Friday, February 23, 2024

Little project: master closet clothing and shoe purge

Over the years, I've posted lots about the master closet - how it basically went from train wreck to peaceful.  At one point it was a closet/office combo and literally stuffed from corner to corner.  I hated it so much. Fast forward to the last big purge being August of 2022.  So now its time to go through all of these clothes again.  Let's get started!
fairly organized, but let's take a closer look 

I went through everything that was hanging, then all of the shoes, then lastly my dresser drawers.  I kept these things in mind:
*does it fit, does the color flatter, do I like the style?
*has it been untouched for a year or more?
*is it damaged to the point I don't want to mend/alter it?
*is it special occasion/emotionally charged clothing I won't wear any time soon?
*Am I keeping this item because it has a memory attached?
*for shoes: are they comfortable, useful, in good shape?

I did fold things to fit them nicely into the bags

I pulled everything out.  Looked at it carefully.  Tried some things on.  Made decisions. Did not equivocate.
the stacking crate with tennies and flip flops went to the garage

Then I organized everything by type of clothing - similar to what it had been.  There is plenty of room in here for everything, but the point is I only want to keep what I will actually use.
13 scrub tops = 4 workweeks' worth of work clothes, which is plenty!

I even went through all my scrubs - if it doesn't fit, I'm not storing it.  And I found at least 4 tops that still fit me, so why wasn't I wearing them? 
I still haven't added pretty storage up top

Having fewer things to choose from means you stress less about your clothes.  And I am sure that I will still add clothing pieces here and there as I need them.  But I am also going to focus on buying better quality clothing that fits my shape and style.  So it won't come home with me unless I need or want it.  I feel like this will save me money in the long run and make me feel more confident in what I'm wearing.
5 pairs of shoes can goooo

For me, shoes seemed to be emotionally charged.  There were the heels I wore to Bubbie's high school graduation, the wedges I wore to the last concert Mark and I went to, the sandals I spent a few summers with the boys in.   But there's no point in keeping shoes that I won't wear in the near future.  The things I wore in my 40s or 50s aren't necessarily the things I want to wear now. 
"If it fits, it can sit" does not apply

And so they can go to bless someone else.
Last time I did a big clean in here, I had plans to add another hanging shoe caddy, get daylight bulbs, add pretty storage and a pretty rug, remove shelving system.  I did change out the bulbs, then I stopped there.  But by the idea of "addition by subtraction", I don't need to add much else to my closet to make it work for me.
On to the next project!


Gina

3 comments:

Joni said...

Wow! Your closet looks awesome! I hope to get there soon. I have been doing the same thing of "quality vs quantity" and it really makes the decision easy.
After breaking both feet (at the same time) I happily donated my shoes with exception to the nice ones that were worn once, those were ebayed and poshmarked. Happy Spring, indeed!

My Tireless Retirement said...

Bravo! Well done Gina!

Pattie @ Olla-Podrida said...

I admire you so much for this, Gina! I really need to do the same thing. I have clothes that I haven’t worn since I lived in my previous home, and I have been in this one now for 12 years. I have clothes in the closet that don’t fit. I have clothes in the closet that I wouldn’t wear even if they did fit. My feet got bigger during the pandemic (they flattened out, presumably), and I can’t wear most of the shoes in my closet, and yet they are still there. For some reason, I just cannot let them go. So much sentimentality is wrapped up in the clothes that I have. I need to follow your example. I’m so proud of you! Well done!