Can we put a price tag on clutter? Well, yes we can! Consider these costs.
Do you invest in storage space to keep the clothes, and other stuff, that won’t fit in your closets or elsewhere in your home?
Price: $1200 to $2600 per year. This is something I personally can attest to because, as I’ve mentioned here before, we moved about 8 months ago and I was forced to go through everything we owned and decide if it was worth moving. I can’t tell you how much I got rid of – and much of it was in a paid storage box! If you’re paying for storage, this is a great first place to tackle.
In addition, if you’re investing in more and more storage gadgets to contain your clothes, you’re due for a purge. Once again, I will point the finger at myself (yes, even image consultants should take their own advice!) When I combined my mostly warm-weather clothes from a vacation home with my ‘regular’ clothes a few years ago, I didn’t take time at the time to thoroughly purge and merely hung it all on a portable clothing rack. And there it sat. It was only when facing the above-mentioned move that I dealt with the excess and ruthlessly got rid of everything that wasn’t serving a good purpose. I still have the rolling rack but it’s folded away out of sight.
Have you lost track of what you have and ended up buying it again?
Price: Hundreds of dollars. It’s one thing to purposely buy duplicates of things you love and wear frequently. It’s something else altogether to forget what you have in your closet. In most cases, it’s because 1) you need to purge so you can see what you have, or 2) it’s something you don’t wear anyway, so item #2 will be joining item #1 in the ranks of the forgotten.
Do you have so many things in your closet that you lose track of them and never wear what you bought? How about adding up the prices on the dangling hang tags. How much money do you have invested in things you’ve never worn?
Price: Hundreds, maybe thousands of dollars See above for the reasons why.
Have you turned down the opportunity to join a friend for a special event because even though you have a closet full of clothes, you can’t find anything to wear?
Price: Missing out on good times and great memories Now this is just a shame. With a well-curated closet you’ll always be prepared for whatever social occasion arises, or at least you’ll know that if you need to purchase something, it won’t be a duplicate (see above.)
If any of this rings true, you’re due for some tough-love with your wardrobe. Tackling closet clutter is not easy but once you start and begin to see progress, you’ll feel so much better about yourself and your wardrobe. Then if you decide to get that new closet, you’ll know that everything deserves to be there!
Thanks for reading – stay stylish!
Adena
