I’m a little late, but I thought it would be fun to create a Home Organization Challenge 2021! (Some of you are questioning my idea of “fun” hahaha) Each month we will walk through a different area of our homes to declutter, organize, and decorate so our homes become a place of respite instead of stress. How does that sound?

Here’s how it will work:

Each month we will focus on a different area of our home and I will offer my best tips to tidy it up, put systems in place to keep it tidy, and to make it fit our style without breaking the budget.

I will then post every new challenge here on this page so they are all in one convenient spot.

Your Home Organization Challenge 2021

(This post may contain affiliate links. Read my full disclosure here. )

JANUARY HOME ORGANIZATION CHALLENGE: Clothes Closets

This month we will be decluttering our closets, learning to love what’s already in there, and creating a capsule wardrobe.

And before we get started, if you haven’t already, I highly recommend you get The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up because it’s a great place to jumpstart a decluttered life.

Action Items

1.) Set aside a few hours one day to accomplish this.

2.) Take out ALL your clothes from your closet and dresser and lay them on your bed.

3.) Now go through item by item and decide “keep,” “sell,” or “donate.”

(You might have to go through this round several times until you can be honest with yourself.)

Only keep items that you LOVE, that match other items in your closet, and that you feel comfortable wearing.

For more inspiration, here’s a post on why creating a minimalist closet has actually made me love my clothes more.

Don’t forget to declutter your coat closets and even your kid’s closets if they are willing to do it with you. (And maybe you can bribe your husband with steak to declutter his too.) 😉

4.) Next start trying to sell what’s in good condition but you don’t want to keep.

Try ThreadUp, Poshmark, or Facebook Marketplace. I’ve even seen people have great success by creating an Instagram page just to sell their gently used or new clothes and they go FAST.

Here are some more tips on how to make the most money selling on Facebook Marketplace. 

(PSST! Do you want to love your home again? Are you ready for a reset? Do you want to walk through the door and see a place of safety, calm, refuge, and good memories?

—-> My friend Emily created a 10-day course to RESET your entire home and create a more tidy, peaceful, and calm place that FUELS your instead of stresses you out. Also, use PRETTY SIMPLE at checkout for $2 off!)

5.) Donate the rest.

If there is an organization you can donate to that you know goes to people in need directly – start there. It’s always better to get items into people’s hands easier and quicker so your donations don’t get lost in the back of a warehouse somewhere collecting dust. Otherwise, you can always pack it up and send it to the Salvation Army.

6.) Create a capsule wardrobe.

Now, don’t be scared of that term. Not everyone can pare down all their clothes into 30 items or less. And that’s fine! The trick here is to get your wardrobe down to its smallest size that works for YOU.  It can also range from as few as 15 pieces up to 100 pieces. The point is that you don’t have extra unnecessary items in your closet and that it fits your lifestyle.

Read this entire post on how to build a capsule wardrobe before starting. After going through this process you might even realize you have more items to sell or donate.

Here’s a look at the capsule wardrobe I created when I was pregnant:

• 2 Dress pants
• 6 dress shirts (for work, church, or dinner)
• 4 dressier short-sleeved shirts
• 5 Sleeveless shirts to wear underneath sweaters or long-sleeved shirts
• 6 long-sleeved casual shirts 
• 3 Open Sweaters
• 8 Dresses
• 1 Formal Dress
• 3 pairs of jeans
• 2 casual t-shirts 

7.) Only buy new items when absolutely necessary.

This does not include that cute shirt you walk by in Target or that pretty sweatshirt in Marshalls because it’s on sale. Be intentional about the clothes you buy and how they will work with what you already own.

Last year, I think I only bought three brand new shirts and the rest I got from the thrift store or friends gave me.

8.) Organization & Aesthetic

Organize your closet in a way that works for you and is visually appealing. I like to organize mine by colors and height. For instance, on the left side of the closet, I hang all my black pants. From there I progressively hang like colors with like colors, working my way to white tanktops. Not only is it pretty, but it also makes everything very easy to find.

How’d you do? Not too bad, right?

I really hope this helps you love your wardrobe again and feel at peace when you look at your closet. Make sure to check back next month to find out what our home challenge for February is and how to get started.

Come back to this spot EVERY MONTH for a new challenge. I’ll list them out so they are in a nice convenient spot. 🙂

January: This article!
February: Find Your Organization Style!

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