1. Be Safe –Regardless of how you travel, make sure someone else has your itinerary and telephone numbers so they can reach you in an event of an emergency.

By car- make sure your car is road worthy.  Simple things like checking the fluids, tire pressure, and wiper blades can prevent bothersome road side stops. Fill up the tank before you go and refill it when the tank reads less than half full.

By plane/train/bus – keep your valuables on your person rather than in a carry-on or purse.  Always have a change of clothing and a toothbrush in your carry-on for unexpected layovers and delays.

2. Pack Light 

• Dress in layers and pack clothing that will mix and match.  Use packing cubes inside your luggage to keep things neat and accessible.  Only bring one extra pair of shoes.  Be sure to leave room in your luggage to bring things home with you.  

3. Ship Ahead

If you have gifts and things for people you will visit while traveling, ship them out the week before you arrive. It’s less hassle for you at the airport and less to carry. The Post Office’s flat rate boxes are a very economical way to go.

According to this wacky calendar of days I found, today is Use Less Stuff Day. Now that is a day that I can really celebrate! It speaks to me on so many levels -  about my own home, my family, my clients, my Declutter Your Life groups, the world we live in, the trend towards going green and… my closet.

Yes, my closet.  Or should I say, more succinctly, my clothes. Now, my closet is organized but I felt a little stirring after I read Rachel Meek’s Small Notebook blog. She talked about her clothes; how she decides what to purchase, her “3- piece rule”, and about her comfortably dressy style of clothing.  That blog post really spoke to me and prompted me to explore reducing the amount of clothes I have. If you know me then you know I don’t have as many clothes as the average American woman, but I still have more than enough.

Use Less Stuff Day is a good day to talk about my clothing reduction plan. My plan is not entirely formulated yet but here is the direction I

am headed (or at least I think it is at this point).

1. Adopt the 3-piece rule, adding more sweaters and scarves to my wardrobe

2. Only own 4 pairs of jeans (blue, black, brown and a dressy pair)

3. Only keep 3 pair of dress pants

4. Only have 3 pair of  pajamas

5. Have a “color of the season” (this season it’s blue)

6. Get rid of old clothes and t-shirts I’ve had forever

7. Have a 3:1 ratio of shirts to pants/jeans

8. When I purchase things, make sure they will work for more than one outfit and that they are quality items (and not JUST on sale).

I haven’t decided on my plan for the dresses and skirts yet but I’m sure a goal will come to mind soon. I have already donated one bag of clothing this week.  Right now I see this plan slowly developing but eventually I would like to have less clothing and accessorize more with scarves and jewelry to change things up a bit. What does that look like?  Like a closet that’s half empty! Yep, less to maintain, less to decide, less stuff. I don’t know who made up Use Less Stuff Day (maybe an organizer?) but it is useful to reflect on, isn’t it?

Enjoy this guest post by fellow organizer, Beth Giles!

Your closet may be the smallest “room”, yet it contains the most individual items.  You want it to function well, with convenient access to items and stress-free use.  Here are a few CLOSET tips to tackle the space and help you reach that goal.

Clear out – Take every thing out of your closet, so you can begin with a clean slate.  As you consider each piece of clothing, ask yourself the following questions.  Does it fit? Have I worn it in the last year?  Do I really like it? Is it in good condition? Is it in style?  Do I really need it?  Is it different from other pieces I am keeping? If you cannot answer yes, with certainty, to each of these questions, then it’s probably time to say good bye to that particular piece of clothing. If you are still hesitant to get rid of a few items, place them in a box, tape it shut, and mark it with a date 6 months out.  If the box is still sealed in 6 months, leave it unopened and donate it to your favorite charity.

Let it go- There are many people and places that can benefit from your discards. Consider donating your items to Dress for Success, Career Gears, or your local shelters.  If you want your castoffs to benefit your wallet or closet, take your clothing to a consignment shop or schedule a clothing swap party with your friends.

Organize – Now that you know what will be going back into your closet, sort them by clothing type.  A few possible categories are shirts, jackets, pants, skirts, and dresses. Within each category you may want to specialize a bit more, arranging them according to additional characteristic such as color or sleeve length.

