The Closet Challenge

I struggled to come up with a good name for this project.

Clothes. Closet. Wear it. Too many clothes. Don’t shop. Freaking difficult. I want new things. I have lots of things already. Does this fit right? Does this flatter? Am I comfortable? Am I a good steward?

I wish I had a fancy title, but I don’t.

However, I have given myself a challenge. And it has to do with my closet. So there you have it. The closet challenge. I even made a little button for it…

If you’ve read my blog for a while, you will know that I am obsessed with cleaning out my closet. Read my tips for creating a functional closet here and here, read about how I transition my wardrobe during spring and fall here, and read about how I sell my clothes for cash here. See, I really am obsessed. I’ve been known to randomly stay up until 2am cleaning my closet on a whim, even if I just cleaned it out a few months ago. When it comes to closets, I do not mess around.

But lately I’ve been feeling the need to take it to a higher level. I’m pretty good about getting rid of clothes I don’t wear. I’m not a pack rat by any means. I don’t usually hold onto old clothes for the sake of nostalgia. But the truth of the matter is… I still have so many clothes and I don’t wear them all because there are just so many things hanging on those racks.

Enter my new challenge. My goal is to wear EVERY article of clothing in my closet. Every single one. If I don’t want to wear it or if I put it on and realize it doesn’t fit right or is not flattering, it goes. I either sell it or give it away. I have a laundry basket in my closet that is slowly being filled with the rejects.

But here’s the thing. I have to have some kind of motivation to keep me going in this challenge, right? So there is a condition. My ultimate goal is not to buy anything new until I’ve worn everything I already own. The slight problem is that it might take me so long to get through everything I own that I might go crazy {I seriously don’t think I’ll get through my whole closet until next spring}. I really love to shop and I’m afraid if I cut myself off from shopping completely I’ll I break down one day and buy a ton of stuff I don’t need.

I started the challenge four weeks ago, and so far I’ve bought nothing. But I think at some point I will allow myself to buy things from my “need” list only. I hesitate to the use the word “need” because I don’t really need ANY clothes. If God gave me one outfit to wear for life, I’d be fine and I’d have more than I deserve. But there are a few items that could be important additions to my wardrobe. Meaning I would wear them often and they would help me dress well for the roles God has called me to at this point in my life. But this list is short. So far it includes: white flats {which have seriously been on this list for about five years now, no joke!}, a new sports bra, a blazer, and a couple of short sleeve cardigans {which are essential for covering up tank tops in hot AZ weather when you need to be somewhat formal but don’t want to die of heat stroke}. That is all. That is all I really “need.”

So I am letting myself buy those things only if and when I see them for a good price. Other than that, no shopping until the challenge is over.

So how is it going? So far, so good. I definitely rushed to wear a  bunch of my spring/summer clothes these past few weeks. I figure I have the next four months to wear all my long sleeves, jeans and sweaters, so I’ve been dressing like it’s Easter ever since I started the challenge to get all my dresses and summer skirts out of the way while it’s still super hot outside. We are still in the 90s here!

And how do I keep track? When I’ve worn an item, it gets hung back in the closet with the hanger hook facing the wrong way. Then I know to choose items where the hanger is still facing the regular direction. The nice thing is that I’m still allowed to wear clothes I’ve already worn. I try not to, because it slows me toward my ultimate goal of wearing EVERY thing in my closet, but if I need to wear a certain item, nothing is off limits just because I’ve already worn it recently. I just don’t get to flip a hanger the day I wear a duplicate.

I’ll keep you updated on the journey! Would any of you like to join me? It’s kind of fun and it reminds you to wear items that have been forgotten in your closet! Let me know if you plan to join in the fun!