Kathi’s expert advice has been featured in national media outlets including Oprah Magazine, Martha Stewart Living and Better Homes and Gardens, Entrepreneur Magazine, and more. As the author of 2 books, Kathi has also developed several online courses to help clients get better organized and energized in all areas of their home, life, and business.
Check out all of the systems you can use here

Kathi’s expert advice has been featured in national media outlets including Oprah Magazine, Martha Stewart Living and Better Homes and Gardens, Entrepreneur Magazine, and more. 

As the author of 2 books, Kathi has also developed several online courses to help clients get better organized and energized in all areas of their home, life, and business.
Check out more systems you can use here

Kathi’s expert advice has been featured in national media outlets including Oprah Magazine, Martha Stewart Living and Better Homes and Gardens, Entrepreneur Magazine, and more. 

As the author of 2 books, Kathi has also developed several online courses to help clients get better organized and energized in all areas of their home, life, and business.
Check out all of the systems you can use here

Situation: My client had fluctuating weight issues and did not want to get rid of any clothes in the off chance that her size changed. She had massive amounts of clothes that were too big and clothes that were too small. This created a major problem.  She had so many clothes that she could not walk into or even put a foot into her walk-in closet!

Over the course of 30 years, she had also added gift bags, memorabilia and more unrelated items to this huge closet.

Solution: We slowly dug our way into her closet by pulling out bins and sorting into donate, save for future and wear now outfits. We also moved all gift items to another closet that was set up as a gift closet.

In order to determine which clothes to keep I asked this client several questions.
1.    Do you still like the style?
2.    Can you see yourself wearing this now?
3.    Do you think it will flatter you once you do lose or gain weight?
4.    Is it as good as you are?
5.    Does this item fit your current lifestyle and figure?

My point with question number 4 is this: if any article of clothing is cheaply made, ill-fitting or simply worn out – should it really take up precious space in your closet? You are all better than old, tired, ill-fitting and worn out clothes! I leanred this one from my mother. She never had much money growing up but she always wore clothes that fit well and were clean and pressed. She spent a lot of time learning how to sew and alter her clothes for her body and even more time at the ironing board.

In this era, most of us do not have the time to sew and press but we can still follow mom’s example and pay to have our clothes tailored and pressed. It makes a HUGE impact on how you feel and how you are acknowledged in the world.

When you ask yourself question number #5, be honest. Most often the clothes we purchased over 5 years ago have nothing to do with our current attitudes or lifestyle.

By the time this closet was organized, we had one bin of small clothes and one bin of oversize clothes tucked away for possible future reference.
The only clothes saved were ones that were perfect for her coloring and current lifestyle as a retired world traveler.

The only clothes that remained hanging in her closet were items that fit her now. This way, she could walk in and feel good about herself and easily find a perfect outfit to wear in a snap!

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  1. Great job Kathi! An uncluttered closet is an important factor in our attitude and how we start each day.
    Thanks, I look forward to hearing more.
    Pat

    1. I am glad to be of service. If you get stuck with a specific, feel free to leave another comment online and I will try to help!

  2. I needed this right now as I go through my home top-to-bottom as I reconstruct my life. Clothing will be one of the next areas to tackle. Any extra advice for the newly divorcing older woman?

    1. Since you are newly divorced, you are probably in the midst of redefining your life. This is the perfect time to dive in and make significant and pre-meditated changes in your life!

      My main piece of advice is to sit quietly for a bit and look deep inside for the type of new life you want to create for yourself. Visualize yourself surrounded by the things that make you happy. See yourself letting go of the old habits and all possessions that no longer serve you.

      You are a new and different person now. Many of the items that are in your life now are no longer relevant and that is exciting! Let go of every item that reminds you of less then happy thoughts. Where there is ample space, there is major energy and a huge potential for growth. As you go through your home and wardrobe be diligent. If you look at something that you have not used for a long time, don’t keep it if the only reason in your head is that “you might need it someday.” Simply let it go and give yourself extra room to grow. Space is magical and the more you create for yourself right now, the easier it will be for you to move forward boldly.

      As you sort through your closet, think about the new image you want to create for yourself. It could be that many of your old clothes will not support that new and powerful vision of yourself. Let all of those clothes go. It is better to have a wardrobe with fewer clothes that speak to who you are now, than a closet crammed full of clothes that do not support your new image and freedom. Most of us only wear 20% of the clothes we own anyhow so don’t be timid about letting 80% of what you own go. If you have interview appropriate clothes, consider donating them to Dress For Success.

      Make your new life juicy with just enough of the old to be comfortable and a huge amount of room for many new and unexpected things to enter.

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