Step up the amount of space –Several ways exist to create more space in your closet.  An over the door shoe organizer can act as storage for more than just shoes. Placing all long hanging items in one area and short hanging items in another allows shelving or bins to fit under the shorter items. Double your hanging space by purchasing a secondary rod that hangs from the main rod.

Expose your closet – For your closet to function well, all your clothing should be easily visible.  If your closet has sliding doors, consider replacing them with bi-fold doors to make the whole closet visible at one time.  A battery operated “tap” light installed inside the closet can help you see the items in the darker areas of your space.

Think “One in, One out” – You have probably heard this many times, but it is very true. If you want to maintain an organized and clutter-free closet, remember that when you buy something new, something old must leave to create space for it.

Following these tips will put you on your way to an organized closet that can serve you well throughout the year.

© June 2010 Beth Giles

For more information about Beth Giles visit: www.nworganizingsolutions.com

Connect with Beth on Facebook at www.facebook.com/NWOrganizingSolutions

Everyone has a different style and a different closet.  How are your shoes organized?  Are you looking for something else?

Here’s a look at some different shoe organizers (and some fun shoe quotes!).

The boring shoe box – that’s what I am using right now and it’s not my favorite!

Mine are labeled though.

“Fashion Law:  If the shoe fits, it’s ugly.”  ~Author Unknown

The over the door shoe organizer – this is great if you have limited mobility and need easy access to shoes .  The clear pockets also make it very easy to see which pair you are looking for.

The under the bed shoe organizer – great for storing seasonal shoes but it’s a pain to use for the shoes you wear all the time. Who wants to get under their bed for shoes everyday?!

“You cannot put the same shoe on every foot.” ~ Publilius Syrus

These next two shoe organizers are carousels.  I took these pictures at Walmart to show a client.  She was looking fo something to hold a certain kind of shoe and one where she would not have to hunt in the bottom of her closet to find a pair.  I like these because they spin!

“I still have my feet on the ground, I just wear better shoes.” ~ Oprah Winfrey

This is my favorite shoe organizer.  I had this shoe cubbie system in a previous home.  It was great to have my shoes organized yet easy to quickly grab or put away.  Using this system was the most organized my shoe collection ever stayed!

I saved the best for last – a shoe closet!  All on it’s own!  Now that would be a dream come true.  I did have one client who converted a linen closet into her shoe closet.  It looked like this but even had lighting for every shelf!

“I did not have three thousand pairs of shoes, I had one thousand and sixty.” – Imelda Marcos

I’m Linked to Sandy’s Monday Link Party

So I decided to clean out this closet this weekend. It was an extra closet where things got put when we couldn’t make a decision.

It’s in my husband’s home office and we have decided to use it for storage.  And I admit, I got carried away. I not only organized this closet, I organized 4 closets! Would you expect anything less from a professional organizer??!  Here are four tips to help you when you’re ready to clean out your closet.

Before- a hogepodge of items

Another before view

READ MORE

Can you believe my sister sent me 10 pair of black pants?! I wonder how many pairs of black pants she still owns?

What’s in your closet? With the change of season upon us, and now is a good time to go through your closet sorting and purging your clothes.  Use these six easy steps to go through your wardrobe.

1.       Remove all of your hanging clothes from the closet.

2.       Sort by type of garment – shirts, pants, skirts etc.

3.       Let go of those things you haven’t worn in one year or that don’t fit.

4.       Now with the clothes remaining, decide how many pieces you really need to keep. If you have 10 pairs of black pants, for example, ask yourself how many you truly need.

5.       Make a list of clothing you may need to purchase to complete your outfits.

6.       Hang your clothes back in the closet by type of garment.

Since I just finished helping you decide how you would organize your shoes, I cannot leave the subject without mentioning the need for shoe maintenance.  I have some shoes that I really love.  I really love them because they are really comfortable.  I’m sure you have a few pair like that… I find that having a small shoe maintenance kit is a must since we want to keep our comfortable shoes for as long as we can.

Here’s a content list for creating a shoe maintenance kit:

• Buffing Brush
• Suede Brush (only if you own suede footwear)
• Sneaker cleaner
• Black and/or your color choice of shoe polish
• Scuff  polish
• Buffing cloth
• Shoe laces (if you wear sneakers or other laced shoes)

I put it all together in a clear zippered pouch (like those packages used for window valances you purchase).  You can store the shoe maintenance kit in your closet or the coat closet if you want your family to have easy access to it.

