A Stupidly Easy Trick to Keep Your Bedroom Clutter-Free

Not to be dramatic, but this basket saved my life.

I'm not a big fan of New Year's resolutions (read more about that here). However, I do love any attempt at making your life happier, healthier and less stressful. My beef with the New Year's thing is that it's focused on one day. Why not resolve to make your life better whenever you're feeling motivated? For me, that time is almost never New Year's Day. But I digress.

If you've been reading Hey Eleanor for awhile, you know that I'm constantly battling crap.

I feel like my house is full of crap, I have too much crap in my closet, our drawers are full of kitchen crap, office crap, linens crap, and just more and more crap. I know I'm not the only person with crap/clutter problems. Here's the proof: this is by far the most popular post on my entire site. By tens of thousands of visitors. I kid you not.

If I was a truly smart business person, I'd only blog about de-cluttering.

Or as I like to call it, de-crapifying. But instead, I'll stick to writing about what I love: facing fears, travel, adventures, trying new things and how to make the most out of this whole life thing. This post is about that last one. It's a simple idea. Stupidly simple.

This is probably the best thing I did for myself last year.

I've always had a clean clothes problem. Not a dirty clothes problem. Dirty clothes are easy. They go in a hamper, to be forgotten about until laundry day. But clean clothes! Ugh. Putting them away after they've been washed? Easy-peasy. It's the clothes I've worn once and can be worn again, or the clean clothes that I've tried on and decided not to wear that are a problem.

I'm sure you're familiar with this scene:

You're getting ready for work (or a date or dinner with friends or the gym or whatever). You try something on and it's just not right. You take off said item, throw it on the bed and try on something else. Then, something else. By the time you're ready to go, you're running late and it looks like your closet barfed on your bed. But you don't have time to pick everything up, so you leave it for later. And when you get home at midnight, you're too tired to put stuff away, so you just throw it on the floor. The next day, you wade through your clean clothes to get to the shower, thinking "I'm 33, dammit, when will I start feeling like an adult who has their shit together?!"

My friends, the time to start feeling like an adult is now.

And it's so easy. Stupidly easy. Here's what you do:

1. Buy a pretty, large basket. I got this one from World Market (aka The Basket Store) and I love it.

2. Put it in your room (or if you're lucky enough to have a big-ass closet, put it in there).

3. Throw your clean clothes in it when you don't have the time or energy to actually put them away.

This one simple trick has kept our room mostly clutter-free for months. Sure, my clothes sometimes end up a little wrinkly (honestly, they're usually fine), but not more so than how they'd look if I just left them on the floor. It's a stupidly easy trick, and for those looking to de-clutter and de-crapify in the new year, I can't recommend it enough.

You could use a similar tactic with these common clutter-y culprits:

1. Designate a decorative mug or small container for change, bobby pins (<<< also a problem for me!), hair bands or small jewelry.

2. Find a pretty basket or container for all the GD cords and chargers that come with your electronics. Keep those eye sores hidden away where they belong!

3. Designate a basket for magazines instead of letting them rot on your coffee table (or dining room table if you're me).

Feel free to share any other stupidly easy de-cluttering techniques in the comments. Here's to a crap-free 2016!

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Are you looking to de-crapify in the new year? Here's 7 Ways to Get Rid of Your Unwanted Crap, what happened when I got rid of 90 percent of my clothes (with before & after pics!), plus my foray into the world of KonMari.

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7 Excellent Ways to Get Rid of Your Unwanted Crap

If you've read Hey Eleanor before, you probably know I have a thing about de-crappifying.

Or decluttering. Whichever term you prefer.

I grew up in a house full of crap. This would be my dad's house, not my mom's. Her house was always nice and clean without a lot of crap. But at Dad's, nothing ever got thrown away or put away. My dad also has never met a garage sale, Menard's end-of-season-sale or memorabilia store he walked away from empty handed. I used to love tidying up his house when he was at work, cleaning out the fridge, pantry, junk drawers, you name it.

