The other week I finally got home from work in time to check a huge box off of my list – cleaning out my closet room. I still had winter clothes front and center in my tiny little space with a faux fur vest front and center. I was nearly breaking out in hives every morning trying to get dressed for 88-degree weather wading through cashmere and flannel. Yuck.
Somehow, this spring flew by and summer snuck up on me, too and low and behold it’s mid-July and nothing has moved. I also have accumulated just a few things along the way this past year and realized it was time for the good ole purge. The task can often seem daunting – especially when you have to turn your entire apartment upside down to do it, but over the years I’ve found a pretty simple method to the madness.
1. Turn On Music
Before you know it, Adam Levine will appear to help you clean things up. Just kidding, but at least singing like he is makes it more fun.
2. Start when it’s still light out and don’t stop until you’re done for the day
True story, I made the mistake knowingly of stopping early and ended up pushing all of the rest of the clothes on one half of my bed and I slept on the other. Perks of being small, I guess!
3. Anything that you own that’s over 3-4 seasons old – donate
If you’ve really gone through a year without needing to wear it, the chances of you wearing it again are super slim. Give it to someone else and know that your closet won’t miss it.
4. Set a goal
I know what you’re thinking – my goal is obvious, clean out my closet! But have an attainable idea of what you’re doing. “I want to get all of my current season’s pieces front and center” or “I’d like my tops to be ordered by color” will make the whole process more streamlined. Otherwise, you may find yourself in heaps and piles with no end in sight.
5. Take a step back and mentally note your 5 favorite items: tanks, short sleeve tops, long sleeve tops, dresses and jackets.
What do they have in common? Keep them in mind the next time you’re shopping and know what you already have so that you can fill in the gaps instead of buying more of the same. In my case, it’s a lot of printed summer dresses, black and white tops, and more long-sleeve silk blouses than anyone should own (36, I got curious and counted). I’m in need of some more neutral dresses that aren’t white and neutral bottoms.
P.S. – If you’re looking for tips on decorating a small space, check out my post on my New York City apartment and how I made a tiny room extra functional!
I’ve made a habit of going through my clothes every few months or so and taking what I don’t wear to sell to consignment – it was tough at first to get rid of stuff, but now it’s easy to let things go. As a blogger, we get so much stuff and are constantly buying and receiving gifts, so if I know I’m not going to wear it this season, chances are I won’t ever wear it next year or the year after that if something better comes along. I’ve made quite a pretty penny selling to a consignment store!
xx
Merritt
The Style Scribe
I really need to do this! I’ve been wanting to set up an Ebay shop for a while and use selling things as motivation for getting rid of them haha!
xx,
Susie
http://www.SequinsandStrawberries.com