If you are new to 52 Weeks of Organizing, catch up here!
Hey all! How is your organizing coming along? Are you addicted yet….hahaha. Come on, who’s joining me in this crazy obsession? 🙂
I’ve got a great tip for you today that I read on the A Slob Comes Clean blog on her last 52 Weeks post. To help her declutter she asks herself two questions:
If I needed this item, where would I look for it?
My note: pay attention to where you first look for something. If it isn’t stored there then maybe you should think about moving it to that location as that was your first inclination. Think of all the time you’ll save the next time you need it. That is of course if you remember to put it back there after you are done with it 🙂
If I needed this item, would it ever occur to me that I already have one?
My note: great question. If it isn’t going to occur to you that you already have one why hang on to it in the first place taking up valuable storage space. I think it’s pretty common that we hang onto things thinking we’ll need them someday and then when that someday comes we either forget we have it or forget where we put it. Compare the price of buying a new one to the cost of the real estate space this item is consuming in your house. Maybe one item by itself isn’t taking up much space but when you put lots of these “just in case” items together they could be using up some pretty terrific storage space that could be used instead to store the things you do use. Think about it.
Just this past week I was telling my lovely Facebook followers how I took four big bags of outgrown kid’s clothes to the thrift store. I love the seasonal switch out times in the year because it’s just so rewarding. I can always count on my kids to grow…hahaha. So my daughter it appears grew the most because her drawers are now empty. They won’t stay that way for long of course but right now I’m enjoying all the empty space 🙂
Now I know this won’t be applicable to you lucky ducks ladies living in awesome sunshiney weather all year round but for those that don’t and space is an issue for you, please consider switching out your seasonal clothing. It gives your closet room to breathe, clean up is easier and you won’t waste time digging through toques (that’s what us Canadians call winter hats..hahaha) and mitts to find your beach hat in summer.
For more information on switching out seasonal clothes, here are a couple of posts I’ve written in the past on the subject:
Changing clothes out for the seasons
Organizing clothes for the seasons – my old BC closet
My organized closet – my new AB closet (and yes it already looks differently now)
Clothes purging – how to let go
Hope that helps! And I haven’t forgotten I promised you a post on my seasonal switch out of my entryway closet. Hopefully next week!
Questions:
- Do you rotate your seasonal clothing? If so, have you done it yet?
- Are you celebrating your accomplishments as you go? It’s so important no matter how big or small the task is you complete!
- What’s on your list for this next week?
Please feel free to share your organizing journey and encourage one another in the comments. You are also invited to link up to the linky below with any posts related to your 52 weeks of organizing participation or to a post of an organizing nature that you feel will help and encourage others in their quest to get organized. Please remember to link back to here though so we can reach out to as many people as possible in need of some inspiration.
One other thing to consider: by including your link below you, you are giving me permission to use parts of your post including pictures as a spotlight in future 52 Weeks of Organizing posts. Proper credit and links will of course be provided. If you are not okay with this please do not link up. Thanks!
Becky L says
I usually wash all my sweaters at the coming of late spring when it’s warmer and do put all my winter hats and gloves, once cleaned away in a storage box in closet. Also wash all coats. Right now I’m not changing anything like putting away in another place since we are still getting chilly weather, for some reason. Will be waiting for warmer weather around the corner to stay this time, not make an appearance and then leave and bring rain and wind like it’s been doing this week. Am organizing something soon, haven’t decided yet cuz I’m just catching up from being gone a few days.
Michelle says
1. Do you rotate your seasonal clothing? If so, have you done it yet?
No, sorry, I am one of those lucky ducks, I mean, ladies that lives in awesome sunshiney weather year round. 😉
2. Are you celebrating your accomplishments as you go? It’s so important no matter how big or small the task is you complete!
Yes! Posting here is my celebration! Thank you!
3. What’s on your list for this next week?
I still have 4 boxes from our move our move 4 months ago and a living room wall that needs pictures on it! 🙂
Have a great week!
Amanda A says
I live in TX. We don’t really have much of a change in season. A few long sleeve shirts and maybe a sweater/sweatshirt and we’re set for winter. But we still have ‘winter’ days where we can wear shorts and tank tops. So it’s hard to rotate seasonal clothes here.
Jutta@Organized Living Solutions says
1. Like Michelle and Amanda I don’t really have changing seasons (altough it does start to get chilly at night at the moment)
2. Will go out and buy some flowers later after cleaning the whole house 🙂
3. Dealing with termites 🙁
Megan says
I definitely switch out our clothes for the seasons. I box up the hats and gloves, sweaters, and coats and store them in the attic. I am one of those “lucky ducks” ladies 🙂 that lives in weather that is warm most of the year. I also live in a small house. Those bulky clothes would be in the way.
