📚 ORDER MY NEW BOOK

Making Home Your Happy Place: The Real-Life Guide to Decluttering Without the Overwhelm.

👉 Order wherever books are sold

🎯 TAKE THE FREE DECLUTTERING STYLE QUIZ

Discover your personal Decluttering Style and get a clear, realistic starting plan that actually fits your life.

👉 Take the free quiz

Have you ever made real progress decluttering… only to look up a few weeks later and wonder how the clutter came back so fast? It can feel confusing — and honestly, a little defeating.

A lot of us assume the answer is more discipline, better organization, or "trying harder." But what if the problem isn't what's leaving your home… it's what's quietly coming back in?

In this episode, I share a part of my story I've never fully talked about here — the shopping patterns that were undoing my decluttering progress behind the scenes. I walk you through what I learned the hard way, how I finally saw the cycle clearly, and three common patterns that keep so many women stuck in the "declutter and refill" loop.

This conversation matters right now because we're living in a world where buying is easier than ever — one-click checkout, constant ads, influencer culture, and the pressure to "fix" yourself and your home with the next purchase. If you've ever stress-shopped, bought for a fantasy version of yourself, or upgraded one thing and suddenly felt like everything else wasn't good enough… this episode will feel like a deep exhale.

It's not about shame. It's about clarity. Because once you can name the pattern, you can finally change it — and keep your progress from disappearing.

1. Decluttering won't last if the "faucet" is still on
   If your home keeps refilling, it's not proof you're failing — it's a sign you may need to look at what's coming in and why.

2. Stress shopping is usually about relief, not stuff
   When life feels chaotic, buying can feel like control or comfort for a moment — but it often creates long-term clutter (and more anxiety) afterward.

3. Aspirational purchases can turn into emotional pressure
   Buying for a version of yourself you think you should be often becomes clutter that doesn't inspire you — it quietly nags you and fuels guilt.

4. The Diderot Effect explains the "upgrade spiral"
   One new purchase can suddenly make everything else feel not good enough — and that ripple effect can lead to unnecessary spending and constant dissatisfaction.

5. Your clutter is information, not a character flaw
   The real shift happens when you stop trying to "fix" yourself and start getting curious about what's driving the behavior beneath the piles.

🗞️ Join the Ready, Set, Simplify Newsletter
Over 35,000 women read it weekly for clutter-busting tips, tiny mindset shifts, and practical steps to simplify your home and your life.
👉 https://www.katyjoywells.com/simplify

🧡 Loved this episode?
Join me inside the Clutter Cure Club — where we take conversations like this even deeper, and I help you simplify everything.
👉 https://www.katyjoywells.com/cluttercureclub-page837548

📲 Come Say Hi on Instagram
Behind-the-scenes, real-life simplicity, and lots of laughs.
💛 @katyjoywells

SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW

If this episode helped you, I'd be so grateful if you'd take a moment to subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts.
Your support helps this show reach more women who need a simpler way forward. 💛