Today kicks off the first week of my 2011 mission: Minimalist Monday Mission: Declutter 365.

This week I am tackling the closet and dresser … my clothes.

If you remember back to the 75 in 75 challenge start, the closet was one of the first things I went through.  It’s also where I am starting on this project as well.

Why?

Because it’s relatively easy to go through, and you can make a big impact in a little area.  Most of us have too many clothes.  Many of the clothes in our closets and dressers no longer fit, or are no longer attractive.

Your clothes should all fit well, and they should make you feel great at the same time.  If not, then they are no longer serving their purpose and should be donated, sold or given away instead.

And, because I decided to participate in Project 333 with Courtney at Be More With Less.  The idea is simple…you choose 33 items of clothing and accessories and wear them for the next three months.  There are a few rules:

When: January 1 – March 31, 2011 (It’s never too late to start so join in anytime!)

What: 33 items including clothing, accessories, jewelry, outerwear and shoes.

What not: these items are not counted as part of the 33 items – wedding ring or other sentimental piece of jewelry that you never take off, underwear, sleep wear, in-home lounge wear,  and workout clothing (you can only wear your workout clothing to workout)

How: Choose your 33 items, box up the remainder of your fashion statement, seal it with tape and put it out of site.

What else: consider that you are creating a wardrobe that you can live, work and play in for three months. Remember that this is not a project in suffering. If your clothes don’t fit or are in poor condition, replace them.

First, before I went through and picked out the 33 items that would be my entire wardrobe for the next 3 months, I went ahead and culled any remaining clothes that should have been taken to Goodwill the first time around.  I did this as part of the last week of the 75 in 75 challenge and that’s what ultimately helped me eliminate 1,150 items from my home.

Here’s my closet before the Goodwill run:

And here’s my closet after the Goodwill run:

By the way, I recommend that before you go through your clothes, you should always do all of your laundry first.  That way you have everything cleaned and ready to go through.

Then, once I had eliminated the items bound for Goodwill, I looked at each item left in my wardrobe and considered which would be the most important to me for the next three months.

It’s an advantage that I am in Vermont and can pretty much guarantee that January-March will all be cold.  So, I knew I didn’t have to deal with any season changes.  I have a professional outfit that I wear to all of my shows for my Thirty-One Gifts business, so I knew I needed that.  However, most of my work is from home, which means I did not need a bunch of business casual clothes.  I also knew that I didn’t have any special events in the next three months which would require a nicer than usual outfit.

So, ultimately, here is what I chose to be my 33 pieces for the next 3 months:

1. Pandora Bracelet
2. Blue Jacket
3. Brown Sleeveless Jacket
4. Jeans
5. Black Athletic Pants
6. Navy Athletic Pants
7. Grey Long Sleeve Shirt
8. White Long Sleeve Shirt
9. Purple 3/4 Sleeve Shirt
10. Purple Fleece
11. Turquoise Fleece
12. Pink Fleece
13. Black Dress Pants
14. Thirty-One Shirt
15. Blue Sweater
16. Green 3/4 Sleeve Shirt
17. Blue Skirt
18. Blue 3/4 Sleeve SendOutCards Shirt
19. Tan Pants
20. Reversible Sweater
21. Red Sweater
22. SendOutCards Hoodie
23. Brown Stretch Pants
24. Black Boots
25. Neck Warmer
26. Gloves
27. Ski Pants
28. Snow Boots
29. Brown Shoes
30. Running Shoes
31. Brown Fleece
32. Brown Belt
33. UGGs

Regarding the rules (above), here are my only changes:

For the items not included, I did not include ALL of my jewelry that I wear every day and never take off.  This includes my wedding rings, another ring, pearl earrings and sterling silver earrings.  I did count the Pandora Bracelet because I don’t wear it every day.  For lounge wear, I did not count my robe and slippers.  And, I did not count one set of exercise clothes (pants, bra, shirt), pajamas, or undergarments, as mentioned in the rules.

Instead of packing up everything else, I just moved it into my guest room closet and left the items in the dresser that were already there.  Anything that is part of my list of 33 that was in my dresser, I moved to be into my closet.  So, now all of my clothes and shoes are in my closet for the 33 items (except undergarments, pajamas, exercise clothes and robe and slippers).  Here’s what my closet looks like now:

This is all of my clothes for Project 333 and the next three months, except for the outfit that I was wearing:

So, your mission for this week, should you choose to accept it, is to go through your clothes, closets, dressers, and anywhere else that houses your clothing and accessories, and decide if you need that item or not.  I recommend trying on every item in your closet.  Ultimately, trying on the clothes and seeing how they fit you now is key to letting those things that do not fit well go.  It was an easy choice for me to let some of my things go when I saw how they looked on me now.  I have lost some weight in the past few years, and my remembrance of how an item looked was not the reality that gazed back at me in the mirror.  For those who want an extra challenge – consider joining Project 333!

For Minimalist Monday Mission: Declutter 365, I will not be keeping track of every item individually, as I did for the 75 in 75 Challenge.  Instead, I will be keeping a running tally of items that I have either thrown out, donated/given away (counted as soon as I put it in the box to be donated), sold (counted as it leaves my home), or put into a future gifting box (to be given to someone else during the year).

So far this week, here is my tally:

• Threw out 9 items
• Donated 8 items
• Sold 51 items from my Becoming Minimalist Sale (I’ll be updating this weekly as I move through each area in my home!)
• Put 1 item in the gift box

TOTAL ITEMS: 69 items

Here’s where we are headed for the Minimalist Monday Mission: Declutter 365 in the next few weeks:

1. Clothes (closet and dresser) – DONE!
2. Master Bath Vanity/Cabinet
3. Nightstand and Top of Dresser in Master Bedroom
4. Kitchen Counters (main and island)
5. Kitchen Cabinets (upper)
6. Kitchen Cabinets (lower)
7. Kitchen Counters (by fridge)
8. Pantry
9. Fridge/Freezer
10. Kitchen Built In Cabinet
11. Digitizing Files
12. Computer Files
13. Office Desk
14. Office Baskets (in, out, to do, vertical file)
15. Office Filing Cabinet
16. Office Hutch
17. Office Bookshelves
18. Office Work Desk Area
19. Office Built In Storage Area
20. Laundry Room Shelves
21. Laundry Room Corner Cabinet
22. Laundry Room Table Area
23. Guest Bedroom Closet (toy closet)
24. Child’s Bedroom Closet
25. Child’s Bedroom Closet
26. Child’s Desk
27. Children’s Clothes (upstairs)
28. Guest Bedroom Dresser
29. Guest Bathroom Vanity
30. Linen Closet (lower shelves)
31. Linen Closet (upper shelves)
32. Play Room
33. Living Room DVD Cabinet/Mantle/Entertainment Center
34. Large Storage Closet
35. Small Storage Closet Shelves
36. Small Storage Closet Banker’s Boxes
37. Downstairs Bathroom Closet
38. Downstairs Play Room
39. Screened In Porch Area
40. Downstairs TV Area
41. Downstairs Bathroom
42. Mud Room
43. Garage Left Side Shelves
44. Garage Middle Shelves
45. Garage Right Side Shelves
46. Garage Tool Storage Cabinet
47. Garage Floor Space
48. Walls/Pictures
49. Scrapbooking Supplies/Area

See you next week!

To your success,

Dr. Laura

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