Megan says
Ha Ha to Noni the Slob! I love referring to available space in my house as real estate too! Space does have value and lots of time, that value is more that the value of holding on to something for someday.
Nony (A Slob Comes Clean) says
Thanks for the link!
I was reading the post and somehow missed the link. I thought, “Those are just like MY decluttering questions!” Haha!
Amanda says
I must say thank you for this post. I’ve been thinking about switching my clothes over to spring but sadly where I live, Massachusetts, you just never know when it’s going to get cold again, so needless to say I’ve been hesitant. I finally bit the bullet today and packed away all my winter sweaters and any long sleeve shirts I don’t plan on wearing. While I did this I purged a few sweaters that I don’t absolutely love. Then, I sat here and read some of your blog posts you’d linked back to and I went ahead and purged my pj drawer. I have a bunch of pj’s however, I almost never wear them, instead I usually fall asleep in the t-shirt I had on that day and a pair of undies. Sometimes I think, well I should keep them so I have pjs for when I have kids. But you know what? By then I might be bigger, or smaller, or maybe I won’t love purple as much anymore. So, I finally got rid of all but my favorite pj’s. Thanks again for helping me purge my clothes and putting the kick in my step I needed to put away all those winter sweaters I won’t be wearing for a while.
Living the Balanced Life says
We live in southern US, and we have 2 disticnt seasons, summer and winter, with a little spring and fall thrown in! We also have winter days when we could wear t-shirts and shorts. I nromally keep a few things from the off-season handy, but not in the middle of the closet. I definitley put away the thick sweaters and boots!
Bernice
Why Live a Balanced Life?
Martianne says
1. Yep, I rotate seasonal clothing.
2. I have been too tired to celebrate my accomplishments, but it does feel good to know I am making headway.
3. Doing but ONE thing at a time is on my list. I am going to try to become a uni-tasker.
As a side note, I don’t post much at wonder and Will anymore, but my Kids Clothing post there has been helpful to some. feel free to check it out: http://wonderandwill.wordpress.com/2010/07/07/kids-clothing-management/
Martha (MM) says
I’m one of those sunny living year rounders but I still rotate, just on a much smaller scale. After going through clothes at the end of winter I usually stash away one large Rubbermaid bin that will be put away for the next year.
Unfortunately still at a standstill here for the organizing challenge, don’t think I’ll be linking up again this week. I’m just living in a world of boxes right now!
Sinea Pies says
I do rotate my seasonal clothing but our weather here in Upstate NY is crazy. One day it’s 40, the next day it’s 70 then back to 40 again. We’re still waiting for the weather to make up its mind! LOL
Christy says
This is my very least favorite chore, but it is on my to-do list this week, so I’ll have to add to the linkies.
Not a lot of seasonal rotation, as we live in California, but I do have to rotate outgrown clothes, and I dislike it with a passion. Maybe that’s why we don’t live somewhere where I’m forced to do the seasonal thing. I would go crazy. Or worse.
The Bearded Iris says
Hi Laura! I do rotate my clothes but it is not a huge chore because I just move them from one side of the closet to the other. I also put my sweaters away into an under-the-bed-bag with some cedar chips to protect them. Thanks for the tips on how to let go… that is not something I’ve ever been very good at, but with your tips (and tweets!) I feel like I’m making huge strides this year! Yay!! 🙂
Jenn Hoff says
Ok, I have a question. I need to change out winter and summer clothes for MYSELF. Obviously, I’m not changing sizes or donating anything, so how do I store scarves and sweaters someplace accessible and someplace I’ll remember they’re there? I still probably want to keep them in the room, but they take up so much space during the Summer months hanging in my closet. I’m a total novice at this thing you call “organization.” 🙂
Thoughts?
Jenn Hoff says
Oh, sorry, I’m a dork. I read the post about doing it for your kids, and then left my question here by accident, and I now realize you were answering in this post. Whoopsie!
Michelle says
I found this blog and love the organizing post but this one actually made me smile because my husband is from Sunny California but we live in Canada and we have the opposite view on seasonal clothes. I never switch out because I find that my summer doesn’t get hot enough to not need sweaters! I wear them all year long! And I only own a couple pairs of shorts because again, not hot enough!
Melody L says
Are there a specific DATES or RULES of THUMB for us in the 4 season areas as to when we are supposed to change into our Spring/Summer clothes or our Fall/Winter clothes. We had warm days here but we are still wearing our winter black. It is March 26th. Spring officially arrived March 21st, but it’s still chilly. Deep frost predicted for tonight. Can I still wear a sweater with a faux fur collar or is that a faux pas? Is Easter the day we “change”. Labor Day for the Fall? I never get it.