As part of “No Spend November” I vowed to not spend money on extras. One area where I knew I would struggle in was buying clothes. I am not a person who is always buying new clothes, but dang Target has some cute clothes this season.
One suggestion I was given was to go in my current closet and sell my existing clothes in order to make some money to purchase new ones.
Now I have been really good at going through my clothes and donating what I am not wearing. But I took it a step further and called in reinforcements. I called a friend to come through my clothes with me. It couldn’t be just any friend, it had to be the right friend.
What I looked for was someone who knew clothes and style. She needed to be honest with me about what flattered my body type and what made me look frumpy. My clothing choice of the year is sassy. I want to leave my house with an attitude of fun, and in order to do that my clothes need to help with my message. I focused on clothes that had pattern and shape. Gone were clothes that lacked sass.
What I found surprising was I had been holding on to a whole bunch of clothes that in my mind I had spent too much money on. I was never going to wear the clothes again. But I was mad at myself for spending the money. I was mad at myself for being talked into the purchase.
But it was time to move on and move these clothes of resentment and guilt out of my closet. My friend showed up with bins in hand and I went through every piece of my clothing. No piece was overlooked. I confessed my guilt to her about not wearing certain pieces and how I had paid too much. She does what I do with my clients. She listened and told me that it is ok, she has done the same thing.
When I have shared this story that I needed help with my clothes, people have been shocked. What? An organizer needs help? Yes. We all need reinforcements and there is no need to go it alone. Find your person who can help you. It probably is not a family member because they often can be too brutally honest.
Find a way to dispose of your clothes. Our landfills are full of clothing. My mom receives the jeans with the ripped knees in order to make jean quilts with. My name brand clothes that are still in fashion go to consignment stores or are being sold online. Everything else is donated.
I found that the clothes that I was guilty of spending too much money on I wanted to try to sell. This surprised me. I am a good donator. I want them out of my house. But I had been holding onto these clothes for so long for a reason. Guilt can be a strong thing.
My friend has experience selling clothes online. She will give me the money after the clothes have sold. She handles all the messy handling of shipping the clothes to their new home. I don’t want to know how much things sold for. I just want them gone and I don’t want to deal with them. That is what works for me. The clothes are gone and I feel great! The freedom of having the guilt clothes gone allows me to look at the remaining clothes with new eyes. I am no longer averting certain sections of my closet and feel a renewed sense of fun outfits to put together.
Take time this week to look through your clothes and see what clothes you are holding because of guilt. Grab a friend and a few bins and get to work!
To Joyful, Simplified Organizing,
MS. Simplicity
Melissa is a Productivity Consultant and author living in Fargo, North Dakota doing her best of living a life full of adventure. Filling a life of memories and not of things!
Melissa’s e-book on Kitchen Organizing can be found on Amazon.
