It’s amazing what several days away from everyday responsibilities can do for my mental health. I took a very laid back approach to blogging and didn’t do any freelance writing over the holiday weekend and it felt great to feel wrapped up in family.
I know I have a lot of catch up work to do today, but I’m feeling refreshed. I think some of my refreshed feelings can be attributed to the time I spent going through my closet yesterday.
Closet Clean Out
Yesterday, when Ryan and I arrived back in Ocala, I was tempted to immediately dig out our Christmas decorations and go to town. Instead I forced myself to clean out my closet and get a little organized before decorating.
I am currently about three quarters of the way through The Happiness Project and ever since I read the section of the book where the author discusses the importance of addressing the clutter in her life, my closet has been calling to me.
I went through everything in my closet and dresser including my clothes, shoes, scarves and belts. When I say I went through everything, I really mean it. I was ruthless and ended up with two big piles of clothes to give away.
Nothing was safe!
I divided my clothes into two piles: One to take to Goodwill and another to hopefully sell to Plato’s Closet and make $5 for 10 articles of clothing. The big bucks!
I ended up running out of motivation to decorate for Christmas after going through my closet and putting away all of the autumn décor, so I’m saving that festive activity for this evening!
Workout + Breakfast
It felt good to do some strength training at the gym this morning. After I spent 20 minutes on the elliptical, I hopped off to finish up my workout with a total body strength circuit.
When Ryan and I arrived home from the gym, I took a hot shower and then made myself a plate of scrambled eggs with a toasted cinnamon raisin bagel for breakfast.
Nice and warm!
Question of the Morning
- How often do you go through your closet? How do you decide what clothing you want to give away and what clothing you want to keep?
When I found myself feeling wishy-washy about giving away a certain article of clothing, I took a cue from The Happiness Project and asked myself whether or not I’d likely elect to wear something else instead of that piece of clothing when deciding what to wear. If the answer was yes, into the giveaway pile it went!
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I’m reading the Happiness Project too and I did the exact same thing as you! My roommates were thrilled to get some extra clothes and I was happy to get rid of things I no longer needed. What a powerful book we are reading to inspire us to do this! Happy cleaning and reading!
I’m in the process of a fairly big move, so that has prompted some major closet (and house) cleaning for my husband and I. We’ve already taken several trips to the Goodwill and I’m thinking more will be happening as the move gets closer and closer. I love the tip from the book on how to decide if something is worth giving away or not. What a great litmus test. I’ll definitely use that question to help guide me on what goes with me to the Bay Area and what goes to the Goodwill. 🙂
I clean out my closet every holiday season and give it to a friend of our family because his wife passed away and he has 3 girls and, well what girl wouldn’t want designer clothes that I was over after the first time I wore each item. (major shopping problem)
I need to clean out my closet! I have so many things in there that I never use but I feel bad tossing them. I should look at that Happiness Project book! Thanks for sharing this 🙂
I’m actually a big fan of going through my closet on a regular basis. I really hate clutter, and having extra things lying around tends to stress me out. That being said, I’m kind of a hoarder at the same time and there are definitely times where I have a hard time getting rid of something. It’s like even if I haven’t worn it for years, I still might and I get tempted to hold on to it.
I seriously love cleaning out my closet. De-cluttering is so liberating. I go through mine at least once a year…I’ve moved twice in the last year, so I’ve done it twice and gotten rid of like 4 garbage bags full! So much stuff I don’t need gets sent off to Goodwill
I LOVE cleaning out the closet. It’s such a refreshing feeling. And it’s also kinda like shopping in your own house 😉 I try to go through mine once every season, though sometimes I’m not as ruthless with throwing out stuff. I live in a 600-sq-ft condo, though, so I have to be really careful about only keeping things I love.
Wanna know an AWESOME trick I hear somewhere? Whenever you’re unsure of an item in your closet, turn the hanger the opposite way to your other items. If six months (or the next season) has passed and the hanger is still hanging the opposite way (meaning you haven’t worn the item), it’s time to throw that baby out! 😉
Ugh I’m jealous! Closet cleaning is something i need to do DESPERATELY! Now to only find the motivation and time…
I dedicated a good hour on Sunday just to sorting through my jeans. I have like 30 pairs but literally wear two. It’s ebay time!
I was forced to clean out my closet when I moved a few months ago – moving is enough of a pain without adding a bunch of clothes that I don’t even wear anymore!
You should do eBay or try Poshmark. It’s an app for your iPhone. It is really fast and easy. I’ve taken things to Plato’s a couple times and I could sell them 50 things and still not get enough money for pay for a tank of gas. = )
Last week when I was packing to go home for Thanksgiving, I kept looking at my clothes and thinking, “why do I still have all this stuff??” I need to go through everything and keep what I love and donate the rest!
