How I finally sorted my wardrobe without keeping a maybe pile!

At the end of last year, my wardrobe had reached the point where opening the door felt dangerous, clothes were trying to escape. Every time I pulled one thing out, three others followed it onto the floor and the annoying thing was I knew why. I’d kept pretty much every item of clothing I’d bought over the last ten years at least! All those tops I might wear again but never do, the dress I wore once to a wedding and felt amazing in even though it’s been hanging there untouched since 2016, the jeans that don’t fit but might one day and the things that I was weirdly attached to. I was fed up with fighting with my wardrobe and fed up with wearing the same few things, so I decided I was done messing about and was going to be ruthless with a proper wardrobe clear out and this is exactly how I did it!

Step one: I pulled everything out!

I started like I meant business. None of that, I’ll just have a little tidy nonsense. I pulled everything out of my wardrobe, finding things that I thought I had thrown away years ago. Oops. I even found some of the girls clothes there. It looked like a clothes shop had exploded in my bedroom. The bed and the floor soon disappeared! Once everything was out and staring me in the face, I made three piles: Keep, Donate and Toss! There was no maybe pile, I was serious about this!

I knew I needed rules, otherwise past me would start negotiating with the present me and that wouldn't end well.

If it doesn’t fit, it goes!

This one was important. If it didn’t fit me on the day I was doing the clear out, it went straight into the donate pile. I had things that were too small and too big. I wasn't keeping clothes for a version of me that may or may not exist one day.

If it hadn’t been worn in 12 months, out it went!

Twelve months is generous. It covers all seasons, birthdays, Christmas, random days out and those moments when you’re saving an outfit for something special. If I hadn’t worn it in a whole year, I wasn’t suddenly going to start now. This rule even claimed some of my PJs, which hurt a bit because you all know how much I love my PJs but if they were shoved at the back on the shelf and I always picked the same ones instead, so what was the point?

If it was damaged beyond reasonable repair, it was gone!

There was no I might fix this one day. I had trousers with holes in them that I had planned on fixing but deep down I knew I wouldn't. I had tons of paint-covered tops and leggings from when I had been decorating which I kept in case I needed them again. I haven't needed them, so most of them were thrown away and there were items that were past their best. Most of it went in the bin, but I did keep some old T-shirts to rip up for cleaning rags.

If it made me smile, I kept it.

I used the Marie Kondo rule and it worked. If I picked something up and it made me smile, it stayed. Some things were tempting to keep just for nostalgia, but I reminded myself that memories don’t live in wardrobes.

If I wore it regularly, it stayed!

This one was easy. If it’s something I reach for all the time, it didn’t even get questioned. Straight into the keep pile with no guilt attached.

To stop myself getting stressed, I worked through one category at a time. Dresses, jeans and trousers, then T-shirts, jumpers and finally pyjamas. There was no chucking things aside to deal with later. Each item had to earn its place. Some things needed trying on, especially summer dresses I hadn’t worn much yet. I asked myself how I felt in them, not how I wished I felt. That made the decision much clearer. Then came the big realisations. Did I really need eight black cardigans? I didn't, kept three and donated the rest. I counted 56 T-shirts! I cut that number in half and only kept the ones I actually loved and wore.

The donation pile quickly became my favourite, it felt like a reward. Knowing those clothes were going to people who wanted or needed them. It made it easier to let things go. Someone else gets to enjoy them instead of them gathering dust with me. The toss pile was smaller than I expected, which surprised me and the keep pile was my new wardrobe. Seeing it all together was such a moment. I could actually see what I owned, I rediscovered things I loved but hadn’t worn in ages because they’d been buried and it felt lighter.

Opening my wardrobe now doesn’t stress me out. I’m not battling hangers or digging through stuff I don’t even like. Everything there has earned its spot and the best part is that I actually wear more of what I own now. Nothing’s hiding, there's just clothes I like, that fit and that work for the life I have now.

What is your wardrobe/closet like? Organised or chaotic?

The Wednesday Hodgepodge #55

I hope you are all having a good week. It's Wednesday, which means it's time to join in with the Wednesday Hodgepodge with Joyce who blogs at From This Side of the Pond! Each week there are 6 questions, we answer and then link up. Simple!

1. What's one piece of advice you would you give a recent or soon-to-be graduate?

Learn how to properly look after a home! It doesn’t sound as exciting as career goals or big life plans but this is the stuff that makes everything else easier. When your home life is running smoothly, everything else feels more manageable! Knowing how to cook a few decent meals is a big one. It saves money, stops you living off takeaways and means you’re not standing in the kitchen late in an evening wondering what to eat. Keeping on top of laundry is important. It piles up fast if you ignore it and suddenly you’re doing emergency washes because you’ve run out of basics. Cleaning doesn’t have to turn into a full weekend job, the trick is doing little bits often. Then there’s managing your bills and general life admin. Setting up direct debits and keeping a budget isn't the most exciting part of being an adult but it needs to be done!

