Here’s an easy trick that takes no time at all:

Declutter your closet as you get dressed, by putting a “toss box” or basket in your closet. This includes clothing, shoes, belts, purses, and hats.

Decluttering doesn’t need to be a day-long affair.

It’s very easy to get caught up in making decluttering a day-long affair. It doesn’t have to be. As you will see in a future blog, we have another closet decluttering hack that is equally quick: turn all your hangers backward in your closet. In this hack, you set a date six months in advance from the date you reverse your hangers. Every time you wear something in your closet, turn the hanger back to its original position so that it is now facing forward. After six months have passed, you will be able to easily determine what you have and have not worn.

Of course, there is the occasional oddball, such as something for a fancy occasion, but for the most part, you’ll start to see a trend. I like this because turning hangers backward doesn’t require any effort to do, and little brain power. The only thing you must commit to is getting rid of the things that are still hanging on reversed hangers.

How the “toss box” works.

In advance of the hanger trick, we are giving you a second way to declutter your closet. It’s called the “toss box.” Put boxes or baskets in each clothes closet that you have in your home. Each time you touch an article of clothing, and the clothing doesn’t look right, you know you’ll never wear it again, it’s too big or too small, or it has a tiny stain that just bugs you, put it in the “toss box.” That way, when you are ready to make the pilgrimage to the donation store, or a near-by collection box, you’ll have things to donate. You won’t go back and forth between “should I keep it,” or “or should I not?” Just put it in the “toss box” and call it a day.

Children’s “toss boxes” - Too Small, Save, Donate, Discard

Another thing I do is set up different boxes in my son’s room (or garage) for excess toys and clothing I want to either donate or keep. I particularly like these boxes from Amazon for clothing because they can serve as “toss” boxes throughout your home and in multiple closets. They can also be labeled, which helps when you’re sorting in a hurry or grabbing the contents to take to donation. They are not too interesting that a child will want to know what’s in them. But you will know because these boxes have windows. They are also foldable and come in a lot of different colors. And (again) they’re boxes, not baskets.

Children’s clothing is a little different in respect to the “toss box.” For my son, I have four different boxes. Since he seems to outgrow something every single day, I put four boxes in his room on the upper shelf of his closet. That way, I don’t procrastinate when I’m ready to let something go. I label each one so I don’t get confused. I label them “too small,” “save,” “donate” and “discard.” This makes my life so much easier and is a simple way to let go of things without excess thought and sentimental attachment.

Kids outgrow clothing in a minute.

When I get my son out of bed in the morning, and choose something for him to wear, it often feels like he’s grown two inches overnight. Something that fit a few days earlier no longer works, and it goes directly into the “too small” box. Some things in the “too small” box I will save for either another child or for sentimental reasons. In the event I have another child, I will have a few things on hand that my son wore only a few times. Things in the “donate” box are items that I know I won’t put another child in, and they’re not in good enough shape to give to a friend. They are, however, a very good donation item. This includes things that may have a faint stain, or something easily repaired. When I go to the donation center, I bring a bag of clothing from my “donate” box so that another mother will be able to outfit her child. My “discard” box is things that are too far gone to give to another child. While I prefer not to discard clothing, sometimes it’s just necessary.

A Suggestion: Don’t Buy Children’s Clothing Ahead of Time

I often get asked if I shop ahead for clothes for my son. The answer is, I used to, but now it’s always a NO. And there are some good reasons for this:

The more I store, the more I must manage. Everything I bring into my home is “stuff.” More times than I can remember, when I did purchase ahead, the clothing ended up being the wrong size, and I ended up buying it again! This didn’t save me money or time!

There is no guarantee your child will be in a specific size in a specific season. Kid’s grow FAST! And, sometimes, they skip sizes entirely or grow 2-3 sizes in one year. There is also no guarantee that a child will even wear clothing that I buy ahead.

Good deals are abundant! While you can get a deep discount on out-of-season clothing, I’ve found that you can get good deals on in-season clothing, too. It’s worth the couple extra bucks to not have any more clothing to manage in my home than is necessary.

More Is Less with Adult Clothing

Clothing is expensive, and making good use of it is important. By knowing what you have, and what you need, you can do much more with less. Many people work from home these days, and dress is much more casual than it used to be. For that reason, it helps to be limited in the clothing we purchase, rather than overbuying and letting things sit in the closet on a hanger. Think long-term purchases rather than short-term, trendy items or fast fashion. This will allow you to maximize your clothing budget while being mindful of how much clothing one person really needs. Hint: It’s a lot less than you think!