Tuesday, January 15, 2019
Today is long necklace day if you are playing along!
I don’t know what it was, but I found myself extremely motivated this past weekend to simplify, declutter, and be more organized! Actually, I do know what it was – Marie Kondo and her new Netflix show. I am about four episodes in and I am simply charmed by MK. You can fit her in your pocket. If you want some serious motivation, watch this show. It is clear that people are being ruled by their stuff. It’s impossible to live your best life when you are weighed down by material possesions. She teaches you to organize clothing, then books, then papers, then komono – or miscellaneous stuff.
I did all of my laundry and put every single thing in my closet that I planned to keep. I immediately went to the consignment store and made $32. (They pay cash on the spot.) I know that I paid much more for the items, but I wasn’t using them anymore and they were weighing me down. I took the remainder immediately to Goodwill. I came home and felt such peace when looking at my closet! I didn’t let the bags linger in my car and did it all immediately and didn’t overthink it or allow myself to feel guilt or sentimentality.
Here is my advice if you want to do the same:
–Make a donate pile and a sell pile. You may need a giveaway pile and a mend pile, too. In the photo above, my Hobby Lobby bag is Goodwill and my brown grocery bags were try to sell bags.
-It’s January 15th. If you haven’t worn it yet this winter, that must mean you don’t like it well enough to wear it. It obviously doesn’t bring you joy. Pull out those items and put in either sell bag or donate bag.
-Find anything that has rips, excessive pilling and pull out. Chances are that you got your money’s worth and it’s time to send it on.
–Find anything that is ill fitting or makes you feel bad about yourself and send it on its way. Think of it this way – it will be right for someone else and your donation will bless that person.
-Wash, iron, and hang everything else according to item type, color, or whatever makes you happy.
-I find that the velvet no slip hangers are very motivating for me. It’s almost like I don’t want to waste one of my awesome hangers on a bad piece of clothing.
–Reflect on what you got rid of. Is there a pattern? Did you simply buy these because they were cheap? Were they from a particular store? My donate pile tends to be the cheaper items I bought on impulse. It tends to be the trendy items from Target and Old Navy. You know what doesn’t end up in my pile? My Nordstrom, Chico’s, and J Jill items. I think there is a lesson there.
-As you clean out your closet, create a wish list or a replacement list. I had to say goodbye to my leopard and camo flats but I would like to add a comfortable pair back into my closet.
–Go through your winter shoes just as you did your clothing. It’s January 15th and if you haven’t worn them this season, there’s a reason – exception would be snow boots when it hasn’t snowed yet.
The meme above didn’t turn out very clear but it says: “I tried the Japanese method of decluttering where you hold every object that you own and if it does not bring you joy, you throw it away. So far I have thrown out all of the vegetables, my bra, the electric bill, the scale, a mirror, and my treadmill.”
Anything I’ve forgotten? Are you ready for a mid-season closet clean out?
In addition, I’m decluttering one space a day this month! I didn’t get this idea until January 11th, so here is my list.
I went a bit out of order over the weekend, but I don’t care. I’m on a roll!
Are you ready for some magic in your life? I highly recommend the magic of tidying up!
Good luck!
Amy
Coffee and Cocktails at the Casa 
Well, I’m a sucker for lists, so I’ll gladly follow your plan for decluttering in January. Problem is I’m not very good at throwing away things… But I’ll try to get rid of at least one item a day! (nice long necklace today :-))
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It makes it seem like less work to pick one area per day! But, your list may be different. Have a great day!
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No no, I follow you! Otherwise it won’t be done! 😀
I can’t believe that you have snow!? I thought Kentucky was like in the South!?
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We get plenty of snow here and in Tennessee and even Georgia and Alabama! But, yes it’s technically south.
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Amy, this post is AMAZING! Can you please head on over to my house next to help me get started!? Also, I live for velvet hangers, they are the best!
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Thank you! I would love to! I’m pretty brutal about throwing things out but I have yet to regret throwing anything out. Now the key is to be more discerning about what I bring in. I can’t live without my hangers! Lol! Have a great day!
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I have been watching the show too and I am obsessed. Have the book and used it to go through my closet and drawers 2 years ago but it’s time to do it again. Yesterday I spent the day going through paperwork and rolling all of our towels, ha! My husband likes it! MK is just precious, isn’t she?!
xo,
Kellyann
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I need to roll towels instead of folding! She is so cute! Some of my spaces stayed tidy when I did it two years ago but others have gotten out of hand. Life is better when you are organized, right?
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I made a list of all of my places to declutter as well. I need to do my closet so bad. It overwhelms me and I know that I need to do these steps. I love all of your tips. I also love that you made $32. Thanks for sharing all this goodness with us!
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I know! It is overwhelming so maybe break into categories – shoes first or something like that. The show is so motivating! Good luck!
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Way to go with the decluttering! It feels so nice to have a fresh clean start. I agree about if you haven’t worn something this winter, get rid of it. I’m going to go do that today!
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Thank you! Yes it does! Good luck! You will feel so much better!
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I went through my closet this weekend and got rid of a few bags of stuff (actually I have them tied up in the bottom of my closet because I have learned that I always get rid of at least one thing I really miss later on so I figure if I haven’t opened the bags in another month I am good to go!).
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Yes! Put that date on your calendar to hold yourself accountable. I very rarely regret giving anything away though! It feels so good, right?
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I feel like I’m in the minority in January, but all this talk about decluttering stresses me out! Of course it is because I need to clean out my closets and it really weighs on me, but I can’t seem to tackle any of it. I occasionally weed out a few items but I need to be ruthless and the idea of watching a sweet little lady help others does not appeal to me at all.
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Haha! I’ve heard other people say it stresses them out too. If you really want to do it, tackle a small category each day – jewelry, shoes, scarves, pants, etc. But maybe you don’t need to declutter. If you have the space and it isn’t a problem don’t feel like you have to jump on the bandwagon!
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