3 Parallels Between Money and Clutter
Eye opening connections of money and clutter
Before I dug into the parallels between money and clutter I was absolutely certain of the connection and interrelatedness of the two. Once I sat down to brainstorm my ideas on the bridge between money and clutter, these three parallels came up right away. Let’s call them the 3 S’s of money and clutter.
Parallel between money and clutter #1: Shame
From my own personal experiences and the experiences of my client’s, the first parallel to note is shame. Shame connects money and clutter. Before I visit a tidying client to take a tour of their home, I make sure to explain to them that there is no need to tidy up before my arrival. This is met with some resistance because the client typically wants to get their home in order BEFORE I arrive because they are ashamed of the current state of their home.
Clutter causes shame because people hold onto the idea that their homes “should” look a certain way. They are embarrassed of not stopping the clutter before it became too unmanageable and they also often have shame related to asking for help when they think that they “should” be able to do the work themselves.
Money also creates a lot of shame for people especially when it comes to not having enough or having less than they want or expect of themselves. The word “should” also creeps up as well because people have expectations of having more money as it often signals wealth or “making it.” Paired with having financial debt and obligations, there is an overwhelming sense of shame that often paralyzes the individual from taking any action towards lowering their debt. I find the same to be true for shame brought on by clutter. The owner feels so stuck in their physical clutter that they are unable to take the first step towards tackling their stuff.
Parallel between money and clutter #2: Source of Stress
The next parallel I want to highlight is source of stress. If I were to ask what keeps you up at night, I wouldn’t be surprised to hear that it’s stress caused by money and stress caused by physical clutter. Both money and clutter cause an overwhelming amount of stress for people. Money issues exist whether the individual has a little or a lot and there is no doubt that the stress not only steals your joy, it steals our sleep as well.
I’ve seen clutter have the same effect on my clients. Physical clutter is a constant reminder of unfinished business and it acts as a major distraction in people’s lives. It’s no wonder that the stress related to clutter also causes anxiety. When we’re in our homes surrounding by visual noise, our eyes and minds have no empty space to land on to rest. It’s like our eyes and minds bounce around from cluttered spot to cluttered spot throughout the home. This becomes physically draining leaving us tired, stressed, and overwhelmed.
Parallel between money and clutter #3: Self-worth
The final S is self-worth. In our culture and society of materialism, the one with the most toys and money wins. Often times we connect our self-worth with how much we accumulate in this lifetime as well as how much money we have in the bank. When we’re younger, the kids with the most toys are the most popular. That doesn’t change with age. Even as adults the accumulation of stuff to measure our successes with is a sport and it also ties in with the concept of the American Dream. We are valued for having nice things like a fancy car, home and stuff in our homes. The same thing happens with money. Whether you have a little or a lot, our perception of ourselves and the perception of others of us is highly correlated to the amount of money we have. But we don’t walk around with our bank account balance affixed to our bodies. Instead many showcase our wealth through their stuff.
Even without the stuff or money we are already worthy and enough. I like to give an example of a newborn baby. They come into this world, naked without anything; no stuff and no money. Yet, a newborn baby is loved and no one questions that they are enough or worthy. The truth is, we don’t need all that clutter and stuff because we are truly already enough since the beginning at our birth.
Bonus Parallel
Shame, source of stress, and self-worth all clearly bridge the parallels between money and clutter. Writing this post led me to another parallel. The 4th bonus parallel is that stuff and money are both tools and resources. Let’s USE stuff and money instead of being CONSUMED by them both.
If you’re interested in learning more about the connection between money and clutter head to this blog post.
Tidy on and tidy strong, my friends!
Very true, very real vibes… keeping up with the Joneses’ doesn’t work for me anymore. Not does stress, shame, clutter and debt. I’ve gotten rid of the debt with a 847 credit score. I’ve begun to chip away at the clutter… it’s takes time, but I’ll get there.🙋
This is amazing Dorothy! So glad this resonates with you. I’m honored to go along on this journey with you!