34 Weeks of Clean: Rinse and Repeat: Week 27- Clothes Storage

I know last week was kind of overwhelming, so let me encourage you for a moment.  You CAN do this!  I promise, if I can, you can!  Really - have you looked at my before pictures?  And this is the THIRD time I have done this!!  This is a family that moves every two years or so.  We carry a lot of "just in case" items with us from place to place.  I understand about storage rooms.  But know this- there IS such a thing as too much and we are working towards breaking the cycle and clearing things out.  So if you have not started or just haven't quite finished- KEEP GOING!  I am cheering you on and still working too.


In the meantime- this week we are conquering the clothes storage areas in your house.  That may look a little different for everyone, but in our home, it is back to the storage room we go.  Hiding in 8 of those bins are either off season clothes or clothes for our youngest child to grow into. 
Because we do not have huge closets in our house, we keep the kids' off season clothes in bins (with Ashton's off season capsules in there as well).  I also have kept a few clothes from my 15 year old to pass on to his younger brother. Since I went to more of a capsule wardrobe concept, all of my clothes are in my closet.

 

I also tend to buy off season sales, so anything I find I put into the bin for the upcoming season.  If you have things you know a particular child is going to need, make an inventory list of what the needed items are and attach it to the bin.  That way, when sales come up, you can easily reference your needs.  Not wants!
 

Because my two boys have a slightly larger age gap, some of those bins had not been gone through lately, so I opened each one and took everything out.   We decided that it is better to just bless others with the hand me downs they can use now.  By the time our youngest can use them we will have either hauled them around for years or they will no longer even be worth wearing. Anything that was worn or terribly outdated went into the trash.  Things I thought just wouldn't get worn by the youngest (different styles, tastes, or body types) went into a Goodwill pile.  Quite frankly, I was surprised at how much I was able to pare down.  We are now two totes less!

Another load headed to Goodwill

So this week is pretty simple.

•     Pick your favorite method of storing clothes- by gender or size or specific child, and get organized!

•     Go through the clothes storage you have, purge and re-sort if necessary.

•     Make a list of any items you know you need so you can take advantage of off season sales.

A quick note about clothes.  Please keep in mind that one of our goals in this series is to declutter our homes and lives.  This includes clothes.  Just as we did with our own closets, we must evaluate what we need and what we don't. 

Do not confuse needs with wants.  There is a difference.

Face facts, we can only wear one outfit at a time.  Having closets and storage bins with clothes popping out of them is not needed.  Be honest with yourself and evaluate if you are not only being good steward of your space but also your money.


So how did you do with last week's assignment?  We can't wait to see your progress!

And homeschooling moms- next week is just for you! ;)



Until then, blessings!!