Downsizing my Wardrobe: Part 2

Last time, I talked about the reasons behind downsizing my wardrobe. Now let me share how I actually went about this.

Over the past year, I've been removing clothing that I don't wear often or love. Most of these items get sent to ThredUp, an online consignment shop. They send you a free bag with pre-paid postage that you fill up with your higher quality clothing. Your mailman takes the bag away, and a few weeks later you get store credit based on which items ThredUp can resell. They pay you upfront, so you don't have to wait for the items to sell. With the store credit earned I've been able to turn two or three things I don't wear into one thing I do. If you sign up for ThredUp through this link, you get $10 store credit to start. I've found countless items for under $10, and they often do free shipping specials.

This time, though, I knew I needed to seriously purge my closet.

I tackled this project with fervor one evening after work.

My first step was to take all of my clothes out of my closet and dresser and put them on the floor in my living room.

As I had suspected I have a tee-shirt problem.

Once everything was out, I went through it piece by piece. I had already started to notice which clothes I wore the most and had the most versatility. This made this process a little faster and easier.

One of the things that has inspired me throughout this process was, ironically, a book I hated.
The 100 Thing Challenge is one man's journey to owning only 100 things. I love the idea of this, and I appreciate some of his thinking throughout the project.

He decided that if it he rarely used an item, he would get rid of it and just borrow it when needed. He also stopped hanging onto things he "might use someday, maybe." I have a lot of clothes that fall into this "someday" category. If I haven't needed or wanted to wear it yet, I probably won't in the future.

So there were some good things that I took away from this book. When he decided to give up hobbies because he would never be amazing at them and when he insists that he met the devil in the form of a beautiful women while hiking, he started to lose me.

Anyway...

Any clothes that didn't make the cut went into storage. Knowing my clothes wouldn't be far if I changed my mind made me a bit more ruthless with my decisions. If I hadn't worn it recently and didn't think I would need it over the winter, it went into the bin.

About 2/3 of my clothing ended up in storage at the end of this process.

This is what I ended up keeping in my closet and dresser.



Now I'm testing my new system. Do I have enough clothes to get me through the week? Do I like these clothes? Will I need to get something out of storage before the seasons change again? I guess we'll see.

Have you tried downsizing your wardrobe? How did it go?

Downsizing my Wardrobe: Part 1

I've been reading a lot lately about applying a minimalist approach to clothing.

Courtney Carver created Project 333 several years ago. Project 333 is a system where you choose 33 items of clothing/accessories that you will use as your wardrobe for 3 months. Every time the seasons change you update and adjust your selection. The idea is to challenge yourself to live with less and to accept that you have enough. You also learn what styles and fabrics work best for you, and what items you may want to invest in or acquire down the road in order to streamline your outfits. One of the keys to this project is to choose items that go well together.

This is similar to the idea of a capsule wardrobe. I've been reading about capsule wardrobes on Un-Fancy the past few weeks. For Caroline at Un-Fancy, a capsule wardrobe consists of 37 pieces of clothing, including shoes, that all work well together. She also rotates her wardrobe every season, and posts about her choices and outfits.

A capsule or minimalist wardrobe appeals to me because I don't want to waste time every morning trying to find an outfit to wear. At the same time, as a teacher, I want to look put together. For me, a smaller wardrobe will save time and space, while also helping me figure out what kinds of clothes I actually want to wear.


Want to know more about minimalist wardrobes? Check out these posts:

Capsule Wardrobe Buzz on Emerald Homestead

Edit your Wardrobe on Reading My Tea Leaves

Growing an Minimalist Wardrobe on Reading My Tea Leaves

The Reverse 100 Thing Challenge on Be More With Less

15 Tips for the Beginner on Project 333

Is a smaller wardrobe something that interests you? Stay tuned for part 2, where I chronicle my own clothing purge.

Corgi

Tammy of Rowdy Kittens posted some adorable pictures of corgis, including this one below. What is it that makes corgis so darn adorable?

