3 ways decluttering can make you money! #96

Want to know how organizing your stuff could make you money?
I'm Caroline Thor, and in my new podcast episode, I'm going to show you how decluttering can lead to finding valuable stuff you didn't even know you had.

Ever thought there might be something valuable hidden in your clutter? Well, guess what? There probably is! Join me as we search through our homes for hidden treasures and cool finds.

But it's not just about finding amazing stuff—it's about making money from it too. I'll teach you easy ways to tidy up your home fast and turn those unwanted things into cash. From selling online to having a garage sale, I'll share tips to help you make the most money.

Feeling overwhelmed by all your stuff? Don't worry! I'll help you figure it out. With my help, you'll clean up your clutter and feel like you have more space and money.

So, are you ready to clean up your home and find some cash? Come join me on this adventure, and let's make your home—and your wallet—happier together!

Join the Living Clutter Free Forever Facebook group here!

Thanks for listening! For more organizational motivation, support and free resources:
Join my podcast Facebook group Living Clutter Free Forever Podcast: KonMari® Inspired Organizing | Facebook
Visit my website www.caroline-thor.com
Come and say 'hi' on Instagram @caro.thor
Follow me on Facebook @carolineorganizer
Join my online membership Clutter Free Collective

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:27

Hi there, I'm Caroline Thor, professional organiser, konmari consultant, teacher and mum of three. I started off my life as a mum feeling overwhelmed, disorganised and desperately trying to carve out some time for me amongst the nappies, chaos and clutter. One day, one small book called the Life-Changing Magic of Tidying changed everything and I began to learn strategies for making everyday life easier. Today I have the systems in place that means life can throw almost anything at me, and I want to share them with you. If you're an overwhelmed mum struggling to keep it together, then this is the podcast for you. Grab a coffee and settle in for a quick chat with someone who gets your reality. Hello and welcome back to the latest episode of the Living Clutter-Free Forever podcast.

Speaker 1: 1:29

I'm Caroline Thor and I'm a KonMari consultant and professional organizer. Now, if you've been following this podcast for the last few weeks, you will know it's been crazy time, with me launching my latest session for my group coaching program, clutter Free Ever After. So those doors closed at the weekend and I'm really excited to get started with my new group to see them decluttering and organizing their homes with my support over the next six weeks. So that's going to be really, really fun. But one thing that came up quite a bit while I was going through the launch of the program was this idea of how decluttering and organizing your home can actually give you financial freedom, and I think it's something that a lot of people really don't understand how huge the impact of decluttering and organizing your home can be on your wallet. So I wanted to talk a bit more about that today and share with you how organizing your space can lead to a healthier bank account, which just sounds totally counterintuitive, but it is really true. So first of all, let's start off by thinking about the fact that you may have hidden treasures in your clutter. I had a client on my last run of Clutterfree Ever After and one day she very excitedly posted in the Facebook group that she had found amongst her belongings a Hermes scarf, and when she'd gone onto Etsy to have a look, this particular scarf was selling for two thousand dollars. Now she chose not to sell it because she loves it. It sparks joy for her, she wants to wear it and she wants to have it passed down to her children in case they would like to have it. But had had she chosen to sell it if it wasn't an item that sparked joy for her $2,000.

Speaker 1: 3:37

And so many of us are sitting on things that could actually make us quite a bit of money. My son has actually proved this to me in the last week my 11-year-old in the last week, my 11 year old. He has quite an incredible collection of Pokemon cards and to me they're just little bits of card, don't have any meaning. I have no emotional attachment to them. They annoy me because he leaves them lying around everywhere. But he managed to persuade me to set up an account for him on an online selling platform for Pokemon cards. Yes, these things do exist and he, during his Easter holidays, has been putting Pokemon cards up for sale and we have been checking every day. I've been having to support him with this. He has made 50 euros already this week selling Pokemon cards. It blows my mind.

Speaker 1: 4:36

So we have these hidden treasures that could be tucked away at the back of a garage or hidden in your loft and they're gathering dust. They could be your ticket to some extra cash. So by decluttering and selling unused or unwanted items, we not only clear physical space, but we also could potentially be padding our wallets, which is just an amazing thing. So places you can sell these days, as I just said with the example of the Pokemon cards. There are so many online marketplaces where you can sell, and there are, for nearly every item, a very specific online marketplace that you can find for that particular type of item.

Speaker 1: 5:25

I have a client in my membership at the moment who's been doing garage sales to get rid of things and make some money before she moves. Or you could take things to consignment shops where they're going to sell them for you and you are given a percentage of what they make when they sell them. There is real value potentially in the things that we no longer need, and so I would say to you just be aware of where in your home you might be sitting on a gold mine and that particular item is taking up space. It's just making your home a storage unit at the moment. So, rather than paying for keeping it in terms of the space it takes away, why not sell it and make some money? And I have had clients who have made so much money selling items when I've been working with them that it's actually ended up paying for a session for me being there. So you can then use this money to support you in other areas, perhaps say, for a holiday, whatever it might be Okay. So that's the first thing. We could be sitting on a goldmine.

Speaker 1: 6:34

The second thing I would like to mention is how mindful consumption can actually end up saving you money. So let's just think for a minute about the power of mindful consumption. What do I mean by that? So how many times have you made an impulse, impulse purchase only to realize later you didn't really need or want that item? Now I am historically very bad at doing this, since I applied the KonMari method in our home. That has all stopped, but historically I was really bad at impulse buying. The worst thing ever was I came home with an incredibly large pool for the back garden, one of these ones that you inflate and then it takes litres and litres and litres of water to fill the thing, and then actually you end up needing some sort of filter system because it's too much water to empty it out every day, and then you need stuff to keep the water clean anyway.