Here’s a photo of my shoe maintenance kit.

There are many types of products available to store shoes.  I am featuring three products that I have used personally.

The first one, a shoe cubbie system, is my favorite.  It holds your shoes in a relatively small space, they are easily visible and you can grab them out with one hand!  I love easy access.  That also means easy to put away!  This shoe organizer will accommodate 20 pairs of women’s or children’s shoes. Each individual space measures 4″w x 6″h, and allows you to use toe-to-heel storage placement for scuff-free storage.  You can also order this system with doors, in case this is not being put in your closet.

The next storage idea is the shoe container.  It is usually made of plastic and the see-thru or clear    types are best.  These can be stacked on top of one another or placed on shelves.  The downside is that you have to remove and replace the lid each time.  I have used these shoe containers on a shoe rack and put the lids beneath the shoes that I wear the most so that I do not hassle with the lids.  The upside of using lids is that it keeps your shoes dust free.  I also label each shoe container and organize the boxes so that all brown shoes, for example, are in the same row.                                            (But if you know me, you know that I label EVERYTHING!)

Lastly, if you like to put away the off season shoes, then I recommend using the underbed shoe storage bags. I take my off season shoes and put them away because it makes my closet area looks neater and there is not so many choices staring at me when it is time to get dressed (i.e. I don’t have to look past the sandals to find my rain boots!).  Another use for the underbed shoe storage bag is for the shoes that are rarely worn, like the formal shoes, or special activity shoes (such as my flamenco shoes… did I mention I dance??!)

In the end, these storage options are all very viable but you have to do what works for you; for your unique personality and your closet space.  Who knows, if you live on Hawaii you may just need a few baskets to throw your flip flops into and you’re all set!

I have been offering tips on clothes organization so far.  Dare I attempt the shoes next?

Okay ladies, I understand the love of shoes. I really do!  I remember when I was 16, I discovered Marshall’s and their shoe department.  The prices were so great and I had birthday money to burn, so I happily purchased 8 pair of shoes that day. Yes, 8 pairs in one day!  Thankfully I haven’t gone that hog wild since.  I usually purchase one pair of shoes at a time (unless my dear daughter is with me!).

In order to organize shoes we have to first talk about purging a few pairs. If you are anything like me and my girlfriends more shoes come into the house than leave it….

Set aside some time and have a good CD or your iPod ready.  Next, gather all your shoes from around the house and pull all shoes out from your closet.  Put on the music, and sort your shoes into 4 categories.

1. Needs repair
2. Fall/Winter
3. Spring/Summer
4. All Year (these include those oh-so-comfy favorites)
5. and I forgot to mention this last one – Donate (don’t hate me!)

Now take the ones that need repair and place them in a bag by the door to take to the shoe repair shop the next time you do errands. Then, in another bag, put the shoes you have decided to donate.  My advice: have your spouse or friend drop them off at a donation center for you.  Saying good-bye won’t be so hard that way.

Now you are left to organize Fall/Winter, Spring/Summer, and All Year’s shoes.  Stay tuned for shoe organization products in my next post!

Still on the wardrobe topic – wouldn’t you like to have the most put together wardrobe of the season?

Are you ready to simplify your wardrobe? Here’s a formula ( and you don’t have to know algebra) for creating a wardrobe filled with possibilities. It’s called:

Capsule Theory of Wardrobing

Start with your choice of 4 bottoms ( skirts, skorts, pants, capris,etc)

Add your choice of 5 coordinating tops (tshirts, blouses, shirts)

These nine pieces, since they all coordinate, make for a total of 20 outfits combinations! But wait, there’s more….

Add one jacket and that equals a total of 40 outfits;

add another jacket and that equals a total of 60 outfits

and add one more jacket and the total combination of possible outfits equals 80 outfits!!

That means that with only 12 articles of clothing, you have 80 possible wardrobe combinations!  While I cannot illustrate the combinations for you on this blog post,  I can promise you that I saw this demonstrated live and it works!

I learned this useful technique from an image consultant, Lois Payne.  Using different pieces that coordinate enables you to have less clothing but a larger wardrobe… Brilliant! And we haven’t even talked about adding accessories..

So, is anyone willing to try this capsule wardrobe idea?  I am going to use it for my winter wardrobe this year… who’s with me?!