I am a big fan of frugality and organization. I read blogs, Facebook posts, Twitter feeds, all about how to be frugal and save money. I have come across many posts about clearing clutter in your house and cleaning out your closet. I blogged earlier about a post that was inspiring here.
Now, there are two views about closet management that I am pondering.
1) Clear out everything that you don't wear, don't like, doesn't fit. That's what the previous post was centered on. The premise is to open your closet, pick out anything on a hanger, and be able to wear it, and love it. Easy and simplified. This makes total sense to me. There are often things I have bought or have hung on to that I simply don't and won't wear. Example: I bought a pair of tight fitting, light blue, textured pants in high school, out of impulse. They were not the right fit, definitely not my style, and I have no idea why I bought them. But because I did, they inhabited my closet for way longer than they should. Mostly out of guilt. I didn't want to get rid of something I had hardly worn. So ridding my closet of those things that were a bad impulse buy, something someone gave me that I will never wear, or things from the 1990s - this I agree with.
However, this is view number 2) While you should get rid of anything you absolutely won't wear, keep items you like that are a size up or a size down. If you are anything like me, I often vary in sizes throughout the year. While I am working at being healthier, and hope to decrease a couple sizes, I have to wear clothes for where I am now. For work especially, I have tried to invest in good quality clothing that will last for a while such as basic pieces like slacks, shift dresses, and foundation pieces. I have spent good money on these clothes, so if I am a size smaller now, I don't want to get rid of those basics now, because I might need them at a later time during the year. The same is to be said about a size smaller. It is not frugal to get rid of everything a size bigger, then down the road, gain a size and have to buy those pieces again. I am talking about 1 size down or 1 size up, however. This does not apply to that dress I wore my freshman year in high school. I will not ever have the body I had then, even if I am a similar size. Also, that was 12 years ago.
I also try not to buy super trendy items, or at least limit them. Trends change too often to keep up. If you have good basics, adding accessories that are trendy can change up your looks. So you can take a basic dress and add a cardigan and scarf, or a statement necklace and wedges and have two totally different looks. That is frugal! Making your wardrobe flexible and adaptable, so you don't have to buy as many clothes.
So I think my closet philosophy is currently this: toss or sell anything I don't like or won't ever wear, but keep those basic pieces of clothing, even if they are a size different. I have limited closet space, but also limited closet funds, so a balance between the two views is perfect for me.
What is your closet philosophy?
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