The Purging of the Wardrobe

After moving in with my partner, I have found that there isn't room for all our clothes in the space that we have. That is why I'm going to tell you my top tips for organizing your clothes when you move in with your partner.

Making sacrifices

One of the main things that I had to do was get rid of some of my clothes. As much as I didn't want to, it was a necessity for it to all fit in the space we now have. When clearing out my wardrobe I kept 3 things in mind:

1. When was the last time I wore it? If I haven't worn something in over a year then I am unlikely to wear it again. This isn't just for main items of clothes. This goes for shoe, hats, scarves, belt. Pretty much anything that you can think of. I have items of clothing and accessories that I have never even worn but they are sitting in my wardrobe because I have convinced myself that I will wear them.
2. When is the next time I am likely to wear it? Sometimes, there are items of clothing that you don't get to wear very often. These would be things such as formal dress/suits or weather-specific items. When do you think you will next wear it? If you know that you have an event coming up, then feel free to keep it in your wardrobe but, only for as long as you need it. There is a line though. Don't keep items when you don't need to. I had dresses that I'd had for years that I never wore. Instead of keeping these items, I gave them to charity or sold them. There are so many companies that will pay (a very small amount) for old clothes and bedding.
3. Does it fit? If it doesn't fit, then let it go. I'm not talking about the ‘it's a little bit tight because I've put on some winter weight' clothes. I'm talking about the clothes that are completely the wrong size and you are never going to wear again. I had so many items of clothing like this. Being only 20, I still had a lot of clothes from when I was at school. I knew they didn't fit but I couldn't bear to let them go while I was still at home.

When I was clearing out my clothes, I had someone there to make sure that I was weeding out all the items that I never used. I did this with my mum as she had seen what I had worn over the last year and knew what was too small for me. This also gave her a chance to clear out her wardrobe. At this point, we did an item swap. I got some new work dresses and she got some new scruff clothes. This moves me nicely on to my next tip.

Don't buy what you don't need

As I just explained, my mum and I would swap clothes that we no longer need or want if the other person wanted it. I know that this isn't a tip for everyone, but it is something to think about. How many items of clothing or pairs of shoes are you buying just to wear once? When I go out shopping I buy for practicality, if this means buying three of the same shirt because they fit and are easy to store, then so be it. Once you move in with someone you can't be selfish with the space available. Which brings me on to my final point today.

Be smart with the storage you have.

Think about ways that you can best use the space you have. My partner and I only have one small wardrobe between the two of us. I could have easily filled it myself before I had my clean out. There are still a lot of things that need to be hung up though so, we got a second adjustable rail. This means that we can keep out clothes separate or even just organize them by work and everyday wear. We also have organizers so that we can make the most of the space without everything becoming a mess. Although we haven't finished unpacking yet, we haven't had to buy any extra storage for our clothes as we have been able to make them fit. To help make everything fit, I have found that vacuum bags are a wonder, I keep items that I don't get to wear very often in them and put them in a different cupboard out of the way until they are needed. I also do this with pillows and bedding that isn't needed. The wonderful thing is that they can all go in the same bag.

Well, those are all the tips I have for now. If I think of anything else, I will be sure to let you know.