Good morning! Today on Simplifying and Planning 101 (Facebook) we start purging our closets! The KonMari method begins with closets. I am going to pick on Monica in the group because she’s a friend and she posted her closet!

When I quit working outside of the home, I had to make some hard line decisions about all of the clothes I owned. I’m embarrassed to tell you how much clothing I owned! But I will. It may help someone reading this to make some decisions. If you owned stock in LLBean, Lands’ End, or J.Crew, I was personally responsible for the rise in stock prices! I helped make you rich!  Some of the pairing down came before I quit work, the next step was after.

I loved skirts and owned three types of skirts in about six colors – short trouser style skirts, longer trouser style skirts, and a pleated style. I had shoes to match all of them – flats, low heel, and high heel respectively. Remember belt strips? I had matching belts and coordinating belts, etc along with a variety of buckles. Those belt strips were so fun to wear! I had boots – notice the ‘s’? I had jackets to match. I had jewelry. I had outer coats. I had vests. I had sleeveless, short sleeve, and long sleeve blouses and that was only the work clothes!

I was a MEGGA clothes horse. I loved getting dressed in the morning and laying out my outfit. I could literally go forever without wearing the same exact outfit; until one day I stood back and had a firecracker moment and realized that I didn’t need all of the clothes. I was still working at the time, but had gone through some life changes and was working at a different job and all of a sudden it just seemed ridiculous, which it was! When I realized this, it was easy to begin pairing down and I did. I chose the skirt style which fit my lifestyle, and sadly and sometimes tearfully put the others aside. It’s been years and I still miss some of the skirts! lol The more I paired things down to my REAL favorites, the better I felt about myself. I’m not kidding when I say it took several months. It was a hard process at the time. We become consumed with our love of clothes and it is a harsh process. Now I can walk into my closet and grab a couple of things with no problem and bless someone else with them. Just recently I parted with a very loved red parka but how many do you actually need? I still have two (another red and a blue.) I am sharing my story because I am hoping it helps someone. Hey Monica! lol

The more I paired things down to my REAL favorites and pieces that fit my lifestyle, the better I felt about myself. I’m not kidding when I say it took several months. It was a hard process at the time. We become consumed with our love of clothes and it is a harsh process. Now I can walk into my closet and grab a couple of things with no problem and bless someone else with them. Just recently I parted with a very loved red parka but how many do you actually need? I still have two (another red and a blue.) I am sharing my story because I am hoping it helps someone else make these sometimes difficult choices.

KonMari is done by taking ALL of your clothes out of your closet and from all around the house. You’ll make a mess and if this works for you, go for it. My personality doesn’t like chaos or a mess and I had paired down my clothes to the extent I could take a section at a time. I am an extremely organized person and with my system, could make one section at a time work. When I completed the closet, I was able to stand back and know if there was more I should purge. Not everyone can do this. I’ll explain the KonMari way first and then my adaptation of the method.

The authentic KonMari way is to take everything out of your closet. Gather all of your clothes from around the house – the sofa, the laundry, etc. You might want to put on some soothing music if you are a clothes horse! Sit down and take a deep breath, then begin. Take each piece of clothing and if you feel joy when you pick it up, then keep it. If you do not feel joy or it weighs you down, put it aside to give away. Believe it or not, this works. I love wearing white shirts and jeans. It’s my go-to outfit and I have loads of white shirts to prove it. I decided I’d try color. Big mistake for me. So, when I picked up one colored shirt after another and even though they were new, I felt no joy, I set them aside. As you go through the process it really gets easier and actually fun. Once you have completed this task, we’ll move on to the putting away stage. Marie has a way of folding and putting away that helps you see what you have. I’m a huge fan.

If, on the other hand, you are like me, take a section at a time and pull it out – maybe begin with sleeveless shirts. Once you’ve completed them, set them aside and pull out short-sleeve and so on working your way through each section of your closet. When you have completed the process, we’ll move on to the putting back stage.

I can’t wait to hear from those who are cleaning closets this week. Work on your closet first. We’ll work on kids and husbands later. If you have any questions, please comment.

If you would like to join up for emotional support or just to have fun, please join up on Facebook! https://www.facebook.com/groups/SimplifyandPlan/  We’ll be working our way around the house and also doing some Planner planning on the side.