Make Room! It's August and stores are slowly filling with fall fashions tempting us to buy "must have" items of the season. Nielsine Archibald goes through three simple steps to help organize your closet – and Make Room!

Make Room!
By Nielsine Archibald

It's August and stores are slowly filling with fall fashions tempting us to buy "must have" items of the season.  Budget issues come to mind followed by "where am I going to put it?  My closets are jammed."  Okay, get out your calendar and schedule a "closet cleaning" appointment with yourself.  At the appointed time pour a glass of your favorite summer drink and face your closet with three questions in mind:

1.  Did I wear this more than once in the past year?

2.  Does it fit?

3.  Does it make me look "good?"

1. The pantsuit that yearly goes in and out of storage without being worn, needs to be donated to a worthy charity.  T-shirts you wore last summer but have never left the hangars this year get added to the pile.  That little bargain dress waiting for a perfect occasion gets tossed. In other words, if you have "stuff" in the closet that has not been worn in more than one year, get rid of it.

2.  Try on some of your clothes and give yourself an honest assessment of what you see.  Does it fit me now, not in 6 months when I lose 10 pounds? Is the color right for me?  Is this a style I look good in? Is it to long, too short, too tight or too big?  Even one "no" answer means it should go.

3.  Do I get compliments when I wear it?  Do I feel "good" when I have it on? "Yes" answers suggest that this is a keeper, a "no" says add it to the donation pile.

Bag everything, load it in your car and make a beeline to your favorite charity or resale shop before you change your mind.  This is a painful exercise and you may lament the money spent on things you are giving away, but it will help make better choices on your next shopping trip.

Next month, the two "must have" items of the season!