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As I am making my way through the closets in my house, I have caught myself falling into the trap of “Should I keep this just in case?” How many times have you caught yourself falling into the just in case mentality of keeping things “just in case” you may need it? Probably more times than you realized until you were asked the question. The same was true for me and I did not realize it until after I thought I had “finished” a closet only to look at it and thought to myself that there is still way too much “stuff” in there. Guilty as charged!
So how do we fix this mental stop we have going? For me, I had to become just a bit tougher on myself. This is what I have changed:
- If I have not worn a jacket for more than one year, it’s donated. I now live in Florida but still have winter jackets from when I lived in Cleveland. My thought process was – I might need this jacket when I visit Cleveland. Guess what? I have NEVER taken that jacket with me to Cleveland. It is now in the donate pile.
- Purses. I have more purses than I ever realized I had until I literally pulled each and every one out of the closet. I was shocked at the pile that was left on the floor. As I work from home, I do not use a purse on a day to day basis like I used to. I also do not take a purse with me 95% of the time when I run to the grocery store or other errand – I grab the wallet. So what is holding me back from getting rid of these purses? Me. I have kept a few that are my go-to bags and the rest are now in the donate pile. When you look at it logically, I do not use them so why am I keeping them?
- Shoes. I will be honest. I am one of those people that L O V E shoes but again my lifestyle has drastically changed from the days of 9 to 5 (or 6, 7, or 8) so there is no need for me to hang onto so many shoes. I do use my sneakers out on the farm but do I really need 4 pairs of farm sneakers? No I do not. The oldest 3 pairs of sneakers are now in the trash. Dress shoes? Very, very, very seldom do I have a reason to wear dress shoes so I have kept my most common sense black pumps for when such an occasion may arise. My other guilty pleasure is flip flops – I LOVE FLIP FLOPS. But I do not need 10 pairs do I? I have tossed the oldest pairs of flip flops and donated the flip flops that are seldom worn.
What an amazing difference in my closet. We rarely need to hang onto something “just in case” because “just in case” seldom arises. Think with your head when you are working to clear out a closet or other area in your house and not with your emotional self. You will make progress much quicker. I did. Good luck!
For tips on how to begin your decluttering journey, you can Start Here, or snag a copy of the 30 Day Challenge (our Minimalism and Decluttering eBook).
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