It’s the first full week of January and everyone is stammering to keep resolutions. Fitness, minimalism, diet, work, spirituality…the list goes on.
For me, refreshing and restarting is the first step to obtaining my goals. I unplugged for a couple of weeks around Christmas, then I started editing my wardrobe (after tackling a client’s the week before Christmas too).
Purging, decluttering and finding some of my favorite items made me realize how much better I feel. And because I am here to serve you, my reader, I want to help you too!
Decluttering your closet may just change your life, or your outlook on 2019! You’ll feel better in your clothes by wearing only what you love. You’ll purge the items that don’t make you feel happy. And all these feelings will be so appealing, you may just tackle the rest of your home! Are you ready?
Today, and over the next 5 days, I want us to hang out and dive into our hot mess together. Grab some boxes, trash bags and a camera. Here is the first step to your wardrobe edit!
Part 1: Create collections based on what you want to do with your clothes. I create five piles for my edits:
Donate
Anything in good condition that you believe won’t sell (or you don’t want to go through the effort) will go in this pile. I only include great-condition items, which usually entails T-shirts, pajamas and anything out-dated.
Sell
If you want to put in the effort, this is a great way to make a little extra spending money or (my favorite) pay off some debt. When we moved earlier this year, I made more than $500 selling our clothing. In 2014, also before a move, I made more than $750 using the same method. It is very time consuming, but if you could use some cash it is extremely rewarding.
My personal favorite way to sell clothing is eBay and Facebook Marketplace. I have also used thredUp, and while I only received cents per item, it was a great way to make money off the items I had left over the day before our move. Plus it is SUPER easy – all you do is register and they send you a postage-paid clean out bag. Here’s $10 if you want to create an account with thredUp.
Trash
Yes, you will need to throw some things away, especially if it has holes, pilling or stains. I understand it may be hard for some. Just do it. Ask a good friend or feel free to email me if you need help. I promise you’ll feel better after!
Maybe’s
This is usually the hardest collection for women to work through, so I have a dedicated post all about your maybe’s on day 3. So for now just collect that pile and come back here on Wednesday for all the helpful tips I will have for you!
Keep
Here is your criteria to determine what to keep:
- You would buy this article of clothes if it was in the store today
- It has no tears, stains or pilling (here is a helpful tool if your sweater has fuzzies and you still love it – I use this with every season wardrobe change!)
- You look good in it
- You feel good in it
- And ultimately, it brings you joy
There you have it! I would love to hear how day 1 is going for you, either in the comments of on my Facebook live video below. And come back tomorrow as I share how to organize your wardrobe (aka all the items you are keeping).
