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Home ยป Blog ยป 40 Bags in 40 Days-Post Three

40 Bags in 40 Days-Post Three

by Sarah Turner 40 Bags In 40 Days, Clover Lane

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What a dreary Monday we are having here, but the sun and temps look great for the week. 

Up next for today’s 40 Bags is my closet.  

I don’t like a lot of clothes and shoes and find myself wearing the same things again and again.  As a stay at home mom, I seem to always have had a “uniform” depending on what the fashion is.  It went from leggings, to khakis, to yoga pants, back to leggings again!  With jeans mixed in and a few dress up things.  Cotton sweaters and tops.  Shorts and easy dresses in the summer. 

I am the same with jewelry.  Less is more for me.

I always say the more I simplify the more I use what I have.  SO true with clothes.  And I LOVE cleaning out closets. Call me if you need my help! ๐Ÿ™‚

Tips at the end of the post…

I am a size 10.5 and so I have to order my shoes online almost always.  Therefore-less shoes, because that is a pain!  I also have another area for shoes at the front of the closet.

Suits and coverups.

Journals and yoga/sore muscle things.

Sweaters and winter tops here, workout and casual long sleeves also.  More shoes to the left.

Pants, skirts and coats.

Sewing box and two boxes for receipts and special notes and cards etc I want to keep.

Another drawer with special keepsakes.

In the very back left and corner I hang my summer clothes-shorts and tops.

Drawers I didn’t take pics of-

Workout shorts and leggings (I hang my shirts and sweatshirts.)

Extra hangers.

Gift wrap and extra gifts.  (I use my closet to store birthday and Christmas gifts!)

Scarfs, slips, socks.

TIPS:


Remember to have one bag for charity and one bag for trash.  Other options are a box for the resale shop or a friend.

When deciding to keep or give away ask yourself:

Do I wear this?  

Have I worn it this year?

Is this a “it will fit me one day” choice?  Don’t keep things that torture you with weight loss unless you are pregnant or just had a baby and know it’s a temporary situation.

Is it comfortable and flattering?

Do I feel good wearing it?

I promise you the more you can see all your choices because the closet isn’t shoved full, the more you will be able to put together outfits that make you feel good.

Make sure you have something for:

A funeral.

A wedding.

Church.

Because I am not a big clothes shopper, I can’t tell you how many times I panicked during my childbearing years because I could never find something to wear when events out of my stay-at-home routine popped up. Fluctuating weight doesn’t help with pregnancy and nursing babies.  I find an A-line and/or shift dress work great.  Dressy pants with elastic (JJill has nice ones that don’t look frumpy, in smaller sizes too.) 

When I find one of something I love, I buy a couple if they are classic pieces.  

Once cleaned out, decide what is holding you back from wearing some of the things you love.  

I realized I didn’t wear many of my longer cardigans with my leggings because I didn’t have a shirt to wear underneath them.  I did some research and chose this oneand this oneand now I have many more options.  

I love TJ Maxx, the Loft, DSW, Amazon and find some things at my thrift stores too that I discover when I’m out looking for furniture.  (I just bought a beautiful Zara pink coat that looks like it’s never been worn for $4!)

Happy Purging!

Love,

Sarah

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March 2, 2020 ยท 2 Comments

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  1. MIchelle says

    March 2, 2020 at 9:52 pm

    You closet is huge. Everything I own winter, summer, spring and fall are in one closet. I use to transfer to a large Cedar closet off of what I call the rec room in my basement when the seasons changed, but that was a pain. My next project is to turn the hangers on everything I own and then in the fall get rid of what doesn't get worn.

    I love your suggestion tho have something for a wedding, funeral and church. I have one sleeveless black dress and I change jackets with it depending on where I am going. I don't even own a skirt anymore after I stopped working. Probably need to invest in one of those.

    Thanks for posting these suggestions!

    Reply
  2. JanL says

    March 3, 2020 at 1:23 am

    I LOVE your closet!!! Envy is wrong, but I do have some strong wishes to have such a lovely space. I just measured my closet (in my 1953 build ranch home) and it is 40" wide, and a depth of 24". But I certainly will consider that there are clothes in that space that I rarely wear… they will leave me very soon. I first learned of the 40 bags in 40 days plan through you several years ago & I have benefitted by this program greatly. Thanks for continuing to encourage and give suggestions for how to simplify.

    Reply

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Welcome!

Sarah Turner

When our first baby was placed in my arms I knew there was no place I wanted to be other than home with him every day. Twenty five years, and five more babies later, (six children, now ages 26-8), I still feel the same. I blog here about motherhood, how to make a house a home, easy recipes, and simple living. You can read more about me here.

