Hey!  So how is your wardrobe clean up going?!  It’s been so great reading all your comments sharing your own experiences, challenges and advice!  Thank you!

I just wanted to check in really quickly and share a few tips that I’ve found helpful during my purge.  I already shared these on Instagram, but I know not everyone is on there, so here they are for you!

Check out tips 1 and 2 (do it NOW and do it ALL) in my last post.

Tip 3 – This one is my main takeaway from The Life-changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo (affiliate link).  After you’ve gathered up all your clothes, pick up each item and ask yourself, “Does it spark joy?”  Does it make you feel happy to see it, touch it, pick it up?  If our main goal in life is to be happy, we should be surrounding us with things that make us feel happy.  When we open our closets, we should see just those articles that bring us joy and get rid of everything else.

It’s scary when you realize just how much you’ll need to get rid of.  I know that I was worried that I’d have nothing left.  But I can honestly say that it feels so good to just see the things that I love.  All those other articles of clothing work against our happiness.  They carry bits of guilt, shame, embarrassment, whatever – for never picking it, for spending the money but not wearing it, for not being the right size.  No sense keeping that stuff around!  So again, pick it up and ask, “Does this spark joy?”  If not, get rid of it.

Tip 4 – If you need a more practical question – some people use the “1 year” rule.  Have you worn it in the last year?  If not, get rid of it.  If you didn’t wear it last year, you aren’t going to wear it this year either.

Tip 5 – Don’t try on the clothes when you’re purging!  You should be able make a decision just by picking it up and looking at it.  If you start trying things on then you’ll go down the path of hesitation and maybes.  “Well maybe I’ll wear it this year.”  “Maybe I just need the right shirt to go with it.”  “It still fits and looks cute (even though I never wear it . . .)”  Don’t go there!  Just make your decision based on what you feel when you pick it up.  And if you don’t know whether it fits you, that means you probably haven’t worn it recently enough anyways so get rid of it 😛

Tip 6 – When you’re saying goodbye to your clothes, especially the ones that are hard to get rid of, thank it for whatever role it played in your life and then let it go.  Maybe it’s your old favorite band or concert t-shirt or maybe it was that dress you bought because it looked cute in the store, but you just never found the right time to wear it.  All of these items have fulfilled their purpose, but if you’re not wearing it and it doesn’t bring you joy, you should say ‘thank you’ and get rid of it.  Thank you for making me feel like part of a team.  Thank you for the memories that you hold.  Thank you for teaching me what is not flattering on me.  Thank you for fulfilling my need to buy something when I was stressed that one day.  Whatever it may be.

The shirt above was a favorite that I’ve had since I was an undergrad, but it’s too small for me and I haven’t worn it in years.  I’ve kept it for so long hoping it would fit me again one day, but I realize it’s time to let it go.  I am grateful for all the good times I had it in, but I’m ready to pass it on to the next person to love.

I had a few people asking and talking about refashioning old clothes and that’s a tricky one.  I know there are a lot of people who love to take old clothes and make them new, but it’s also dangerous to simply move things from one part of your house to another.  Making a large refashion pile is not really a solution to a cluttering problem.  If you are anything like me, that pile will just sit and sit and you’ll feel guilty every time you look at it, but you’ll still choose to sew with new fabric every time.  So for me, I just try to get rid of it no matter how great the potential.  Let someone else wear or refashion it.

After going through my closet and drawers I had three garbage bags full and ready to be donated!  That’s the bulk of it, but I still have to go through shoes, jackets and bags.  It feels so good so far.  I’m motivated to move through other parts of the house next!

How are you doing?  All done?  Still going strong or maybe dragging your feet?  You’ve still got a few days left to get to it, if you want to join us!