Today is Minimizing Monday on Handprints on the Wall and we are minimizing our Kitchen this week! I can’t wait to get started, and my experience with cleaning out my closet gave me a great new strategy to try in my minimizing projects. And I’ve got a head start on this assignment because my unused highchair is already in my car ready to take to the consignment store this morning. Before I tell you about how my closet minimizing went, I have a question for you:
How Small is Your House?
The size of your house does not determine the amount of stuff in your house. Just because you have the space for an item, doesn’t mean you have to acquire and put the item in that space. I was reading ReadyMade magazine and there was an article about a family of four that put all their stuff in storage so that they could move into a 350 SF house for one year. They discovered that they did not need all the stuff they put in storage. Something to think about and inspire you on your journey towards having less stuff.
Minimizing My Closet
I was inspired by last week’s assignment to clean out my closet and bag up items to donate. It was amazing to me that there was so much in my closet that I didn’t wear, didn’t like, or that didn’t fit. Once I gave myself permission to let go of the stuff I don’t use, I was amazed by how much I could let go. I parted with 36 items of clothing, 3 pairs of shoes, and 9 bags/purses. It sounds like more than it is – I filled up 4 grocery bags to donate. Now when I walk into my closet I have a new thought: “Wow – look at all the great clothes I have!” – because all of the clothes remaining in my closet are items that I enjoy wearing and I want to wear all of them.
Here’s the approach I took that worked for me. Each time I walked into my closet I tried to remove one item that I wanted to donate. This item I tossed into a large container. By the end of the week the container was full and I transferred all of the items to grocery bags. This is a great method to try if you don’t have a large chunk of time to dedicate. I’ll be trying the same method with the Kitchen this week.
If you joined me in cleaning out your closet, please share how your experience went by leaving a comment! What strategy worked for you in this minimizing project? Also, do you have any tips on tackling the Kitchen this week?
Great idea about the hangers. And good job Heather for clearing out so much stuff!I can completely relate to the folks that put their stuff in storage and realized they didn’t need it. We STILL have stuff boxed up in storage after we packed up what we could save from Katrina. If I haven’t needed that stuff in 3 yrs I probably don’t need it! I have already put together 6 large rubbermaid bins to sell/donate and there is more to come. I figure the less stuff I have now, the less stuff to have to go through and throw out after the next flood!
Good idea for getting through the closet clutter. I’ll have to try it. Have a great week!
I turned all my hangers backwards at the beginning of the year. Now when I take something out to wear it, I put the hangar back the right way. Now when New Years Day comes again, I can see what I really haven’t worn in a year by the way the hanger is hanging, and I can get rid of it guilt free!!
Funny, I purged shoes this weekend. I got rid of about 6 pairs of flip flops, 2 pairs of slippers, a pair of boots, and I can’t remember if there was anything else in there or not. But, I was pretty proud of myself!
Hey Heather! Great job cleaning out your closet! I can’t wait to hear what you get rid of from your kitchen. Thanks for sharing, and helping to inspire others to live more simply as well!
I live in a 375sq ft apartment, the living space of which is only 166sq ft. Unfortunately, the architect was obviously stupid in how he laid the place out, but I’m dealing.I’m used to living minimalistic, but even then, I went from a 500sq ft 1-bed apartment with a TON of storage to this little studio. My biggest beef is that none of the kitchen cabinets have shelving in them – it looks like the last tenant took the shelves when she left!