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Do you feel like you are drowning in a sea of stuff? If your home is starting to look like a pigsty, you may wonder if you are a hoarder, or are in danger of becoming one.

When is clutter hoarding? Well, the answer to that question is somewhat subjective. One person’s clutter might be another person’s hoard. Except in truly dramatic cases, drawing the dividing line can be a challenge.

Usually, psychologists only give a diagnosis for a condition once it has become pronounced enough to cause interference with a healthy, functional life. So if you are trying to figure out how to know if you are a hoarder, you should ask yourself if your clutter is disrupting your life.

Following are some signs that it may be time to take evasive action to get your clutter under control before it overwhelms you.

1. Your clutter is costing you money.

When you find yourself purchasing unnecessary items that you already own without realizing it, the sheer amount of clutter you have in your house is actually putting a hole in your purse.

It is already hard enough to get by. A lot of people accumulate clutter because they are afraid to let something go to waste. But if your money is going to waste purchasing duplicates of mislaid possessions, then your clutter is contributing to the problem, not solving it.

2. You literally do not have enough space.

Do you constantly think to yourself, “I have no room in my house?” If you’re constantly tripping over objects just trying to move from one end of a room to another, then your clutter problem has gone too far. Each of us needs a reasonable amount of space in which to live. This is important for reasons of safety and hygiene as well as general well-being.

3. The objects around you make you unhappy.

Another sign that it is time to get rid of your clutter is if the objects in your possession no longer make you feel happy and centered. They may even make you feel unhappy, trapped both by your past and by the sheer amount of stuff which is hemming you in from all sides.

In many ways, decluttering is arguably a bigger challenge than actually getting organized. It is true that organizing requires a lot of creative thinking and planning, but decluttering is arguably the more difficult task emotionally.

So if it takes you a little extra time and motivation to recognize your clutter problem and start doing something about it, do not get down on yourself. Once you do get a start on the big task ahead of you, you will begin to save space and money. That should go a long way toward encouraging you to keep at it until you achieve the results you are after.

Read on to How Do You Know When Clutter Has Gone Too Far? Part 2 to discover more signs that it is time to tackle your clutter.