I bought a pretty green velvet dress for a holiday party 19 years ago, and since then I have worn it a grand total of once (to a Kentucky Derby party). Because it’s so flouncy and fluffy and formal, I never thought of wearing it just to go out to dinner, or any other ordinary occasion. It felt more like a dress-up costume. So it has mostly just been sitting at the back of my closet gathering dust.
I’ve decided that even though the dress is pretty, anything that gets so little use is clutter and should be donated to the thrift store, where it can be bought by someone who loves it and will wear it more often. That will give me space in my closet for new things I’ll enjoy and use more. Although I don’t yet know what those new arrivals may be, I feel that by disposing of old things I no longer cherish, I am putting a stop to stagnation and inviting fresh positive energy into my life!
About Clutter Comedy: Every Sunday (which I envision as a day of rest after a productive week of de-cluttering) I post a Clutter Comedy article describing my most memorable clutter discovery of the week. Other bloggers who wish to join in are welcome—just post a link in the comments! There’s no need to publish any “before” photos of your clutter, if they are too embarrassing. The idea is simply to get motivated to clean it up, while having a bit of fun too!
I need to go through my closet!! But it keeps being put off for something more pressing and well I will confess, more fun to do 🙂 Which it really isn’t hard to find something more fun to do 🙂 You help encourage me!
Glad to be of help! And honestly, if I tried to go through all my stuff at once, I’m sure I would also find something more fun to do. 🙂 That’s why I decided to pick out one item of clutter at a time. The weekly blog schedule keeps me accountable for making regular progress, and I can look back at the posts and see that I’ve accomplished something; but there is no pressure to do it all right away, so it doesn’t feel like a chore.
I have one like that, wine red velvet, still hanging at the back of my closet…need to go say hello to it 🙂
Hi Tiny! My dress is now in the trunk of my car and ready to go to the thrift store this afternoon, along with a few other things, so I am feeling virtuous today. 🙂
Great idea! I am obsessed with the one thing in, one (or two!) things out principle. Although sadly not comedic, I bought a few new pillows for the guest bed and am getting rid of four that were too terrible to allow a guest to spend Christmas vacation on. I like this Sunday ritual! That dress is awesome 🙂
Annie, I have to confess I’ve been guilty of keeping terrible pillows myself, and I wrote a post about it this summer, though not in the clutter series.
http://megevans.com/2014/06/26/seen-and-unseen-nurturing-thursday