No-Purge Minimalism
A Drama-Free Reconsideration Of Your Things Once I discovered The Minimalists, I listened to ALL of their podcasts. I heard about different types of minimalist challenges, like packing parties, where you pack everything you own in boxes like you’re going to move and see what you take out over the next several months, or the 30 day challenge, where you get rid of 1 thing on day 1, 2 things on day 2, and so on up to 30 things on day 30, etc. There are so many different rules you can set for deciding when to get rid of your stuff. I love the idea of all of it. Anxiety brain likes rules! But somehow, minimalism challenges have never worked for me. They always end up being too much pizzazz and not enough actual progress. How many times did I find myself with a carload of stuff at Goodwill, patting myself on the back for a job well done, yet having done nothing to curb my actual shopping problem? Everything that wasn’t perfect had to go! But all of a sudden I needed a green shirt, and even though that green shirt I just got rid of wasn’t exactly right, it would have been good enough, and the one I had to buy in a pinch wasn’t perfect, either. It would get dumped in the next purge and the cycle would continue. Argh!
So when I boarded the minimalism train, I looked at my closet and asked, what am I trying to accomplish? I didn’t need more space, but I did waste tons of time and energy every morning trying on a million outfits I hated before ultimately wearing the same five things over and over again. I decided my goal was to curate a wardrobe that added value to my life by making me look good and feel comfortable. So here’s what I did: - Every weekend, I did “wardrobe prep” and prepared the number of outfits I would need for that week by trying on each piece of clothing for fit and condition. - I made myself incorporate at least 1 new bottom and 2 new tops each week. (I had amassed a huge collection of never-worn tops from clearance racks, so it took months to get through everything). - Anything that didn’t fit, wasn’t comfortable, or was in bad condition was put in the appropriate donate/trash pile. - Anything that fit but I wasn’t excited about went in a special section of my closet and got tried again the following week. If I still wasn’t excited about it, it got donated.
And that was it! Easy peasy. No piles of clothes on the bed, no hours-long session of trying on too-small clothes, no trash bags hauled to the thrift store. Just 5-10 extra minutes added to wardrobe prep each week. And every few months, I’d give away a perfectly reasonably sized box or bag of clothes. I was scared when I went on my hardcore budget that not spending money on clothes would be hard, but I learned about the conditions faced by the people who make clothes for the fast fashion industry, which is where 99% of my wardrobe came from. Y’all, it. looks. GRIM. That made it a LOT easier to cruise on by that big red circular sign! I’m fully on board with the minimalist view to only buy clothes that will add value to my life and that have added value to others’ lives through meaningful work. If you really love the way those Super Store pants shirts fit, you can save them from a landfill by purchasing them from your local thrift store or from an online resale site. Over the last 9 months I’ve purged 1-3 items per week out of my closet, only about 15% of my clothes. One major difference was just THINKING about what was in my closet, where, and why. I reorganized things based on how I use them instead of anxiety brain (no one cares if your closet isn’t in color order or if you mix t-shirts with long sleeves, silly!). I figured out which pieces went well together. It turns out if you just put the clothes on your body with other clothes, they might fit, and look nice! AMAZING. The biggest thing, though, is that not much new has come into my closet. My husband bought me a t-shirt on vacation, and I recently bought two pairs of jeans and two hoodies from an online thrift store in anticipation of coding boot camp time, because after a decade+ of careering, I only own work clothes and I don’t want to spend all day coding in a suit (or at least, not until someone is paying me). If I weren’t making a life change, I wouldn’t have even bought those. That’s only five items added in a calendar year, compared to the olden days where I’d come home with a Super Store bag every other week! So that’s it. No drama, no fuss, and because the change was so minimal, there was no empty spot, no impulse to go out and fill my closet with new things. The real difference here is that, unlike before, there was NO pizzazz, but a big shift in my actual habits. And that’s what you want! Change your attitude toward your things. Clothes are not disposable, and purging isn’t necessarily the best way to deal with them. Don’t be Old Mel and just get rid of your clothes because you have a bug up your butt about decluttering. Get into Best Mode! Be thoughtful and intentional about why you’re doing it and give a good, long think about what adds value to your life before you begin. Good luck!
Need help getting rid of your stuff? I LOVE UFyH for ALL things cleaning--motivation, actionable tips, you name it. The Unfuck Your Habitat Lady is my imaginary best friend! Search Facebook for “buy nothing” + “your town” or search here. If a group exists in your area, post your clothes and someone will come get them! Alternatively you can post them for free on Marketplace or Craigslist. Dress For Success: if you have professional clothes to get rid of, you can help out women in need by donating them to this great organization. Click to see if a location is available near you. You can also sell your clothes through tons of online sites or through local resale or consignment shops; just be careful not to spend too much time chasing down a few bucks. Your time is your most precious asset! <3 Thanks for reading! Be sure to check out my next post, “Stop Pretending Mint is a Budget: Tools You Can Use to Actually Take Control Of Your Finances.”