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Kangaroo Lake is awesome! I will share more photos on the blog soon. #siskiyoucounty #California #getoutside

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States I've Visited

#83 on my bucket list is to visit every state in the US. I define visiting as spending the night there. So far I've been to 21 states.



Create Your Own Visited States Map


As you can see, I've been up and down the east coast. I've driven through New Hampshire a few times, and Delaware more times than I can count. But, I've never spent a night there.

I'm hoping that I can soon find the time and money to see more of what's between the Appalachians and the Rockies. I have both Texas and Missouri queued up for 2015. Perhaps I'll squeeze in a few more on my way there.

How many states have you visited? What has been your favorite so far?

What do you do when you're sad?

Sometimes a bad day can trap you. It can suck you into a sneaky hate spiral and keep you there, slowly sabotaging your day, even your week. We've all been there. And most of us have ways of getting out.

Hyperbole and a Half is also a great way to spend your day

Isabel at The Hairpin posed this question to a few people and compiled their answers here.

A lot of people bing on Netflix and treat themselves to some comforting junk food. A few people talk about pampering themselves with self care and beauty regimens, or dressing up a little.

When I'm sad, I wear sweatpants, watch sitcoms, eat chocolate and bacon, and sleep a lot. That makes me feel better.

What I found most interesting was that many of these women also emphasize the need to make tomorrow better. They plan, they set goals, they make sure they have fruits and veggies ready to go.

It's okay to feel down, even if you don't know why. And it's okay to wallow for a bit and to give yourself what you want, which isn't always what you think you need.

But it's so important to not let sadness become a habit, a place of familiarity. 

These women recognize that tomorrow is a day to not be sad, and they work hard to get there.

Make happy a habit. Indulge in joy and contentment. Practice 100 happy days or just share the highlights of your day with the people closest to you. Vent when you need to, but be sure to share your smiles and good things too.


What do you do when you're feeling down?

Link List: Winter is Coming

How are we already nearing the end of fall? My favorite season has flown by!

Maybe it's because I spent a good chunk of it planning a wedding.

Snowbird, 2012

• Where were these pants these last two summers!?
• I made these two sausage dishes recently. They're simple enough that I've started to work them into the rotation.
• If you're bringing grapes to a party this holiday season, serve them in tiny bunches. Life-long problem solved! Or just bring wine.
• Leslie Knope is my spirit animal.
• The older I get, the more introverted I get. Meeting new people is hard and uncomfortable for me. I need to do a little more this in my life once in a while.
• One of my post-wedding projects is to declutter and thin the herd a little. I've been focusing on clothes mostly, but other things have slowly crept in since my last purge.
• Getting rid of clothes means I can get more, right? Especially if they're this versatile.
• The key to making it look like a fully-functioning adult lives in your home is hanging things on the walls, like this.
• Someone I know will probably be getting this for Christmas this year. Spoilers!

My Secret to Fast and Easy Hardboiled Eggs

Hardboiled eggs are great for snacks, egg salad sandwiches, and to top off salads. I hate going through the process of boiling and peeling them all. I usually crack a few eggs as they go into the pot and then it takes forever to peel every little piece of shell off of them. So not worth it.

I have a secret though.

My way of cooking eggs takes under ten minutes and the eggs always peel easily.

Source

Oh what is that secret, you ask?

I don't boil them.

I steam them.

To steam eggs to perfection:

1. Fill your pot with about 3/4" to 1" of water.
2. Place eggs in a steamer rack above the water. You can also place the eggs in the water, but your results may be less consistent.
3. Cover and cook for 6 to 9 minutes. 6 minutes will produce soft boiled eggs with runny yolks, while 9 minutes will bring your yolks to firm perfection.
4. Let cool for a few minutes, then peel and enjoy.

Have you tried this technique? What do you think?

My Wedding: Part 6

The party.

Check out part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, and part 5.


All photos by T. Kevin Birch Photography

My Wedding: Part 5

The reception.

Check out part 1, part 2, part 3, and part 4.


All photos by T. Kevin Birch Photography