Project Simplify: Hot Spot #1

Bright and early this morning, Simple Mom revealed the first Hot Spot of Project Simplify!

Hot Spot #1 is your wardrobe and closet!!

Had this project happened a few weeks or months ago I would have had a much bigger job ahead of me and probably wouldn't have come close to getting it done within a week (especially Monday - Friday)! But since we turned our guest room into Jackson's room, I was kind of forced to go through a BUNCH of clothes when cleaning out his closet. It.was.a.big.mess. It took probably all weekend, and then several days after that to actually get rid of and donate most of what came out of that closet. I think we ended up donating about 8 - 10 bags of clothes, bridesmaids dresses, etc to goodwill and had to move some more stuff into the basement.

So had I not done that, I would be in big trouble. :) Here I was thinking that we would start off with something easy too ha!

Now, that's certainly not to say that I don't have my work cut out for me because although THAT closet is all cleaned out, it's been on my list of things to do for weeks now to do the same for my closet and dresser. I ended up procrastinating and leaving it on my maternity leave list of things to do, but this will be better if I can tackle it now.

My closet is pretty much a disaster zone right now. I had a ton of clothes in there, and then got pregnant and adding a ton of maternity clothes. Instead of taking all the clothes that don't fit out, I just crammed more in. PLUS, I also added more clothes that I ended up keeping from the big clean out of Jackson's closet. My dresser is also a big mess in that it's so full, I can barely open and clothes my drawers when all of our laundry is done. So, I certainly still have my work cut out for me.

So this week, as Simple Mom says, we we are going to touch every. single. item of clothing in our wardrobe, and make a decision whether it stays or goes. We will then find a new home for the items to pass on, organize the clothes that stay, and take inventory of what we might need in the future.

Here’s the basic plan of attack for this week:

1. Make sure all your clothes are washed and in one place.
2. Set aside all items you already know you don’t want — wearable in the “give” box; unwearable in the “toss” box.
3. Try on all the rest of your clothes — no cheating. (Umm...I'll be skipping this step haha)
4. Anything that doesn’t fit well, put in a separate pile.
5. Anything that isn’t the right color on you, put in the “give” box.
6. Anything that has un-mendable holes or stains, is unwearable, or underwear that’s seen better days, put in the “toss” box.
7. Once your closet and drawers are empty, clean them.
8. Hang, fold, and put away the clothes you know you’re keeping.
9. Reassess the items in your doesn’t-fit-well pile.
10. Tackle your shoes, jewelry, and other accessories.

For more information and tips on how to get started and what you might need, feel free to check out Simple Mom's Hot Spot #1 post. Here we go!