THE best organizing advice I have heard to date is this:

“if I didn’t own this today, would I buy it?”

If the answer is no, it goes!

No exceptions!

Ask yourself this ON EVERY PIECE you have EVERY TIME you pull out the hanger.

Mantra:”If I didn’t own this, would I buy it today?”
Next hanger:
“If I didn’t own this, would I buy it today?”
Next hanger:
“If I didn’t own this, would I buy it today?”
….

It works, I swear.

Recently, I did a MASSIVE clothing and fashion jewelry purge: filled a car trunk.

My husband, God love him, VOLUNTEERS to go with me, haul the clothes to the car, and into the shop. (I usu. will treat him to lunch or something as a thank-you).

This very busy and small consignment shop in Houston is quirky. Usually when we enter, the owner barks “what’s your consignor number?!”

I kinda panic a little…

(“C337, Wapner on at 3! There are 143 maahtches on the floor..I’m a very good driver…”)

And then she proceeds to make sexist comments about men and shopping.

And she gloms over my ravings about how super my guy is to haul this stuff for me by pointing out all the expensive handbags I’m not going to buy. My husband and I both sort of cringe.

But

Each month we get a nice little check in the mail.

So far, I’ve gotten about $300 from my old stuff.

And we don’t have to put up with a snotty Aber-Hollister-slathered “staff” at Plato’s Closet. (If you’ve not been to either of those mall rat stores, think dimly-lit funhouse with creepy clowns reeking of night-club cologne. shudder…)

“Go to my happy place! Go to my happy place!”

Peach “Finding Nemo” Disney/Pixar

…..

Now that I have nearly conquered the closet, I started on my bathroom storage and “Pinterest Pantry”….

My Pinterest Pantry has done what xmas lights do over the course of a year: get all tangled with cling wrap, nuts… Socks and underbits get in there. wth? And the “sock penguin” is not holding up his end of the bargain:

(He’s precariously close to some cold meds there…)

Last year upon buying a condo, I bought all kinds of adorable storage “thingies” at TJMaxx. Tins with cute monogram labels that held grains I no longer eat will have to hold something new. I put millet out for the one mockingbird I have seen bouncing around the patio and looking in the window to see what my Polyvore outfit is…er maybe he’s afraid I might eat him…

So far, my husband has tried some of the millet with wine while we’re out there. I think he likes it.

it’s crunchy.

Pots, pans and spices in the galley kitchen are next. The cabinets are deep, dark and may have been designed by Aber-Hollister though they smell more of cumin and curry.

I expect I may find some scary clowns though…