You may or may not believe in Feng Shui, but one of its primary rules will help rescue your finances and even increase your credit scores.
That is the rule that says you must de-clutter. In Feng Shui, the reason is to allow positive energy to flow freely, and not get “stuck” in corners piled with unused stuff. I personally do believe in energy flow, but even if you don’t, stop for a minute and think about that “stuff.”
It represents money – all of it. Those things piled in corners and stuffed in drawers are all things you or someone else bought with money. And there it sits, taking up space, gathering dust, and costing you time and trouble every time you have to dig through it and around it for something you do need and want. If you have too much of it, you may have purchased shelving systems, or even be renting space somewhere to store the excess.
And of course, the clutter and chaos in your finances cost you even more. That clutter can cause you to bounce checks, be late with payments, miss tax deductions, and more. And all of that results in a serious drain on your finances – not to mention the damage to your credit scores when the chaos causes you to miss payments.
In her book, The Courage to Be Rich, Suze Orman goes so far as to say “If you are not making the money in your life that you think you should be making, if you have debt, if you cannot save a penny, I am willing to bet that clutter is standing smack in the middle of what you have today and what you could have tomorrow.”
Suze does believe that money has a life force of its own, and that it has its likes and dislikes. It doesn’t like being stuffed in a drawer and hates being spent on useless things.
She also says “Money can’t find its way through clutter and chaos and confusion.”
Suze recommends taking a good look at the “stuff” you have surrounding you. Then, if you don’t love it, use it, or need it – get rid of it.
And there can be the beginning of your upward climb financially. After you deposit the actual “junk” in a trash bag, you can turn the rest of it into cash at a yard sale or on eBay, or you can enrich someone else’s life by donating it.
The next step involves the future.
Every time you begin to reach into your wallet for the cash or a plastic card to purchase something, stop and think: “Do I actually need this, or is it just an amusing toy?” “Will I use this beyond today, or will it be stuffed into a drawer or a closet, returning me to a state of clutter?” “If I leave this in the store, will I be sorry next week, or glad that I still have the money I would have spent?”
Learning the difference between “want” and “need” – and disciplining yourself to buy only what you actually need – can go a long way toward clearing the financial clutter and having the money to pay all your bills on time. And that will lead to high credit scores – and eventually, a fat bank account.
Author: Marte Cliff
CreditScoreQuick.com
