Closet Minimalism & Organization: Q&A

Last week’s post was all about the Master Closet. (You can find that post HERE.) I opened up a question box on Instagram and here some of the questions I received:

1. Best places for suitcases?
   I don’t keep my suitcases in my closet, I keep them right outside the closet in an attic area that we have a door to right around the corner. We have to access them pretty often so I don’t want them too far out of the way, but I don’t want them taking up valuable space. I used to keep them in the guest closet towards the back. Each kid has their own suitcase as well and they keep them in their closets because they have plenty of room. If you need to keep your suitcases in your closet, try to have a set that stacks inside of each other, that way it takes up less space.

2. Info on a capsule wardrobe? Where do you get your staples?
   A capsule wardrobe is basically a wardrobe where everything coordinates. I don’t have an exact capsule wardrobe, but it’s close. My winter items primarily coordinate with black. Actually, they all really do. So I only have a few pairs of winter shoes. Think of it this way, if you were packing for a trip, how could you maximize your pieces to have a lot of different outfits, but only a few pieces. I wear a lot of neutrals. I personally love dressing this way. It makes it easy to get dressed each day and I prefer that look.
   As far as my essential pieces, I feel like quality is important. Occasionally I will be in need of a black skirt and find one on Amazon for $15. But I know it’s not going to last me very long. I have a few stores I really like and I find that their pieces last along time. My favorite stores for clothing are Anthropologie and Nordstrom Rack. Probably 50% of my clothing comes from one of those stores. I have also found some really great brands for great prices at TJMaxx.

3. What about a tiny closet with no shoe organization?
   Get creative. The back of a closet door is a great place to store shoes. This is what I do for both of my kids. You can also only keep in the closet the shoes for that season and store the others. There are a variety of shoe racks available on Amazon (like THIS) and at The Container store that you could place below your clothing. I have also found that since minimizing my shoes I don’t need nearly as much space as I once did.

4. Best places to donate or how to sell clothes?
   As far as donating, there are so many places available. We have several places in town that offer drop off all day long and they will even walk out and get it from your car. I also use a service that picks up at my door once a month.
   For selling clothing, I have used Facebook groups for particular brands or styles. Recently I started using Poshmark. (HERE is a link to get started with Poshmark. Use my code SHELLEYCOON to get $10!) It has been very simple to sell things on this app and it’s easy to ship the items.
   
   Another thing to think about is just giving some of your clothing away to a friend or someone who would enjoy something “new to them.” You could even do this anonymously. A few years ago I had a gorgeous pair of black heels that were killing my feet. They were so beautiful, but not worth the pain. A friend’s sweet daughter had commented on how much she loved them. She is 17 and can endure more than I can. ;) I knew we wore the same size, so the next night I brought them to her. I could have never sold them for what I paid for them. The reality is, I shouldn’t have bought shoes that didn’t feel good, so I learned my lesson and was able to bless someone else.
   

   The most important thing is to get rid of your clothes quickly. Whether you are selling or donating, get them out of your house quickly. If you are donating, move them to the truck of your car the day you clean your closet out and try to drop them off within 24 hours.

5. Do you keep your laundry hamper in your closet?
   I used to. I then moved it to near my shower and it made it easier to put dirty clothes directly into it as I am getting into the shower. I have my kids put their clothes directly into the hamper in the laundry room.

6. How do you store seasonal clothing?
   We used to have a really small closet. I had to store any bulky sweaters outside of my closet when it was not cold weather. If you do need to store out of season clothing, be sure to use precautions to keep moths out of your clothes. You can use cedar blocks or a lavender satchel.
   Thankfully, we have a large closet and after purging my clothes I have plenty of room for all seasons to be inside my closet.

7. How do you get rid of clothes when you are just getting started and you are overwhelmed?
   I did an entire blog post and video last week on how to get started. (HERE). It is overwhelming when your closet is bulging or when you know that you don’t wear a lot of what is in your closet. But it is more overwhelming to live this way. You can do this!
   When I first got started I had 17 black skirts. You read that right. SEVENTEEN. I got rid of things that I hadn’t worn in 5 or more years. I even got rid of things that had price tags on them.
   One of the big things that can come with getting rid of clothing is guilt. We feel guilty that we didn’t wear it. Or that we are getting rid of “perfectly good clothing.” Let go of the guilt. What would you tell your best friend or your daughter if they made a mistake and were feeling guilty? Learn the lesson and be intentional going forward. You already purchased these things and now you can let them go and make better decisions the next time you go shopping. This minimalism journey has made me so much more intentional about what I let into my closet.

If you have a question, send me an email or comment below!

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