Project: Simplify - Hot Spot #1

It's time! Over at Simple Mom it is Project: Simplify time! Week #1's hot spot is your wardrobe and closet. This was actually kind of exciting because I had already started setting aside items for Goodwill during the 30 x 30 challenge. Also, since we will very likely be moving out of this house mid-May, it is so helpful to have the motivation to really "clean house" and be taking stuff to Goodwill now, instead of last minute.

Simple Mom's instructions were to have two boxes as you began your closet clean-out; one labeled "give" and the other labeled "toss". The "toss" box was for items that were stained and/or torn and, of course, the "give" box is for items that you would donate. The main thing that I focused on this week was zero hesitation. We were assigned to try on every piece of clothing and make a decision. Lucky for me, there were already pieces that I knew I wanted to donate, so I did not try those pieces on. The rest I gave about ten seconds of thought and if any part of me thought "just donate it", I did. I cheated and added another box and pile of clothing: "sell" and "6 mo.", respectively.

The "sell" box is a product of the Dave Ramsey inside of me, trying to finish Baby Step #2, yelling "sell so much stuff your kids think they're next!" There are only about two pieces of clothing in there along with some jewelry. The "6 mo." pile is two pairs of jeans that I really want to fit back in to {this weird thing happens after two babies... my weight returned to pre-baby but the shape of my body is completely different and dang it if I won't fit in to those jeans again}. I dated the post-it and if they don't fit by that date I have to say "buh-bye" to them.

Two final notes before posting the before and after photos: 1) This project was for our portion of the closet/wardrobe, not for the hubs or the kiddos. So, as much as it pained me to only organize "part" of the closet/wardrobe, it is now on my future to-dos to organize the rest. 2) The closet in the master bedroom of this house is weird. on either side the closet extends past the opening on the wall and your clothing is almost buried and difficult to get at and reach. The sliding doors also make it impossible to view your entire closet at once. Not something that is ideal, but since the house does not belong to us, we don't change it. That is actually one huge benefit to renting a house, I now know what I'm not looking for.

 

There is one, awkward, closet in our master bedroom, that Jon and I share. Since he has to dress up every day, his suits and dress clothes take priority in the closet, if you will. However, the left side of the closet is the only space for longer hanging clothes. Since it is difficult to get to the clothes that are hidden behind the wall, back there you will find the veil from my wedding, a cocktail dress {that I am dying to find an excuse to wear again} and some casual dresses/long shirts. 

Now that I am posting photos I realize my before and after shots of the left side of the closet made it a bit difficult to compare, but I removed stray hangers, donated a bridesmaid dress (it was super cute, but the idea here was to simplify) and a few other dresses. The floor on that side was my catch-all for shoes, purses, etc. I gave everything a home and then used the basket for empty hangers.

I also occupy the bottom right of the closet, or at least part of it. The before and after photos on the right side of the closet do not really look all that different. Aside from the hubs's dress pants I did donate a LOT of clothing from this side. Here's the empty hangers as proof:

I also chose to organize my jewelry. I had the majority of my jewelry in a hanging organizer, sandwiched into the closet. It just wasn't feeling ideal, and I had some empty cases from Hobby Lobby (left over from my Mary Kay days) and decided to try a new method of organization for the jewels:

I did not take before and after shots of my dresser drawers, mainly because they were already organized. I just purged the contents, because again, the key was to simplify. I do not need more sweatpants than there are days in the week. And, if I wouldn't leave the house in them, why are they there? I don't need three pairs of khaki dress pants. There were also clothes that I just knew didn't fit right. They were cute... But they were those pieces of clothing that you know don't fit right, know aren't comfortable, but you keep trying anyway... Yeah, you can find those at the local Goodwill now! Oh, and some swimsuits that I hadn't worn in a while... When I got those out, the elastic made a "crunch" sound. Those went in the toss box.

{No, we don't buy seafood in bulk. It's a Costco box...}