As I'm writing this, I'm realizing what strange behavior this was for a 12-year-old. I mean, does any middle schooler you know even make their bed without asking, let alone toss all the fridge's expired or donezo condiments? After school, I'd sort through unopened mountain of mail on our kitchen table. Under that, eight or nine unread newspapers. Under that, who knows what you'd find.

I wouldn't call my dad a hoarder, it's just that he literally does not see clutter. And it doesn't seem to bother him, either. Meanwhile, I was always embarrassed to have friends over because it looked like I lived in a frat house, not in a real house.

I'm still incredibly self-conscious of clutter at my own house. I am bad at putting things away on a consistent basis (you could call me a tornado. I'd be cool with that), but then am ashamed by my explosion of crap. I've found I can get rid of most clothes/books/toiletries all day long... but as soon as something has a bit of sentimental value, I have a hard time parting with it. But sentimental crap is still crap, and really, most of it actually means nothing to me.

When you have less crap, there's less mess to deal with. I'm also consciously trying to buy less stuff-- clothes, gadgets, books, movies, everything. Less mess makes me feel so much better about myself. It makes me feel better about everything, really.

I know a lot of you also want to de-crapify your lives. I also know you're torn about what do to with your castaways. So, what really happens to your stuff when it's donated to charity? Are garage sales worth the work? And why isn't the consignment store taking your perfectly good threads? Let me explain.

1. Donate to a Local Charity Shop.

I don't know about you, but I find dropping off bags of crap at Goodwill to be incredibly satisfying. That said, I completely understand it's my way of covering up the truth: that I'm mostly giving someone else the responsibility of throwing away crap I didn't have the balls to throw away myself, banking on the chance that someone else might want it.

I know what you're thinking: But Molly! I am sure someone will want to wear your perfectly good donated clothing/VHS copy of Captain Ron. I agree! Except for one thing: Charities only resell about 10 percent of the clothes you drop off. They're getting too much crap. The rest is either shredded and sent to textile recycling companies or shipped overseas to be sold by a used-clothing vendor in Sub-Saharan Africa.

But that sounds okay still, doesn't it?

Kinda. I don't think it's a long term solution (this Slate article does a great job of explaining why). By one estimate, used clothing is now the United States’ number one export by volume, which is pretty darn horrifying.

Obviously NONE of this is trash... right?

Until there's a better way, I will continue to drop off my unwanted items at Goodwill (or the Epilepsy Foundation, who will literally pick it up from your house). However, I am no longer disillusioned that most of my stuff will end up ticketed, hanging in the store. It's probably insulating someone's house or waiting to be sorted somewhere overseas. If no one wants it there (which is happening more and more), what happens next? I have no idea.

2. Give To a Friend, With Intention.

With clothes, books or kitchen gear, I often find myself thinking, "I'll bet so-and-so would love this garlic press/sundress/crockpot cookbook!" This method of repurposing is ideal, especially if you truly think someone will like your stuff.

I gave this super cute suit that I wore twice to my sister-in-law.

That said, it's rude to just drop off a bunch of unsorted crap at a friend's house, basically saying, "You get rid of this for me. Bye!" That's what Goodwill is for! (I kid, I kid... kinda). And just because you think someone might like your 15-year-old homecoming dress doesn't mean they will. So if someone wants what you're giving away, awesome! If not, don't push it and don't act offended. Remember, you don't really want said item(s), either.

3. Consignment/Retails Stores

I love the idea of making moolah from the clothes I thought I'd wear, but never really did. There's a Buffalo Exchange down the street from my house that gives you cash on the spot for nearly new clothes. I once made $150 selling there (!), but that's definitely an outlying situation.

It's pretty darn annoying to hem and haw over what to sell, to only have a salesperson at a consignment store want none of your goods-- except for literally the ugliest thing you brought in. Or at least that's what always seems to happen to me!

On my last trip to Buffalo Exchange, I asked for tips on how to sell clothes with a higher success rate. Here's what I learned.

