Last week I posted some tips on creating a capsule wardrobe. If you missed that post you can read more about it here. If you’ve already decided to take the plunge and create one, good for you! Did you already start cleaning out with great enthusiasm, just to find yourself now at a stand still because it became too overwhelming?!?! Hey, at least you’ve already started the process! Don’t be too hard on yourself. Just take a deep breath – we’re only human. For some, purging will be easy and a burden will be lifted. For others, purging will be an emotional roller-coaster. Clothes may be your identity and how you express yourself. No matter what your wardrobe goals are, recognizing the most common reasons why we hold onto clothes will help you honestly edit your wardrobe.

So what are some common reasons we hold onto clothes and how should we handle it?

• New items – Most of us have items we’ve never worn and still have tags. We feel bad for spending money and then not wearing them so we hold onto them out of guilt.
  • You discover one of these “new” items that you really do love but forgot you had it, because it was hiding behind other clothes. If you truly love it, set it it aside to keep!
  • If it doesn’t fit, you don’t really like it as much as you thought you did, or it doesn’t really go with anything else in your closet DONATE!

• You bought something trendy but the trend didn’t last 🙁
  • If you are holding onto these items hoping that they’ll come back into style soon, don’t hold your breath. If you haven’t worn these items recently, donate them!

• Keeping clothes from or for a certain event
  • This one is sometimes unavoidable 🙁 Any girl who’s been a bridesmaid in a wedding knows this! Of course it’s rarely a dress that you will ever wear again…but you paid for it so you should keep it right?!?!?
  • If you bought it for a one-time event and/or have only used it once, donate it!
  • If it’s an item that you don’t wear often, but do wear occasionally (dresses, etc.) you should assess whether or not you will be wearing it in the upcoming months. If not, store it. If you’ll be wearing it, keep it.

• Gifted Items – your family member or friend just loved this accessory or piece of clothing and thinks it’ll look great on you! Turns out it’s the wrong size and not your style 🙁 You feel guilty because they spent money and time to pick it out. You are grateful that they thought of you, but do you need to keep it?!?!
  • If you hate it or it doesn’t fit you, donate it if you cannot return it. If not, it’ll just get buried deeper in your closet each year that you don’t wear it.
  • Be polite but honest with your friend or family member that you would prefer to buy your own accessories and clothing. If you don’t, you’ll end up with a whole other wardrobe of gifted clothes that you’ll still never wear! If they are insistent on getting you something, give them a few alternative ideas on what you enjoy or have them donate to a cause you are passionate about.

• You have many different sizes of clothing
  • This one can be difficult to deal with. If you have gained a significant amount of weight, you might keep your smaller clothes hoping someday you’ll be able to fit back into them. In the meantime, they haunt and shame you.
    • If you’ve got too small of clothes that make you feel down about yourself, get rid of them and donate them! Don’t keep anything that makes you feel bad about yourself! When you do lose the weight, you’ll want to celebrate by buying new clothes that make you feel great and that fit well! The journey and goal of simplifying is to make you happier!
  • If you’ve lost a significant amount of weight you might keep your larger clothes just in case you gain the weight back.
    • Congrats on losing the weight, but donate the clothes that are too big! Don’t let any clothes from your past hold you back from celebrating what you now have!

• Items of sentimental value
  • This one can also be difficult to deal with. Do you have a jewelry or scarf that your grandmother used to wear? Rather than hiding these items in the back of your closet find a way to display them or create artwork with them! If you are proud of them, then they should be displayed as such!

• Just having a hard time, but don’t know why…
  • If you find yourself having a hard time getting rid of clothes but are not sure why place these items in the “Store” pile for now
  • At the end of three months, we’ll be cleaning out our clothing storage!

If you want more resources, Courtney at Project 333 has some great ones! Here you can find the Project 333 guidelines and some other great articles on simplifying. If your initial goal is still too overwhelming, modify it! The overall goal is to not deprive you, but to push you outside your comfort zone. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and you can take all the time you need to accomplish your goal!

Did you start creating your capsule wardrobe? Are you struggling with letting some pieces go? How did you push through and continue on your journey?