Day 23 - Coats {Net Zero Decluttering Challenge} | From Overwhelmed to Organized: Day 23 - Coats {Net Zero Decluttering Challenge}

Wednesday, December 23, 2015

Day 23 - Coats {Net Zero Decluttering Challenge}




Have you ever felt overwhelmed during the month of December with all the stuff that enters your home? The trick I've found helps me is to declutter throughout the month. Will you join me in the Net Zero Decluttering Challenge?

Each day this month I'll share some decluttering tips and ideas so you can end the month with the same number of items in your home (or maybe even less!) than what you started the month with.

Today I'm sharing tips on decluttering your coats and jackets.


Today's Suggested Decluttering Task


If you're having guests over during the holidays, you'll want to be able to hang their coats.  So now is the perfect time to declutter your coats!  That way you'll have space for your guests' outerwear.  And if you end up laying a bunch of coats on your bed or a spare bed, at least you won't have as many to move :)

Here are a few tips:

  • Give away any coats that haven't been worn in the past year
  • Donate jackets that don't fit anyone
  • Store off-season coats in another part of your home (this isn't really decluttering in the true sense of the word, but it will help you feel less overwhelmed by your closet!)
  • Throw away jackets that are ripped, torn, worn, have zippers that don't work, etc. 
  • Think about how many coats each family member needs for each season and pare down to that number (for example for winter:  1 dressy coat, 1 school/work coat and 1 ski jacket/extra warm coat for playing in the snow)


That should create some space in your entry closet!  And there are a lot of people who can really use coats at this time of year so you'll be helping someone else with your donations, rather than having them sit in your closet all year, rarely being used.

Here are some more tips to help you declutter your shoes and boots:


And if you'd like to organize your coats, here are some tips:



Decluttering My Coats and Jackets


I bought a new winter jacket this fall because my old winter jacket had a broken zipper and had become kind of thin from washing it a few too many times (it was really old and got dirty easily).  So now it's gone.


My Progress in the #NetZeroClutter challenge


I finally had a zero in day today!  First time in a week.  And probably the last one for awhile :)  However, I realized today that I didn't count our advent calendars earlier this month.  We have 3 chocolate ones.  So I'll count those as "in" items today.

I decluttered 1 DVD and 12 Christmas thank you cards (they're cute but I've had them for years and I'm not really a thank you note sending kind of person... and most of our gifts are from close family members so we just thank them in person).
So that puts me at -10 items today in the #NetZeroClutter challenge and -376 overall.  I'm so much more aware of what is coming in our home now than I ever have been, thanks to this challenge and having to count every day.  



What's Next For You?


Take some time today to declutter your coats and jackets.  Or anything you'd like to declutter!  Take some pictures and share your progress on social media using the hashtag #NetZeroClutter.  Let me know how you're doing in the challenge so I can cheer you on!

Sign up to receive my blog posts by email so you get each day's post in your email inbox every morning.  You can unsubscribe after the challenge is over if you don't want to continue receiving my blog posts by email.




I'd also love for you to join our 365 Items in 365 Days Facebook group as you do this challenge!  You'll be able to share with others what you're decluttering and feel encouraged and inspired by everyone else who is also decluttering!

If you'd like more decluttering ideas, you can check out my Decluttering/Purging Tips & Ideas board on Pinterest.



So that's today's post in the Net Zero Decluttering Challenge!  I'm enjoying doing this challenge and I'm excited to have you join me.  I love hearing all the stories of how much more you're enjoying your holidays because you're not overwhelmed by all the stuff in your home!

How many coats or jackets did you let go of today?  How can you keep your closet from becoming cluttered?


Happy organizing decluttering!



I link up at these great parties - Check them out!

Here are all the posts in this challenge in case you missed any or want to share some with your friends or family!