When I decided to pursue a minimalist lifestyle, one of the first areas I tackled was my closet. I had too many clothes that I didn’t wear, and too little space in which to keep them. I wanted a wardrobe that was simple, elegant, and functional — and I wanted to be able to retrieve the pieces, and put them away, without any pushing, pulling, or wrestling.
Over the course of a few months, I pared down my closet to less than half its original contents. I sold quite a number on eBay, gave some to family and friends, and donated the rest.
The reward: a spacious closet, and a well-edited wardrobe that perfectly suits my needs.
Want to do the same? Just follow these seven easy steps, and you’ll never again have “a closet full of clothes and nothing to wear:”
1. Purge everything that doesn’t fit. Ditch the “fat clothes,” the “skinny clothes,” and anything else that bunches, pulls, stretches, or sags in the wrong places.
2. Purge everything that doesn’t flatter. Get rid of the mom jeans, the baggy sweatshirts, and any other items that make you look or feel frumpy.
3. Purge everything you haven’t worn in the last year. Twelve months’ time is sufficient to cover all the seasons and occasions for which you need apparel. If you didn’t wear something last year, you probably won’t wear it the next.
4. Choose a base color. Pick a neutral like black, brown, navy, or khaki for your “foundation” pieces (like pants, skirts, and suits), and purge the rest.
5. Choose accent colors. Select a handful of shades that flatter you, and limit the rest of your apparel (like shirts and sweaters) accordingly. Choose colors that complement your base and each other, for optimal mixing and matching.
6. Pare down your shoes and purses. If you’ve chosen a base color for your clothes, you no longer need a rainbow of footwear and handbags. (Black shoes and a black bag, for example, go with everything in my closet.)
7. Accessorize. Instead of buying trendy apparel, stick to classic pieces and spice things up with scarves and jewelry. They’re significantly smaller and easier to store.
And remember, don’t put your rejects in a landfill; they may be perfect for someone else! If you don’t want to deal with selling them on eBay or in a consignment shop, be generous and give them away. Here’s a list of organizations that could use your donation:
In the US:
Dress for Success
Goodwill Industries International
Purple Heart Pickup Service
Vietnam Veterans of America
The Salvation Army
In the UK:
British Red Cross
Oxfam
Cancer Research UK
You may be able to take a tax write-off, so obtain a receipt and record the value of donated items.
If you’d like to pursue a more minimalist lifestyle, decluttering your wardrobe is a great place to start. Each item you toss is like a weight lifted off your shoulders—and you’ll no doubt be inspired to tackle the rest of the house!
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my slacks are black or jeans. no skirts. One black dress. 3 blue sweaters, one red, one gray. Shirts are black, gray, or tan. Couple of T shirts. 4 sweat shirts- blue,green,black,red. Here in the Midwest, we have 4 seasons and it’s cold a lot. I have a pair of rubber snow boots which have lasted for about ten years.
I love earrings. I have about 75 pairs in all sorts of materials and colors. They don’t take up much space and really add to an outfit. I just got comments on some I wore the other day. I have pairs for holidays, seasons, colors, and most were second hand. I also have some necklaces and a few bracelets I got second hand. Accessories can stretch your wardrobe.
I just went to a discussion of thrift shops in the area at the public library. They have a “frugal friends” group that meets once a month. I was appalled when one woman mentioned buying a garbage bag full of baby clothes. All my children’s early childhood clothes were hand me downs and they only had 6 or 8 outfits each. I was always washing diapers anyway so I threw in the clothes after the diapers were presoaked. Maybe now, since everyone uses disposable diapers, they don’t wash the baby clothes so often?
My mother gained 40 pounds in the last year. I bought some cheap sweatshirts and my sister sent some sweatpants. My mother says they aren’t fancy enough. My sister and I don’t want to buy a bunch of plus size clothes that won’t fit anyone else. It is cheaper to buy men’s XL than women’s 2X clothes.
My husband decided he didn’t want to wear flannel shirts anymore. I took 2 and got rid of 2 sweatshirts. Gave one to my mom and one to Goodwill. I wear flannel shirts over T shirts around the house.
My son gave me some sweatshirts he didn’t want so I gave away 3 of my sweatshirts. I needed some sloppy T shirts for cleaning and got them for $1.50 at Goodwill. My colors are black, gray and navy. I never wear pastels or orange or green. I have seen women in total outfits of leopard skin prints. That seems to be a big thing right now.
I have been giving away my earrings if I haven’t worn them in a year and they aren’t gold or gems. I gave some to my daughter, some to a cousin, and some to Goodwill. I saved one ratty T shirt for messy painting projects and cut 2 ratty ones up for rags. I got a sweatshirt from my husband, so I am giving some away. My dressy shoes are 15 years old so I plan to buy another pair. Last year, I bought a new blue sweater, so I gave two old ones away. My cousin offered me his late wife’s diamond and gold jewelry. I told him those things were for his daughter and daughter in law.