2. May 15th marks the birth date of L. Frank Baum, author of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. At this point in time are you more in need of brains, courage, heart, or a trip back home? Explain.

With everything going on in life, it’s not that I don’t know what to do, so I can’t really blame a lack of brains and I don’t feel short on heart either. It’s more about having that confidence to actually do the things I keep thinking about. I’ve got ideas, plans and little goals sitting there waiting but instead of jumping in, I can end up overthinking them. So it comes down to me needing courage or someone to give me a big kick up the behind. lol

3. "There's no place like home" is an oft repeated line from Baum's book. When was the last time you felt the truth of that statement?

During the week when I had been out running errands! The best part about being out is coming home. Shutting the door, taking my shoes and coat off, getting changed into comfy clothes and enjoying the quiet. The day hadn't been stressful in the slightest but at home I can relax without having to rush about, talk to people, being pulled in ten different directions or thinking about what’s next. It was nice for it to be just me, in my space and having everything just how I left it. There really is no place like home!

4. May is National BBQ Month...do you own a grill? Who does the grilling at your house? What's your favorite thing to throw on the grill? What's the last thing you grilled?

We do have a little BBQ somewhere in the back of the garage but we rarely use it. Living in England, the weather is never fully on our side, so planning a BBQ always feels like a gamble. You get that one sunny day when everyone gets excited, burgers and sausages are bought and then the clouds roll in and the rain comes, so we don’t really grill often. Maybe once or twice a year, usually right in the middle of summer, when everything lines up just right and we take a risk with the weather. When we do use it, it’s pretty simple stuff like burgers, sausages and maybe some chicken if we’re feeling organised. My favourites are beef burgers, which are usually overdone a little and they were probably the last thing we grilled.

5. What's a memory you replay in your head when you need a little joy?

Right now, thinking about BBQ's is the memory of when we had a little beach party for Ellie's 9th birthday! It was a bank holiday Monday so there was no travelling to the beach. I made one in our backyard with two little paddling pools. One filled with sand and the other with water. We had a BBQ, pinata to smash and of course, grilled food. It was such a lovely day! The weather wasn't perfect but we didn't let it spoil our fun!

6. Insert your own random thought here.

This is totally random. Scones are a big thing in my family. My grandmother was an amazing baker, so I was told as she passed away before I was born and her sisters, my great Aunt especially, were too. My great Aunt was a big part of my life and whenever we visited her she always had freshly baked scones ready for us. Anyway, my dad has been on a trip down memory lane. He went to visit a relative and was given a ton of photos and they got chatting about my great aunt and her scones, so he has been on a mission to recreate them. He has made quite a few batches and while I was visiting the other day, he whipped up another batch which tasted so good but he wanted my honest opinion, were they as good as Aunty Jean's? They came close but sadly, no. I told him he needed to keep practising and sending any going spare this way.

Share our Lives - Go to lunches on the go!

It's that time of the month again to share some of my life and join in with the other Share Our Lives bloggers. This month the prompt is: Go to lunches on the go!

I am not a packed lunch kind of person. I don't have the Pinterest perfect lunches but I sometimes wish I could be bothered. I admire those people who do make their own lunches to take out. I am more about the kind you grab between appointments, visiting shops or just because I'm already out and I'm starving. This is very much what I actually eat post, with no food shaming and no pretending I always choose the salad.

Greggs!

Greggs the bakery chain is usually my first thought when it comes to something to eat when I am out. They seem to be on every high street. In fact, we have two on our main street. The main sellers are the savoury pastries. Think flaky, warm pastry filled with things like steak, chicken or cheese and even vegan ones. The sausage roll is legendary. Cheap, hot, comforting and eaten at all times of day. They also make sandwiches, breakfast items and a ridiculous amount of sweet stuff. Doughnuts, yum yums (twisted sugary bread sticks that are way better than they sound), pastries and cakes. You don’t sit down. You queue, order, pay and leave with your food in a paper bag. It’s affordable, quick and just delicious!

The classic sandwich!

Sometimes I just want a sandwich that I can eat while walking or perched on a bench doing a bit of people watching. Supermarket meal deals are a wonderful thing. A sandwich, snack and drink for around £4. I usually stick to simple fillings. Tuna and sweetcorn, chicken salad or egg and cress, a packet of crisps or a chocolate bar and a small bottle of juice. It’s practical and does the job.

