Today, author Paty Jager lets us into her closet and shares her secret for keeping her wardrobe under control. Hint: she has an amazing daughter!
Paty, several of your author friends on this Resolve 2013 tour would like to hire her.
My oldest daughter has watched a television show that deals with making your house tidy. And being a minimalist herself, she is always willing to help me clean out closets and cupboards. But she is one brutal helper. She’ll pick up a garment and ask, “When did you last wear this?” If it takes me more than five seconds to say when I wore it or if it was over a year, she tosses it into the thrift store pile.
She does the same with other items I may have stored in a drawer or cupboard. “When was the last time you used this?” If I take too long to remark, it’s tossed into the thrift pile. Having her help keeps me from pulling it back out as we bag or box the items. This makes me sound like a hoarder but I’m not. I really don’t keep much, but I do tend to buy items that I use once. I’ll purchase a nice dress for a wedding and then not have another place to wear it. Or shoes that only go with one outfit and that’s the outfit that I wore to a wedding. Same with other items. I’ve bought serving dishes for special occasions then don’t use them again.
Using my daughter’s five second toss has eliminated a lot of things from my house and made money for charities.
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Spread the word, THE RESOLUTION TOUR – January 1 – 9, 2013, is off and running! If any of the resolutions below sound familiar, you might want to check them out:
Maggie Jaimeson – Take a Vacation
Jessa Slade – Get Organized
Paty Jager – Volunteerism
Linda Mercury – Creating a Literary (or Creative) Life
Jenna Bayley-Burke – Eat Healthier
Cassiel Knight – No More Procrastination
Cathryn Cade – Take Time for those OTHER Creative Passions
Susan Lute – Reduce Stress: Find and Follow Your Bliss
Posted by Maggie Jaimeson on January 6, 2013 at 11:00 am
Wow, Paty. This is brutal! I’m afraid if your daughter came to my house, I’d be left with four items of clothing: a bra, underwear, a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. Not because I never wear the other items in my closet, but because I wouldn’t be able to remember when I last wore them within five seconds.
My memory aside, I do think that some time limit on tossing is a great idea and a time limit on when you wore it last or used it last. I use something like that myself, but it’s a two year limit–just for that dress I bought for a special occasion. I may not wear it again in one year, but I might in two.
Posted by Jamie Brazil on January 6, 2013 at 3:05 pm
My time limit is a decade
Posted by Paty Jager on January 6, 2013 at 4:21 pm
Maggie, with my daughter helping me it sure does keep my clutter down! And I agree, sometimes I have to take it back and say, I WILL be attending a function next year where I can wear it.
Posted by Jamie Brazil on January 6, 2013 at 4:24 pm
That’s right, Paty. Take it back from the pile, cost average on the wears per item
Wait, this isn’t good advice, is it?
Posted by Jamie Brazil on January 6, 2013 at 3:09 pm
Like Maggie, there are certain pieces of clothing I wear constantly. I’m trying to move past this and mix it up a little. So while I wouldn’t sit down at the computer in a dress, I’d like to eventually ditch the yoga pants I ALWAYS wear. A few weeks back I removed all hoodies from my closet in favor one cosy sweater wrap from Lucy. I’m liking the simplicity.
Posted by Paty Jager on January 6, 2013 at 4:23 pm
Jamie and Maggie, I have T-shirts, jeans, and sweatshirts I wear all the time and a section in my closet that I call my “signing/branding” clothes. Those I don’t let her touch because it may be 4-6 months between those types of events and I can’t remember when I wore it last, but they stay for the next “special” event.
Posted by donnamshields on January 6, 2013 at 3:52 pm
Wow. What a great idea. I wish my daughter would come over and implement a 5 second rule. I’m bad about finding reasons to keep needless things.
Posted by Paty Jager on January 6, 2013 at 4:24 pm
Donna, It does help to have someone else who isn’t as connected to an object help you with it comes to deciding what to keep and what to toss.
Posted by stephanieberget on January 6, 2013 at 6:13 pm
What a great idea and a great daughter. I’d have to have more than 5 seconds to remember though. I can’t remember my name in 5 seconds.
Posted by Paty Jager on January 6, 2013 at 6:30 pm
Stephanie, I have to really think hard sometimes and give a good reason why it shouldn’t be tossed. LOL
Posted by Jessa Slade on January 6, 2013 at 7:15 pm
I inherit a lot of hand-me-downs from my mom, sister and a friend who is mostly the same size as me. I think I’m their enabler when it comes to trimming their closets AND buying more stuff!
