My new rule

As you know from numerous posts here, I'm working on decluttering my mind and my house.  This week I'm tackling clothes.  Wow, do I have a lot of them.  And they are mostly bad - so ill-fitting, in fact,  that I recently posted on Facebook that I'm sure I'm just one bad outfit away from having Stacy and Clinton knock on my door.  (One lovely friend commented that it would be nice to have a shopping spree at least - true!)

Anyway, I'm trying to get rid of all the hideousness so that I'm only left with flattering, well-made clothes, even if it means that I only have five outfits left.  And it will probably come to that not too long after I begin applying my new rule.  Here it is:

Only keep clothes you would wear on vacation.

I realized as I starting thinking about packing for two upcoming trips away from home that I only ever want to take my favorite clothes with me.  You know, the ones that make you feel great when you put them on or smile when you pass a mirror?  The ones you won't be ashamed to wear in front of your mother-in-law who used to be a model??  Oh wait, that might be just me.

Anyway, those clothes I'd take on vacation might be a fancy dress to wear to a wedding, a great pair of jeans that works well with all kinds of tops, or my most comfy sweats.  So, I don't mean I'm going to get rid of all of my work clothes, because sometimes you need a nice outfit or two while away from home.  It just means that the best of any given category should stay in the drawers and closet, and the rest should GO.

I think having fewer clothes will make me much happier.  When I was pregnant with my son, I had a fabulous maternity wardrobe (if I do say so myself).  I had one or two of every staple kind of pants - khakis, black work pants, sweats, jeans - some other mix and match basics like black or white t-shirts and camis, and a few really cute tops that I wore to things like showers.  It was easy to get dressed because I had fewer options, and I was confident that they pretty much all looked good on me because I refused to spend money on anything that didn't.  Ok, my happiness came partially because having a big belly was acceptable then in a way that it isn't now, but my point remains.  Having fewer, better clothes will help me get dressed faster and feel better all day.

That's my plan, and I'm heading upstairs now to put it into effect.  I'll let you know how many bags of clothing I'll be taking to Good Will tomorrow morning!