What's behind your closet door? Orderly rows of shoes, stacks of folded T-shirts and hanging clothes arranged by color and season? Or do you have a situation that could be declared a national disaster? If the latter, you might ask the president for federal disaster relief funds, or you could just get organized.
Knowing you would feel guilty taking funds from tornado victims, here are simple steps to find calm in all that chaos. By the way, these same principles apply to linen and utility closets, too.
Step 1: Remove everything. This lets you see exactly the space you have to work with. Prepare to be shocked by the pile of stuff that comes out of that closet.
Step 2: Now that you can see the light of day, give that closet a good cleaning from top to bottom. Follow with a fresh coat of white paint.
Step 3: Separate the items you removed. Most people hate this step because it means getting rid of everything you do not use or wear. But there's no way you could get all of it back into the closet, so buck up, and let's get this job done. Label three containers:
—Keep: Only put items that you have worn or used at least twice in the past year. Be brutally harsh. If it doesn't fit today, it's not likely to fit anytime soon. Get rid of it. If in doubt, do not put it into this bin.
—Sell or Donate: Clothes and other items that are not right for you (as evidenced by the fact that you never wear them) but still have a useful life for someone else should go into this bin. What you consider ugly may be perfect to someone else. Take them to a consignment store, or hold a yard sale. Consider donating them to the Salvation Army or Goodwill. You may get a tax break, but more than that, you will feel good. Put all of these items in the garage or back of the car to collect them for transport.
—Throw Away: Clothes and shoes that are worn out, hopelessly stained, broken or in some other state of calamity go into this bin. Work quickly to ease the pain. Empty this bin often to keep the process moving.
Step 4: Divide the Keep bin by season, type and use. If possible, store out-of-season items in another place in your home. Next, separate your work or professional clothes from your casual attire. Divide each pile into "common wear" and "infrequent wear," arranging them so the items you wear most often are the handiest.
Step 5: Use closet organizers. At the minimum, you need a sturdy shoe rack, good hangers and shelves, in addition to your standard hanging rod. Investing in a few good organizational pieces will make organizing your closet — and keeping it organized — a snap!
Mary invites questions, comments and tips at mary@everydaycheapskate.com, or c/o Everyday Cheapskate, 12340 Seal Beach Blvd., Suite B-416, Seal Beach, CA 90740. This column will answer questions of general interest, but letters cannot be answered individually. Mary Hunt is the founder of www.DebtProofLiving.com, a personal finance member website and the author of "Debt-Proof Living," released in 2014. To find out more about Mary and read her past columns, please visit the Creators Syndicate webpage at www.creators.com.
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