Recently I have been very inspired by my dear friend AndreAnna who is paring down and packing up as she prepares to move across country.  In fact, her personal undertaking has launched something so much bigger: Blogger's Spring Giving (Viva La Internet!) because who among us doesn't have more crap than we know what to do with? 

Truth be told, I pared down my life substantially last year. In fact, I pared down so much that she who loves to cook and entertain has been living in a kitchen with only 2 pots/pans (only 1 of which has a lid) for the last 8 months. Since I am not exactly in a position to hit Williams & Sonoma for some new All-Clads, I am temporarily borrowing some from Miss Mary (pots and pans which for the record, have been sitting unused in her storage which proves the whole "we usually have more than what we need" point).

Anyways, while I have until April 1st to clean, purge and donate, I've started to give some thought to where I might cut back. My original thought was that whenever I swapped out my closet replacing winter clothes with spring and summer clothes, I'd get rid of items that don't fit and/or I no longer wear and/or I simply don't like any more and donate them to charity. Well, I may have to rethink that whole plan.

Let me take a sidestep to the right for just a moment.

If there is one thing I hoard, it's my clothes.  But I hoard them with good(ish) reason(s):

1) I desperately hope that one day I have a daughter and that she will get to wear these pretty dresses/skirts/sweaters etc. that I once found such joy in.

2) I save all of my "designer" pieces and/or anything designed by someone that may have some value down the road.  Believe me, Michael Kors wasn't always Michael Kors and I used to actually be able to afford his dresses. (See also: Jimmy Choo)

3) I have a history of gaining weight, losing weight, gaining weight, losing weight hence why I have clothes that range from size 0 to size 12.  I always tell myself that the next time I drop or add a size or 2, I won't have to buy a whole new wardrobe - I can simply shop in my own closet.

4) I am a sentimental schmuck and certain things I just can. not. get. rid. of.

So last weekend while I was in Atlanta my Great Aunt and I visited Loehmann's and man, did I score. Calvin Klein. Michael Kors. At non-Calvin Klein and Michael Kors prices. I LOVE Loehmann's. 

Then yesterday I went to Target to buy office supplies for my new office. So um, I probably would have been better off at Staples because at Staples I would not have been utterly waylaid by racks upon racks of pretty spring dresses and cute capris and colorful cardigans. At Staples I probably would have had a mini-orgasm in the pen aisle and that would have been it.  Sigh. But I need pants - right? And they had $6 leggings - so phew. The leggings with the holes can finally be retired. 

Between my haul from Loehmann's and Target my closet was practically busting at the seams so yesterday afternoon I decided to clean house - er rather - closet. My goal was to swap out my winter and fall wardrobe for my spring and summer wardrobe and also sort through and get rid of stuff that I simply didn't need.

Second sidestep to the right.

Since last summer, I've gained 15 pounds. Maybe 20. I'm ok with it (kind of - we won't go there in this post) but much of what I wore last spring and summer fits me like a sausage casing which is to say, it's not that pretty.

And yet...

Upstairs in storage was the spring/summer wardrobe from 2 years ago which now fits like a dream.  And as sad as I was to retire some of my skinny dresses (esp. the navy sheath from Banana Republic - god I LOVE that dress), it was kind of fun actually to rediscover items I haven't worn in a while. By the time I was done swapping everything out, moving things around, rearranging, reorganizing and getting rid of all the crappy hangers, I felt like I had an entirely brand new wardrobe. Now I can't wait to go to the office this week. Like multiple times. 

Still. My closet cleaning efforts didn't exactly go as planned and I feel as though I failed in my first at attempt at Spring Blogger Giving.

The good news is, I have until April 1st to figure this out. Not that it should be that tough. It really shouldn't. I am already thinking of sweaters and dresses and skirts that I just don't wear any more (because even if they fit I buy new ones every season) and as much as I once loved them, I probably don't need to save them.  Well - not all of them.  I already have plenty of other sweaters and dresses and skirts and the ones I am not wearing aren't doing me any good sitting in storage unused and they'll do a whole lot more good elsewhere.

Ok. So I am feeling better. And next weekend I am totally retackling my closets/storage and I am slimming down!

UPDATED: I am not as big an asshat as I thought and it's all because of my laundry. Seriously: I DREAD putting away my laundry since my drawers are already busting at the seams and OMG I don't know how everything fit in there before because it certainly doesn't fit in there now.  So after publishing this post, dragging my heavily-under-the-influence-of-the-drowsy-kind-of-cold-medicine ass out of bed, and revving myself up on 4 cups of fully caffeinated iced coffee (OMG I forgot how much I LOVE iced coffee), I decided that I would tackle the 6 drawers of clothes in my room and GIVE dammit.  I told myself that if it didn't fit or I hadn't worn it in a while, it had to go. 

You know what? It was a whole lot easier than I thought.  So what if that t-shirt is C&C California? It's too big and has a funny wrinkle in the neckline that will not under any circumstances go away unless it's ironed and seeing as I don't iron...That cute striped t-shirt from J. Crew? Sure it's cute and sure it fits but I don't do stripes and I haven't worn it in YEARS despite telling myself every summer I'll wear it. 

The drawers were such a success that I went ahead and tackled the 3 under-bed storage bags sitting under my bed.  I bought these bags because when I moved into this house I lost a lot of closet space and drawer space.  These were meant to provide easy access to items I might need but just didn't have room for. You know what? This crap has been sitting under my bed for 8 months and I have survived without it. Sure - some of it is spring/summer and needs to get cycled back into my drawers. And I will absolutely hold onto all of my mom's old cashmere sweaters. And yes - I am keeping my JV volleyball t-shirt. But the rest of it?

Long story long, we now have the makings of a pile:

(Actual pile size is ~ 29 x 20 x 14 i.e. pretty damn sizeable.  And this is the stuff I thought I couldn't live without!)