Lindi sometimes jokes that people would expect her to be the one to hold on to things for sentimental reasons and me to be the purger, but in fact, the opposite is sort of true. It's not extreme, but I hang on to things. Forever. Because I think I will need them, or because they almost fit, or because someone special gave it to me ten years ago. And sometimes they do turn out to be useful, or they fit eventually, or it is important to keep them because sometimes sentimental things matter. But most of the time? It's just stuff, taking up space.
And then there is my closet. I have a lot of clothes. A whole lot. Part of this is that I haven't changed size significantly since I was 16 years old, and I still like some of the things I have kept from high school and my first years at university. I gained weight when I went to college, and a bit more when I graduated, but it pretty evenly distributed over my body so anything with any stretch generally still fits.
And it feels really good. I bagged up everything to give away and I haven't had second thoughts about any of it in the days since I finished closet cleaning, except one lone shirt that reminds me of an old friend. But it stays in the bag to be taken to donate.
I wanted to undertake this project because I think I am calmer and happier in general (as most people are, I am guessing) when my space is a little more clean and simple. My sweet friend Erin recently wrote about her own closet catharsis, and how clearing our space can do so much to "declutter our minds." That struck such a chord with me. I still have a long way to go to get our house all the way there, and in some ways, it's a constant process and will actually never be over. But I'm taking it one step at a time.
What about you, friends? Have you gone through your closet recently? Is there anything you want to declutter? Do you feel perfectly fine about the things in your life? I'm so interested in how other people feel about this!
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| Bags to take to Goodwill. |
Last week we were at the used bookstore we love and I found a book about clearing clutter that looked interesting. I flipped through it, thought about buying it, and then realized that I probably had gotten the impetus I needed to change from the first sentence. I don't remember the exact wording, but the idea was clear: if a thing doesn't contribute positively to your life, you should get rid of it. And if you can't decide whether or not to get rid of it, then you should get rid of it.
Obviously! And although this makes definite sense, and I knew it on a deeper level, reading it phrased like that somehow made it easier to apply the theory in real life. And so I made a deal with myself: in order to make things less overwhelming, I would go through one thing each day. And so far, this has worked out really well. I went through my desk drawers at my office one day and threw out pens that didn't work and old business cards from visiting clients. Another day, I went through our snack cabinet in out kitchen and trashed anything that was stale or that we didn't care for.
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| Pretty scarves. |
And then there is my closet. I have a lot of clothes. A whole lot. Part of this is that I haven't changed size significantly since I was 16 years old, and I still like some of the things I have kept from high school and my first years at university. I gained weight when I went to college, and a bit more when I graduated, but it pretty evenly distributed over my body so anything with any stretch generally still fits.
Neither of us have walk in closets-- we both have single bar closets with a normal door-- so perhaps the amount of clothes I had wasn't too insane. Still, my closet was pretty full. I was beginning to feel like I didn't ever really remember what all I had, even though it was all there, because everything was so packed together. I tend to wear the same things over and over, so having a stuffed closet (of very pretty things! But still!) just seemed silly.
Here's how I went through my closet: I pulled out everything I wasn't sure about, or hadn't worn recently, and left the things I wear regularly. I stacked all the "maybes" in a pile, still on hangers, and took them to our office. Then I tried everything on, looked in the mirror, and got the opinions of Lindi and a lovely friend who was staying the night.
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If something didn't feel right-- if it was too short, or too tight, or too loose, or scratchy-- it went directly to the giveaway pile. If it was great and I loved it but had a loose seam/waistband that needed to be fixed/etc., it went onto our sewing table instead of back into the closet where I would invariably forget about the needed alterations (again). And if it felt great, but I hadn't worn it recently (or ever... yikes), I turned to my handy advice-givers and asked them, "Is this a '10'?" And usually something about it was not, such as the pattern, the color or the neckline. Some things I liked, but were starting to show signs of wear. All those went into the giveaway pile as well.
The next night, I went through my dresser. Socks that didn't have matches or had holes and undies that weren't comfy or were worn out all went into the trash. Socks that I just didn't like but that were in good shape went into the giveaway pile, as did sleep and excercise clothes.
All in all? I got rid of a LOT of stuff. Fifteen sweaters, two coats, a pair of pinching black heels, six skirts, seven pairs of pants, eleven dresses and sixty-one (!!!) tops. And the ironic thing is, my closet is still full! It's comfortably, flexibly full now, though, with lots of empty space, instead of being packed in.
And it feels really good. I bagged up everything to give away and I haven't had second thoughts about any of it in the days since I finished closet cleaning, except one lone shirt that reminds me of an old friend. But it stays in the bag to be taken to donate.
I wanted to undertake this project because I think I am calmer and happier in general (as most people are, I am guessing) when my space is a little more clean and simple. My sweet friend Erin recently wrote about her own closet catharsis, and how clearing our space can do so much to "declutter our minds." That struck such a chord with me. I still have a long way to go to get our house all the way there, and in some ways, it's a constant process and will actually never be over. But I'm taking it one step at a time.
What about you, friends? Have you gone through your closet recently? Is there anything you want to declutter? Do you feel perfectly fine about the things in your life? I'm so interested in how other people feel about this!
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YOU HAD SIXTY ONE TOPS THAT YOU GAVE AWAY?
ReplyDeleteI think I only own about 30 tops in total. And I might only wear 20 of them. And I only own 3 pairs of jeans. 1 of those pairs will fit me once i get to my goal in March.
And I have 2 dresses. And I'm always trying to give them away, but then I think of the one or two weddings that I have each year.
And I only have 5 pairs of shoes.
I think I have a clutter problem with art supplies and books, though. But I can't talk about that right now. It makes me feel a little stressed.
I know!! It is horribly embarrassing. I'm always buying clothes at yard sales and goodwill, so they are so inexpensive. And if I find a basic thing I like-- a tee or tank top-- I usually buy more than one in different colors. (I'm tall! It's hard to find things that are long enough.) So I gave away like six of the same tank top I used to wear all. the. time. but don't any more because I can't wear tank tops to work... and about five of the same t-shirt because they are all starting to wear out.
DeleteHelen, that's wonderful!! You got rid of so much and no wonder you feel good about your closet now -- it can breath and so can you. Don't be embarrassed about "having too much" because we all hold on to too much of something for too long, whether it's clothing or grudges or old books. Enjoy your "new" closet, sans guilt, and keep up your great cleaning-out project!
ReplyDelete(Also, I've very glad you blogged this.)
Thanks, lady! I can't wait to see more of your project as well. :)
DeleteI LOVE purging! It gives me a serious high. I feel accomplished, and in control of my life, and I can concentrate better! When I'm feeling really stressed, the first thing I want to do is PURGE ALL THE THINGS! lol
ReplyDeleteI completely understand. Hooray!
Delete