Definitely a connection! Luckily I have no credit card debt but I have a lot of stuff that I need to get rid of as well as a lot of weight. My theme for the year is minimalism so this fits right in with that.

Thankfully, I lam debt free, mostly uncluttered, forward-ho on the weight

Debt free here, but have rented all my married life and when I retire in a year I want to moves states and buy. Scary thought. Though not as scary as packing up this house with a farm shop we have used as catch all for the last 40+ years. This summer begins the big declutter out there. Renting a big dumpster for it.

All 3 apply to me! But fortunately I'm big on awareness at the moment and am very aware of this connection. I've started to document on a spreadsheet everything I've spent in the last 2 months and need to come up with a plan to cut down.
Just like weight loss I know this has to be a long term thing and that I just need to start.

Debt free, but not weight free or clutter free. I am working on both.

Bills paid in full each month but I still spend too much... which also adds to the clutter... Trying to get rid of stuff but got stuck... temporarily! Will get at it again soon.

I have been cleaning one shelf, drawer every day since Jan 1. and it is extremely rewarding.

Good point. I need to work on all three.

Wow Princess - I like the idea of one shelf or drawer each day. A good way to slowly declutter. I plan to start this when we get home from holiday. Thanks for the suggestion

I plan to add in regular decluttering to next month's narrow road focus. I would like to tweak my plan each month to keep it fresh and fun!

Has anyone read Marie Kondo's books? Radical de-cluttering and very spiritual (she worked for Buddhist monks I think and has a lovely attitude to possessions and living spaces) I haven't actually done her method fully but just reading the books has changed a lot about how I manage to keep clutter at bay and how I store things. My house has never been tidier - which is saying a lot as I used to live among piles of stuff. If you haven't heard of her have a quick Google and see what you think!

Sharron thank you so much for suggesting Marie Kondo. I googled quickly while I was at work on Friday and someone had done a nice 5 point summary on her principles.
I took just one idea which was categories and worked on it this weekend! I managed to sort out my shoes in every room, wipe down each one and I held each one and wiped, realized how I felt about each of them. The ones I didn't feel pure love for didn't make the cut to the new freshly organized spaces! Now, I keep opening the one cupboard and smiling like an eejit

This book is worth buying if a passage from it made such an impact!! Thank you once again for the suggestion.

Cute shoes, Thulz!

Thanks Jeanne. Pity I have to lose at least 60lbs first before I am able to wear any of them

awesome post Jeanne this is the first of my many weight loss journey's that I have embraced the slow and steady approach. It was a HUGE challenge at first but I've now come to appreciate it and realize it is my key to lifelong success. De-Cluttering has always been a part of my life, thanks to my mom continuing to work on the steady weight loss and paying off past expenditures! (i recently read a book that suggested referring to 'debt' as past or old expenditures - I liked the concept so am embracing it!). It stated how the term debt goes way back to the ages of 'debtors prison' and how that when we use the term debt that's what our subconscious mind thinks of. May not ring true for all, but for me I've found it helpful to tweek my verbage on this one.

@Thulz....a girl after my own heart - shoe lover for sure! Spectacular shoe collection....you'll be wearing them before you know it!!! and feel like a million!

Thanks again for the inspiring, thought provoking post @Jeanne.

OMG I LOVE those shoes! They look amazing. I'm so pleased you get the "joy" thing Thulz - it has honestly lifted up my life doing the small bit of her books that I have so far. De-cluttering helps us on so many levels and if you get joy from your possessions it makes every day a bit happier! Not to mention it is so much easier to keep on top of things if everything has a place to live that makes sense.

I looked up Marie Kondo briefly. How cool; thanks Sharron! I will definitely have my Lenten focus this year be some sort of decluttering that serves a spiritual purpose. I will probably kind of do my own combo of the ideas of several people. I am excited about this, as it is something that continues to use some of my energy just by constantly hanging over my head.

I will do my decluttering in tiny but consistent baby steps that eventually add up, just as I did with getting enough sleep per night. I never tackled that one until the past few years, because I tend to be so all-or-nothing that I stayed overwhelmed for years and never tackled my sleep deprivation my whole life until just very recently. Once I identified lack of sleep as my biggest wellness vampire (even above healthy eating, portion sizes, and exercise), I was able to get to a healthy goal weight and maintain it in the long term for the first time ever. So this decluttering business can and will be done!

Just saw this post. I spent yesterday going through my back bedroom. Still have the closet shelf to do.
I don't have credit card debt as I only use it for emergencies when travelling or if the car needs fixing and then pay it off. I have a line of credit, zero balance but it is there if needed. When my husband couldn't work due to his stroke, you learn to do with less. My weight is slowly coming down. I have found my measurements decreasing at a good rate too. The hard part is sticking to the plan when social events happen.

I never really saw the connection between these things until the penny dropped MASSIVELY last weekend, all these things - eating, collecting things and spending - please the same brain receptors, they give us a tiny buzz and make us feel happy for a few moments. We are basically using them as a drug. I had long realised that when I wasn't eating bad food I spent more, but I just realised I am spending more on collecting "stuff" that clutters my house up! If anyone finds a more harmless way to trip those brain receptors then please let me know!

I do have some healthy "buzzes" in my life: I am still quite celebratory about eating, but only healthy things in appropriate portions almost all of the time. I stretch my food enjoyment with clean hot beverages, and being involved in healthy food prep, which helps. I also have music practice and performance as an outlet, which is huge. And being on here is great too, because I always perk up when I read blogs, comments on my own blog, and message board comments, along with limited social media. I also send fun and silly texts to my dearest ones.

You are right Jeanne, if I think about it I get a little buzz every time I am able to be positive about my plan, every time I have a little loss to celebrate or see someone else doing well - what I need to do is focus on the healthful ones and kick the naughty ones into touch! I can do that.

I always feel better when I can be in control of impulses. Food and buying go hand in hand. I too am working on bing debt free. We have been doing essential purchases only since the beginning of November so we can pay off parent plus loans for our children's college loans. It is amazing how much extra money there is when you are in control. Then it dawned on me that it's just like eating habits. I have started applying the same principal to my eating habits and am working hard to stay on plan. I've got the de cluttering thing pretty much down.