I was inspired to take a look at my closet and figure out what I really need after reading this post. This blogger has a 37 piece wardrobe, 15 tops, 9 bottoms, 9 pairs of shoes, 2 dresses, and 2 jackets. I have a wardrobe that is much, much, much larger than that, in the hundreds, and that’s AFTER getting rid of 3 trash bags packed full of clothes yesterday. K, the husband, grew up much closer to the 37 piece wardrobe, but since being married his wardrobe has quadrupled, which is my fault.
This is our closet now, I have 5 shelves on the side packed full of clothes, the top bar and a lower bar in the closet, also packed full of clothes, along with half of a dresser. And, my winter coats aren’t even kept here, they’re in a different closet. So, I have a TON of clothes.
See that? You can hardly walk in it. I can’t even tell what I have, and I just got rid of tons of clothes yesterday. I am a bit of a clothes addict. I have jeans that I bought in high school, hoping I’d fit into them one day, and there they are, at the top of the closet – that stack of like 7+ pairs. I still don’t fit in them, am no closer now than I was them, and I don’t even know if I like them anymore. That other stack of jeans, on the shelf? Half of those are one size too small too, or just not a style I wear anymore, but I kept them, and the list goes on. I even have a box of 20+ scarves in another room, because there’s no place to put them here.
Did I mention that I have two sock drawers? Yes, 2, because I have so many, some with holes, many without matches, and some knee highs that I won’t wear because I hate them. Don’t even get me started on my 6 different robes…
If that’s how excessive our clothes are, how excessive is the rest of our house?
I checked out our dog treat cupboard – packed full. I could go months without buying treats, but I don’t, and we just get more an more, and the treats have gotten to be so many that they are now on the counter, as there’s too many for an entire kitchen cupboard. Dog toys, I buy 4 of everything, 1 for each dog. I really only need 2 of each, unless it’s dog bones, yet I still get 4 of everything.
I even have 6 pairs of prescription glasses. SIX! And that’s just of my current prescription, I save all of my frames from old prescriptions, so I have TONS of glasses. *Disclaimer, we switched jobs and have to finish up our flex spending, that’s why I have 6 of this same prescription, that’s not a totally normal, every year thing.*
And the list goes on. We have a large house, especially for just the 2 of us and our dogs, yet it’s full of clutter, and feels packed.
First task: Our bedroom and master bathroom
And the after:
Now, is that more than 37 pieces? Yes, yes it is. I don’t have the money to get more staples for my wardrobe, more versatile pieces, but I’ll do it slowly, and then I’ll be able to get rid of more and more. Also, we have business casual days at work every few months, where we have to dress up for almost the whole week, so I need more than 2 dresses. This closet probably still seems ridiculously full to a lot of you, but it’s baby steps. More and more will go away as I invest in more “grown up” clothes, and clothes that can be paired in many different ways.
Again, not what most would say is a huge improvement, but next time K has to unclog the sink, which involves crawling under it and removing everything, he’ll notice the difference.
What I’ve learned? I can, and will cry over clothes, and having to part with some, even if it’s things I’ve never worn, or haven’t worn in years, or wore but hated how it looked. I’ve spent infinitely too much money on clothing.
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