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Nothing pretty, flashy, or spectacular. Just an o Nothing pretty, flashy, or spectacular.  Just an ordinary Monday morning breakfast counter after the kids leave for school.  Because ordinary gets the short hand in our culture but really it's extra special. 
It's a symbol of unselfishness, contentment, prudence and gratitude.  There is a certain peace about the ordinary.  It's the opposite of temporary-it holds the joy of contentment and gratitude and prudence all in one hand.  It's lends itself toward peace, and a settling in, not a constant search for more or less or anything.  Ordinary is authentic and good enough- in short it's a gem in disguise. ๐Ÿƒ
I love my home and I hope you do also. With all t I love my home and I hope you do also.  With all the imperfections and maintenance it requires, when I pull up and walk in I want to stay, to relax, to feel safe, for daily life to be easy, and to care for "home". I want simplicity, ease, convenience.  To me when my home is simple, without being filled to the brim of things that just take up space I love it best.  I hope if you've participated fully or even partially as time allowed in 40 Bags in 40 Days you've found that joy and pride in your home.  I plan to share more little challenges and tips as the year proceeds to trouble shoot areas and keep maintenance effortless and the house love flowing.  Daily life in our homes should bring us joy and ease while we care for our families, we should be thoughtful stewards of our money and of our time and simple living is the answer to that. 
Thank you for participating! ๐Ÿก
I think this is one of the best things about the 4 I think this is one of the best things about the 40 Bag decluttering process.  When I know what I have and have removed all that I don't, it cultivates more discretion and caution about what I bring back in.  I think there is also some realization of how much money is wasted on fads, or thoughtless purchases.  It's quite eye-opening.  I've become so much more careful, and find we all take better care of things, as do my children.
The final week of 40 Bags in 40 Days! I've tackle The final week of 40 Bags in 40 Days!  I've tackled all the areas of my home with exception of my oldest daughter's room (not the photo)- which she is excited to work on this week.
The simpler the room, the easier it is to clean an The simpler the room, the easier it is to clean and straighten up.  And then the more enjoyable it is to actually sit in that room.  It's not a hard equation, all it takes is ruthless purging-and not just little things but larger items also.  Functional furniture is the key and very few decorative pieces especially when children are in the home, makes life so much easier. 
๐Ÿƒ
As we head into the last week of the 40 Bags in 40 As we head into the last week of the 40 Bags in 40 Days Challenge I'm hearing from so many of you what a difference it has made in your appreciation of your homes, a certain contentment, and at the same time a thrill of looking in on the organized kitchen, closet and living space.  I agree!  I love purging, cleaning and organizing a space and then going back later that day just to get that wonderful sense of accomplishment.  It makes such a difference! 
๐Ÿƒ
A lighter, fresher, calmer home is the result of de-cluttering.  I even had a participant who had been planning on listing her home, start 40 Days just to get her house ready to sell, and then was so ruthless in the process and also thrilled by the results that they decided to stay put in what seemed like a new home to them.  What a savings of time, money and energy. 
๐Ÿƒ
Next week I will be talking maintenance and answer all questions! โ˜€๏ธ
Tips For Shared Kids Rooms- This bedroom has seen Tips For Shared Kids Rooms-
This bedroom has seen every configuration possible.  With kids spread out 18 years apart, I've had to be creative over the years-which I think is the key to sharing rooms.  It is all possible-I consider it a rare luxury and privilege to not have to share a room although I know that is not the norm today. 
๐Ÿƒ
I like to create a simple look with white furniture (this ends up making room transitions easier also when moving someone out and someone else in.) I also like to match bedspreads for a cohesive look. 
๐Ÿƒ
Clip on bed lights save space. 
๐Ÿƒ
A simple shared book shelf can hold a child's special books and knick knacks and if necessary can be assigned per shelf.
๐Ÿƒ
When my kids were younger I had my dad build me a large wooden roll out box for under each bed.  This held each child's toys. 
๐Ÿƒ
All clothes are kept in a closet instead of dressers to save space.
I feel like I bailed on everyone following 40 Bags I feel like I bailed on everyone following 40 Bags progress and tips.  My excuse is the stomach flu ravaging us all here in the last week with me being the last to fall and the slowest to recover.  On top of that the weekend before I tried to roller blade (don't even ask how many steps I made it) and majorly bit it.  Thankfully I think I just sprained my arm. So I've been using one arm for nursing sick children back to health, and doing whatever cleaning and cooking and straightening I can do.  Alas, last week was a wash.  We have two weeks to go.  I'd like to continue and end on a high note.  How about you?  Even a little de-cluttering counts! Spring is in the air and I can't wait to throw open my windows and let fresh clean air circulate through my fresh clean orderly home. โ˜€๏ธ๐ŸŒท๐ŸŒฑ
Especially where kids are concerned- we tend to th Especially where kids are concerned- we tend to think that the more things they have the happier and more occupied and loved they will feel.  Nothing can replace human interaction and I've found that too many toys has the reverse affect.  They cause overwhelm-just like us - we'd rather sit in an orderly space than one filled with too many things to do and too much stuff.
โ˜€๏ธ
When it comes to kids closets here are some tips-
1. Hand me downs don't all have to be received.  Or received at all.  Be choosy and keep just what they will use and need.
2. When children are presented with too many choices, tension and acrimony can exist.  Being able to open a closet with a reasonable amount of outfits can create more peace.
3. Cultivating independence in care of clothes is easier when there is less and the space is simplified and organized. 
โ˜€๏ธ
More tips coming on the blog this week.  I am moving my blog platform so I can't make any promises - it's under construction and that's exciting!
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