Three weeks ago, I packed up most of my clothes and carefully picked 33 items to wear.
I felt nervous, excited, and a bit crazy all at once.
How’s it going?
[The Results]
When I was a sophomore in college, I packed two suitcases and left my dorm room for the paradise of Hawaii. For four months, I lived without access to a car and with just the items in my suitcases. It was a transformative time in my life in many ways big (I became a vegetarian and my relationship with Mike blossomed from a afar) and small (I ran my first road race and went skydiving), and I think it was in large part because I was living with less. Less clutter, both physically and mentally.
It’s no surprise, then, that this little project has been a breath of fresh air for me.
– My room is cleaner – It’s easier to put things away when there’s less of it that piles up. I used to have several days worth of discarded clothes next to my bed, but with less clothes in my closet, I notice if something is missing. Everything has a its own space. And I can’t really afford to lose a cardigan in a pile next to my bed if I only have two cardigans.
– I do less laundry, and therefore, put away less laundry (my least favorite chore). I’m not sure how this happened – but I noticed that we were doing just two loads of laundry a week instead of three loads of laundry a week. It’s a weird, magical side-effect of having less.
– I sleep in later and mornings are less hectic. It’s sort of pathetic how much of my morning agonizing over my outfit for the day caused. Fewer choices really is more freeing. The absence of morning stress over getting dressed is probably my favorite effect of this experiment.
– It’s not been difficult. As excited as I was about taking on this drastic (to me) experiment, I worried that it’d be difficult or tedious. So far, not so much tedious as freeing. I am free to think about things other than what I’m going to wear. (And I am far from a clothes horse, so it surprised me to realize how much time and energy I was wasting on the simple act of getting dressed).
“By simplifying clothes…you offer freedom from choice and overload, while still allowing for the slow and sure development of personal expression.” — Simplicity Parenting, Kim John Payne
[The Outfits FAIL]
I am terrible at taking photos of myself, even with a tripod. Even with a remote.
First, my husband photobombed a blurry photo:
Then, my son did:
Then, Gabe got all dramatic about how he doesn’t have enough clothes to even wear a shirt:
Well, friends, I think you’ll agree I’m totally the next fashion blogger.
Pigeon-toed poses, here we come!
Can I just say that I LOVE this project? I think it’s amazing, honestly. When I read your post about it I was like “Can I do this?” and immediately thought “no!” but you know, I’m soooo tired of the piles of clothes that sit dirty on the floor because I’m too lazy to clean them up. 33 pieces sounds so manageable! It sounds like a good project for me to take on when I go backpacking this summer, but I’m curious if I’d go crazy without all the choices I have on a daily basis!
THIS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE PROJECT HOW IS GABE THAT TALL AND GROWN UP?! HOW? I remember when he was a FETUS and now he looks all mature. WHAT?! STOP!
Hahaha. The idea of Gabe looking mature makes me giggle!
But yes, he is gigantic. Well, compared to a fetus.
Wait, you only did 3 loads of laundry per week prior to this clothing purge? How on earth? Between sheets, towels, Gavin’s clothes, Sweets’ (super sweaty) clothes and my clothes, I’m doing 5-6 loads a week (easily). I want to know your secret!
Ummm, maybe I only wash our towels and sheets every other week? Is that gross? Ha.
Does that mean you were only doing 2 loads of clothing laundry those weeks? Color me super impressed!
As I sit on my futon with piles of clothes waiting to be put away, a load in the drier and is ready to be taken out, and my computer on my lap as my greatest tool for procrastination, I am considering this experiment. I am glad to hear it is working out so well for you and having a positive impact on your life!
That picture of Gabe is ADORABLE.
And this post inspired me to start decluttering my wardrobe. I’m not doing Project 333 (it’s totally impractical to pack away out-of-season clothes in Colorado where all of the seasons happen in a week sometimes), but I’m trying to get everything down to 50 items total. IT’S HARD.
Holy flippin’ cuteness. YOUR KID. I DIE.
Sounds like a successful project. BTW your son is adorable.
I just dropped by after seeing your comment over at Mrs. Priss aka Morgan’s blog and wanted to check yours out. I love this post and this concept. Challenges always make me a bit worried but something like this is totally for a greater good and I would love to attempt this one day. I look forward to reading your progress AND reading more of your blog! :)
It’s a really great exercise in realizing how much EXCESS I have. I’ll post on it again this month! :)
I don’t know what I googled but
I don’t know what I googled but somehow I crossed paths with your fabulous blog. Iam looking forward so badly to get on board with this project. Thank you so much for your inspiration : )
I already went in my side of the closet and took out a little over 12 items ! You are right Ashley it is addicting! I’m happy my hubby also agreed to join in. He’s a big tee shirt guy and also buys lots of on sale shoes…even though he doesn’t need them or wear them often.Im glad he’s on board.
Woohoo! That’s what I love to hear! :)