down to what YOU are comfortable with.
February 13th, 2008 at 9:01 pmI love this post. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve felt guilty if I knew that I could use it, but I got tired of dealing with it until that time presented itself. I find that if I get a big collection of stuff its time for a spring cleaning. To feel less guilt, I look to area resources to donate, recycle, or sell. Green Living doesn’t have to mean saving everything, its all about conscious consumption.
Dawn’s Note: That is a set of perfect words, conscious consumption.
February 13th, 2008 at 9:58 pmMy husband’s habit of saving things can come in handy but what drives me crazy is that he KNOWS he has a certain item but he has no idea where it is! To me why save it if you have no idea where to find it? I’m the exact opposite, if I dont think I will need it I immediately get rid of it. Oh yeah, and if it is mine I know exactly where to find it!
February 14th, 2008 at 6:51 amI know this clutter problem only too well. I live in a very small terraced house in London and if you don’t get rid of things you don’t need i would soon find it difficult to find the frionmt door and the clutter would be just too horrible to live with.
February 14th, 2008 at 8:06 amI make a point of only buying what i need and selling or giving to cahrity stores anything i don’t. Keep things simple and you soon see just how little you actually need.
I try and live with as little as possible. Maybe I do pay for garbage bags, but I think they are better since they are stronger than the ones you would get from the grocery store, no holes, no clutter, etc.
I try and keep a balance, and give away to friends whatever I don’t want / need; but try not to waste anything.
-r
February 15th, 2008 at 11:07 am