We don’t have a Plato’s Closet or good consignment option here on the Outer Banks, so my roommate and I had a big clothes swap party last time we cleaned out our closets! We each invited a few friends to bring their “give away ” piles over, got some wine and chick flicks, and basically made a girls’ night of it. It was really fun, we all ditched a bunch of stuff that was just taking up space, and gained some clothes that we would actually love! Definitely a productive way to whittle down your pile (and spend time with friends), and the rest can still go to Goodwill 🙂
I turn my hangers backwards twice a year (beginning of spring and fall). If I haven’t worn the item/turned the hanger by the beginning of the next time, it gets donated/sold. This is an easy, mindless way to determine what I really wear.
I need to clean out my closet again–I did it once this year, but it needs to happen again!
I try to go through my closet once a year or so…. or when I notice that I seriously have ZERO room left. I try to use Oprah’s philosophy – if you haven’t worn or used it in six months, you can live without it!
I find it so hard to let go of clothes…if I’m honest I persuade myself by promising a new purchase!
Oh girl, my closets and drawers are screaming at me! Daniel and I both agreed that before Christmas we would go through EVERYTHING – every drawer, every closet, every nook in our home and get rid of the things we do not need and do not use. I already have four bags for consignment (mostly coats and jackets), and I have a feeling we will end up with a LOT more to give away. We decided that this Christmas we will focus on GIVING to others and random acts of kindness. Thanks for the reminder that we need to get started on those closets!
If I haven’t worn something within the last year, it goes. Sometimes I hate it…I think ‘But this is so cute! I’ll totally wear it.’ But then I realize that it can’t be THAT cute if I haven’t bothered to put it on in the past 12 months.
Ah… it feels so good to get everything cleaned out! Not to mention to make room for all the new Christmas apparel!
Too funny you mention cleaning out your closet–I just did a “mini-clean out” as well. I’m at a point where my college clothes aren’t up to par for “real world standards” (like professional and business-casual), so I have a lot of stuff that needs to go. It does feel pretty good, though. 🙂
Glad you had a nice relaxed holiday! (you totally deserved every minute) I usually (try) to clean my closet out twice a year. When we moved, I got rid of SO much but it never seems to make a dent. 🙂
I love getting rid of stuff! LOL. I hate clutter and I can’t stand keeping stuff that has no purpose. That being said, it’s those “little” things that I find hardest to get rid of…you know, that box of odds and ends that have no purpose except for maybe a good memory?
I do struggle sometimes when cleaning out my closet though because sometimes I just *hate* everything some days! Depends on my mood. I’m trying to invest in pieces that won’t go out of style instead of trying to be trendy all the time. Which is hard to do. But yes, it feels so energizing to purge the closet!
P.S. I don’t think you ever shared with us what you and Ryan got eachother for your 2nd Anniversary gifts?! Curious minds want to know! 🙂
I actually just did this the other day in preparation for moving, I had a little bit more with a HUGE garbage bag full of stuff. My mum had two! Haha, I’m glad you enjoyed your thanksgiving 🙂
My hubby is a clothes hoarder. Me? I looove to get rid of stuff and make room for new things! I helped him move out of his house a few years ago, and he had so many sweaters (we live in Florida) that were outdated or I’ve never seen him wear. So I would hold up 3, and he got to choose ONE to keep. This kept going on and on till we made it through the ridiculous amount of clothes he has! Mean wife! 🙂
Hubby and I recently started cleaning out our closets in preparation for our big move back to my hometown (I’m an Illinois girl, too!) and so far we’ve listed about 200 items on Ebay, mostly dvd’s, cd’s and video games. I still have 2 closets left, but those are waiting for this weekend!
You should sell those clothes on your blog!!
I know i love everything you wear!
My friends all make fun of me because they say I clean out my closet TOO much. I have a bit of a clutter issue… But not because I have to much, because I think I have too little… If I look at something and it takes me more than five seconds to decide whether or not I need it, it’s gone!
Clutter free living makes me happy, haha.
It’s getting time to clean out my closet as well. I ALWAYS take everything (Goodwill worthy or not) to Platos. I’ve actually made quite a few $ from them. Ironically, the items they give me the most money for are the ones I didn’t even think they’d buy. I have a pair of brand new never worn very basic(no crazy stitching or rhinestones, etc) True Religion jeans that I bought for $100+ back in the day, they offerred $15. I decided to just keep them and gift them to a friend who loves them.
So I have that wishy-washy feeling about most of my clothes when I go through my closet, and end up getting rid of far fewer clothes than I actually should. After moving and living out of a suitcase for weeks before our stuff arrived, I realized I didn’t need much. The clothes arrived and that same wishy-washy feeling arrived too. My friend Stephanie had such an easy solution I asked her to write a guest blog for me, http://humblepursuits.com/simply-simplified-decluttering-guide/. Basically the short of it is to store all the wishy-washy clothes clothes in a bin, in an out of the way, harder to reach place. In 6 or so months if you haven’t made the effort to dig anything out, you know you can live without it. (I will also use the bin clothes when traveling so I can toss them out along the way and have more room to bring back souvenirs, mainly chocolate).
Thanks for the advice on cleaning out the closet. I spent most of the day cleaning out and getting rid of a lot. Tomorrow I’m going to take my selling pile to platos, fingers crossed!!
How did sending your clothing to Twice work out? Did you receive any money???
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