Sell on the weekdays, not weekends. Sales associates are less busy and aren't stressed about getting through a 10-person long line of sellers.
Be mindful of your born-on dates. Sure, trends and brands matter at resale shops, but often times not as much as how recently the clothing item was made. Nearly everything article of clothing includes a tag stating when it originally hit store shelves (it's usually a while tag that says something like SPR14... aka Spring 2014). These guys want stuff that's fairly new-ish, in good condition. Problem is, those are probably the clothes you are still wearing, not the stuff you want to get rid of.
If it's fall, bring in fall/winter things. If it's spring, don't expect these guys to buy your sweaters-- no matter how nice they are.
Keep in mind where the resale store is located. For example, my local Buffalo Exchange is in a fairly young neighborhood. They always seem to buy stuff from Urban Outfitters, Anthropologie, Forever21 or any other store fit for a 20-something. Professional clothes aren't a big thing here; maybe take your old suits or dresses to a resale store in a nearby 'burb.

4. Dress for Success & Other Specialty Organizations

Speaking of professional clothes, you can always donate nice professional clothes to Dress for Success, Career Gear or another organization helping people make a good first impression at a job interview. Dress for Success asks that all items donated are freshly dry-cleaned / laundered and ironed, not more than 5-years-old, and suitable for wearing to job interviews.

Other great organizations: Winter coats can go to One Warm Coat; shoes to Soles for Souls; special occasion gowns to the Glass Slipper Project; toiletries to H ope and Comfort. There are plenty of places who desperately need what you're getting rid of.

5. Yard Sale/Garage Sale

Ah, yes. The garage sale. It always seems like a great idea... until you start working on it. Sorting through your stuff, pricing it all out, displaying things so they look pretty enough to buy, haggling with your neighbors over a Marilyn Monroe mug someone re-gifted you in college... ick. By the end, as you're counting the $93 you made in exchange for 20 hours of hard work, you're thinking, why in the hell did I do this????

However, garage sales can be really fun.

Micheladas and hula hoops! Oh, and a garage sale.

I did a fabulously successful one-day garage sale a few years ago. The key: teaming up with a bunch of friends and making a party out of it. We each brought stuff we wanted to sell to my house (which happened to be the best location for foot traffic). We organized clothing by theme and displayed jewelry on a screen door we found in the garage. We even made a cute changing area with mirrors to encourage people to try stuff on.

And then we offered cookies and coffee (and later, mixed micheladas just for ourselves), blasted music and hung out all day. It was actually pretty fun because we turned it into a social event. And since I had a few higher ticket items (a couch and a rug), I walked away with about $500! Definitely worth the time.

However, if you're just selling clothes, books or a hodgepodge of junk nobody really wants (I'm looking at you, VHS tapes!), will the potential income make the time investment worth your while? You won't sell everything, and most things you'll sell will be purchased at half-price.

What's your time worth? Figure out how many hours you'll put into the sale, then really think about how much you'll potentially make. Is $7 an hour worth the stress? What about $20/hr? $40/hr?

Do you not really care, so long as you're drinking bloody marys and hanging out with your friends? That's perfectly fine, too.

6. Clothing Swap.

I arranged one last winter and it was so, so fun. The gist: invite a bunch of friends over for snacks, wine. Ask them to bring clothes that they like, but don't wear anymore.

My friend Kate suggested we each do a show-and-tell with all of our stuff-- why you love a certain piece of clothing, but don't want it anymore (example: I always loved this dress, but haven't worn it since having a baby; I love how this sweater fits, but I think it's itchy). I thought it was a weird idea, but ended up being rather helpful in seeing potential in what would've been just a big ass pile of clothes on the floor.