Posted by Paty Jager on January 6, 2013 at 11:25 pm
LOL Jessa, my mother in law gets lots of clothes and shoes from a woman she works for and when she doesn’t want it she brings them to me . This woman is 90 years old, so, while they are expensive clothes they aren’t western. ;0)
Posted by Jamie Brazil on January 7, 2013 at 10:09 pm
Are the VINTAGE clothes? Would love to see them!
Posted by Paty Jager on January 7, 2013 at 10:25 pm
No, they aren’t vintage. She buys only the best old lady clothes. ;0) I haven’t wore polyester pants since my last pregnancy 30 years ago.
Posted by Jamie Brazil on January 7, 2013 at 10:38 pm
I love vintage, but not polyester. Guess I’m safe then
Posted by Caroline Clemmons on January 6, 2013 at 7:26 pm
Paty, my husband and I cleaned out bookshelves this afternoon. I had books I’d been intending to read for years. I gave in and we’re taking then to our local charity. What they don’t sell they send to Goodwill. So, either way, someone deserving gets the money even though it won’t be much. I would love to borrow your daughter, too. Both of ours are pack rats like their parents. ☺
Posted by Jamie Brazil on January 6, 2013 at 7:51 pm
Youre off to great start, Caroline.
Posted by Paty Jager on January 6, 2013 at 11:26 pm
Caroline, that’s a good way to give someone else the enjoyment from the books. My daughter helped me clean out my book case too, so I could get more research books on the shelves.
Posted by Jessie on January 6, 2013 at 8:43 pm
I will be asking to see a photo of your daughter at the next chapter meeting. If I ever see her knocking at my door, I will barricade myself
Posted by Paty Jager on January 6, 2013 at 11:27 pm
ROFL Jessie! She rarely gets to Portland so you should be safe!
Posted by Genene on January 6, 2013 at 9:02 pm
And then there’s me who finally decides to get rid of something and needs it the next day. LOL!
I have trimmed a lot in the past few years, though, and will narrow “stuff” down even more as my doggies and I prepare to move. I don’t want to have a caravan of forty trucks to move all our “stuff”!
Posted by Paty Jager on January 6, 2013 at 11:29 pm
Oh Genene! I know what you mean! I had that problem the time before when my daughter helped me clean out the closet. A month later I was putting together an outfit for an event and couldn’t find a shirt I always wore with a certain jacket. After going through the closet twice I remembered it had been tossed because my daughter said it was an unflattering cut…
Posted by ellaquinnauthor on January 6, 2013 at 9:30 pm
My husband is a little like your daughter. The difference is he’ll go through everyone elses stuff and dig in his heals when it comes to his own. He tried to get rid of our son’s letter jacket, when he still had his.
Posted by Paty Jager on January 6, 2013 at 11:31 pm
LOL Ella! That sounds like my husband! He still has his FFA jacket and lots of photos that I keep asking him to put in a photo album or something than the boxes that are stacked beside his desk.
Posted by collettecameronromanceauthor on January 6, 2013 at 10:43 pm
I’m a purger but still have too much stuff. One of the things I’m going do this year is toss at least 10 things a month.
I’m chuckling at Ella’s reply. Are we married to brothers?
Posted by Paty Jager on January 6, 2013 at 11:32 pm
Collette, wow, 10 things a month. I don’t think I have that many things I could get rid of. But then I have a daughter who purges my house every time she visits. Not sure what’s going to happen now that she’ll be living 20 minutes away instead of 4 hours….
Posted by Jamie Brazil on January 7, 2013 at 10:11 pm
I’m with you on the ten tings a month. Right now I have eight sitting in a bag.
Posted by Lyn horner on January 7, 2013 at 1:08 pm
My goodness, your daughter is a whiz but also scary. I wouldn’t dare let my daughter follow her example. If she used the 5-second rule on me I’d have nothing left. I am a bit of a horder, at least about some things like my tin collection, china I use maybe once a year, clothes I haven’t worn in years. Hmm, maybe I should turn my daughter loose around here. Shivering in my boots at the thought!
Posted by Paty Jager on January 7, 2013 at 3:46 pm
Lyn, it is scary but afterwards a bit uplifting to not have so much clutter.