Clean Home Challenge Days #18-19

Today we tackle a difficult project...our closets! Mine was absolutely stuffed to the max, yet every time I went in to pick out an outfit I claimed I had 'nothing to wear!'. What a mess!

I decided to jump in full force and get rid of anything too small, too immodest, or anything I haven't worn yet this year. Normally, I would have kept these items "just in case"...in case I finally lose the weight, in case I am super skinny one day and decide to wear a bikini in public (never gonna happen! even if I had a 6 pack I don't agree with baring that much skin anymore), in case I decide lime green does actually look good on me, in case, in case in case! I was tired of the clutter it was all taking up not only in my closet but also in the time it ate away from me each morning. When staring into a closet stuffed full with things that either don't fit or don't flatter, it's nearly impossible to make a decision because I'm so overwhelmed by all that's there.

So...I did it. I got rid of it all! I plan to give mine to Goodwill, but you could always sell yours at a Consignment shop or at a yard sale. I believe that the items I am giving away can bless another lady, and that does my heart good. It also makes it easier if a few months down the road I go looking for a certain item and forget that I don't have it anymore. I just keep telling myself, "You don't need it, and it can bless someone else. You DON'T need it, it can bless someone else", and I repeat it as many times as necessary.

Here are some before pictures:

I had this side so crowded that I couldn't really see what I had. Up above I had thrown or stuffed items in the wrong places.

Although I use storage containers down below as well, I needed to clean out a lot of the items in them.

One big mess!

My shoes were out of control. I'll blame this on Karsyn partly because she loves to wear them and not put them back where they came from.

I started on one side and worked my way over. As I went through each item I asked myself, "Does this fit?", "Does it fit me well?", "Does it flatter?", and "Is this modest?". If an item didn't meet those specifications, even if I paid a lot for it or used to really love it, I put it into the 'donate' pile.

Next, I pulled out all empty hangers (and there were A LOT since I got rid of so many items).

Lastly, I organized my clothing by type. Ex: pants, skirts, tops, dresses, etc.

I spent some time on organizing my shoes and in storing my purses and bags in some storage containers above my clothing. I even managed to part with a few purses, if y'all can believe that!

Here are my after pictures:

I put the proper items in the place they were designated to go. The storage units shown here are for sweatshirts, belts, scarves, purses, and large bags.

I cleaned out the storage containers down here and rearranged them a little. They are for underwear, bras, bathing suits, socks, dress socks, and miscellaneous items.

I decided to keep 10 regular hangers and 10 skirt/pant hangers. I got rid of all the rest. Look at all that extra storage room I now have up top! The belk bag is full of Marcus' old pants. We plan to tackle his side of the closet on Saturday!

Got rid of 4 pairs of shoes and organized the ones that were remaining.

For an idea of how many things I am donating, look at all these leftover hangers!~ Some of these were empty to begin with, but at least half of them used to hold items that I thought I 'HAD to have!". 

What about you, friends? Are you ready? It's time to part with the items that are cluttering up our closets, our time, and our energy. If you don't love it, get rid of it!!.

Another tip, after you're done clearing out all of the items you don't want to keep, turn every hanger backwards for the items you're keeping. (Put them with the hook part facing forwards instead of backwards as you normally would hang an item). Once you've worn the item, turn the hanger around. At the end of a season (or six months), any hangers that are still facing backwards are items that you can get rid of. If you haven't worn it in 6 months, you don't need it! I plan to do this, too.

Love y'all! PLEASE share pictures, tips, strategies, and motivation with the rest of us over on the facebook page. Can't wait to hear from you!