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CLUTTER GUTTER

Part 2

The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up

We had a great start to this series and my closet is thanking me!  Check out  Clutter Gutter Part I here. After deciding to go for the capsule wardrobe idea for this fall/winter, I dug in-or rather out. EVERYTHING (of mine) in my closet was put in the middle of my bedroom.

If you’re not familiar with this wardrobe concept, check it out on google. Do some looking around and let me know what you think of it. In a nutshell, you choose a limited number of pieces of clothing and shoes to wear for the upcoming season, commit not to do additional clothes/shoes shopping and mix/match the pieces you chose, kept and love to wear. I encourage you to give it a try, and with spring right around the corner, what better time?!  Here is a place to start getting the right idea. The fact is, we wear only about 10-20% of what we have  in our closet and drawers. I believed it, so out it had to go! 

I can tell you, as soon as I began the daunting task of pulling clothes and shoes out from any and everywhere they were in my house (this is key-get it ALL in the same place at once), I was a bit overwhelmed yet giddy in a strange way. I had clothes for every “in case” you could imagine. In case it fit later, in case it got really hot,in case we went to a ball (really?),in case the state was overtaken in snow– for months on end,  in case it comes back in style,in case the next 25 years offers me the chance to wear it, in case my other 7 get a hole in them etc.  The list was long, my friends. It was also completely fictitious, and the reality was I didn’t need these things at all.

It was during these 4 days I was most thankful for my son. He’s strong, he drives and he had a day off. So, out went nearly 700 pounds of shoes, clothes (and while I was on a roll I did my dining room and kitchen, too!).  I tried selling to www.thredup.com. It was very simple-they send you a bag,  you fill it and send it, but it really isn’t worth the time it takes unless you’re really strapped for money. I do much better taking my nicer things (so many with tags still on them) to my local consignment store. If you look around the thredup site, which is nice to buy from, you’ll see they pay a very low average for each piece of clothing they accept.   What I didn’t send to thredup, I got ready for a drop off to an area charity. Realize that places like Goodwill are FOR profit while others such as some church-sponsored charity sites are more for the needy and are not for profit. Either way, keep your receipt and if you itemize on your taxes, you can take the charity write off.

Packed all the way across the house, and shipped to charity via my burly son. Can’t tell you how great it feels!  Come back for Part 3!  I’ll show you the result of this effort.  You don’t want to miss the reveal!

PS, the camera bag didn’t go. Whew!