A lot of my clients (me included) have similar struggles when it comes to downsizing -and in turn organizing. Almost every time I’m helping someone, I hear the phrase “what if I need it later?” or something similar. And I’ll admit, I do the same thing. In a world where everything is so expensive it feels like we are bleeding money, it’s hard to let anything go… but what does it cost to keep it all? Energy, time every morning, stress when we have to search through more to find the one outfit we always want. There are a ton of tips that can help get through this question and help us all decide what’s important to keep and what’s more important to let go of. I thought I’d share one that works for me.
It’s hard to let go of clothes when we change sizes frequently and everything costs a bunch to replace. I will never force a client to get rid of anything since I don’t know their life. I’m here to help not stress. So I make a deal: set a time limit and what you don’t wear by then gets donated. Obvious exceptions are holiday outfits for dates that haven’t come yet or formal outfits worn only to events that don’t happen between the dates. How do you keep track of the clothes you don’t wear? That depends on your closet.
For clothes that hang up, I recommend colored hangers. If everything is on a white hanger, change it to a black hanger when you wear it. In three or six months, get rid of things on a white hanger. If you don’t want to spend money on new hangers, hang all your clothes backwards so the hook is around the back of the rod. Then when you wear it, put it back on the rack from the front. For clothes in drawers, you could put a large safety pin somewhere towards the tag and take it off when you wear it. These are all great options for seeing what you actually wear versus what’s just taking up space in your closet.
I started an email subscription for my past clients that includes deals I’m offering as well as organizing tips like this one. It’s just a small flyer like the one above. If you’re interested in being a part of the email chain, please send me a message through the contact page mentioning the organizing subscription with your name and email and I’d be glad to add you! Happy organizing 😊 As always, if you take any fun pictures or videos, tag me on Instagram @SmileMakePeopleWonder and use the hashtag #DandelionSmiles. Don’t forget to subscribe so you won’t miss out on the next exciting idea.
Dandelion Smiles 