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CLUTTER GUTTER

Part 3

The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up

On my way to clutter-free. When my oldest was little, we happened upon a video called Mouse and Mole. Like Frog and Toad, these two were best of friends. One or the other of them was a collector of “stuff.”  I don’t think we’d see him on Hoarders or anything, but he certainly loved to have things.  I’ve never forgotten their mantra: “You can have stuff or you can have space,” says Mouse, “but you can’t have space and stuff.”

I’d take a penny for every time I’ve said this to my husband, myself, my boys, aloud or silently over the years.  To no avail, as you’ll soon see.  You can catch up here to parts 1 and 2 of my quest for CLUTTER GUTTER, and now back to my closet.  One of the geniuses behind The Life Changing Magic of Tidying up is it leaves no room for rehashing. This time, taking care of clutter won’t be for a time, but for always. The author takes a different approach than one I’ve ever seen or tried before, and not only does it make sense, it’s really easy to manage and keep in tact.

With that said, it’s in full disclosure and a bit of embarrassment I share with you this video. Here is what it looks like to bring every piece of clothing I own to one spot. I could NOT believe I had so many clothes! (More about that in parts 1 & 2).

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From here, I had to decided what I LOVED to wear (fits great, feel great, looks great); I put all that in one pile. The rest was sorted in give-away, consign, or throw away piles before making their way out of my house to their new destinations.

After some serious dusting and vacuuming, I was ready to get things put where they belonged. Even though I carefully scrutinized each shoe, shirt, skirt, pants, sweater -and the rest- I had saved as “keepers,” I still had to go through them and commit to the only 40~ish items per season I would mix and match to wear every day (intimate, lounge and exercise pieces do not count to that total). That was probably the hardest part. I gave myself some leeway due to combing seasons (fall/winter and spring/summer) and also because it was such a shockingly new way of living for me.  However, now that it’s been a few months, I have and continue to voluntarily take items out of my closet. I simply don’t wear them no matter how good they are in every other way. So, I don’t need them taking up my space! (Thanks, Mouse!)

I think you’ll agree that things look much better, more manageable and more doable now! Not joking when I say the neat look isn’t even the best part of this whole thing. The order, the space and the sense of joy in living is waaaay better than its good looks.

Who’s going to take the challenge? Share your story with me, I mean, I let you in this mess to begin with!   More on my capsule wardrobe choices up next!