A recent revamp of my house gave be pause for thought. I hadn’t realised quite how many clothes I had managed to accumulate and seeing them all in one place was a sobering experience. With garments, shoes and accessories split between several rooms and cupboards I had not realised just how much I owned and it was clearly time to change my ways.
The Wardrobe
I had always dreamed of a walk in wardrobe having had the privilege of trying them out during several holidays in America. The convenience of having everything in one place adjacent to the bedroom was too much to resist and so my unused fourth bedroom became an impressive new wardrobe.
Major Project
I wish that I could have achieved this feat with the wave of a magic wand but it was a bit more hassle than that! The project involved demolishing fitted cupboards, knocking through a wall, a lot of plastering and fitting rails but I was very pleased with the results. The bedroom was refurbished at the same time as was the spare room, necessitating the amassing of all of my clothes in one place whilst the work was completed.
Scaling Down
I was truly shocked at the enormous pile before me. I am not talking Imelda Marcos here but I did have a lot of stuff for someone who works from home and doesn’t particularly like shopping! Clearly I had far more clothes than I needed and so it was time for a clear out and a of change attitude. I got busy on eBay and made several trips to the charity shop before I arrived at the point where I could squeeze all of by belongings into the new wardrobe. They are all in now (just) but I have decided that henceforth I will only ever buy something if I absolutely love it whether it is a bargain or not. The tactic has clearly worked as in a little under a year I have purchased only a handful of items. (I had to have the Marco Tozzi boots and the Desigual top!)
The Money
Don’t get me wrong I enjoy having great clothes but I don’t need a vast collection and the amount I had spent on them was scary. I had time to contemplate what else I could have done with the money and decided that some extra holidays and further improvements to the house just might be better value.
Super Shopper
I was comforted to read about Tess Stimson this week in the Daily Mail. She had also installed a walk in wardrobe but had a collection that made me look positively miserly. With 31ft of hanging space, 16 shelves for shoes and 12 shelves of jumpers she could open a shop and certainly doesn’t need to visit one. She has also decided to scale back her shopping habits and I am sure that we are not alone.
It is nice to have a great collection of clothes and accessories but a great collection does not have to mean one that would fill an Amazon distribution centre. By limiting your purchasing you have far more spare cash not to mention a lot more room. My tidying up has been so effective that even my partner’s gadgets and prized guitar have found a home for the first time in years!
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Article by Sally Stacey