I find paring down my clothing one of the hardest decluttering tasks to do.  I get this weird attachment to certain pieces. Like the ones I remember wearing on a golf date with my husband 15 years ago. Or the ones I think I’ll fit into again one day.  Or even the ones that I spent a pretty penny on but hate the way they fit. It’s silly really, to hang on to clothing that doesn’t fit properly, you don’t like, or is outdated. It’s easy to replace those things on a budget with items you actually love!

I was talking with my mom the other day about how I was going to be ruthless during my upcoming purge.  In a sense, I want to start over.  Keep the pieces that I love and that fit me well, but finally say goodbye to the things that make me feel frumpy and unbeautiful.  It just doesn’t do my postpartum body and ego any favours by hoping certain pieces will fit me well again.

How to Declutter Your Clothing Once and for All

So in a new effort to add only pieces that I LOVE here are 7 questions I ask myself when I declutter clothing:

1.  Does it fit?

If the shirt pulls in entirely the wrong areas, it doesn’t fit.  If I can’t do up the zipper on my jeans easily, they don’t fit.

2.  Have I worn this in the last 12 months?

Chances are, if you haven’t worn a piece of clothing in a year or more, you’re not going to wear it again.  Or you might be like me, and feel sorry for that piece of clothing and wear it again out of sympathy, but it really isn’t flattering.  In order to determine if you’ve worn something in the last 12 months, you could try the backwards hanger trick.  When you’re hanging up your clothes, flip the hanger around so it hangs (with the clothing on it) backwards on the rack.  Every time you pull something out and wear it, hang it back up with the hangers facing the proper way.  That way at the end of 12 months, you can see if there’s anything you didn’t wear because the hangers are still hanging backwards!

3.  Will I ever wear this again?

Maybe you bought something for a special occasion you were attending, but don’t have much, or any, opportunities to wear it again.  It might be time to consider selling it in a consignment shop or even on Kijiji/Craigslist.

4.  Is it currently in style/does it represent my style?

I’m sure we’ve all got those sentimental pieces in our wardrobe that we wore in the “good ‘ol days”.  Well, new “good ‘ol days” are upon us and it’s time to get with the times by getting rid of those outdated pieces.  If it’s just too hard, put them in the dress up box for the kids to enjoy!

5.  Do I feel good when I wear it?

This is becoming one of the most important questions I ask myself.  If I just don’t feel confident when I put something on, it’s time to really consider putting it in the purge pile.  As I mentioned above, it’s doesn’t do my postpartum body and ego any favours if I’m just wearing something for the sake of getting dressed.  Even the hoodies I purchase have to make me feel “cute”!

6.  If it’s damaged, will I actually find time to fix it?

Enough said.  If you don’t have time to fix something, whether you want to fix it yourself or go out of your way to take it to a professional, it’s time to part ways.  That piece of clothing will just nag on you anyways as it taunts you from the depths of your closet!

7.  If I were shopping right now, would I buy it?

Often times, I’ve looked at a piece of clothing and wondered what I was thinking when I bought it.  (Most likely it was cheap!)  So, if you look at your current clothes and see things you wouldn’t buy today, maybe it’s time to say goodbye.

I sure hope these questions will help you to determine what you should keep and what you shouldn’t.  Starting now, I’m deciding to buy only what I love and makes me feel like a million bucks.  Sometimes, that might mean I have to spend more to get something that truly fits well.  I’m okay with that, because I’ll probably be buying less in the long run ($5 here and there adds up!) and I’ll feel like a million bucks!

Do you have any other ways to pare down your closet you can share with us in the comments?  What sort of outrageous clothing are you storing in your closet?