Decluttering and reorganizing myself for the future

When I was younger and my parents would tell me to clean my room, I would say, "I wouldn't be this messy if I had my own home". I always thought I would have a minimal lifestyle. When I go to the store and I find something I like, I either say "I can make that" or "I can't buy this now because it won't fit in my room".

Then my boyfriend started looking at minimal home living, small homes, traveler homes and storage container homes, like the one above from James&Mau in Chile. *drool* One of the many amazing dream homes we could eventually build one day.

Now he is looking to buy a home. And it made me realize, one day I will have my own home to fill. What will I do then? I'd love to buy all the pillows and colorful patterns and figure out my own style. And once a family comes along, there will be more things to organize and declutter.

I first started hearing about the capsule wardrobe from Un-Fancy, a blog I stumbled on reading articles on Facebook. There are so many times I can think of when I purchase something I kinda liked, or I bought something my friends said looked good on me. But when I got home, I saw the outfit in a different light. Some clothes didn't fit the right way, or I would buy something thinking I would modify it and make something else out of it (I'm still holding onto a lot of old high school t-shirts to make something one day).

When I used to work at Starbucks, I had a section in my closet of black pants and polo shirts to choose from every day. I had a couple of khaki pants, but I couldn't wear too many white shirts because drinks would tend to spill on me. After leaving that job, I started collecting more colors. Now working at an office job, I have combined my wardrobes to include black pants and a bright colored shirt. And I could buy all the bright colored shirts I've ever wanted, but will I be wearing them more than once? This is why having a minimal set of clothes is a better way to go. I tend to go to my favorite clothing for work everyday anyways.

I have kept a lot of things I don't need or things that don't fit me. Every week, I have been taking a section of my closet or drawers and removed most of the old things like socks, old t-shirts, skirts I never wore, shirts that have shrunk, etc. I have kept most of these things because I think I will fit in them again someday. The older I get, the further Someday becomes. I'm working out, and I like the shape I'm in. I've already given away those old pair of jeans from high school, but there is still more I can part with.

There has also been a lot of changes in my parent's life, and they may be retiring and moving back to Chile. Who knows how long we all have left to live in the comfort of my parent's house. We've been living in the same house for almost 30 years, and we've seen demolitions and reconstructions over the years. But one day soon we will all move away. The thought of carrying so much junk I don't need made me decide to start giving things a new home.

I saw this video on tidying up your home, and I had to share it. I've been working on cleaning my room in a different way, not only finding a place for certain things, but wondering if I really need the item. It has changed my thinking to wonder if what I have makes me happy. I try to purchase items that I will use for a long time, but sometimes there are books or art supplies that sit on my bookshelf for years. Let's not talk about the two large containers of yarn hiding in my closet! I want to make sure I make something from it or I will give it away to someone else.

[Un-Fancy]

I remember my favorite outfit in high school was a shirt and jeans. It was plain but comfortable and clean. Too bad jeans aren't allowed in work, because I would wear them all day. But once I find a comfortable pair of slacks, I want to wear them all the time. Maybe I can get back to the simple basic wardrobe, but now I can add statement pieces and other colorful accessories.