Post 6/ Gifting New Life to Excessive Accessory
Photograph of Tori’s Clothes, Post Tidying taken by Tori Klotz'
2024, An example of the closet organized with items organized so it slopes from left bottom to right up.
“Arrange your clothes so that they rise to the right. Hang heavy items on the left side of the closet and light items on the right.”
— Marie Kondo
The calculation
Days tidying: 3
items tossing: 8
items donating: 135
items selling: 49
items kept: 309 (all clothing and any accessory to be worn on the body
Total items tidied: 501
Total $ from sold tidied goods:
$ 179.17 [I sold this amount worth of goods on poshmark, so fast!]
My tidying cost equation:
(sold tidied items) - (tidying supplies cost) = net cost:
$179.17 - $417.27 (last weeks costs - new earnings) = (-238.10)
The confidence I can complete this project:
70%. Life is big and I’m getting excited about winter camping. The holidays draw near and I’m going back to work. My focus remains high, but I’m also aware of the balance of different priorities ahead. They may take time away from this joy.
What does it mean to give new life to items tidied?
This question drove my week ahead as I tackled tidying a total of 501 things. (Yay for alliterations).
As I pondered this question, while needing only one composting trash bag for items tossed, and putting my duct tape color code system for my boxes to good use, a metaphor hit close to home. My husband had a second seizure. Fortunately, we were not alone again and we got to lean on the support of Jared’s sister and partner in our visit to the ER. But this time, thinking about new life in the context of our actual lives got me thinking.
As we reeled with the new reality that epilepsy and medications are now part of our newfound reality, we embrace new life. It certainly has slowed us down to smell the flowers. And we’re ok. We choose not to live in fear. Every moment, every warm and wet kiss on the cheekbone and the fluffy part of your cheek, every hug we feel, every laugh and funny sound, every shared moment of everything – the smell in the air and the feeling of the room. This is life.
And so I thought about the new life my clothes and accessories get to live. Will they get to smell the fresh flowers in someone else’s closet? They have the chance to go off and be loved, living everyday like every moment is its last, weathering and being worn, like it’s supposed to be. Being given more and more chances to be grateful for every moment after seizure, we give more chances for our items that we didn’t love, to go off to a new home to live the right way and be reminded of how they could be loved.
So here’s the report on how giving new life to my clothes and accessories went this week:
Poshmark is amazing! They partner with USPS for free shipping of your sold item. You can literally walk into any USPS, share that you’re a Poshmark seller, and take as many flat rate, red, white, and blue boxes as you need and stockpile them up for your next sales. In my first week on Poshmark, I sold $179.17 of clothes and accessories, and counting. A few folks have asked for clothing cleaning instructions (probably to double click that my information on the material is accurate) and have requested follow up messages for more photos. I am keenly aware that Poshmark might take a little more effort than I initially planned.
Donating at my local shelter was well received. Loading the car with 8 boxes and finding the right time to drop off when volunteers were working was a priority. And by the way, my box theory proved to be correct. The 12x12x26 shape allowed me to put 5 in my hatch back and 3 on the backseat, with spare room. Remember: any jacket or piece of clothing that would be extra beneficial in your area might be impactful to donate rather than sell. In my case, up here in da North, eh? Jackets, socks, and boots were welcome with big arms.
Tossing items was minimal. If you’re good at stashing and organizing in the first place, like me, then you likely don’t have much trash. Instead, you might be fighting the fact that you’re, in fact, a hoarder yet just a really good stasher in your organizational storage bins - storage being something Marie Kondo refers to as “just prisons within which to bury possessions that spark no joy.” I found a few holey or no matched socks, broken gym wrist protection, and a few cheap gloves with no pair that I tossed.
Trashie. I’m gonna save this recycle company tool for when I get to blankets and heavier materials that can be reused. If you’re interested in trying it yourself, I’d order it now so it arrives. They take a long time to ship.
Not to mention – my closet is feeling lighter after put away! Ok. We will certainly have a whole other blogging section on Put Away. In fact, in the KonMari Method, Put Away is not supposed to happen until the very end of tidying your whole space. But, how are we supposed to live and function with all our loved clothes that we keep in our tidying workspace not hung up, while we go back to our work weeks?! I’m down for this whole marathon thing, but we need some breaks, Marie. So, I began to put my clothes back in their closet, folding, hanging, and vertically standing the KonMari way. Check out my photos below for my closet with space between all the hangers. And! I switched from color coded to organized by purpose. Marie says, “Arrange your clothes so that they rise to the right. Hang heavy items on the left side of the closet and light items on the right.” Our closet is feeling quite light.
How were your weeks tidying up clothes and accessories?
We’d love to hear your experience in the comments.
If I’m being totally frank with you, I’m still working on my accessories. Jewelry, belts, sunglasses and headbands are gonna be tidied alongside my books this week. But it did feel good to get through and organize my hats and gloves and winter seasonal wear, as those cold temperatures draw near.
Good luck in the week ahead with books. I’m gonna start tomorrow, Tuesday October 22, with bringing my bookshelf to the middle of my tidying space in the living room, setting up an AbeBooks account, and making sure I know from my partner which books are the most valuable to sell.
The "Preparation"
Optional Items to Purchase
Trashie | The Take Back Recycle Bag
I got the 3 pack for $60. In two sentences, Trashie re-allocates fibers based on quality and grade for best usage in the world based on season, worker, and cultural need. They use a best-in-class data system to categorize your shipment by quality and re-use it, how their network of clothing material partners best see fit. For a much better understanding, indulge yourself in this much needed, impressive, and impactful company. [$60.00 for three].
Tasks To Do
Begin your book gathering from all places in the home, including kitchen cookbooks, electronic manuals, and coffee table books. It’s time to take off every book from the bookshelf and touch each one.
Gather, Ship Off, and Sell any of your sold goods on Poshmark or third party, second hand sites.
Create an AbeBooks Account.
