This is a not just a post on clutter clearing. It’s about why we have busy, cluttered, “I can’t find anything” closets in our bedrooms. The reasons I hear most often are:
- “I will wear this someday.”
- “It was given to me and I want to wear it the next time that person comes over.”
- “It does not fit now, but it will someday soon.”
- “It’s going to come back in fashion.”
- “I am saving it to give to…?”
- “It costs a lot of $$$ and I can’t throw it out.”
I will wear it someday…the truth is you probably will not. We only use 20% of what we own and that goes for clothing as well as stuff. Ask yourself, “Do I really love this and will I love wearing it?” You may find that in answering this question, the truth is no.
It was given to me and I want to wear it the next time they come over…the truth is most of the time the giver would not even recognize it if we did wear it to show them how much we appreciated the gift. Some will, most will not. Don’t hold on to a shirt that you do not like just because “they will appreciate seeing me wear it.” We appreciate each other, the gifts are secondary.
It does not fit now, but it will someday soon…this is a tough one, but really, styles change so much and by the time you lose or gain the weight to wear it again, you will probably not feel the same way about it. You’ve changed, your perspective has changed, and more than likely your style has changed.
It’s going to come back in fashion…the type of style perhaps, but anything that is a distinct style may not. How long has it been in your closet taking up space? If you are not willing to wear it now, you will probably not wear it when it comes back in fashion.
I am saving it to gift to…? this is the case of something being stored in the wrong place. If you want to give it away, put it in the car, mailer, box. Get it on its way.
It costs a lot of $$$ and I can’t throw it out…the truth is: every time you look at it and think “it was so expensive, I can’t possibly throw it out or give it away”. I am here to tell you: YES YOU CAN! You can sell it at your local consignment store and make some $$$ back on that pricey item.
When organizing your closet, the first step is always to remove those items that are creating the most clutter because they get pushed and thrown, stuffed and placed for years in our closets. Take notice of those items that are relatively new that get moved around the closet a lot. Do you really want to keep them?
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I totally struggle with this. My mom was very frugal & we were raised to not throw anything away. Living in NE, I struggle with the fickle weather & am afraid to store certain seasonal items because the weather might change suddenly…which of course leads to clutter on my shelves, so I struggle to get at the clothes I wear most often. I was just thinking yesterday that some serious purging needs to take place in my closet PRONTO!
Noreen, Can you make my closet look like that?? (Without the ladies’ clothing, of course.) Seriously, you’re inspiring me. I’m in the midst of a major purge and I’m gonna take the plunge on some stuff I’ve been hanging on to for too long. But I want to tell you, I kept some jeans b’cuz I just knew I was going to get back into the smaller size, and at last I did! Now I’m going to give away all my bigger pants, because I’m such a cheapskate that if I have to buy new clothes, it’ll help keep me on the straight and narrow regarding my waistline.
Your blog rocks.