As the party host, I offered to bring all unwanted items to Goodwill... which means our casted off goods are probably smashed into a cube somewhere in Detroit right now. :(

7. eBay/Craigslist

Listing things on eBay or Craigslist takes time, but can be great for higher ticket or specialty items. I know it's obvious, but always list Craigslist items with photos and only accept cash payments. Oh, and extra obviously, be careful who you're meeting from Craigslist. Make sure you're not home alone when they check out your Bjornskoog shelf from Ikea (totally made up that Ikea name, but it probably exists).

For eBay, you'll probably be able to get a higher price (you're reading a global vs local audience), just remember you'll need to ship the item, so add in appropriate shipping costs.

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I know a lot of you are apprehensive to get rid of things because of how much they cost or the fact that your donated goods might end up in a landfill. I totally, 100-percent get that.

However, I will leave you with this:

So let's say you drop off a bunch of stuff at Goodwill and it ends up as rags, or shipped around the world where it might just end up as garbage. That sucks. But does it suck more than having it sit at your house, unused, taking up space UNTIL you eventually throw it away?

And who cares how much something cost if you aren't using it? Sell it to someone who will use it and get it the heck out of your face. If no one will buy it, get rid of it anyway.

Sort of related story, I have an uncle who used to eat ALLLL of the leftovers because he didn't like to see food "wasted," even if he didn't want to eat it or was already full. Even if it had been sitting out all day and had mayo in it. At that point, what's the difference between throwing it away and eating it? I will tell you: one makes you fat/gives you food poisoning and the other doesn't.

So... How do you get rid of your crap?

PS Here's how I got rid of a bunch of books, plus check out my awesome before & after closet makeover.

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I'm Trying the KonMari Method & So Far, I Love It

Who needs cookbooks when you have the Internet!

Maybe you've heard of the KonMari method, or the book, The Life-Changing Method of Tidying Up.

It's written by Japanese tidying guru Marie Kondo, who claims not ONE of her de-cluttering clients has ever relapsed. A bold claim!

Organizing does not come easy to me. I'll spend hours picking up. Once done, I sit back, exhale with a big ahhhhhh. Then twenty minutes later, things start collecting in places they shouldn't. The next day, the house is messy again. That's my life, maybe it's yours, too.

So I decided to give Kondo's method a try. She calls it the KonMari Method cause it's like the Branjelina of her own name. Here's the gist:

Tidy All At Once

She doesn't mean do it all in a day, but do it all in a short period of time, like a few weeks. Don't just say, "I'm going to just start with my closet and see how it goes." Commit to doing it all at once.

Tidy One Category at a Time

I LOVE this one. We've all heard that you should tackle one space at a time. Just one shelf. Just one drawer. Just your pantry. The KonMari method says you should tackle one category of items at a time. So ALL of clothes at once, including stuff in storage and things packed away in the guest bedroom closet. ALL papers at once, all the linens at once, all books at once, no matter where you store them in your house. That way, you get a good idea of everything you already have. She suggests categories in the book, so you don't have to think too much about it.

Only Keep What Sparks Joy

It sounds hokey, but this one actually made sense to me once entrenched in my own KonMari-ing. As you're tackling each category, Kondo says you must lay every item on a table or the floor, even if you know you will keep it. Then, pick up each thing. Ask yourself, "Does it spark joy?" If so, keep it. If not, get rid of it... even if it was a gift or meant something to you at one time, but you aren't feeling it now.

It seems weird, but you do feel a spark of joy from some things, and not from others.

She also tells you to talk to your clothes and thank your socks, which I haven't tried yet. Maybe that's just a Japanese thing.

My First Category: Books

Kondo says you should start with clothes because they are the least personal. In my case, I thought books would be easier to deal with, so I worked on those instead.

I know a lot of people LOVE their books. I LIKE my books, but honestly would rather have them all on a Kindle than on shelves. I dunno, these things are heavy and take up a lot of space. And I had them everywhere. Not just on this bookshelf....

Our book organizing style is not Pinterest worthy in anyway.

But in my pantry:

I use these cookbooks all them time... or I just Google recipes. Whatever!

And my kitchen:

And my night stand... and the office... and you get the point.

