Family, Faith, and Fridays: 34 Weeks of CleanRinse and Repeat: Week 16-The Master Closet

You knew it was coming, right? We cannot simply do our bedrooms and skip our closets, though trust me, the idea did cross my mind. Let's face it, most of our closets are pretty dungeon like. At least mine is. I have had ONE closet in my lifetime that I loved. In our Virginia rental house, the closet was the size of a small bedroom. Seriously! It had a wonderful window in it that lit the place up and I even had my treadmill in it with plenty of space to walk around in. I loved it. That is no longer my reality sadly. This is-

His side

Her side

Yep. Small and piled high with junk. As usual, I have allowed it to get completely out of hand. It is an easy place to just toss things in and not look back. It is one of the few places guests don't see so I let it slide. Often. And dresser drawers, don't even get me started.

So this week- Master Closets and Dresser Drawers are on our attack list!

Here we go!

You know the drill - take everything OUT! Trust me when I say this, it WILL make things easier in the end! Closet and drawers. It truly is the only way to really see how much you have. Time to face reality, ladies.

Once everything is out, wipe down the shelves and rods and vacuum the floor in the closet and wipe out dresser drawers. Now is your chance before things go back in!

And now, for the hard part! Put it back. Notice that I did NOT say put it ALL back in. Because that is not what we are going to do. Shake your head up and down to indicate you understand, please!

If you will remember back with me, one of our goals is to declutter. This means we are NOT keeping extra stuff we do not need or wear.

- Throw away things that are stained or torn or 100 years old. Some of you know I am looking at YOU!

-Donate things that do not fit you or that you do not love! NO keeping stuff just because. Touch every piece and ask yourself, does it fit and do I love it?

Helpful hints-

When you wear something, wash it and then put it on a hanger facing backwards. When a month is over, the things that are are still on front facing hangers are the things you have avoided for a month. hmmmm- do you need them?

Or try this- I hang all my shirts together in a row and then each day choose the one on the far left to wear. From there I pair it with whatever else I need and off I go. If I find myself skipping the same shirt over and over again I take that as a clue that it is not something I like or need and should pass on to someone else.

This also helps me avoid wearing the same few things over and over again that I love. Because, yes, I would do that.

Really evaluate what you have and what you NEED. There are plenty of good sites out there that can help you decide what looks good on you (and what does not) and how to mix and match with fewer things. I have found that when I keep my clothes to a few colors, it all goes together AND it keeps me from buying more. My oldest does something similar and has just started a capsule wardrobe which she has blogged about for me! One thing I have learned from all the traveling we do is that you can create many different outfits with few pieces if you plan well. Let's commit to stop buying random stuff just because it is cute or on sale! If you don't need it, don't buy it!

If you have a high shelf in your closet, invest in a few dividers that will help you stack things without the risk of an avalanche every time you open the closet door. Or just get rid of stuff and clear the space! ;)

Hang your dress clothes separately. It makes Sunday mornings and special occasions easier to get ready for when those clothes are separate.

Make piles like TRASH, GOODWILL, or SWEET DESERVING FRIEND who will fit better into it! ;)

One bag for the trash, one for Goodwill

You can do this! I know it is hard to let go of things, but let's not make things an idol. Clothes especially. They simply cover our bodies and do not make us who we are.

This is also the time to go through scarves, shoes and jewelry if this is where those things are housed.

-My kiddos gave my two scarf hangers for Christmas that I love. (yes, I have a thing for scarves, especially in the Midw cold months!) It is a great way to organize them, plus once you run out of space you need to be done! (note to self)

-I also love having my jewelry in my closet so it is easy to match to an outfit on the way out the door. I recently pared down my jewelry to only the pieces I love. Hard, but necessary. I use a spool holder for ease. Trust me, this is pared down!

-Shoes! Let's talk shoes for a minute. How many pairs do you own? Actually, how many pairs can you wear at once? That is a better question. I love shoes as much as the next person, maybe not as much as my mom, but I realized that shoes were one of the areas that was going to get the best of me if I was not very careful. So I donated a lot of pairs last year! I realized I only wore the same pair of boots all winter anyway, and because of a hip and leg problem (steps are a very dangerous thing!) I wear almost the same two pairs of summer shoes all summer long. All the others, except for two pairs of church shoes and two very dressy pairs, were extra. As in not needed!

-Bags and pocketbooks. Now we are getting personal. If you know me well, you know I have a thing for both. Don't know why, but I cannot seem to pass up either. I love changing purses with the seasons and I can find any excuse to have a new bag. In my defense, I use them. But, again, not all are necessary (did I really say that?), and I did get rid of a few. Ok, 2 more this season, it is a work in progress, I promise!

YOU DID IT! Stand back and look at what your hard work accomplished! And don't panic- you have a week to finish this project!

So how did you do last week in your Master Bedroom? If you haven't shared your pictures on our Facebook page, please do! We love seeing your hard work in action! Plus, pictures entered every week get you in the drawing for some fabulous prizes from 621 Gifts, Redeemed, and ME! Let me show you the sign Redeemed has just for one of you-