A cafe lunch!

Now and then I’ll slow things down and actually sit somewhere. This usually happens when I’ve got time, I’m already tired or I need to go somewhere with a toilet. A little cafe lunch feels like a treat without being a big thing. I’m talking about things like jacket potatoes with beans or tuna, a toastie or a panini. Sometimes I just want something warm and served on an actual plate. There’s something good about sitting down, having a proper cup of tea and not eating in a rush.

The burger van!

Some days, a sandwich just won’t cut it and that’s when the burger van comes in. There’s one in town that smells amazing! A burger from a van is messy, hot, doesn't have the fancy brioche buns, there are no tiny portions. Just a burger in a bun with fried onions! I usually regret nothing except maybe wearing a light coloured top because I always seem to spill ketchup down myself.

Wetherspoons!

Wetherspoons the no-frills British pub chain where the food is cheap, portions are decent and the menu is massive is great for a quick lunch. You can get a full meal for the price of a coffee in some places. I usually get a jacket potato or something simple and a soft drink but if it's before midday, I will get a breakfast for around £5 with refillable tea, coffee or hot chocolate for just under £2.

Most of my lunches on the go aren’t fancy. There is no pressure to eat what I packed just because I packed it and sometimes a bought lunch feels like a little reward, especially on busy days when I've already done too much and still have loads left to do. I like knowing I’ve got options and I like that food out in the world always tastes a bit better than it probably should. What do you have for your lunch when you are out and about?

I am linking up with:

Adrienne from Mom Life with Adrienne.

Dara from Not In Jersey.

Jen from Show me & Sweet tea.

Joanne from Slices of Life.

Our weekly meal plan! 11th - 17th May #MealPlanningMonday

Happy Monday! I hope you have all had a good weekend. Ours was a quiet one and I am happy with that. May is always a quiet month for us, then June, July and August are different, they always get so busy!

Last week's meal plan went well. We did better than the week before, we ate all the meals and only swapped a couple of days. This week we have another Gousto box. It has already been delivered and I am looking forward to the meals.

This week is going to be a quiet week for me. At the start of the week I am waiting in for deliveries and after that I don't really have any plans. It might give me a chance to start painting the living room doors and nag Becky to start decluttering her bedroom as I don't think she has much planned this week.

On the menu this week we have:

Monday - Chicken Fajitas!

I am blaming the Wednesday Hodgepodge for this. I mentioned in last week's post that it had been a long time since we had fajitas and I should add them to the meal plan soon and it is all I have been thinking about. I will have to nip out for the ingredients but that shouldn't be a problem.

Tuesday - Gousto Meal - One Pan Alpine-Style Sausage & Waxy Potato Hash!

We had this for the first time at the start of last month and I knew my family would love it, so we are having it again. It’s a one-pan meal, so there is less washing up. The sausages and onions get cooked together with crushed potatoes until everything is golden and crispy. Then it all gets coated in butter and herbs with a bit of thyme and topped with melted cheese.

Wednesday - Gousto Meal - Creamy Mushroom Stroganoff!

This is a new meal for us. The mushroom stroganoff is a meat-free twist on a classic stroganoff with mushrooms cooked in a rich, creamy sauce. Served with linguine. I imagine this is going to be so nice.

Thursday - Gousto Meal - Smoky BBQ Chicken With Pepper & Corn Salad!

This is a favourite of ours. The chicken gets coated in a sticky BBQ-style mix with tomato paste, Henderson’s relish and smoked paprika, then cooked until it’s all caramelised and smells amazing. It’s served with crispy potatoes and a fresh pepper and corn salad and looks way fancier than it is!

Friday - A takeaway of some sort!

Friday night is an easy night for me. I don't cook and we order takeaway. Last week we had a little Chinese takeaway which was so good, as it's been quite a while since we last had one and this week who knows? Most weeks I have pizza at my dad's for lunch, so that rules that out but we still have plenty of options.

Saturday - Gousto Meal - Peri Peri Spiced Basa Fish Cakes With Chips And Spicy Peas!

This is another new meal for us which sounds interesting. Basa fish cakes mixed with sweet potato, coated in panko breadcrumbs and packed with peri peri spice so they come out crispy on the outside and soft in the middle. It comes with chips on the side, plus peas that aren’t just plain peas. There’s mint and a bit of chilli in there. It all sounds so full of flavour.

Sunday - Pie and mash!

A nice easy meal for Sunday. Ready-made pies with mashed potato and either baked beans or peas.

What are you eating this week?