My Six Dresser Drawer 2.0

It's been over a year since I posted about my big clothing purge. This week I've had several (unconnected) facebook friends sharing posts about downsizing their wardrobes and I thought it'd be a good time to say ... I have had absolutely ZERO regrets about my limited clothing options. In fact, in the past year I've downsized even more. I thought it'd be interesting to see how many items I really have (I keep reading about capsule wardrobes and they have anywhere from 24 to 37 items per season). So the geek in me counted my clothes, and I want to share it all with you, drawer by drawer. Seeing it all typed out actually feels like a lot. But I basically live out of three large dresser drawers. And I love it!

Everyday Wear (the three drawers I live out of)
6 dressier tops for Spring/Summer
6 dressier tops for Fall/Winter
8 casual, t-shirt style tops
3 casual sweatshirts
A dozen under shirts/tanks (this is a battle area, I know I should get rid of some but just can't seem to do it)
2 maxi skirts
2 maxi dresses
2 pants
2 slacks (which are both hanging on their last thread)
2 shorts

PJ/Exercise Attire (top drawer)
6 free/participation t-shirts (you know the ones, won some at sporting events, earned some in 5K runs, etc).
2 sweat pants
2 yoga pants
4 basketball shorts (thinking I can donate 2)

My battle area*(bottom drawer)
10 Sunday skirts
4 button down business shirts
*I've worn about four of those Sunday skirts in the past year. Yup, four in a year (to be fair, I had a bulging belly for half of that year). I've worn the business shirts zero times since I stopped teaching. Yup, zero times in four and a half years. Why can't I let these old "teacher wardrobe" items go? I don't know. But I'm sure I will soon enough.

And in case you noticed that's only five drawers -- the sixth drawer holds my undergarments. Socks are in my nightstand. I also have a coat, two light jackets, a rain jacket, and shoes out in the front closet. Looking over this list really feels like I own a ton of clothing items. And in any country but America, this would be a ton of clothing items.

Anyway, this is shaping up to be the laaaamest post ever. But I guess I'm writing it to tell you, whoever you are, that if you have any desire to purge your wardrobe -- JUST DO IT! I promise you will not regret it. Here's a quick list of benefits, and then I'll stop yapping.

1. Fewer choices. Ever wonder why Steve Jobs and Bill Gates wear the same clothes all the time? The dudes make tough decisions every day. They don't need "what to wear?" to be one of them. 
2. Love your look. If you limit your wardrobe to about 40 items, you're gonna love all the items you have left. You'll only keep the stuff you look and feel good in. 
3. Tidier closet area. Unless you have a giant closet, all your clothes probably don't fit very nicely in the space provided for them. And if they don't fit nicely, they are a pain in the butt to keep tidy. 
4. Save money. One friend who just created a minimalist wardrobe mentioned her bad habit of buying cheap t-shirts. We all do this (it's even got a name -- fast fashion). "Oh, this item is only $3.00. I don't care if I don't love it, that's a steal!" But if you don't love it, you aren't going to wear it very often, and then it's just taking up space, and each day it bombards you with a choice "pick me, pick me," so one day you'll pick it and you'll hate the way you look all day long. See how that all works? It is a vicious cycle.

Oh, and while we are at it ... your kids require an even smaller wardrobe. You have forty items? They get twenty, that's it. Reid and Nell share a five dresser drawer, and the drawers are significantly smaller than mine. They share a jammie drawer (4 jammies each, Reid's double as summer clothes). And they each have one drawer for their everyday spring/summer wardrobe. The two top drawers hold all their fall/winter items that *might* still fit next year. Here's what they each have in their individual drawer.

Nell:

4 leggings

3 shorts
8 tops
socks
undergarments

Reid:
2 jeans
2 pants
5 shorts
7 t-shirts
1 polo

Their Church clothes, three button down tops for Reid and three dresses for Nell, hang in the closet, along with two sweatshirts each. That's it. Everything in their drawer plus Sunday wear is 10 days worth of different outfits. That's more than enough variety for little kids.

I feel like my tone may sound bossy or superior. It isn't. If limited wardrobes aren't for you I totally get it. It wasn't for me either (just ask Ben, I had no problem filling up walk in closets for the first 6 years of our marriage). But if you want to give capsule wardrobes a try ... I'm telling you, you can do it! Not only that, you'll love the outcome. Promise.