Friday, September 9, 2011

Help my closet!

My closet is a crowded mess!  Do  you have suggestions for closet organizers, those hanger things that let you put 4 or 5 things on one hook or vacuum bags?  Do they work?


Chances are, you don't need a special organizer, you just need to get rid of some stuff!  There are a few things you can do to make it easier to know what should stay and what should go.


First, go to the back of the closet and grab anything that's crammed back there that you know you aren't going to wear again.  Be honest and realistic. Try not to get nostalgic. Sometimes we hold onto things not because they fit well and we like them, but because they were a gift, or we paid a lot of money for them or we think we may need them later.  I had a dress in my closet that I kept because it was fancy and expensive. I kept telling myself,  "I might wear that to a wedding or special event" but every time a special event came up, I'd try the dress on, realize I hated it!  It made me look like a circus tent.  I'd feel frumpy and I'd go out and buy something new!  Eventually, I realized that just seeing it in the closet made me feel bad about my size, and for spending money on a dress I never wore so I donated it to a charity thrift shop.  It will look great on someone else and she'll get a great dress at a bargain.  She'll probably see it in her closet and feel good about herself! That's much better than the negativity it brought to my closet!

While you're back there, box up everything that you're saving for when you lose all that weight.  We all have that pile!  Do yourself a favor, when you do get back to that weight, buy yourself some nice things that flatter your new body!  You'll have earned it!  When you do that, be sure to box up all of the clothes that used to fit and get them out ASAP so you aren't tempted to backslide! Let someone else get some use out of them!

Now that you've got some space, take a few minutes and turn all your hangers around the other way.  It's a bit of a pain, but it will help.  Really!  Jot down the date on a post it and stick it to the closet wall.  As you wear your clothes and put them back in the closet, put them back in the normal way.  Every 3 months, go back and re-evaluate anything on a backwards hanger.  Do you really love it?  Do you really need it?  If not, put it in the box.  When you hit the 1 year mark, anything still on a backwards hanger needs to go.  No excuses about the seasons, or that you haven't had the right occasion to wear it.  It's been a whole year.  You've had time and occasions and you picked other things.

The only exception should be funeral clothes.  I can understand wanting to keep a dark dress or suit that is suitable for a funeral, but perhaps not dressy or festive enough to wear out to dinner.  And hopefully, you don't have to go to a funeral every year so it doesn't pass the hanger test.  If you do keep a funeral outfit, make sure it fits, is in good condition and there is only one!  If it doesn't meet all those criteria, I would encourage you to box it up, and make do for the occasional funeral with dark clothes in your regular wardrobe.