Want to declutter your finances? Marie Kondo developed a six-step system to tidy up your home and get organized. This minimalist approach is taking the world by storm and inspiring millions to live simply. I LOVE it!
Here’s how to use the Marie Kondo method to tidy up your finances.
These six-steps are from her best-selling book, The-Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up. Also known as the KonMari method. I jazzed them up a bit to talk about tidying about your finances.
1. Commit yourself to tidying up.
**Spoiler alert** unless you’re like me and geek out on personal finance tidying up your finances isn’t necessarily fun. Like decluttering your home, decluttering your finances is something that you have to want, and commit to.
2. Imagine your ideal lifestyle.
What do you want your finances to look like? What is your ideal? Do you want to rise the corporate ladder and increase your income? Or do you want to take an international trip every year? Figure out what it is you desire in life and draft a plan on how to achieve that.
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3. Finish discarding first. Before getting rid of items, sincerely thank each item for serving its purpose.
To reach your financial goals relentlessly prioritize. Discarding may be going through your fixed expenses like your rent, cable, internet, etc. and cutting back. Imagine calling the cable guy and saying, “Thank you for serving its purpose. I’d like to cancel my subscription!”
4. Tidy by category.
The Marie Kondo method recommends tidying up your clothes, books, komono (miscellaneous), and sentimental items. Get organized with your finances by categories too. Have a money meeting each month to project your income and expenses. Organize your finances by fixed expenses (saving, charity, housing, insurance, services, and debt repayment) and flex expenses (weekly cash, medical, maintenance, celebrations, projects, and fun).
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5. Follow the right order.
The Finance Plan is a 4-step roadmap to get organized with money. Follow the plan in the order! First, start investing 10% of your gross pay. Then focus on paying off your debt by paying all your minimum payments plus an extra Spartan amount of $300 or more towards your highest interest debt. Once you’re debt-free (holler at me and let me know!), then take what you were paying towards debt to complete a 3-12 months emergency fund. Once you have your emergency fund, the sky is the limit. You can save up for the fun things in life like buying a home or car.
6. Ask yourself if it sparks joy.
When decluttering your finances, it is hard to figure out how to save 10% of your pay AND start paying $300 extra or more towards debt. As you go through your expenses, ask yourself if the item sparks joy? For example, many personal finance experts say that getting a latte is a waste of money. It’s 100% overpriced, but I tell you what: I freakin’ love a cup of joe at a coffee shop. It sparks joy for me. A name brand t-shirt or cable on the other hand doesn’t spark joy so I don’t have those expenses.
Happy decluttering your finances!
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