Do you REALLY know what is in your closet? I thought I did, and I also thought that I needed some more work clothes. I went shopping, picking up some nice pieces at H&M, Banana Republic and J. Crew only to find out that I had some very similar pieces already in my closet. I guess you could look at it two ways:
- I’m consistent in my taste of clothing and consistency is good, right?!?
- I really need to delve into my wardrobe and become a bit more familiar with it!
This sparked me performing a closet audit. What is a closet audit, you ask?
I’d recommend putting aside some quality time for this event, possibly consider inviting a trustworthy friend or family member over for this…you want someone that is going to give you their honest opinion about how each piece looks on you, whether you need it, etc.
Take everything out of your closet. If you think there is too much to take out all at once, start with one type and we’ll work our way through the rest! For example, let’s start with jeans. You’re going to make four piles – keep, donate, sell, and throw away.
- Check all pairs for stains or (unintentional) rips. If any pairs meet those two “requirements”, toss them into the “throw away” pile.
- Try on all remaining pairs. Check their fit on your waist, length, inseam, etc. If they are a bit short, would they look good as cut-off shorts? If they don’t fit, but are in great condition you may want to consider selling them online – toss them in the “sell” pile (future post on this!). If not, they go into the “donate” pile.
- Be realistic – when was the last time you wore each pair? If you haven’t worn them in the past 6 – 12 months (MAX), then you may want to reconsider keeping them.
- All jeans that you have now decided to keep should be washed and put back in the closet. I personally fold my jeans, but some people like to hang them. I think it all depends on available space.
Once you have done this for your t-shirts, shorts, dress pants, jackets, dresses, sweaters, blouses, tank tops, etc. you should have a better idea of what you DO have and what you need, if anything.
I recommend doing this with your costume jewelry, scarves, undergarments, bathing suits and socks as well. It feels so good to get a grasp on your clothing inventory and can also spark some new outfit ideas that you didn’t think of before this exercise. You could be finding new outfits that cost you NOTHING! Now that is extreme budgeting, if you ask me!
Do you have any helpful hints to make this exercise as painless and rewarding as possible? I’d love to know!
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