It may sound hard to believe, but there will be a time when you look at your closet and you see, well, anything but your closet. You have amassed so much clothing that you not only have nowhere to store most of it, you have no clear idea of how much clothing you have. Oh, and on top of that, you can’t remember the last time you wore much of it. Those are signs that it is now time to sort through it all and get rid of some, if not most of it. Here’s how you do that.
1 – The First Sort
When you do your initial clothing sort, there is one thing you must do first. If you find any clothes that are either soiled, torn, or damaged in some way – these are the first to get tossed. You may have none or you may have some. Either way, the first sort gives you an idea of what you have to work with.
2 – The Second Sort
The second trip through your clothes will be a little more interesting. This time around you will sort everything – one piece at a time – into one of five different piles. Separating your clothing into piles will provide you with a better visual of what you have and what category the clothing items fall under.
3 – The Categories Explained
Love It – These are items you like because of how you look in them and you wear these items often.
Hate It – These items don’t fit you, you don’t wear and probably don’t remember buying in the first place.
Like It – These items are a notch below ‘Love It’ as they look good on you, they fit, you wear them, but they generally do not make up an entire outfit. They do however, help build an outfit.
Doesn’t fit – These items may have fit you at one point or you purchased them in hopes they will someday fit, but they currently, do not fit.
– Hmmm. This can be just about anything. You decide on what you would consider an ‘undecided’ clothing item.
4 – The Next Step
Okay, once you get your five piles sorted out this is what you do next. Move the ‘Love It’ and ‘Like It’ piles aside for later.
5 – The Boxing Up
The pile over there that you designated as ‘Hate It’ is now going to get some attention. However, not very much. All you do with it now is box it all up and donate it to charity or sell.
6 – I Swear this Used to Fit
Move all these items into the ‘Hate It’ pile. Over the years when you gain or lose weight, your body changes and chances are something that used to fit and look good, may end up fitting again, but may not look good again. Just throw them out. You can buy more clothes when you need to, and if you can’t afford new clothes, “new-to-you” clothes can be just as good, if not better because they’re already broken in and comfy.
6 – The Undecided Shuffle
Next you will move on to the ‘Undecided’ pile of clothing. This time you will go through it a piece at a time and sort it based on the ‘Love It,’ ‘Like It,’ or ‘Hate It’ system.
7 – Have We Got A Deal for You!
The clothing you have chosen to re-sell now has to go somewhere. If you have a local consignment store, get in touch with them to find out what their guidelines are. You may end up selling your clothing through one of these operations for a 60/40 or 50/50 split – that’s what they get and what you get through the purchase price of anything sold.
Speaking of Buying or Selling
If you are looking to buy or sell real estate in the Niagara Region, I’d be happy to give you a hand. I’m Jen Bedard. Call me today and let’s get together to discuss your plans.