The Waiting Room

On Saturday, I cleaned out my closet and my dresser. I go through this exercise two or three times a year. When I mean clean out, I mean I took EVERYTHING out of the closet and drawers. I dusted and vacuumed the inside of the closet. Then I went through every item of clothing, getting rid of the old, not worn in the last six months or what-the-hell-was-I-on-when-I-bought-that stuff. In the end, I filled three tall kitchen bags of clothes and one bag of shoes and accessories for donation. The majority of the items were way too big for me.

I wasn't always this disciplined. I used to have trouble justifying getting rid of clothing. If I paid a ton of money for it, It felt like I was throwing money away. Kind of like what your parents used to tell you about cleaning your plate because of all the staving children in those commercials with Sally Struthers. Then, there were times when I would buy an item because it was a good deal. How can you pass up a good deal? Well, it's a problem when that good deal sits in the closet because you don't have anything to wear with it!

I would also go through the "I know I will fit into those size 8's someday!" Well, another year would go by and I would be no closer to fitting into those size 8's. I would keep telling myself that I would. I thought that keeping those items would be incentive to lose weight. The flip-side of that mentality is that I kept a supply of "fat clothes" for those times when I would fall off the exercise wagon. There was a time in my life where I think I had clothing from a size 6 to a size 14 in my closet. I should have opened my own boutique with that kind of selection. The end result was clutter and frustration.

A few years ago, I decided that I would only purchase clothing that I absolutely loved. Also, if I found a particular item that was on the trendy side, I would think of three other outfits where I could wear the item. It really cuts back on the impulse shopping. I do stock up on the staples of a good wardrobe, but I don't go crazy with the trendy stuff. They are trends for a reason!

The other rule that I use is that I only keep clothing that is my current size. I don't own any "fat" clothes or "wish" clothes. For me, the idea of "fat" or "wish" clothes is counterproductive. It either gives me an excuse to be lazy and not maintain my fitness goals or causes me to spiral into a fit of depression because I can't fit into the size that I want.

When I shop, I use the one in-one-out rule. For every new item that comes into my house, one item must go out. I keep a shopping bag in my closet to hold all those items. When I conduct the Big Sort, I classify stuff as "Keep", "Donate", "Trash" and "Do Something". "Do Something" usually means dry cleaning or tailoring. Luckily, my best friend, Piglet, is one hell of a seamstress. All I have to do is ship the item to Hometown with instructions, and she takes care of the rest!

So now, my closet and dresser is organized with things that I love. I'll be back in six months to tackle the summer wardrobe!