11 Unfortunate Things People Have In Their Homes That Keep Them Broke, According To Feng Shui
You might be sabotaging good energy in your living space.
Stramp | Shutterstock While feng shui has evolved and grown into a nontraditional version in the home decor and interior design space, the ancient Chinese art is rooted still in "chi" — the life force that lives within everything and everyone. By organizing your space, furniture, decorations, or building in a way that balances the chi, you have the power to improve the feng shui in your living space to promote peace and prosperity.
By setting intentions with rearranging, cleaning, or organizing your space, you can set yourself up for success, but ignoring the feng shui and natural flow of chi in your living space can have adverse effects. In fact, there are certain unfortunate things people have in their homes that keep them broke according to feng shui principles and ideas, and other home decor mistakes that sabotage their well-being.
Here are 11 unfortunate things people have in their homes that keep them broke according to feng shui
1. Broken appliances
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Broken appliances, furnishings, or electronics have bad feng shui. They not only symbolize stagnation, lacking energy or productivity, and neglect, but they symbolize the kind of bad energy that sabotages manifestations of abundance.
If you've been putting off fixing the microwave, keeping old and faulty pieces of clothing around, or even furnishing your home with broken shelves or drawers, chances are you're sabotaging wealth by keeping your space flourishing with bad and neglectful energy.
2. Clutter near the entrance
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If you have a pile of shoes in your entryway or hardly ever mop the floors inside your front door, chances are you're sabotaging wealth, prosperity, and opportunity from entering into your life.
Feng shui is rooted in chi — the life force that brings new opportunities and things into your life. When you literally block the entrance into your living space and home with clutter, you also block the positive energy from having the chance to enter.
3. Dead plants or flowers
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According to feng shui practitioner and consultant Tanita Okanovic, while there are specific symbols and natural elements that you can bring into your home to manifest wealth and abundance, having certain things — like dead plants, rotting houseplants, or unwatered flowers — can have an opposite effect.
Bringing nature and natural elements into your home is great for the feng shui and flow of chi in your living space, but letting them die without nourishment can quickly sabotage the abundance you're manifesting.
An unwillingness to care for the living things in your life and home is the root theme behind many of the unfortunate things people have in their homes that keep them broke according to feng shui, which is why intentionality is important when it comes to filling your space and sticking to your daily routine, even if it's just watering a plant.
4. Trash cans without lids
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When you have open trash in a bin without a lid, you're letting negative energy unsuspectingly seep into your environment and living space. Of course, there's a sanitary element to a trash without a lid — there's smells and visuals that aren't pleasing — but it's also a negative movement of chi into your kitchen, bathroom, or whatever room you have a trash can within.
Our trash is symbolic of the things we're ridding from our lives. When we keep our trash too long, let it overflow into our spaces, close it behind doors, or let it linger in sight, we're allowing those things to seep back into our routines and environments in ways that can sabotage new opportunities, abundance, and wealth.
5. An open toilet lid
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Similar to trash cans or recycling bins, toilets are often placed in a practical area. But without intentional decorations or actions, they can sabotage our prosperity and good chi energy. When the toilet seat is left open, it's not just leading to a less sanitary space, it's draining good energy from the room.
According to feng shui coach Kim Julen and certified feng shui consultant Ping Deters, "Open toilet lids don't just cause unmitigated grossness, they're also the biggest drain of positive energy in the home, so be sure to close the lid. For the same reason, you also want to cover up drains in the tub and shower."
When you're intentional about flushing with the lid closed and leaving it closed when you're not using it, you can promote a more balanced flow of chi in your bathroom and a more intentionally positive energetic space.
6. Trash in closed spaces
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Of course, it's convenient to keep your trash tucked away in a closed closet or in a kitchen nook, but these spaces are some of the unfortunate things people have in their homes that keep them broke according to feng shui.
According to feng shui educator Anjie Cho, trash is symbolic — it's what we're getting rid of from our lives. And being intentional about the practical use of garbage cans is important for protecting our energy.
It should never be the first thing someone sees when entering into your living space. Find a spot for it outside of the focal point in a room, where it's accessible, but still not being hidden away.
When it's behind a closed door or in a closed space, it can represent the repressed things we're hiding from — like emotions or even financial concerns — and remain unresolved until it's brought into view.
7. Mirrors facing doors
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According to feng shui expert Suzanne Roynon, mirrors are powerful tools for feng shui, as they replicate and double the things that we "see" in our homes. When you place a mirror facing your bed, you're doubling the energy of your restful state in that room, sabotaging quality sleep and restful energy.
Similarly, when a mirror is facing an entrance — like a front door or an entry way in your bedroom — it's attracting and repelling the opportunities and energy entering, sabotaging newness and abundance from making its way to you. Be intentional about the things you want to see and bounce back into your space.
8. Negative or gloomy artwork
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Being intentional about the kinds of artwork and symbols you bring into your home and greatly affect your manifestations and energy. For example, having photos of withering plants, stormy scenes, and dark artistry in your bedroom can quickly sabotage the calmness and restfulness the space is supposed to spark.
When it comes to financial abundance and wealth, it's important to also intentionally pick artwork and home decor that helps to promote success in those areas, rather than subconsciously sabotage it.
Feng shui and curating spaces with chi in mind is all about intentionality. When you make choices and pick home decor, you're bringing new energy into your living environment. Be careful with the kinds of depictions and energy you allow in.
9. Storage underneath a bed
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Clutter underneath a bed, whether it's storage or random clothing items lost from laundry baskets, can all sabotage restfulness and tranquility in your living space. When you're battling with lacking sleep and rest, it's not just your general well-being and peace that's altered, but your ability to be productive and make decisions — financial or otherwise — in your best interest.
Be intentional about where you're allowing clutter and chaotic energy to live in your home. Of course, you can never completely rid your living space of "stuff," but having clear spaces for all of it to live can ensure you're not sabotaging your energy.
10. Furniture facing away from the door
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Positioning your furniture in an intentional way, using feng shui to guide your home decor and choices, and help better energy to flow within your living space. Furniture that forces you to sit with your back to the door or an entrance into a room is one of the unfortunate things people have in their homes that keep them broke according to feng shui, which is why making intentional choices about furnishing is important.
When you're always turned away from an entrance, you're not receptive to newness — from financial opportunities, to good energy, and even abundance or wealth. By crafting a space where you have a view of an entrance and the ability to move freely in a room without dodging furniture, you're more likely to accept and appreciate new energy.
11. Nonmetal furnishings
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Metal furnishings and decor often spark clarity in a living space, so incorporating metal objects into your home office or working space can ensure that you're balancing calm and productive energies at home. If you're feeling disorganized, scattered, or overwhelmed at home — the space that's supposed to be most calming and grounding in your routine — it could partially be a fault of the materials from your furnishings.
When you make little intentional choices with feng shui in mind, you're helping to balance chi, manifesting abundance, wealth, and calmness into your space, even when you're not actively thinking about it.
Zayda Slabbekoorn is a staff writer with a bachelor's degree in social relations & policy and gender studies who focuses on psychology, relationships, self-help, and human interest stories.
