After Decluttering Pt 3: Shopping Pit Falls & 5 Questions to Ask Yourself

Dec 3

I didn't realized I had fallen into the post-decluttering pit falls until I had donated almost 70% of the new stuff I had purchased. Now I'm at a point where I'm very happy with the items in my wardrobe and I'm a lot more mindful of items I add to closet.

There are 3 main Pit Falls that I really want to discuss for anyone who finished decluttering and are in the process of re-building their wardrobe.

1. Shop with a list
I cannot recommend The Curated Closet book enough. It's a fantastic complement to anyone whose gone through the KonMari process. It's a great book, there's a lot of great tools and tips. One of the most practical is obviously deciding the items that you already have and love and making a list of items you wish to add to your closet. In my last post I discussed my Fall Wish List. It's actually turned into my Fall/Winter wish list because with the exception of buying one top for a holiday party I haven't bought anything new besides what I've obtained during my last haul.

What a wish list essentially allows me to do is really think if it's an item that I really need to have. It's almost the same concept as bullet journal where you either check off the task, move the task or eliminate the task. I actually have all of my wish lists now on my bullet journal so it actually helps me keep track of what I want and need.

2. Don't settle for less.
I'm a big fan of shopping at thrift stores, Primark, and places like T.J.Maxx or Marshalls but there comes a time where I would opt out of buying an item because it's not really what I want. Again, this was something that was brought up in The Curated Closet. When deciding to buy an item let's say a grey sweater think about the fit, fabric, whether it's machine washable or requires dry cleaning, etc. Don't settle and buy an item whether it's "cheap" or not if it's not really what you want just because it's there.

3. Curb the urge, do your research and invest in pieces.

I remember growing up and browsing through my mom's closet and handbag collections and I would sit in awe about the stories behind some of her most beloved investment pieces. Part of buying an item from a luxury brand or investing in a luxury item is the experience. I think that mentality has rubbed off on me and I tend to purchase investment pieces with a great deal of research and at a very distinct and memorable moment of my life #treatyoself.

Most of the investment pieces I have in terms of luxury brands are handbags and coats. I live in the East Coast and a good solid black winter coat is always necessary when I attend fancy shindigs.

As someone whose size is in between regular and plus size it's tricky to find clothing that fits. Height wise I'm also too short for regular pants and too tall for petite.

5 Questions to ask yourself if you are still struggling with decluttering your closet (These are not original ideas, this is a collection of notes I've taken from the KonMari method, The Curated Closet and other folks I've linked below).

1. The KonMari question- Does it Spark Joy?

2. Does it make you feel good? Are you comfortable wearing it?

3. Have you worn it in the last year? Let go of the "well maybe I'll need it..." or "if I go to this <event> I would need something like this".

4. Would you buy it again?

5. Is it in the best condition? Is it high maintenance? Does it need mending or tailoring?

Let me know if you've gone through a decluttering process and have tips or if you are in the middle of the journey and what struggles you've encountered. As always, thanks for reading.

Until next time,