Closet Purge
If you are like me, you go into your packed closet every day and sit on the floor and groan because you can’t figure out what to wear and hate how you look and feel in so many of your clothes. You keep shopping for new clothes and wearing those same outfits over and over again, honestly being bored with your closet. And to put the cherry on top, you feel guilty about this!
If you can relate to this, it’s probably time to purge your closet! And if that makes you squirm because of how daunting the task could be, then this blog and video are for you!
I decided to do a huge closet purge because I had enough of feeling this way for years in my closet. I also had a major career shift and began a work-from-home job, so I no longer needed my large amount of office clothes, which was the largest motivator for me to get started on this task.
Here’s how to do it with zero stress:
First, accept that you are not going to do this entire purge in one day, and only work on this when you are in the mood to actually get rid of items and dedicate an hour or two to a section of the closet. You will need to work on your closet one section at a time if you don’t want to stress TF out about it (unless you’re mentally stronger than I am- then, by all means, go for it, girl!).
When you’ve decided what section of your closet you’re working on, take all the items out of the closet and put them on your bed or on the floor. Go through each item and create 3 piles. This is the hardest part: decide based on your first instinct and feelings which pile each piece belongs.
Pile 1: KEEP! “This piece makes me feel amazing when I wear it- it’s such a great staple piece for me and brings me joy, and I have worn it in the past 2 years! I can’t wait to wear this again!"
Pile 2: MAYBE…. “I really can’t decide. I love it so much, but I just haven’t worn it in… when did I wear this again….? I don’t think I’ll wear it again. But I might wear it again…. I just love the way I feel in it and I don’t really want to get rid of it but I also think it may be best to get rid of it. “
Pile 3: GONE. “I’m okay with parting with this piece because I don’t feel good in it, I haven’t worn it in years, or it doesn’t fit and I don’t want pieces in my closet that don’t fit.”
3) Put pile 3 away to either donate or consign. For my more expensive or high brand pieces, I chose to list on Poshmark (you can also use Mercari) and consign at my local high-end consignment store.
4) For pile 2, go through each piece and be brutally honest. This is the time to try on pieces you may not remember to make sure they still fit. If they don’t, get rid of them. If you are having a hard time letting go of a piece because it’s sentimental (like my college graduation dress was for me), try the piece on or take a photo of it so you can always look at it, and then give it away. You have the photo- you don’t need the physical item taking space in your closet. I compared the maybe pile with my pile 1 for the final step. I made sure that if I already had 3 cardigans, and an item in my pile 2 was another cardigan, I wasn’t keeping too many. This helped me let go of more items because I knew I really didn’t need that fourth cardigan.
5) Put your clothes back in your closet, but hang them all up with their hangers facing backward! This way, you can keep track of what items you are wearing and which items you never reached for. Next season, if you still haven’t flipped a hanger around correctly and haven’t worn that item, it’s time to let it go because you probably won’t wear it next season either.
6) My final tip was a lifesaver for me, a natural hoarder. I started a “maybe” box. There were several pieces that I really couldn’t decide on getting rid of and for some reason it was legitimately painful to think about selling them or donating them. But, I really didn’t know if I would miss them or ever reach for them again. Put those items in this box and then close the box and put it in the back of your closet. You’ll feel safer this way, and if you ever think of something in the box, you can get it back out and keep it! But, put a date on the box about 6-9 months out. When that date comes and you have yet to get anything out, donate the entire box.
7) My final, final tip: I made a promise to myself that with every purchase I make, I will get rid of another clothing item. It’s a hard pill to swallow, but it will keep my closet fresh and fun and if I stick to it, I won’t have the same feelings of dread every time I have to get dressed and I shouldn’t need to do embark on another closet purge ever again!
I vlogged my experience for you in hopes that it inspires you to embark on your closet purge! I feel SO delighted every time I go into my closet now, and I have actually been shopping less because I only buy what I notice I need in my wardrobe and make sure each item I buy is something I’ll love for a long time and will be versatile.
xoxo, jess
