with every season, purge purge purge
hello internet friendz! (all 0 of you reading out there!) it's been a long time, no post - blame the endless (ENDLESS!) hours i spend in gridlock.
ANYWAYS, today's topic is one particularly near and dear to my heart: purging! Not the yucky, troubling, emptying of one's stomach kind, but the fun, clear-out-yo closets type! As Spring tenatively approaches, enshrouded in monsoon levels of rain, it brings our attention to fresh starts and clean slates. That feeling, coupled with my 5th move in 6 years forced me to seriously reevaluate my massive collection of "stuff".
I have little shame in sharing that I used to be a bit of 1)pack rat and 2) bargain shopper. Ergo, the stuff levels were climbing dangerously fast. But as I sat near-tears in my last apartment, surrounded by wine boxes filled to the brim with shirts from high school and magazines featuring no-longer relevant celebrities, I had an Oprah-style "MOMENT". Enough was enough and I henceforth HATE JUNK (and spiders, which really seem to come with the territory).
Now with that lengthy preamble aside, let me share my tips for a successful purge:
1)If you haven't worn/used it in the last 6 months, donate it. Exemptions to this rule may include: nice jackets, fancy dresses, jewlery that was more than 5 dollars. This rule is harsh, and probably the most difficult to follow, hence its numero uno spot on the list. If you can't do it, you're not ready to purge.
2)Everything in your wardrobe should fall into 1 of 2 categories: You love it, or it serves a truly useful purpose. For example, I certainly do not love the 15 dri-fit golf shirts sitting in my dresser, but they are mandatory for my current job (and free!). However, once my work term ends, 15 will not remain in my drawer. Converesly, I have a sparkly blue dress with lighting bolts on it (less whack than it sounds) that I adore. I haven't worn since New Years 2 years ago, but rest assured- it stays. (But Zandra! you haven't worn it in the last 6 months, shouldn't you toss it? you might be saying to yourself right now....well it falls under the fancy dress category and is rule 1 exempt. Smart-ass.) So to reiterate- j'adore or some sort of mandatory dress- BUT you don't need 7 "painting/cleaning" shirts. ahem, Mom.
3)If you find yourself looking at an item that you have worn recently, and you love it or serves a purpose, but it is stained, hole-y, ill-fitting, stretched or irreversibly damaged, get rid of it! This seems obvious, but I have been the victim of hanging on to my fav white tee for far too long
4)Nice things can be sold online or through consignment shops. I have a friend with a 3rd income selling her old things. Seriously. Other things can be donated to thrift stores- contribute to a good karma cycle. Stained things- cleaning rags! You're hitting a grand slam with the 3 R's right there!
and that's it boys and girls! Careful adherence to these rules with make you feel lighter and you will likely find yourself dressing better as you will know actually what the hell is in your closet!
snowghoul
tangentwithtanner
janainaart
areudirty
romaincrisis
dededos
yousharknotpass
