Confession

When it comes to living a simple life and having a “mindful home,” I strongly believe that this means we need to get rid of our clutter and the things we don’t need or don’t use.  For me and my husband, this meant going through our entire house a few weeks ago, and getting rid of about half of the “stuff” we own (excluding furniture).  This whole process was made easier by the fact that we have some friends who are adopting, and they are asking for donations to a garage sale from which the proceeds will help bring their kiddos home.  Sweet- the motivation I needed to be a little more cut-throat with what we are keeping.  Thus, the idea for this next post was born... 

Confession: I have too many clothes.  I counted my hangers this past weekend, and including pants, tops, dresses, skirts, and jackets, I had nearly 250.  Seriously?  Granted, most of them were handed down to me, birthday or Christmas gifts, or purchased from my favorite thrift store in Portland.  So my wardrobe, although large, was quite inexpensive.  But I still had so many things that I couldn’t even assemble a single outfit in a reasonable amount of time.  Ever have that problem?  Do you ever have too many choices in the morning, so you just stand there in front of your billions of hangers and complain as you try on item after item until you run out the door (late!) in something that you regret wearing one hour later?  No?  Just me?  

Well having too many choices was definitely the problem for me.  I have several things that I don’t really like, and I only keep them because I think there’s a tiny chance that I MAY put on that five-year-old top one day and it will just look ravishing.  Um, yeah right Katy.

It was time to cut some of the clutter.  I decided on a method that I wanted to share with all of you...ahem...clothing hoarders like me, in hopes that it will work for you and simplify your home, life, and get you out the door on time in the morning.  Here are my three tips:

• Instead of weeding out the items that you could possibly part with, take out the opposite.  Only remove the items that you will NOT get rid of.  Take out your non-negotiables.  Move all of your negotiables to the back of your closet and keep them there for a good length of time.  For me, it will be a month or so.  Whichever items I don’t pull from the back of the closet to wear are getting the boot.  And you will probably be surprised by how many non-negotiables you have, which you may find is plenty of clothing for you.  

• Only keep the nice items: the timeless items, classic items, neutral-so-it-goes-with-everything items, fits-like-it-was-tailored-to-me items, and the items you can’t live without.  Move the stained, doesn’t-fit-right, has-holes-in-it, I-may-wear-it-someday, I’m-saving-it-for-a-specific-occasion items to the back.  Mind you, I didn’t say to only keep expensive items; if it was costly but you still never wear it, give it to someone who will wear it and enjoy it...clothes weren’t made to keep your hangers warm!

• If you have too many of one thing, say jackets for example, narrow it down.  I had several jackets for several types of seasons.  Instead of keeping all of them, I chose two: a waterproof shell and a down jacket.  They can be worn individually for any type of weather, or layered together for the perfect winter coat.  I chose the neutral colors so they go with anything, and I made sure they fit right and don’t make me look like a football player.  Get rid of duplicates if you can simplify.

From now on when I get something new that I want to keep, I am going to really challenge myself to get rid of something in exchange.  If you really want to, you could keep only enough hangers for what you have so you don’t have a choice in the matter.  I better really like it to keep it, and it better be good quality and versatile.  Now, my closet is a little more sparse, with only 120 hangers, and its amazing how freeing it is to get rid of so much.  

These steps work great in other areas of your home as well.  Is your kitchen full of plates, bowls, platters, and other "stuff" that you never use?  Do you have too many toiletries in your bathroom drawers?  And don't forget about the garage.  Get the whole family involved- it's a great thing to teach your kids too.  Try pulling out your non-negotiables and donating the rest.    

Please feel free to share your organizing and cleaning tips and tricks- I’d love to hear from you.  Thanks for reading about this mindful home!