Do the clothes make the girl or the girl make the clothes?  Either way, women around the nation have closets full of beautiful clothes- the majority of which are hardly ever worn! Maybe they’re being saved for a “special occasion” or maybe they’re slightly damaged or stained but you don’t want to get rid of them.  Most estimate that we wear 20% of our clothes 80% of the time.

 

 The EPA estimates Americans throw away about 70 lbs of clothing per person per year!

The EPA estimates Americans throw away about 70 lbs of clothing per person per year!

 

No matter what the reason- today I’m challenging you to go shopping in your own closet!!!

This is something I started doing several years ago every season.  I’ve cut my wardrobe back by about 50% and aim to cut it down even farther.  I’m inspired by Bea from Zero Waste Home who has a super versatile, fashionable and small wardrobe.  She can pack her entire wardrobe in a carry on suitcase!

Here’s what you’re going to do to clear out a bit of closet space-

1- Pick your target percentage of clothing you’d like to get rid of

2- Grab a box labeled “donate”, a box labeled “give to a friend” and a box labeled “sell”.  Grab a piece of paper to make notes about which specific friend you’d like to give clothes to.  
-If you’re a crafter you may want to label a box “crafts” too so you can make some of these awesome rag rugs from old clothing!

3- First off, open up your closet door and do a little organizing- get all your t-shirts together, all your tank tops together, all your dress shirts together, etc.  

4- Now put them into rainbow order. Betcha didn’t realize you had 3 black t-shirts did you?   Choose your favorite and get rid of the other two by putting them in to the appropriate box.  Take out each item and think about how often you wear and it and if it’s worth keeping.  Keep yourself accountable to getting rid of the amount you said you would!!
– Anything that is damaged or stained will be accepted at the donation bins you often see in parking lots, and at large thrift stores. So keep those clothes out of the landfill!! 

5- Go through everything in your closet in this manner- no keeping duplicates- you really won’t miss them!!  After you’re done organize your closet and keep it organized!

* Now- where to sell?  Clothes Mentor is a nationally owned women’s consignment store.  I’ve sold a few hundred dollars worth of clothing to them.  Craiglist is also a good place to try, as is eBay.  You can also search for “women’s consignment store” with the name of your town.  Or have a garage sale!

* It is also really fun to have a swap night with your girl friends and get some new clothes.  I’ve always thought about swapping out most of my wardrobe at the end of each season- maybe I’ll go for it this year!

* Another really great tip is to turn all your hangers around backwards on December 31st or on your birthday. When you wear something put it back the right way.  Anything you haven’t worn a year later gets the boot (my exception is one outfit suitable for funerals and one formal).  

* If you’re a visual learner or love decision charts check out this great chart from Tico and Tina

 

What do you think?  Are you ready to clear out your closet??

 

Make sure to enter below to win a FREE Keeper or Moon Cup of your choice!! We will pick a new winner every month so make sure to keep coming back to enter!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Olivia lives in Boulder, Colorado with her husband and 4 year old son. She enjoys spending time in the mountains, studying about essential oils, natural remedies and herbs, as well as upcycling/ DIY projects. Olivia’s family made the move last year towards becoming a Zero Waste household. They have gotten down to one bathroom sized trashcan a month of garbage but hope to be totally Zero Waste by the end of 2015.

Like this? Check out the rest of our Waste Less and Be Green in 2015 series for more tips!

Giveaway rules: Giveaway ends August 31, 2015 at 10pm EST. Entries will be accepted until 10pm EST via the Rafflecopter widget. Winner will be notified via email and winner will be posted on our Facebook page. Winner shall choose either a Keeper or a Moon cup in either size A or size B. The winner will have one week to claim prize at which point a new winner shall be chosen.

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