My Closet: The Black Hole of Time

I waste so much time each morning trying to figure out what I am going to where. I sit on the edge of my bed, stare at my closet and try to put an outfit together, while trying to remember what I want to wear later in the week. I also am amazed at how many tops I own, and how few bottoms.

I'm telling you, figuring out what to wear would be a 10-20 minute process.

First step: I had to clean out the closet, and I'll share taht 8 trash-bag story later.

Second step: I spend 30 minutes on laundry day putting together my outfits for the week and hanging them as such, thinking about what I have going on during the week.

Now, I get up in the morning and just grab the next outfit, and this has saved my life in the morning.

It also helped me to figure out how much excess clothing that I had in my closet, realizing that I could go through months of outfits without wearing certain items in my closet.

Shopping with a Social Conscience

Shopping with a social conscience means to me:

1. Reducing or halting oppression of human beings around the world
   
2. Supporting the fellow American and the American economy

I don't think any of us want to support a sweatshop; we don't want to contribute to or continue the oppression of human beings. And given the opportunity, we would choose to help stop the oppression of our fellow brothers and sister in humanity.

However, much clothing is manufactured outside of the U.S., and the truth is, I do not know how other countries, namely second- or third-world countries, treat their employees. Mostly, I hear its bad. I took a peek at the tags of the clothes in my closet, and found a veritable who's who of countries known to have problems with poverty: Indonesia, India, Honduras, Vietnam, El Salvador, etc.

I'm pretty sure I have contributed to the oppression of the poor without a thought. I don't want to continue that trend in my life: thoughtless spending with possible anti-humanitarian consequences.

I am trying to change my shopping habits. What's my method?

1. Buy American (look for the "Made in U.S.A." label)



2. Buy used



3. Borrow (not buy) items from friends that I will only need for one or two uses

With the American economy in the dumps, it is even more important to put our American dollars back into America. I want to support our home town businesses, factories, and manufacturers. Do a little homework, and look for American-made products.

Some of my favorite brands that are made in the U.S.A. are

• Byena Clothing



• American Apparel



• Vera Bradley
  
  

Buying used also puts money back into the local economy as most thrift stores are putting money back into the local community and local aid for those in need. Buying used also reduces waste, helping out our environment.

Plus, some stores will give you cash or store credit for items that you bring in, which is a great money-saver. If shopping is about wasting time, socializing with friends, and the thrill of the hunt, there is no better adventure than diving into a thrift store. A couple of my favorites are:

• Plato's Closet



• Buffalo Exchange



• Saver's

It's true, I probably won't ever be a fashionista, but I can change the world one outfit at a time. I can't help what I already own. Those are dollars already spent and goods owned. However, I can change my shopping habits starting today.

Saving the Planet, One Load of Laundry at a Time

I try to keep laundry a once a week event in our house. We were trying to figure out how to cut corners and save the planet, and reducing water usage seemed a practical way to do that. The goal was to limit our household to doing three loads per week:

• One load of laundry for me


• One load of laundry for my husband


• One load of household (sheets, towels, rags, etc.)

One load of laundry per person, per week.

This is an average, and the general rule is that all clothes are washed on cold (another money-saving tip), and households are washed on warm.

The surprise result of doing laundry this way was that I noticed my closet was still bursting with clothes on laundry day. However, my favorite pieces were always in the laundry, leaving clothes I had lukewarm feelings toward hanging in my closet, untouched, unworn, unused.

I concluded that I have more clothes than I need or wear (which I'm sure most of us do), and it was time for the purging of the closet!

Less clothes = less laundry!

How it all started

I would go to bed with the closet door open and look inside as I would fall asleep. I was trying to figure out what I was going to wear tomorrow. And then, when I woke up, I would turn and look into my closet to continue the process of figuring out what to wear.

If I was going to be late, it was because I tried on at least three outfits before finding an ensemble that I was satisfied with. It started to become a running joke between my husband and me as he would often find me standing in towel, just staring into my closet.

It's so silly. Something as trivial as getting dressed in the morning took up so much time, energy, and unneeded stress.

Matthew 6:28 "And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin."

I would finger through my clothes over and over again trying not to forget what I had seen in there.

And then I figured out the problem.

It's not that I didn't have anything to wear, it's that I had too much to wear. Sometimes too many choices is what can clutter my brain.

So it started with my closet. I needed to simplify. Get back to basics, and get rid of unnecessary clutter and stress that can crowd around me in a million small ways.

It was time to start living the daisy life!