Today, April 1st, kicks off the next season of Project 333, an experiment in simplifying our closets to save time, energy and money for the more important things in life.
Here is my closet for the next 3 months:
I am happy to report that I was able to toss some clothes and donate this pile.
This time, I was able to include my pants and jeans in the count. I still have not been able to pare down my tshirts, shoes, and purses.
Here is the one piece that gave me the most difficulty:
This Seattle Sonics tshirt was given to me for my birthday by my brother-in-law, Dallas, in 1995. I had a huge crush on Shawn Kemp, whose dunks and energy lit up any arena. Even though the tshirt is ripped at the logo and has been accidentally bleached, I keep it because it’s the last gift Dallas gave me, before he passed away suddenly in 1998. Kemp has long retired. The Seattle Sonics are now the Oklahoma City Thunder. And yet, every time I do a purge, I always end up putting this tshirt back in my drawer. How could I throw out this precious memory of Dallas? I know it’s not the item but the memory that is dear…but I’m not yet ready.
This Project 333 is not for the weak. How did you do on your first day? Did you have some sentimental clothes that you couldn’t part with?
If you haven’t started, it’s not too late. Just jump in. Click here for the rules. Click here to see an example of Courtney Carver‘s list.
Share your success or hiccups with us…
Always feels good to declutter a closet. Keep it up! You can do it
Thanks, Sis. You know how bad my basement and garage are….so I’m starting with my closet 🙂
I say keep it. When I purge, I end up keeping some stuff(lots) my grandma gave me, who’s since pass…
Hi Zadine, for now I am going to keep it. Here is an article about letting go of sentimental things that might put things in perspective:
http://www.theminimalists.com/sentimental/
I read somewhere that you can have a clothing archive; for those sentimental items you want to keep but that should not be cluttering up your every day wardrobe.
Hi – a clothing archive sounds like an interesting place to keep things that are still so sentimental…at least until I can let go. Thank you for your comment and for reading the post 🙂
If I were you I would frame the shirt and hang it on the wall. I do that with beautiful or sentimental clothing items.
Mara, I don’t have much wall space (that’s getting too crowded too), but I love the idea of finding a way to preserve the shirt. Thanks 🙂
I like the idea of framing the shirt mentioned above. If you have any skill with a needle and thread (which I don’t) you could turn it into a pillow. I have a bag full of keepsake shirts that I dream of turning into a quilt, but first I need to learn to sew!
Hi Jess, I love the quilt idea. If only I knew how to sew, too. But maybe, if I can get my mom to do it, it would be a wonderful keepsake. Thanks for taking the time to read and comment on my post 🙂
That shirt definitely doesn’t count as one of your 33. If you don’t wear it, it’s not wardrobe! Here’s a link to a tutorial for framing a t shirt. But just keeping it treasured and safe somewhere is totally within reason!
http://www.andreasteed.com/node/1488?utm_source=Linky-Parties&utm_medium=Linky-Parties&utm_content=Framed+T-Shirt+Tutorial&utm_campaign=Framed+T-Shirt+Tutorial
Wow, Lin! Thanks for this link. If only I still had room on my walls, but what a great idea 🙂
Your wardrobe looks so cohesive! Mine’s a bit of a hodgepodge.
Keep the shirt as long as you need to, then take a picture wearing it and keep the picture forever. I did this with my mother’s wedding dress. I can look at the picture anytime and remember exactly how i felt in that moment.
Hi L Frances, I’m starting to feel like I should’ve added some brighter colors for the Spring (and it’s only Day 3 of the Project). Thanks for the great idea of taking a picture of myself with the tshirt on. PS, I stopped by your site and LOVED your “Numbers” post. How thorough! Great stuff.
I would agree with everyone else about keeping the tshirt. I would keep it away from your day to day clothing though, unless you genuinely wear it. I would put it in a keepsake box, or have it made into a pillow (very very easy, and it would remove most of the damaged parts). I have even seen people cover a pillow with a tshirt held in place by safety pins at the back (maybe that would be a good way to test if keeping it that way would make you happy).
Anyway, all the best for the P333 season 🙂
Hi, I’m going to keep the shirt for now. There’s some great suggestions on how it can be preserved or displayed. Thanks!
I love your neat and streamlined closet! It feels good to open it and not be overwhelmed by stuff, doesn’t it? I’m in my first season of Project 333, and I’m already loving the extra space I have in my dresser.
And I agree about hanging on to that tshirt–too special to let go.
Thanks, Lauren. It really does feel good to know that everything fits just right. I love the colors you have chosen for your season. Great Spring/Summer possibilities. Good luck with your first season!
Good job, Maria! Besides my work pants and shirts that only count as 2 items, I am down to 3 pairs of jeans, 3 sweaters, 5 “nice” tops, 5 T-shirts and 1 dress. However, I may have decluttered my closet of clothes, but I’m finding new things to store in there. Dog beds, dog toys, dog sweaters…. seeing a theme here?
What about shoes? Now, THAT’s where I need to do some removal!
Helen, I know you’re not a hoarder, so for you to declutter, that means you REALLY had to look for stuff to get rid of. Great job! Thank you for joining me. Shoes are so hard for me too…so you’ll have to make that call…start with the easy stuff – anything broken or too worn down or painful to wear? PS – get your little monsters’ things out of there or I’ll be writing about DoggyProject333 🙂