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As a Professional Organizer, I enjoy reading about statistics that explain why it is so hard to get organized and maintain the organization in a household. Sometimes people look back on their childhood and see a house that has a place for everything and everything in its place. Read these statistics. They explain changes that can be made in your lifestyle that will make it easier to be organized.

These statistics come from a newsletter published by Joshua Becker of the MInimalists.

1. The average American home has quadrupled in size over the last 100 years—from 700 square feet in the 1920s to 2,700 square feet in 2015. (source)

2. Still, more than a third of Americans rent self storage units—spending $38 billion every year. (source)

3. The average American shopper buys 60% more clothing items than they did 15 years ago but keeps them for half as long. The average garment may be worn as few as ten times before disposal. (source)

4. The average American woman has 103 items of clothing in her closet. In 1930, the average American owned just nine outfits. (source / source)

5. Yet, American households spend, on average, almost $1,500 on clothing every year. (source)

6. No wonder the average American throws away about 81 pounds of clothing every year! (source)

7. American credit card debt now exceeds $1 trillion for the first time—twice as much credit card debt as just 10 years ago. (source)

8. Americans make one impulse purchase every two days, spending up to $5400 annually ($324,000 over their lifetime). (source)

9. Americans spend over $8 billion every year on unwanted gifts. (source)

10. The average American household now owns 25 connected devices. (source)

11. The average person in Great Britain owns 80 books which they haven’t read. (source)

12. Each year, 119 billion pounds of food is wasted in the United States. That equates to 130 billion meals and more than $408 billion in food thrown away each year. Shockingly, nearly 40% of all food in America is wasted. (source)

13. Even though we stock our kitchens with food we don’t eat, Americans now spend more on dining out than on groceries. (source)

14. 80% of the items we own are never used. (source)

15. Americans spend $18,000 per year, per person, on nonessentials. (source)

As you read these statistics think about how many of them apply to your lifestyle. What changes can you make to reduce how much you own that you are not using? Reducing what you own saves you money by buying less, gives you more time to do other things than organizing your stuff and helps you to develop new habits that lead to a healthier lifestyle.

In the comments let me know which statistic surprised you the most.

Julie Stobbe is a Trained Professional Organizer and Lifestyle Organizing Coach who brings happiness to homes and organization to offices, coaching you virtually using Zoom. She has been working with clients since 2006 to provide customized organizing solutions to suit their individual needs and situations. She uses her love of teaching to reduce clutter, in your home, office, mind and time. She guides and supports you to be accountable for your time, to complete projects and to reach your goals. If you’re in a difficult transition Julie can coach you to break-free of emotional clutter constraining you from living life on your terms. Online courses are available to help instruct, coach and support your organizing projects. Get started by downloading Tips for Reorganizing 9 Rooms.

Contact her at julie@mindoverclutter.ca

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