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Episode 236 - Stuff Struggles Confronting Clutter and Chaos

In a world filled with material possessions and the constant pursuit of more, the concept of more is less has risen as a beacon of light, offering a path to decluttering our lives and finding true happiness. Today, we join Brad Nelson on his journey towards intentional living, debt freedom, and ultimate peace through the power of decluttering. 

 

The Revelation of Clutter 

Preparing to sell my house became a pivotal moment of realization. Despite thinking we had decluttered before moving in three years ago, the process of sorting through possessions opened my eyes to the excess I still held onto. From kitchen gadgets to clothes, the abundance of unused items was staggering. 

Tips for Intentional Living 

  1. Assess Needs vs. Wants: Before making a purchase, evaluate if it aligns with your priorities and adds value to your life, helping you avoid unnecessary expenses.
  2. Create a Shopping List: Make a list of needed items to prevent impulse buying and stay within budget. 
  3. Set Spending Limits: Allocate specific amounts for different categories to curb wasteful spending and build financial stability.  
  4. Practice the One In, One Out Rule: For each new item, consider letting go of another to prevent clutter accumulation.  
  5. Regular Decluttering: Dedicate time to declutter living spaces, freeing up room and simplifying life. 
  6. Sentimental Items: Be mindful of sentimental possessions, display them to reduce clutter and cherish meaningful memories. 
  7. Gratitude Practice: Cultivate a mindset of gratitude for your belongings, focusing on what you have rather than what you lack. 

Conclusion: A Life of Intention 

By embracing less is more, intentional purchases, and regular decluttering, you can simplify your life, reduce stress, and align your surroundings with your values and priorities. Remember, it's about being deliberate in acquiring and maintaining your belongings rather than seeking endless accumulation. 

If you're ready to embark on your journey to financial freedom and intentional living, join me at Debt Free Dad for a workshop that will transform your finances in just 30 to 60 days. Visit debtfreedad.com and take the first step towards a clutter-free and purposeful life. 

Resources Mentioned

Get better results with your finances in 30-60 days - GUARANTEED. Watch this video to learn how! - https://www.debtfreedad.com/payoff-debt-in-60-to-90-days 

Free Tools and Downloads at www.debtfreedad.com

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Episode Transcript: 

Brad:  

Hey guys. So today we are embarking on a journey to declutter our lives and shop with some purpose. Now, whether you're drowning in belongings or just tired of the clutter creeping up, we're here to explore how being more intentional with your purchases can actually lead to a happier, more organized existence and less financial stress. Hey, I'm Brad Nelson, founder of Debt Free Dad. I've paid off about $45,000 of debt. I have been debt free now for more than 11 years, outside of my mortgage, and I've also helped thousands of other people save and pay off tens of millions of dollars with the work that we do here at Debt Free Dad. Now, after listening to this episode, if you want to take your finances to the next level, if you want to get better results in, say, just 30 to 60 days, I'm going to be sharing some information about how you can get started here later on in this episode. Now I'm getting ready to sell my house.

Brad:  

Now, to get you up to speed a little bit, I sadly lost my spouse to suicide, and this has been well over a year ago now, and during this past year I have not made any huge financial decisions in my life, and when you're going through something like that, you're not always thinking clearly. So I wanted to wait a bit to get my head back in, get my emotions straight, and it really became apparent that the longer that we stayed here between me and my kids, we really just wanted a fresh start. So we are putting our house up for sale. So over the last three to four months I've been getting ready to sell my house. Now here's the thing I just moved into this house about three years ago and we decluttered At least I thought we decluttered a ton before we moved here, until I started going through all of the things and deciding what I was going to keep and what I was going to get rid of. And, you guys, I was blown away. Now I'm debt free, I feel like I've got a good handle on my spending, but I couldn't believe the amount of stuff that I still had that I had hardly used in the last three years that we've been here and I feel like I don't even really have that much stuff, but I was still just. It was just eyeopening what I've donated, what I've sold, what I've thrown away from kitchen gadgets to tools, to lawn care equipment, to clothes, to toys, to just random stuff that I thought I just needed in that moment. Right, it's just sitting there collecting dust.

Brad:  

So in today's short episode, I just want to encourage you if you haven't done this in a while seriously take a moment and take a look around at your home and intentionally look at the stuff that you have. Open your closets, open up your basement storage containers, open up bins, check out the garage, check out the shed, open up the kitchen cabinets and then think about how often you're using all of that stuff. This can immediately help you stop spending more money on a bunch of stuff, because you're gonna realize, like holy crap, I've got a lot of stuff. And, by the way, if you feel sick when you start doing this, don't worry, I did too. Now I also want to provide you with some tips that helped me over the years and again, I'm not perfect at following these, obviously, because I'm collecting stuff still right but I need to recommit to this. But I really wanted to share with you what I've learned by doing this to hopefully help you reduce a lot of wasteful spending in your life. So tip number one is just assess your needs versus your wants. Now, before making any purchases, ask yourself is this something I truly need or just something that I want, and consider how that item is going to add value to your life, whether it aligns with your priorities or your goals. Being mindful of your needs versus wants can really help you avoid a lot of unnecessary purchases and a lot of wasteful spending in your life.

Brad:  

Number two, easy tip, but a lot of us miss it Create a shopping list. You know, make a list of the items that you need before you go shopping, whether it's groceries, clothing, household items. Stick to the list as much as you possibly can to avoid those impulse buys. This can help you stay focused on your purchasing and stay focused on keeping to your budget. And, speaking of budgets, set some spending limits in your life. Establish spending limits for different categories so that you can stay within your budget and build an emergency fund, pay off debt and really improve your finances. Allocate a certain amount of money for groceries, entertainment, clothing and stick to those items. This can prevent a lot of impulse purchases and, again, a lot of wasteful spending. This is a great tip, but practice the one in, one out rule.

Brad:  

Now, for every item that you bring into your home, consider getting rid of another item. This is going to prevent a lot of clutter from building up over time, and it also encourages you to be more selective about the things that you're actually acquiring and buying. Before purchasing something, ask yourself, hey, am I willing to give up this in order to have this? The next step is just declutter regularly. Set aside some time on a regular basis just to declutter your living spaces. Go through your belongings and identify items that no longer serve a purpose or just bring you joy. Donate, sell or recycle these items to free up space and simplify your life. Regular decluttering can help you prevent a lot of clutter from accumulating over the years.

Brad:  

The next one's more emotional and it's hard, but be mindful of sentimental items. Now, while sentimental items can hold special memories, they can also contribute clutter if not managed carefully. So take time to assess with you know which, which sentimental items are really meaningful to you and the ones that really bring you joy, and then consider you know, do I display these rather than store them to reduce more of the clutter?

Brad:  

This next tip I love, because it's so important to financial freedom, is practicing gratitude.

Brad:  

So cultivate a mindset of gratitude for the things that you already have. Take time to appreciate your belongings and the thing, especially the ones that bring value to you, because the more you focus on the things that you already have, the less likely you are to focus on things that you don't have and you're going to make much better purchasing decisions. So by being intentional with your purchases and decluttering regularly, you can simplify your life, reduce stress, create space that reflects your values and your priorities. Remember, it's not about depriving yourself of things that you enjoy, but rather about being thoughtful and deliberate and how you acquire and maintain your belongings. So listen, if decluttering is your thing and also getting out of debt is your thing, I've got a great little workshop for you. It's going to help you take control of your finances and get you amazing results in just the next 30 to 60 days. Head over to debtfreedad. com. Click on the green button at the top of the page and I'll show you how to get started in this quick video.

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