I tackled magazines, too:

First things first:

I took every book off the shelf and placed it on the floor.

Seeing everything in a big pile was a bit alarming, but probably not as bad as most people.

SIDE NOTE: I left the husband's books unscathed; what he wants to do with his decade-old text books from college that he has literally never looked at since is his decision, not mine. Hint hint, Joshy!).

Do you spark joy? We're about to find out!

Then, I picked up a book about HTML from a class I took five years ago. Hmmm... no spark of joy.

Next, The Abs Diet for Women. No joy.

A Spanish-English Dictionary. Wait. That could be useful. But really, if I wanted to know the word for something in Spanish, would I look at the book or my phone? Definitely phone. Discard pile.

Other books that didn't spark joy? Signed cookbooks I'd never used, books I'd bought years ago and still never got around to reading (buh-bye, I can always find you at the library), and books I'd read and loved but never opened again (I'm looking at you, The Hottest State by Ethan Hawke).

By the end, all I had left where the handful of food-splattered cookbooks (How to Cook Everything, Well Fed & Well Fed 2, plus a few others); a book on Eleanor Roosevelt's life, a few books I'm using to research my Hey Eleanor book proposal, Bruce Campbell's autobiography If Chins Could Kill (I'm in the midst and adore it), a book by my favorite writer, Mary Roach, and a few others. I kept a magazine that included a story about our wedding.

I also had SEVEN bags of crap.

I took six bags to Half Price Books, where I made $60 (always way less than you think, but oh well... I got my nails done with the cash and had some left over for groceries!).

I put about a dozen books in the Little Library down the street from my house. I checked back and most were gone in a day!

I brought along a bag of especially great books to a group of women I meet with monthly-- books I enjoyed, but didn't need anymore. Sharing is caring!

Before:

So many books, so little time. Or really, I just never cared to read them.

After:

Please note, every book on the left side belongs to my husband. Plus, three on the right.

I don't have a single book in my pantry, and my kitchen only has the handful of books I use regularly. I love it!

On deck? My closet, dresser and all those clothes stashed away in the basement. Josh is traveling for work, so it's the perfect time to throw my crap into huge piles and make sense of it. Hopefully one day is enough.

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Have you tried the KonMari Method? What do you think? Any great organizing tips for a gal like me?

PS Did you enjoy this post? I hope so! Sign up to get all my posts delivered to you via email. Easy!

Thinking about decluttering your house using the Konmari Method? Read this first.

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#278. I Got Rid of Most of My Clothes & Feel Awesome About It

Ever opened your closet and declared, I have nothing to wear! Even though your closet is so crammed, you couldn't squeeze a sneeze in there.

Of course you've been there. You are a person.

I've been reading a lot about capsule wardrobes. The gist: You only have about 35 items that you absolutely love in your closet at a time. That's all you wear for a full season (aka 3 months). Sound cool? I was intrigued. Then I started reading the Un-fancy blog and was sold. You can read more about it here.

To me, capsule wardrobes sound both exciting and terrifying.

On the one hand...

I always gravitate toward the same pieces.
Sometimes I'll wear something not because I love it, but from the guilt of owning it and letting it rot in my closet.
Less options means less hemming & hawing when you're getting dressed. It's like a restaurant with too many items on the menu... so overwhelming!
I'm constantly promising myself I'm not gonna buy any more striped t-shirts, then can't pass on the nearly-free striped tees at the Gap (ugh, so many sales!). Cheap stuff adds up to a lot of cashola, especially if you don't really love or wear it.
I love the idea of only wearing clothes I adore. And think about how much time I'd save if I quit shopping as a sport!
Since I am now working from home, I also love the idea of making shopping NOT AN OPTION.

On the other hand...

Will I be judged for wearing the same stuff all the time?
Will I get bored? Will my clothes be boring?!
What if I pick the wrong stuff and hate my wardrobe for 3 months?
What about all the time and money I've invested in my current wardrobe (even if I never wear 50 percent of it)?
And will I end up doing laundry in just a towel because everything I own is dirty?

