3 Ways to De-Clutter Your Closet

We are living in a material world and I am a material girl.

Madonna knows what I'm talking about.

I don't really consider myself materialistic. I like to think that I value real interactions with people and life experiences more than I do objects. But at the same time I'm pretty sentimental and that makes it easy to attach emotions to objects, therefore making it harder to get rid of them. I believe this started early in my life so I'm gonna tell a little story. If you don't wanna stick around for story time feel free to skip ahead!

I was always the kind of kid that tried to keep everything. My poor mom had to sneak into my closet when I wasn't around and try and throw out little bits of junk at a time so I wouldn't notice. Like literally junk. I used to collect the cardboard centers of toilet paper and paper towel rolls (I have no idea why). I also had several pencil boxes full of pens and pencils I thought were cool, but were usually broken. There was also a point when I was an avid rock collector (which basically just translates to me having a bunch of containers filled with rocks). You get the point. I'd like to say that I've changed a lot since then, but I think that'd make me a liar. I still collect, but the contents of these collections has changed. Instead of rocks and broken pens I now collect books, makeup, stationary, art supplies, yarn, fabric, glassware, vintage handkerchiefs, and the biggest collection of them all... CLOTHES. I didn't start thinking of it as a collection until recently. After all, clothes are necessary and extremely useful. In fact, I use them everyday. IT'S OKAY TO HAVE LOTS OF CLOTHES, RIGHT?!

Nope. Soooooooooo wrong.

After I initially moved out of my parents', they let me leave some clothes there (wrong move, guys) under the circumstances that I had to PROMISE to come back and sort through it all shortly after I moved. Fast forward to like 3 years later: I've moved several times, each time dropping off "just a few boxes" at my parents' that I no longer had room for. And yes, those original boxes that I initially promised to get rid of were still there. The boxes were always filled to the brim with clothes that I either no longer wore or didn't fit me. Instead of just getting rid of them and dealing with the issue right away I, for some reason that I will never know, kept stuffing clothes in boxes and dropping them off at my parents' house. I'm living back with my parents now (thanks, mom and dad!) and was finally forced to face my demon. How the faaaaahk did I acquire all these clothes?! In previous living situations it was always kind of hard to tell how many articles of clothing I had because they were always stuffed behind closed doors. Out of sight, of out mind, que no? Now all I have is a small clothing rack and a dresser to house my clothing. Terrifying, but it's my only option. With all my clothing out in the open I'm forced to wake up every morning and face the clutter. This was my ultimate motivation to get rid of stuff A.S.A.P. Even though clothing is my biggest "collection" thus far, I'm happy to say that I am now at the end of the last box of clothing. Below are three methods that I used to get to this point!

This was my section at the yard sale. Yikes.

1. DONATE DONATE DONATE

Not only is it a responsible way to get rid of things that you no longer use, but if someone else can put them to good use then it's better for everyone. I let some friends rummage through a few boxes before I donated and I was happy to see my clothes go to people I knew would take care of and enjoy them! After my friends had their fill I donated to Savers and got tax receipts! 

2. Sell

Initially, I started out with a yard sale. Disappointed with the small earnings that I received for what I thought was quality clothing I turned to the internet... Enter Poshmark! I had heard about the app before but I didn't give it much thought. Then, not too long ago, I stumbled upon this article and I was sold! I definitely don't intend to make Poshmark a major part of my income but it's nice to see a few extra bucks come into my account every once in a while. So far I've only ever sold on Poshmark. I haven't purchased anything yet. I've found tons of cute things I like at reasonable prices, but I figured I should finish getting rid of things before I start acquiring more. Wasn't that the point of this whole thing in the first place? I have to keep telling myself that when I'm browsing through my Poshmark feed... Anyway, I would totally recommend this app to anyone who wants to get rid of some clothes and doesn't mind making a little cash! If you're interested in signing up for Poshmark you should find me (@st_ana) and use my invite code (PJYQV) to earn yourself $5!

3. Repurpose

The first two options are probably pretty obvious, but I think this one is way more fun! There are some clothes that I knew definitely wouldn't sell and that I didn't feel would be of any use to donation centers. Old gym shirts, free shirts from various obscure events, stained items, or even t-shirts with faded graphics or holes are items that I was able to repurpose in my home! By following this method I was able to make a new rug for my place. I specifically decided on this project because I already knew how to crochet, but there are rug options that don't even involve crocheting. There's also tons of other things you can do with old clothes to give them a new life! Throwing things away makes me feel super guilty so I'm glad I found a purpose for these otherwise cruddy items.

My version of a crocheted rug made out of old shirts. The center came out a little wonky, but it works!

As mentioned in an earlier post, I'm in the middle of reading The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up. Some parts of it are pretty intense. Understandably so. The author has dedicated her entire life to tidying! A main part of her practice is to pick up each item in your home and ask yourself if it sparks joy. If it does, you can keep it. If it doesn't, get rid of it. But before you discard it, she wants you to thank the item for serving its purpose. LIKE SHE WANTS YOU TO TALK TO AN OBJECT GUYS. I mean, I get it. It's pretty different and I don't completely understand it, but I get it. I try to approach new concepts with an open mind but this one kinda just threw me for a loop. It's also worth noting that the author is Japanese so there's bound to be some aspects that we, as a culture, just don't understand. Perhaps talking to objects just isn't that weird in Japan? Anyway, hopefully by the end of the book this whole process won't seem as foreign to me and I can embrace her philosophy. Hopefully...

Until I finish the book and decide if it's something I want to proceed with I'll be slowly getting rid of things on my own terms. How do you deal with de-cluttering and tidying? Am I the only one with hoarder-like tendencies? I still have a ways to go so I'd like to hear any advice!