So hard to say goodbye…

I have this secret closet cleaning ninja trick that I use to help me determine what needs to go. It’s called DON’T DO YOUR LAUNDRY FOR LIKE A MONTH. But it’s pretty secret, so try to keep it on the downlow.

Basically, I don’t do my laundry for like a month (I have a king’s ransom in socks and underwear), and I evaluate what is left in my closet at the end of the period. And you know what? My closet is still ALWAYS FULL. As it turns out, I would rather wear a few marginally clean items that I love, than the majority of what I own.

But then comes the tricky part.

When I look in my closet, I see possibilities: “I can wear that again when I lose 10 lbs.”  or  “Maybe I just need to find the right top for that skirt.”  Even though I haven’t worn these clothes in months, I have such a hard time getting rid of them, because I can imagine how amazing my life could be if I could just figure out how to make them look good on me. I’ve had these clothes for so long that I’ve grown emotionally attached to them, even though they don’t fit me/look good/work with my wardrobe AT ALL. In short, my overzealous wardrobe optimism is becoming dangerously detrimental to my closet space.

Well, the swap is less than 2 weeks away, and it’s time to force myself to let go.  It will be painful. Blood and tears could potentially be shed… But, it’s necessary for my personal growth. Oh, and to make room for all my new swap swag.  Here is what you can get out of it:

1. The hot pink hooker heels that I wore to my ill fated wedding in 2007.

2. A puffy floral skirt that will never be work appropriate, no matter how much I want it to be.

3. Why do I keep buying peasant blouses and dresses?

4. More Rogues Gallery stuff that I never wear. I worked there 4 years ago, I was never a T-shirt person anyway. It’s over.

5. The polka dot cha-cha skirt that only looks good on me when I don’t eat for 3 days.

6. “My neck is too fat for these” necklace assortment.

7. “It’s been 3 years and 30 lbs, and the skinny clothes box is still untouched. Maybe it’s time to get rid of the whole damn thing” bundle.