I have way too many clothes.
Actually, I should amend that sentence… I have way too many clothes that I don’t wear.
Even though, I do a bit of a clothing purge when I switch my closet over for each season (twice a year) somehow I have a big ol’ pile of clothes that I keep packing up, unpacking, never wearing and then packing up again.
I’m so over it.
Part of what I’ve learned over the past year of using Stitch Fix is to only buy what I love. In order to pass my tests, I have to not only love each item, but it has to go with stuff already in my closet AND it has to make me feel pretty great about myself. This new way of shopping has really helped me avoid that ‘fast fashion’ and clothes that I buy because they’re on sale… only to never really like wearing them.
Unfortunately, I still have a bunch of clothes that I bought BEFORE I learned that… so what to do?
Well, I’m getting rid of them all.
Here’s my closet before I started cleaning it out.
It’s PACKED and it doesn’t even contain any of my winter clothes. Many of the items have been in there since spring and I never even wore them at all. I like my shoe organizers, but they are so low I can’t really find what I’m looking for, so I just keep wearing the same few pairs over and over again.
I decided that instead of just pulling out a few things and throwing in my winter stuff, I’d start fresh.
Yup, I took every darn thing out of that closet. The shoe shelves were still bothering me though, so I tried a few different configurations and ended up with this.
It was dangerous as heck though – especially because Jack likes to poke around in my closet – so I secured the top two organizers to the wall with these Safety 1st Furniture Wall Straps
Oh, and here is what the rest of the room looked like:
I purged pretty relentlessly this time. Out of 10 pairs of black work pants, I cut it down to just the three that really fit me well. So now, instead of pulling them all out to figure out what pair is which, I can actually just grab any of them. I also got rid of a bunch of ill-fitting dresses, a few skirts and a TON of tops that either didn’t fit right, looked kind of worn, or just didn’t make my heart pitter-patter.
RELENTLESS purging for the WIN!
Next, I went through the mountain of unwanted clothes and organized them into three piles: trash, a Goodwill donation, and the nice stuff to go to Twice {If you want to try them out, you can use my special referral link to earn an extra $10}. I ended up with two huge trash bags full to take to Goodwill, so I’ll be getting a receipt to write that off my taxes. I also have a large pile for Twice, but I need to wait until I get a bigger box so I can send it all in!
Here’s my pretty impressive “after” picture:
To the left of the shoe organizers I have my blazers, jeans, and a belt/scarf organizer (from my Ikea trip last week). My statement necklaces are on hooks on the back wall. To the right of the organizer, I have my blouses, sweaters, skirts, pants and dresses.
Although this is a great start, I still have WAY too many clothes. I know for a fact that I don’t love every single piece of clothing in this picture.
So my next goal is to try and wear everything in my closet, instead of just the five items in the front.
At the end of the day of wearing an item I’m going to give myself a little quiz:
- At any time throughout the day did I feel uncomfortable because of the item’s fit?
- After a full day of work, do I feel messy, disheveled or super wrinkly?
- For work clothes, do I feel like I look nice and professional?
If the clothing doesn’t pass the test, it goes in the laundry basket to the left (there is a small one hidden back there), and will be leaving the house by way of Twice or Goodwill.
If you follow me on Instagram, I’m planning to take pictures of each “new” outfit and will be hash-tagging them with #thejoulespurge. If you’d like to play along and purge your own closet, feel free to join in on the hashtag fun!
My hopes are that within a couple months I’ll be left with a wardrobe that I love. Even if I’m left with just a couple dozen items when I’m done, at least those items will make me feel good about myself! Also, by selling my clothes to Twice, I’ll have a little extra cash to go out and buy what I really need… like maybe that pair of Frye boots that I’ve been drooling over!
Do you do a regular closet purge? How do you decide whether to keep or toss an item? Do you want to join in on #thejoulespurge with me?
So inspired! I’m going to have to do this to my closet!
Are you on Instagram? if so, I want to follow you so you can #thejoulespurge with me! =)
I just did this! I relentlessly and quickly got rid of ANYTHING that I just don’t wear. I was holding onto things that are too “young” for me now, and things that I never wear because they don’t make me feel good or I just plain out don’t like the item. I cleared out A LOT of my closet and kind of started over and am getting into the world of coordination, layering, and not buying something just because it’s on sale… at the age of (almost) 31. So I am right there with ya. Closet purges for the win!!
I am SO impressed! I have a hard time purging. I’m getting better about it, but it’s a struggle.
Hey I thought of you yesterday because a friend of mine posted a picture of her Frye boots that she’s had for 10 years; they had just returned from the company after being re-soled. So I know it’s a lot of money but it sounds like it can be worth it over the long run!
I love doing a good closet purge. I did one last year when I moved and got rid of stuff that was uncomfortable, didn’t fit properly, wasn’t as flattering as I wanted and stuff that was not bad, I just didn’t wear for some reason. I also did a shoe purge. You know that pair of heels that you want to love, but ever time you wear them you regret it? Or you simply change your mind last minute? Yeah those are gone now.
I do a pretty regular purge every few months (I usually donate them to my cousin), and I still keep A TON of stuff. Although, the way my weight fluctuates back and forth as much and as often as it does, I’ve actually found keeping the pieces I ADORE (even when they don’t fit me) has been a godsend when I gained or lost a few pounds.