Want to Save the World? Pay off Your Consumer Debt… And Declutter

How decluttering, mindful spending, and embracing degrowth can transform your finances and the planet

From Barcelona to Helsinki and back. I finished my bachelor’s and master’s and moved to Sydney, Australia, for my PhD. After three years there, I moved to the United States for half a year to do part of my research. Then, back to Australia for another year to graduate with my PhD, and back to the United States, with a month layover in Europe, before starting my first postdoc.

When I landed in the US for good, my possessions could fit in four backpacks. Decluttering had become a way of life. Nonetheless, possessions started accumulating again, especially after having my children.

So, I recently decided started the process again — but this time, I wasn’t being forced by an impending move. There was simply a voice in my head telling me that my stuff couldn’t own me, that life would be simpler with less, and that it was time to stop wasting my money. I’d rather use it to go see my family.

But how could I do this without contributing to putting things in landfills, too? Was I affecting the planet as much as I was trying to fight to protect it?

All the intentional and unintentional decluttering wasn’t just about clearing space. It turned out to be the beginning of something bigger — a shift in how I think about money, possessions, and even the planet.

As I tackled one drawer and then another, I noticed a pattern. Most of the items I was donating or tossing were things I had bought on a whim or convinced myself I “needed” at the time. Some were things I “urgently needed”. That realization hit hard. Not only had I wasted money, but I was also contributing to waste on a much larger scale.

As I became more intentional about what stayed and what went, I started applying the same thought process to my spending. It wasn’t just about saving money — though that was a welcome side effect. It was about breaking the cycle of buying things I didn’t need. Being more mindful and grateful for what I already had.

Decluttering taught me that everything I bring into my life has a cost, not just to my wallet but to my mental space and even to the planet. Should we spend less so that there’s less of a need to put more and more stuff in landfills?

As I started looking into the benefits of decluttering, I found countless stories from other people and content creators who had not only cleared their homes but also their debts. In fact, these two concepts seemed to always go hand in hand. This reinforced my views about what was happening to my consumer habits.

Take Desiree Gutierrez, for example, who shared how she and her husband tackled $32,000 in credit card debt by decluttering and turning their spending habits into a game. A game!

They used what they already had instead of buying new things, sold items they no longer needed, and put that money toward paying off their smallest debts first (something called the snowball method in financial circles). In her powerful essay, she explains that by focusing on reducing waste — both physical and financial — they found their way to freedom.

Decluttering creates an immediate financial benefit: you’re not spending money on organizing tools or storage units for things you don’t need.

Or take Cait Flanders, author of the best-selling novel The Year of Less. In a very captivating narrative, she explains how she put herself on a spending freeze for a year and ultimately found herself decluttering and implementing a “buy less” mindset for life.

This mindset helped her overcome some of the most difficult situations in her life.

The Year of Less — Cait Flanders

In her first book, author Cait Flanders documents her yearlong shopping ban experiment. During that same year, she also decluttered 70% of her belongings and examined her overall consumption tendencies.

Or one of my favorite content creators, Marissa Zhen, from A To Zen Life. After dealing with loss and grief when both her parents passed away prematurely, she found herself collecting objects as if they were her loved ones themselves.

Multiple international moves and lots of reading and introspection took her to a place where she’d been able to pay off debt and live freely of her possessions, even with kids. She now dedicates her life to teaching people how to simplify their homes and live more meaningfully and mindfully, prioritizing what really matters to her: family and connections.

As she always says, she collects memories, not objects.

Both Cait and Marissa have been my North Stars on so many occasions. They are the angels on my shoulder when I consider buying something for the wrong reasons, when I’m hesitant to donate something I’m not using, or when I forget that every dollar saved is something I can put towards more meaningful things in my life.

And something that I’ve learned from all these women is that the bigger shift happens when you change your mindset. Instead of seeing shopping as a way to solve problems or bring joy, you start seeing it as a trade-off. Every dollar spent on a gadget you’ll forget about in a month is a dollar you can’t use to pay off debt, save for an emergency, or invest in experiences that actually make life better.

However, this mindset shift isn’t just good for your bank account. It’s also good for your well-being. Studies have shown that people who spend on experiences rather than material items report greater happiness. This seems to be because when you stop chasing the next big thing and focus on what truly matters, you’re not only improving your life, but you’re also taking steps toward a more sustainable future.

Decluttering also helps you see the cumulative effect of your choices. Every item in your home represents time and energy spent earning the money to buy it. When you clear out the unnecessary, you start asking more intentional questions: “Do I really need this?” and “Is this purchase worth the effort I put into earning it?” or even “Will I need this if I ever do yet another international move?”

