Today is the first day of SPRING (my favorite season!) Last weekend we set the clocks forward one hour, so it’s officially time to spring forward and embrace a new season! Or as they say…Out with the old, in with the new!
We just got home from a wonderfully relaxing trip from Mexico. As I began unpacking and started putting clothes away, I noticed all of my sweaters, scarves and long sleeve tops at the forefront of my closet.
That’s when it hit me – it’s time to go get rid of any clothes I haven’t worn in a year or more! This hasn’t always been an easy task. But as I’ve started to do this habitually for the past year or so, it definitely has gotten easier.
The one thing I’m still trying to figure out is the best place to sell my unwanted clothes and get a fair price. Any tips or suggestions are welcome!
But I just love the feeling of coming home to a nicely organized closet. There’s just something about it that makes me feel SO complete! This week I spent time purging anything that I no longer needed – here’s how:
Clothing Rack Clean Out
First, I separated my clothes out by season. I kept anything that goes with the current season at the front of my closet. Items from other seasons go in the back of the closet or in a large bin on my closet floor.
I also keep sections for clothing type. So my dresses, skirts, blouses, sleeveless tops and jackets are all sectioned together. This makes it much easier to pair outfits in the mornings when I’m still trying to wake my sleepy head up!
This week was my time to clean up my wardrobe and I started by assessing my winter clothes. Any winter items I’d saved from last year but didn’t end up wearing this year I put in the “get rid of” pile.
Then, I went through the rest of my pieces and picked a few tops and jackets that had been worn one too many times or that I’d been hoarding but didn’t need anymore and added these to the “get rid of” pile.
Anything I decided to keep from fall/winter went to the back of the closet and I moved all of my spring and summer clothes to the front.
Shoes – Need vs Want
In my closet, I have my shoes organized by color and shoe type. Heels, sandals, tennis shoes, booties, and wedges all go together on shelves. I also went through my winter shoes and ended up putting about 10 pairs in the “get rid of” pile. Yikes!
[Side-note:] 3 years ago, I had a short-lived relationship with Just Fab and got new shoes every month. I noticed a few pairs left over in my closet (by a few, I mean 5) and decided it’s time to give these sweet babies a new home.
I also noticed a few pairs of old and torn up sandals that I held on to in case I go to the lake or a pool. This is the year I’m trashing those and starting over!
After I cleaned out my shoe collection, I went into a mini panic… I felt like I had no shoes, but I had to remind myself that I have better quality shoes that will last for years to come.
Now, I’m on the hunt for new spring sandals and dressier heels. My job is very casual so it makes it hard to want to invest in a nice pair of heels, but I know it’s time to get one or two solid options added to the mix!
[update: today I made a pit stop at Nordstrom Rack in Southlake – and they currently have THE cutest spring sandals and booties. Hurry there before it all gets picked over!!]
Jewelry
I use a cute hanging jewelry organizer from Amazon that keeps my necklaces, bracelets, and earrings organized. Over the past week, I did pull several necklaces I no longer wear or that were a little worn out and put them in my “get rid of” pile.
The dish that is holding a few smaller items is from Francesca’s and I know they have several in store or online similar to this one!
I typically sort through my jewelry only about once or twice a year. I just haven’t found it necessary to do so too often.
Dresser
Since moving in with my boyfriend, I’ve had to downsize my clothing collection to eliminate clutter and make space for two. This wasn’t necessarily a bad thing as it forced me to get rid of old raggedy clothing that I’d held onto since college. It also has forced me to go through my clothes every couple of months to continue to purge unused items. The more new clothes I bring home, the more I have to send right back out the door!
I have four drawers separated as follows:
Drawer 1: Pants / Shorts
Drawer 2: Sleep Shorts / Pants / Shirts (this partially has to do with my unwillingness to decrease my t-shirt collection)
Drawer 3: Undergarments / Socks / Bras
Drawer 4: Workout Clothes / Yoga Pants / Tank Tops
As you can see, OCD might be an understatement. :X But it honestly saves me time in the morning to have everything organized as such so I’m not panicking trying to put an outfit together!
How do you keep your closet organized? What are your favorite tips for keeping your closet clean and fresh? I’d love to hear from you!
I recently did this myself in an attempt to go minimalist. My tip on selling your clothes is to try local facebook yard sale groups first. I’ve sold a lot of clothing items on there for more than I would get from consignment. Then I sell them at a garage sale and my last ditch effort is ThredUp. Great post! Thanks for sharing!
I am going to try Facebook this go round! It is work taking pics of clothing items one by one, but I’m scraping for some extra cash just so I can buy more of the cute new spring clothes! 🙂
I definitely should do this similar project asap! I’m planning to move soon and I think I have over 100 pairs of shoes and far too many clothes too. Oops! 🙂 Thanks for the reminder!
It is fun to start fresh! Best of luck!
I’ve been meaning to clearout my wardrobe for the last few weeks but it’s still quite cold here in Scotland so I need to hang on to my winter wear a little bit longer I’d love a walk in closet like you have for all my clothes, shoes and bags (there are loads of bags) but I’m sure that if I had a bigger space I’d fill it with even more clothes
We just moved in together in December and now I definitely feel more pressure to stay extra organized and on top of the latest fashion trends so my closet always looks nice and neat 🙂 it definitely is a nice feeling when it’s all organized that’s for sure!
These are some great ideas! So important to clean the wardrobe on the onset of spring.
I liked the Need vs want concept!
I need to do an Autumn ‘spring clean’ because my wardrobe is a mess. Hoping to get onto the capsule wardrobe idea this year. Wish me luck