Clutter in the CLOSET

Now that you know how finicky I am about clutter, you can imagine my next subject – CLOSETS stuffed with unworn, unnecessary, worn out or out grown clothes. So where do you start?
Plan to take at least half a day to do this and be prepared to work hard. First take everything out of your closet(s)and put it all on a bed, then separate the blouses, tops, pants, shorts, skirts, dress slacks, casual slacks, sweaters, jackets, and suits into piles. Put spring and summer clothes in a separate closet from fall and winter. Or separate them in the closet. Check for clothes that are out of style, maybe they shrunk and are too small now. They have lost their luster and just don’t look good anymore; even expensive clothes over the years can be worth getting rid of. For your summer shorts and cotton tops, see if they will fit into a drawer or on a shelf in the closet, rather than hanging them up; cotton tops don’t need a hanger.
I might suggest that if you have a Costco membership or an organizer store close by that you pick up matching hangers. Costco has black and burgundy hangers – 50 to a box – that are felt; they are great for clothes that fall off the hanger and they help keep your closet looking neat. For suits you can buy at Target, or similar store, hangers that have a skirt/pant hanger that attaches to the Jacket hanger.
I bought two boxes of black hangers from Costco, which is plenty for one person, and I love clothes, and I have a big closet. Now that you have all your clothes stacked in piles on the bed and have put them together by style, pick up each article of clothing and determine if you have worn it out, or worn it recently, or did you out grow it. Anything in these categories should go to the homeless. Have 33 gallon baggies handy for giveaways.
There is no point in over stashing your closet with clothes that don’t fit. If you are fat, you should still want to look your best, so purchase new clothes that fit you and feel good about yourself. There are a lot of overweight women who are well groomed and look very nice, despite their heaviness. So do it. I know it hurts, but trust me, you will feel beautiful, especially if you have only clothes that fit, a new hairdo and good makeup. FYI, anyone who sells makeup will give you a free makeover.
Side note – confession…..Not too long ago when I helped out Rose, see my blog entitled Charity Affair, I found myself intrigued by the clothing at the Salvation Army. One day I went in there looking for something for her apartment and all the store’s clothes were on sale for $1.00 each. Believe it or not, I purchased 5 jackets – a red wool, a brown velvet, a red velvet, and a turquoise linen and a red linen jacket. Wow, my friends who sometimes look through thrift stores were so jealous. These jackets look great, so don’t be proud. I took the jackets home and ran them through the self dry cleaning, Dryel, that you put in the dryer. It was cheaper than taking them to the cleaners. So don’t have to worry about the money to replace some of your things.
Now, back to the bed, by going through your clothes, you will be amazed at how many things you forgot you had and how many things will go together that you never dreamed of. Believe it or not, you may find that you don’t need to buy any new clothes because you have been able to match up a number of items.
Go through your casual and dress slacks, skirts, suits, dresses, and blouses. Give away what doesn’t fit, what is old and more importantly, WHAT YOU HAVEN’T WORN IN OVER A YEAR.
Watch for colors also. If the color doesn’t make you happy, even though you like the outfit, give it away. Colors are important and you will naturally feel and look good in what is best for you. People will often compliment you when you have on a color that is good for you. So loose that ugly outfit, sweater, dress, blouse or suit, that whenever you wear it, you wish you had stayed home. You will find the color that is best for you is the color of the majority of your clothes. Good Luck, have a friend help you if you can't do this alone.