Though apprehensive, I decided to try it.

Here's why: Paring down your closet forces you to identify what you love. It teaches restraint and thriftiness. Theoretically, it lessens your stress and ups your confidence.

But...

What I love the most is how this makes you set standards. It forces you to look at every pair of jeans or shirt and think, "if I could only have one, would this be it?" If we applied that thought process to our romantic relationships, jobs, friendships, travel, everything, do you think we'd all be happier? I think so.

So I purged most of my TINY closet (oh, old houses, you're so quaint!). I am a little ashamed of these before photos, but here they are.

BEFORE

I took every item of clothing out of my closet & dresser and sorted it into four piles:

LOVE
LIKE
OVER IT, BUT NICE
HOLY $#!T WHAT WAS I THINKING

Once I'd sorted everything, I was shocked. Only 15-ish things in the LOVE pile.

What have I been buying?!

The LOVE stuff went back into the closet. LIKE stuff went into a big plastic tub in the basement (I have two: fall/winter & spring/summer). The OVER IT, BUT NICE stuff went to Buffalo Exchange where I sold it and made $140! The HSWWIT pile went to Goodwill.

AFTER

A year ago, I sequestered all of my shoes into our guest bedroom because I ran out of space. Here, I've selected 8 lucky pairs and moved them back into my closet. Hi, old friends!

And here is my TINY yet roomy closet:

Five nicely folded garments on the shelf:

AFTER: 5 measly items sitting on a shelf.

Stuff I love, just hanging in my closet.

AFTER: Two jackets, a scarf and a sweater. That's it.

WOW THIS FEELS GOOD!

There was, however, one item in my LOVE pile that didn't return to the closet.

If you've seen me any time between September and late April, I was probably wearing my favorite sweater. I've lived in this cardigan for at least four years.

I am obsessed with it.

It's like my own sartorial Velveteen Rabbit (though I hope it never comes alive because that would be creepy).

She's a Monet: Great from a distance, but up close it's a mess.

These days, the cardigan is ragged and pilly, with a spots from spilled coffee and probably wine. She's no longer fit for public outings, so I'm putting her to pasture in the most respectable way.

Per Sarah Von Bargen's suggestion, I made her my house sweater.

Thank you for being there, sweater. I dedicate this song to you.

As of right now, I'm on a personal shopping freeze through December 31.

So far, I am actually loving it. Prior to the freeze, I did purchase a few new items to round out my winter wardrobe, but in general, I feel so light an unencumbered. It's a good feeling.

I'll be posting pics of my wardrobe & outfits starting next week. EEEK!

* * *

PS This isn't the first time I've tackled fashion. Remember when I wore that god awful hot pink jumpsuit (sold it to Buffalo Exchange, btw!), or waited in an hour-plus line for over-priced yoga clothes, OR my favorite... PRESS-ON nails!

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Links I Love

After staying up way past my bedtime last night (#Halloween), I'm patting myself on the back for mustering the energy to shower, order Vietnamese food and watch an edited for TV version of Pretty Woman. Some days, it's best to set the bar low.

Anyhow... here's some great stuff from the Internet.

Living an awesome life isn't always easy... but it's worth it.

I'm on a de-crapifying kick. Getting rid of stuff is overwhelming, but is oh-so-satisfying. I found lots of inspiration in this NY Times article about Japanese decluttering guru Marie Kondo.

New-ish blog alert. Love this collaboration of smart & funny Minnesota ladies.

I don't really understand what to do with scarves, especially the big ones. Bookmarking this tutorial on 3 ways to wear a blanket scarf.

Interesting read: why some stress might be good for you.

Remember last week when I wished that more of today's horror movies were actually good? I found this list of new-ish scary flicks that purportedly deliver! Excited/nervous to check them out.

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If you like these links, you might like following me on Twitter & Instagram, where I'm always sharing the coolest, scariest, funnest stuff I find on the web. See ya there!

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