And, of course, these questions can ripple out into other areas of life, making you more mindful about how you spend your time and resources.

To Feel Happier Now, Spend on Doing Rather Than Having

Experiences lead to greater in-the-moment happiness for shoppers than buying material items, new research finds.

Those who have been reading my stories for a while know how passionate I am about environmental issues. It’s no lie that my call in life is to bridge scientists with non-technical ears.

Well, as it turns out, decluttering isn’t just a personal journey. It’s a small step toward addressing a much larger issue: overconsumption. We’re told that constant growth is the key to success, but what if it’s actually holding us back?

Buy more, produce more, consume more. But this “more is better” mindset is unsustainable. As Tim Smedley points out in his exploration of degrowth, our current economic model requires endless growth on a planet with finite resources. And you know, as much as I do, that math doesn’t add up.

We Need To Talk About Degrowth: Part I

On the need for Degrowth, Post-Growth, and a new economic model.

We Need To Talk About Degrowth: Part II

On how to make it happen.

Every item we buy has a carbon footprint. The production, transportation, and disposal of goods all contribute to greenhouse gas emissions and environmental degradation.

Fast fashion, for example, is notorious for its exploitation of both workers and the environment. In fact, the fashion industry alone accounts for 10% of global carbon emissions and 20% of all industrial water pollution.

When we declutter, we start to see how much we’ve contributed to this cycle. More importantly, we see how we can step away from it. We reduce our personal impact by buying less and focusing on quality over quantity.

This is something I’ve found myself doing. No more $20 shoes. I now spend between $100 and $200 on a high-quality pair of shoes that will last me decades. It’s a small action, but if enough people do it, the ripple effects could be huge.

The idea of degrowth might sound radical, but it’s really about rethinking what we value. Instead of measuring success by GDP, degrowth advocates focus on well-being, equity, and sustainability.

Why the Environment Must Be Part of Economic Metrics

A New Framework for Measuring Sustainable Growth How do we measure success?

Imagine an economy where we work fewer hours, share resources, and prioritize health and relationships over material wealth. It’s not just a dream; it’s a necessity if we want to avoid the worst impacts of climate change. It may even be a change we will be forced to adopt sooner rather than later.

In his thoughtful series of essays, Smedley highlights how communities are already embracing this mindset. Energy co-ops, housing co-ops, and local food networks are proving that alternatives to the growth-at-all-costs model can work. These systems prioritize people and the planet over profit.

They show us that a better way is possible, but it starts with individual choices.

In a way, degrowth also requires us to rethink what “success” looks like. In a post-growth world, success wouldn’t be about owning the most or earning the highest salary. It would be about having enough: enough resources, enough time, and enough connection to lead a fulfilling life.

Enough is a powerful word.

This shift can feel like a big leap, but it’s one that many communities are already making and that, hopefully, more will join.

When you’re buried in debt, you’re locked into a cycle of working to pay it off. That often means working longer hours, spending less time with family, and having less mental space to think about broader issues like sustainability.

On top of that, debt perpetuates the consumption cycle. High interest rates make it harder to save, which can lead to more borrowing. It’s a treadmill that’s hard to step off.

However, by paying off debt, you free yourself from that cycle. You gain the freedom to make choices based on your values rather than financial constraints.

Want to switch to a job that’s more meaningful and more aligned with your values but pays less? Debt-free living makes that possible. Want to invest in solar panels or support local businesses? You can do that too. Financial freedom and sustainable living go hand in hand. When you are not constantly worried about your wallet, you are more likely to put money into what really matters.

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But it doesn’t end here. Getting out of debt also creates space for other priorities. When you’re not constantly worrying about payments, you have the mental bandwidth to think about what really matters. Maybe that means spending more time with your family, volunteering in your community, or learning new skills.

Whatever it is, the freedom that comes from being debt-free opens doors you might not have considered before.

Imagine if everyone made this shift. If we all consumed less, focused on staying debt-free, and invested in experiences and community, we could reduce our collective impact on the planet. We could move toward a degrowth model that prioritizes well-being over profit.

It’s not just about saving money; it’s about creating a better world from the environment that sustains us to the communities that help us thrive.

Next time you’re tempted by a sale or a shiny new gadget, take a moment to think about the bigger picture. Ask yourself if it’s worth the cost — not just to you, but to the planet, for your present and your future.

Decluttering taught me that the best things in life aren’t things. When we change how we think about consumption, when we stop letting objects own us, we create a future that’s better for everyone.

The planet included.

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This story was first published in The New Climate, a Medium Publication.