6 Reasons Why Mess Is Costing You Money (2024)

We tend to think about the financial cost of clutter and mess when we throw things away. Discarding perfectly good items you have never used is a cold reminder of how much money is going to the op shop. Yet the cost of mess goes beyond the money spent on items never used. Living a messy life could be costing you more than you think!

If you’ve been looking for some motivation to tidy up – this blog is for you!

Here are six reasons why messy habits are draining your hip pocket.

1. You waste time looking for lost items

The average person spends 6.5 months of their lives – or 5,000 hours – looking for lost stuff. All that running around looking for keys, wallets or passwords (oh boy the time spent resetting passwords) is lost time. Whatever it is you tend to lose, looking for it takes up valuable time - months in fact.

Think of what you could achieve in 6.5 months. Over half a year towards building your brand, your career, your side hustle or just generally just de-stressing yourself. If time is money, then the mess is not your friend.

2. You waste money replacing lost items

While the opportunity cost of losing an item is one thing, the replacement cost is a whole added expense. Whether it’s a new drink bottle or your engagement ring, replacing lost items adds up and can get expensive. Let's face it, it’s wasted money!

In short - if you’re untidy, you’ll lose things more easily and end up wasting more time and money as a result.



3. You have to pay more for storage space

“The things you own end up owning you”. This line from Fight Club basically sums up the theme of clutter and cost. The more stuff we have, the more space we need, and the more it costs us. And with real estate often the single most expensive thing in a family budget, it’s crazy how much we waste on space for excess stuff.

Often we feel like a bigger home, more cupboards or an extra storage unit is the answer. Yet 95% of the time we just need less. Believe me, I see it all the time, the messiest families spend thousands of dollars trying to manage it.

Read 10 Easy Ways to Start Becoming a Minimalist.

4. It costs more to clean a messy home

The messier a space, the harder and longer it takes to clean. Clothes scattered on the floor make vacuuming harder. Large wardrobes mean large piles of washing. Cluttered cabinets collect dust. Messy benchtops make cooking and cleaning harder.

The truth is messy homes take more cleaning. More cleaning products and if a housecleaner is employed, more money out of your budget.

5. You will miss opportunities

Modern science tells us that clutter causes stress. People who live in messier homes are more prone to stress and more susceptible to inadequate sleep, depression and poor mental health. Stress is taxing on our health, and when we are unwell we don’t perform at our best.

Sure some stress is temporary and the outcome results in benefits, like finishing a university paper, or presenting your work in front of an audience. But stress induced by living in clutter has no positives. The money spent on therapy, days off work or missed opportunities induced by clutter is a waste in its purest form.

6. You’ll probably spend more on holidays

A messy home probably doesn’t make the idea of a staycation appealing. In fact the more cluttered a home, the more likely it is you’ll want to escape!



Now I’m not suggesting that tidy people don’t ever feel the need to go on holiday, I’m just noting that the messier your home, the higher the likelihood you’ll want to whip out the credit card and take the next available flight. When a bedroom is sprawled with clutter, the desire to splurge on an expensive hotel room for a romantic night away is high! A little less mess in our lives could mean a lower credit card debt.

Tips to Get Your Home Organised for The Holidays.

So there you have it, six reasons why the mess is costing you money. Or better yet, six reasons why getting organised could save you money!

Check out our videos for tips and ideas to start your tidy, money-saving journey!