How to Lose 50 pounds in 1 Day!!

The past few days I challenged myself to cut down at least 30% of my clothes, shoes, purses, etc... by cleaning out our closets.  The road was long and it required the cutting of many sentimental ties (i.e. finally getting rid of my prom dress from my senior year of high school), but I am SO pleased with the results--cleaner closets, TONS of bags filled ready to give away, and a better sense of how little I need.

So, what sparked this challenge?  This article!   An article entitled  "How to Stop Buying Clothes You Never Wear" came into my Google Reader last week and it really hit me--I shop so much sometimes I forget what I actually own!  So, before I bought anything else I wanted to take inventory of what I already have!

During the cleansing process, I found five items (one shirt, one coat, a shirt/suit jacket set, and a dress) with tags still on them that either didn't fit or I didn't like anymore!  And, why, WHY do we have SO many bookbags?!! We're not in school anymore!! So, what did I do?

First I pulled every single item out of our closets: skirts, shirts, shoes, hats, suits, purses, etc...  And I took inventory: Do I still like it? Is it my style/taste? Is it age appropriate? Does it still fit (most things that didn't fit were too big so they will go to alteration)? Have I worn this in the past 3-6 months (if no, give away!)  Will I wear this in fall/winter 2009/2010? (if no, give away!)  I then separated the clothes, purses, etc... into piles: keep, throw away, give away (nothing really went into the throw away pile except for one white t-shirt).

Second I took what was left to stay (clothing/shoes that I ranked with 3-5 stars, 5 being the highest) and organized by color, size, length, etc... and placed back in the closet.  All summer/spring items that survived the cut were stored away and I switched our closets into fall/winter mode!  If there was not enough room in the closet, something had to go until there was room!  I really had to put my "big girl" skirt on for this challenge!!

Sidebar: Let's talk about SHOES!!  The shoes in our main closet alone created two tall pillars that towered over my head!  That's not counting fall/winter shoes/boots that were stored other places around the house!  Lesson learned: there just may be such a thing as TOO MANY (or at least enough) shoes!!  Cutting down on my shoes was a tough pill to swallow! Cutting down my purses by 50%, however, was pretty easy!

Anywho, it's all over now and I feel SO good about the entire process.  It was very cleansing and enlightening at the same time.  I recommend a good closet clean to any and everyone!

And what do you do with all of the great things you no longer need--while I am typically a fan of Goodwill, may I make a better suggestion?  GIVE them to a local shelter!!  Shelters won't sell the clothing/items, rather they will go to a child/adult in need.  If you're in Greenville, check out Pendleton Place a shelter for children who have to be removed from their homes for whatever reason.   And for those of us out there that are still hanging on to book bags, extra lap top bags, etc... give them away!! We're out of school!!   Pendleton Place welcomes all donations!  Here's just one pile of our donations:

Lastly,  I'd like to share two FABULOUS finds: First-- Try these ultra slim hangers!! I thoroughly enjoy them!!  Not only do they give your closet a cohesive look, they are thinner (i.e. giving you more closet space) and the material of the hanger clings to your clothing so that the clothes don't fall off!  They also come in a number of colors (blue, pink, camel, black, to name a few!)!

And second, this website!! Myfashionplate.com is a fantastic online website that allows you to create an online copy of your closet!! It helps you to determine what you have and what you need!  It also allows you to do cool things like: create outfits, create a wish list, upload outfits to a calendar each day to keep track of your outfits, create suitcases for traveling detailing which items to pack, and so much more!!  Definitely couldn't keep this find to myself!! If you join, please let me know!

So are you ready to cleanse & cut down your closet belongings? Go on...you know you wanna!!

At least 50 pounds lighter,

SG