The money-clutter connection
I recently delved into some old episodes of The Minimalists podcast. I love it. I’m a long-time listener and discovering the show by Joshua Fields Millburn, Ryan Nicodemus and TK Coleman has helped me find a community of people who are interested in living with less.
Something struck me, however, as I re-listened to some of my favourite episodes. We’re often told we can rationalise getting rid of clutter by thinking about the cost and ease of buying replacements.
While I’ve simplified the nuances of the message, I can’t help but wonder whether it is useful to think in these terms about the items we aren’t really using. I definitely found it helpful when I was debating decluttering a spiraliser that I’d had for years but hardly used. But how often does this easy come, easy go approach turn into a boomerang?
Based on what I hear from clients, an easy come, easy go, easy come back again cycle is often the end result . The exact same items might not be brought home or purchased online every time, but the pattern is definitely spend-declutter- spend without deliberate intervention. I often think that if we delved more deeply into the possible links between money and clutter we’d not only avoid this relentless repetition, but have a better understanding of why we develop unhelpful habits that are out of sync with our financial goals. It could also help us course-correct.
Money scripts
American financial psychology expert Brad Klontz developed the concept of money scripts in the noughties. There are several money scripts – more than 30 – but there are four main categories and they can be summed up as:
Money avoidance: a belief that money provokes anxiety and that it can encourage greed. It’s best not to engage with it.
Money worship: a belief that wealth solves all problems and can buy happiness if you have enough of it.
Money status: a belief that self-worth is tethered to money. E.g. People with this script might say things like “people are only as successful as what’s in their bank account”.
Money vigilance: people with this script will usually keep a close eye on the pennies. They save, are often scared to spend and typically don’t talk about money.
Some people will instantly be able to spot themselves in this list. But, as money scripts are unconscious and work behind the scenes to support particular financial behaviours, your script might not be obvious.
Link to clutter
During my binge re-listen of The Minimalists I found myself feeling uncomfortable at the thought of discarding something on the basis that I wasn’t using it, didn’t like it and could replace it fairly quickly and cheaply. To me, this would be unsustainable and a sign that I’d forgotten how hard it can be to earn a few quid. It’s not that I don’t like fancy things and don’t spend too freely at times – especially when it comes to the dogs in my life – but I do question my own fiscal discipline and that of others when faced with certain spending choices, such as opting to take public transport or a taxi when walking is perfectly feasible, or buying any number of kitchen gadgets to save on time and a bit of elbow grease. I only have three kitchen gadgets: a blender, a coffee machine and a kettle, and I’m not even sure if the last one counts as anything other than essential. My other cookware is just as sparse. I have one good knife and one good pot and generally this works well for me. Occasionally, my lack of pans gets the better of me, but I’ve usually been able to problem-solve and never been able to justify bringing home another pot. By now you can probably see how money – and our money scripts – can be linked to clutter. Someone who associates with ‘money status’ would likely have a lot of gear.
Unconscious- but still advantageous
Our money scripts usually develop in childhood and they are often informed by our parents, religious communities to which we belong, our circumstances and wider society. Scripts can be overt – statements that were played on loop during our early years and, eventually, we adopt them as our own – or covert – beliefs and behaviours absorbed by osmosis.
Knowing your script can be helpful if you want to change your financial habits and I think that it also help people who are struggling to put an end to the constant cycle of accumulation and decluttering. Here’s how:
1.Make your invisible money script visible. Complete the Klontz Money Script Inventory (NB – the assessment is a little US-focused) or, alternatively, think about what your script might be and how it developed.
2.Now that you are better informed about your money script, allow yourself to work with it. Use the positives of your script in your favour and don’t shy away from the aspects you’re less fond of. Use them to identify spending patterns (and clutter habits) in a way that’s objective and lacks self-criticism.
3.Think of work-arounds. E.g. If you identify with the money avoidance script, you may find that you’re not dealing with your financial affairs, feel uncomfortable with money or self-sabotage positive goals and steps towards them because of negative associations with wealth. It could be helpful to simply think of money as a tool to help you live life as you wish to and/or to keep in mind that avoidance rarely helps with anything. Look out for the ways that you might be thwarting your own plans. You could work with a financial coach, decluttering expert or ask trusted friends or family members to help you to stay on track. Alternatively, if you associate with money status, you might spend too freely, even if you have the means to support a more lavish lifestyle. Think about what you really value and try to spend and save accordingly.