Hey fashionistas!
Now that Thanksgiving and Black Friday are over, it’s time to re-evaluate a few things. Thanksgiving offered you a time to refresh and realize how much you are thankful for. Unfortunately, the hype over Black Friday may have pushed a bit of that thankfulness aside. It’s time to re-gain your sense of thankfulness, assess what you have (especially clothes-wise) and give back to those who are less fortunate. Here are a few tips for cleaning-out your closet and some suggestions for what you can do to help and give to those less fortunate!
1. Stay organized:
Before you even start looking through your things, get organized by setting out three designated spots: one for keeping, one for storage and one for giving away. Keep these piles organized as you begin to search through your clothes!
2. Look at everything you have and maintain a critical eye:
This is quite a daunting task, but it is necessary to look at everything you have in your closet and dresser drawers. Even if you look into a drawer and think to yourself, “I don’t want to get rid of anything in here,” take everything out and examine every item. You may come across something you forgot you had or something you never wear – put it in the “Give Away” pile! Don’t kid yourself during this task – you will come across items that you try to justify in keeping! If you say to yourself, “This is too tight right now, but I’m working on losing a few pounds”, “I need to buy (blank) to wear with this”, “I might wear this to some fancy occasion in the future” or “I might wear this when the weather gets warmer,” are you really going to do that? Be critical with yourself and if in two months you still haven’t done any of those things you said you would, give it away to someone who will use it!
3. Keep a positive attitude!
By taking on this task, you are doing a great deed! This time of year, especially, it is good to take time and think of those in need. There are so many kids and adults out there that would be so happy to have that coat you never wear, those socks that are a bit too small or those jeans that are a little to baggy! Others will be so thankful to get your extra clothing! Keep this in mind when you are going through your things. As I traditionally go through my closet, my mom always tells me to keep in mind that someone can probably get more use out of this than I am. This makes giving away my unneeded clothing more worthwhile and rewarding – even fun and enjoyable!
Put others before yourself this season as you go through your closet! Not only will you make others happy, but you will also feel good doing it!
Here are some great places/organizations to donate to:
- The Salvation Army
- The Disabled American Veterans
- The Courage Center
- A.R.C.
- Your local church
Stay fashionable (…and give to those in need!)