4 truths and a lie…
- The average person has 148 pieces of clothing.
- Clothes can take up to 40 years to decompose
- The amount of money people spend on clothes, footwear and jewelry each year is quivalent to the combined GDP of the 126 poorest countries in the world.
- Aristotle coined the phrase “does a bear shit in the woods” which centuries later led to Disney artists never drawing Winnie the Pooh with pants
- It takes 700 gallons of water to make a cotton shirt.
My point being, we spend a lot of time, energy and money on clothing. I have to admit I’m a bit of a clothes hoarder myself. I have a monstrous bedroom closet in my home that my husband built for me. It’s like having a studio apartment attached to my bedroom and I fill it to the gills. I’d always treated my clothes well, so my Benetton sweaters, my Merry-Go-round tops and the Z. Cavariccis I picked up from Contempo Casuals still look good enough to be worn today (or if I ever travel backwards in time).
This is a very roundabout way of saying I have a boatload of clothes and it was time to clean house…or closet in this case. Think of a colonoscopy, but for your closet…a closet-oscopy.
I have what one might call a sprinkling of OCD, especially when it comes to home organization. The cans in my pantry all face the correct way and are of course organized by food group. My spices are all sorted first by height and then alphabetically. My jackets are organized by temperature needed to wear and my socks are organized by thickness. You know…the usual organizational stuff. This is a sharp contrast to my husband who organizes his clothes in what I would classify as “a pile”.
So when I decided to tackle my overstuffed closet, I had to take a deep breath, pull up my big girl panties (which if you keep reading I have a great way to recycle them) and move past the obsession to have everything looking perfect.
Intrigued yet? Still wondering which “truth” was a lie? Do you know what the Pareto Principle is? Keep reading and all shall be revealed.
We all know what the Pareto Principle is, we just know it by another name. No, it’s not that Janet Jackson song…that’s the Pleasure Principle from her studio album Control that ironically I bought from Sam Goody at the mall while I was waiting for my boyfriend at the time to come out of Chess King (yes, Chess King). The Pareto Principle is the 80/20 theory that you can apply to almost anything. “80% of the time I wear 20% of my clothes”. That equates to a lot of clothes that I didn’t like, didn’t want to be seen out with and just wanted to get rid of (much like my Chess King boyfriend at the end of that relationship back in the 80s).
Yeah, I’m looking at you shoulder-padded power suit. You may have looked good on the Golden Girls but I think it’s time to put you out on the Lanai for good. I’m also looking at you, denim overalls with the built in fanny pack. Sure you made me look like a hot Canadian Kangaroo at the time, but I don’t think the look is coming back. I also think it’s time to finally retire my collection of velour tracksuits that were some cross-breed of the Six Million Dollar Man and Grandma’s couch cushions.
Here’s my rule…I’m only going to keep clothes that I can fit into, outfits that that I love, and anything that makes me feel like the queen that I am.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m keeping my sweats, my PJ pants with superheroes on it and my favorite ratty old college hoodie. I want to be comfy at home and on the occasional quick grocery run, but the rest needs to go.
So I want to declutter, keep my OCD in check, and unload my unwanteds without them ending up in the landfill. No problem…I got this (with the help of some calming deep breaths)!
First, I’m turning all my hangers so they are facing out. The thought of doing this made my eye twitch because with my touch of OCD all my hangers face in and all my clothes are hung in the “proper” direction. Deep breath in for 5, hold for 7, breathe out for 8.
The next step almost put me in full-blown panic mode. When you wear something and put it back you turn the hanger facing in (the opposite of all the other hangers). You do this for months. Months of walking into your closet and all the hangers are facing different directions. I actually vomit a little in my mouth at the thought of this. Take another deep breath in for 5, hold it for 7, and breathe out for 8.
After the season changes you can see everything you didn’t wear (all the backward hangers). There are some things you didn’t wear that you should keep. I have fancy dresses for Black Tie affairs, sun dresses for parties and an interview suit I might need someday (I love blogging but you never know). Everything else you can sell or donate. Remember your ugly brown jacket might be someone else’s treasure.
I know change is scary (so are hangers facing in all directions) but much like getting into a latex gimp suit you need to take your time. Every day you put on a different pair of pants and a different shirt. If it doesn’t fit and you haven’t worn it, it’s time to go. Those jeans you haven’t worn in 10 years because you might suddenly become a size 2 again, get rid of them. That interview suit from the 1990s that’s a “classic” but has bigger shoulder pads than a NFL linebacker has to go.
When I say “has to go” I don’t mean throw out. Give your clothes another life. Need some ideas…you know I got you covered.
This is an “online consignment and thrift store for your closet, your wallet, and the planet.” I always save money buying from thredUp (and even score some brand new items with the tags still on). Now that you’re decluttering your closet, you can check their website for items they accept, load up a box (recycle one that you have) and print out a free shipping label. Once it sells, you can use the credit to buy clothing from them OR cash out. They also have donation kits if you don’t want the cash or credit but want to clean out your closet sustainably.
When you ditch your dainties they end up in a landfill. That’s not ideal, but it’s still a bit skeevie to donate your skiddy skivvies and not many organizations would accept these items (ewww gross factor). Knickey has a Recycling Program and turns them into new materials like insulation, carpet padding and furniture batting. They take underwear, bras, socks and tights (even men’s and kids) and even reward you. They’ll add a free pair of their undies to your next order.
Local Donation Bins:
Many organizations take gently used clothing to give away or sell in their thrift stores which sponsors their programs. Search “local donation centers” and you’ll find places near you. Also, check out grocery store parking lots, fire houses, or big national chain stores. Often times there are collection bins where you can drop your items.
Give to a Friend:
For years I didn’t buy clothes for my kids because my best friend’s girls were slightly older than mine and always one or two sizes ahead. Sharing clothes with other families is a great way to get more use out of them especially when kids are little and they wear something once and seem to outgrow it the very next day.
Old Shoes:
This organization takes new or gently worn clothing and shoes. If you don’t have a local drop off location they’ve teamed up with Zappos for Good and you can box up your shoes and send them with prepaid shipping labels.
Local Consignment Shop/Thrift Store:
We have a local consignment shop that carries many designer and high end brands.
- Always wanted a Gucci belt but couldn’t pay retail?
- Have you drooled over a Prada bag?
- Ever dreamed of owning a Chanel?
Now you can. Many luxury consignment shops carry pre-owned, authenticated designer items at a fraction of its retail cost. You’re getting a great price for a classic item and if you have designer goods that you no longer wear you can sell them and at least get some money back.
I also have a local thrift store that donates all the proceeds to a local animal shelter. Talk about a win-win. I get rid of my stuff which gets used by someone else and I help homeless animals. BAM!
And speaking of homeless animals, I don’t know why Winnie the Pooh never wore pants and I don’t think Aristotle did either. What I can tell you truthfully is that one of my favorite quotes of his applies to my life every day and is especially poignant for my closet cleaning adventure.
“Rivers know this: there is no hurry. We shall get there some day.”
