This is the second post in an ongoing series focusing on decluttering my closet. The first post outlined 3 steps I’d be taking to achieve that:
- Reducing clothes in my closet
- Using the items I already have
- Replacing items with quality pieces
I decided that the best way to ring in the new year would be to reduce items I don’t use by donating them to Goodwill. I ended up moving beyond my closet into my bedroom, and eventually into the kitchen. It felt, and stil feels, so good to have made this big of a dent so soon into the new year! Here is what I donated:
Closet/Bedroom:
6 pairs of shoes
10 pairs of socks
3 purses
1 wallet
1 jewelry case
6 stuffed animals
2 sets of standard sheets
2 standard pillows
2 throw pillows
1 blanket
2 hats
2 picture frames
1 shoe rack
1 standard bed frame
Kitchen:
1 pitcher
2 plastic margarita glasses
3 wine glasses
1 cocktail glass set with pitcher and eight glasses
2 koozies
George Foreman grill
Spinning spice rack
Several old knives/utensils
2 plastic cups
1 travel coffee mug
1 pumpkin decoration
1 wine bottle stand
1 coffee mug
Additionally, I recycled a box full of old magazines (from a time when I loved the mainstream media) and a shoe box full of old cards. I parted with sentimental items from my travels, and really tried to keep more of a “sample” than every little thing. Example: I’d like to show my (future) kids the card my dad sent me for college graduation because it’s very special, but they won’t care about the other twenty I got that don’t say much. So, off to the recycle bin they went. And guess what? I don’t miss any of them, not a bit!
I also moved a chunk of my summer clothes to a storage bin, and reorganized my shoe situation so the racks are only on one side of the closet.
Results:
Closet/Bedroom
Upgrading to quality: I finally upgraded to a queen mattress, so donating the bed frame, sheets, etc. meant I had plenty of room for my new, higher-quality items.
Better organization and use of space: The shoe rack to one side means that my dresses and pants will hang down fully, instead of resting on the tops of my shoes. The clothes moved to storage gives space for my boyfriend to keep things in my closet, instead of an overnight bag, which makes us both happier and more comfortable.
De-cluttering: Donating a few hats and purses reduced the overflow of items from overhead boxes.
Overall reduction of items: I completely cleared out a sizeable storage bin and a shoe box. No, I don’t plan on filling them up again with stuff – but will simply store these to be used sometime in the future for a move.
Kitchen:
Upgrading to quality: While I haven’t bought anything new for my kitchen in awhile, I’ve been borrowing my boyfriend’s stand mixer for all my baking, and have plans to acquire new, lighter and more versatile stainless steel mixing bowls in the near future.
Better organization and use of space: Having places to store these regularly used items is important – by donating unused items, I’ve been able to reorganize my cabinets to fit my needs. I cook and bake a lot and now have more space for storage – which means not having to take each pot/pan/baking dish out of the drawer each time I need just one thing.
De-cluttering: This is still a work-in-progress. I feel my kitchen is very neat, but I have the “mail basket” which is a catch-all for everyday items. I’ll work on finding homes for each of these items over the next couple of weeks to get rid of this basket of clutter once and for all!
Have you committed to reducing, minimizing, or any other initiatives to simplify your life and the way you live? Share them here!