Can Organizing Your Closet Save You Money?

Most of us aren’t blessed with a professional organizer under our employment, so arranging our closets can be a challenge. Hangers get tangled, clothes fall off the hangers and you forget you have certain things because they’re crammed into a container on the floor. We’d all like walk-in closets not only so we could fill the space with more clothes, but so we could actually see everything we own at once! It would be impossible for us to say we had nothing to wear when surrounded by our clothes.

But most of us don’t have 300 square feet for our clothes. We shop because we love it, we buy duplicate items on accident and we buy things only to forget them. Is there anything we can do while we wait for our walk-in closet prince to come rescue us?

These tips for organizing your closet can maximize the wardrobe you already have and curb your accidental spending.

1. Use one type of hanger.

Using one kind of hanger levels the playing field for all the clothes you own. Using different hangers may make you gravitate towards certain clothes over others. The clothes also hang at different lengths when using different hangers and makes your closet appear messy. And don’t stores use all the same hangers? Opening your closet should feel like you’re selecting an outfit from your personal store.

Bonus tip: Whenever you’ve worn something, turn the hanger the opposite direction. If an item is not turned around after three weeks you should get rid of it. Every item of your wardrobe should be utilized.

2. Hang up everything you can.

Making all the items as visible as possible is very important. This keeps you from buying duplicates or items that are similar. You might think you need a pair of black pants, but they’ve been sitting behind your jeans all along. Space the hangers evenly apart and arrange them. From left to right you may want to start with athletic pants, then dress pants, then jeans. Halfway through your closet you can begin with tank tops, blouses, sweatshirts and coats.

If you can’t hang up everything, don’t panic; there are other plans for that. Don’t smash everything together so you can’t slide the hangers. If you have to pick and choose what you hang and what you fold, hang up your favorite clothing items for the easiest access and the least amount of wrinkles.

3. Use clear containers or shelves.

For the other items that won’t fit in the closet, use clear containers or shelves so that they’re still visible. There may be items that you don’t need to see, like your layering tank tops, swimsuits and athletic wear. But for t-shirts and sweatshirts, fold neatly and put on top of each other so the color or print is visible in the container or on the shelf.

4. Switch to buying season-less items.

When you do go shopping and find something you really like, make sure you not only ask yourself, “Will I wear this,” but, “Will I wear this all the time?” A fur jacket may be beautiful, but it’s probably only wearable for a month out of the year. The change of the seasons mean you should layer more or less. Stick to solids and classic prints with only the occasional fun splurge.

5. Purge, purge, purge.

Continually sorting through your clothes ensures that you’ll have your ideal wardrobe eventually. The clothes you don’t wear take up space and distract you from picking outfits. Getting dressed shouldn’t be stressful. You’ll find that your favorite outfits to wear are the ones that take the least amount of time to put together. When you have the best wardrobe you’ve ever had, make a vow to stop shopping for awhile so you can appreciate it.

What if you followed all these tips but you bought a gray shirt when you already had one? And the dress with the tags on it that you bought a year ago? Don’t panic too much. Return it, re-gift it, or find a consignment shop in your town.

Organizing your closet might not be the most fun thing on your weekend to-do list, but the final product will put you at ease and stop some pointless shopping.

By the way, if you do decide to shop for a deal on clothes, you can save some money shopping online using Ebates.com.

Do you need to clean out your closet? Think it will help you curb your spending? Leave a comment!