Speaker 1: 7:40

Long story short, it was an impulse buy. It was an expensive impulse buy because I came home with just the pool, not all the other stuff, and not only that, it actually took up the whole of the grass space in our tiny back garden that we had at the time. So my husband was not amused about this, but having bought it, he then felt we needed to use it, did the research which I should have done prior to purchasing it, realised we needed all this other stuff to go with it, and ended up spending so much more money on a filter system, a cover for it, the cleaning tablets, all the stuff. So that was an impulse buy that actually we hardly ever used, because it was just such a pain to set up and keep running. And when we moved house four years ago, I decided I was not going to take this pool with us and I sold it, and of course, I didn't make back as much money as I'd given out for everything. But it meant that I had cleared the space, I wasn't having to move house with it, and it was something that I had to say. Okay, that was a mistake, I spent a lot of money on that and that was a mistake.

Speaker 1: 8:54

But this was prior to KonMari, and since then I really have stopped impulse buying, because what I think now is do I need this item in our home? Does it spark joy for me? Do I love it so much I need to see it every day, or I would want to wear it every day, whatever the item is. And when you approach your shopping with that attitude, it really makes you think twice before you buy something, and because of that you save so much money. So by adopting more intentional approach to shopping, we can save significant amounts of money in the long run. So before hitting that buy now button and it's so easy online we all get sucked into these things online before we reach for our wallets in store as well, ask ourselves if the purchase aligns with our values and needs. Does it spark joy for us? Because by curbing unnecessary spending, we can direct those funds towards our financial goals. So maybe you have a goal that you want to do an amazing once-in-a-lifetime holiday with the family. By curbing your spending on impulse buys and things that actually you don't really need, you are going to reach your financial goals much, much more quickly Now.

Speaker 1: 10:21

I know from experience now with working with so many clients, that it can often be the case that people who have an ADHD diagnosis are more prone to impulse buying, and very often it will be because they forget that they have got that item already, will see it online, think, oh, that looks great. Click and before you know it, amazon's delivering and you end up with double, sometimes even triple, as in the case of some of my clients of items that actually you already have or you don't really need. So what I would recommend and this is something I've applied with some clients and it's just so much fun is when you are about to click, when you're about to click that button online and buy that item, stop. Think to yourself do I really need this item? And, instead of buying it, look at the amount it costs. Say it costs $50. Have a saving account and, instead of buying it, transfer that $50 into a saving account. Have a fund going for your financial goals, whatever that might be, and, rather than impulse buying, transfer that money into a saving account. So you lose the money anyway, but you haven't actually lost it, because you're putting it towards something else, and the motivation of seeing that saving account grow from money that you would otherwise have spent on items that you didn't really need is so powerful and it will help you stick to your goal of not impulse buying. So that's my top tip.

Speaker 1: 12:12

Okay, now another thing that I think is worth worth mentioning, and this is sort of my final point for this episode today is quality over quantity. Sometimes it is better to invest in something that costs a little bit more that will last, than having to keep repeat buying something because it doesn't last, because the quality was cheap and it breaks or it falls apart or it doesn't wash well, whatever the thing is. In a world where fast fashion and disposable goods reign supreme, quite frankly, investing in high quality, long lasting items may seem counterintuitive. However, by opting for fewer but better made possessions, we can actually save money over time. So you think about that top that you buy that costs three euros and because it doesn't wash well, you end up having to replace the top in a couple of months because it's starting to look awful. And then the same thing happens again. You're in this cycle of having to buy new clothes because they're starting to look really terrible and you can't wear them anymore. Perhaps if you had invested in a much higher quality, more expensive item, you would still be wearing it in two, three years time, and actually the money you've spent on it will end up being less than all these cheap replacement items you would have needed to buy. So by opting for fewer but better made possessions, we can save money over time.

Speaker 1: 13:58

Quality items typically now I know it's not always the case but typically withstand the test of time, reducing the need for frequent replacements and repairs, and they often will retain their value better, so that if further down the line, you decide you do want to sell the item, you're more likely to get a good price for it, and it's also better for the environment and I'm all about things being better for the environment. It's better to buy one item that lasts us for 10 years than every year buying new items and putting everything into the landfill. So quality over quantity can make a huge difference not only to your wallet but also to the environment. Huge difference not only to your wallet but also to the environment. So decluttering for financial freedom isn't just about tidying up our spaces. It's also got to do with transforming our relationship with money and our possessions.

Speaker 1: 15:04

Now, this has been a really short episode, but I hope you found it insightful and I hope you found it inspiring that you will perhaps think twice now before you part with your money in a shop or click that button online. So let's just quickly recap. The first is that you could have hidden treasure in your clutter. Have a look and see if there's anything you can sell to make some money. The second point was to be mindful about consumption. So do you really need that item? And perhaps you're going to save money by not buying things you don't need? And then, third and final point was quality over quantity. Perhaps invest a little bit more in an item that is going to last. It's better for you, on your pocket and also for the environment.

Speaker 1: 15:59

I would love to continue supporting you with your decluttering and organizing journey, so please do come and join me in the Living Clutter Free Forever podcast Facebook group. It's rapidly growing and it's a really fun space to be in, and there's always extra tips and tricks to do with the episode that's coming out. So click the link in the show notes and come and join me in the Facebook group. I would love to see you there. Until next time, if you've enjoyed this episode, please send the link to a friend you know would appreciate it, subscribe and leave a review. I look forward to bringing you more organising tips next time, but if you can't wait until then, you can go to my website or find me on Instagram, at carothor, or on facebook at carolineorganizer, thanks for listening and I look forward to guiding you on your journey to find your clutter free ever after.