One drawer would not close. It kept popping back out, and Tara’s Life Edit ended up on the floor with a hanger, fishing for whatever was jammed in the back. That was the moment she stopped and asked a question many of us know too well: “Can anyone explain to me how my drawers got like this?”
Then she answered it herself. “Actually, never mind. I know exactly how they got like this.”
“I Would Buy Clothes Simply Because They Came In My Size”
Tara says she has far too many clothes she does not wear. Some she forgot she owned, and others she has held onto “for absolutely no apparent reason.”
As a plus size woman, she explains, she bought clothes for years simply because they came in her size. “Not necessarily because I love the clothes, but because they were my style. Psych, they were not my style, but because they fit, basically.”
Many of those pieces were a little “grandma chic” for her, and she now sees it as survival mode thinking. “When you’re used to having limited options, sometimes you start believing that you have to take whatever is available.”
She is done with that. “I want clothes that I actually like, clothes that make me feel good, not just clothes that happen to fit my body.”
“If It’s Free, It’s For Me” Was Her Shopping Rule
Her second confession is about sales. If something cost $5 or less, she says she felt it was her responsibility to bring it home. “Don’t let it be like 99 cents, girl. If it’s free, it’s for me.”
It did not matter whether she needed it or already owned three in the same color. “Baby, it was on sale.”
Her new lesson is one she repeated on camera for emphasis. “Just because something is affordable doesn’t mean it’s necessary. And if I’m not wearing it, did I really save any money? The answer is no.”
Shirts, Socks And Bras With Holes Were Still In The Drawers
Once the drawers were open, the real problem showed. Shirts with holes, socks with holes and underwear that had “clearly seen better days” were still being kept.
The bras were worse, with bent hooks and a big hole in one. “At this point, the bra is tired. I am tired and we both need to move on.”
She said it is easy to get so used to making things work that we forget we are allowed to replace what has worn out. That does not mean buying a whole new wardrobe, she adds. It just means “recognizing that something has served its purpose.”
Her Folding Method Had Slipped, And Laundry Piled Up On The Bed
Tara says she used to fold her clothes with the KonMari method, with every item upright where she could see it. Then she got lazy. She would do laundry, feel tired, stuff it in a drawer and promise to fix it later, or stack it on the bed “till you can’t sleep on your own bed and you’re living on the couch.”
“Apparently later is today,” she says. That led to her biggest realization about organizing: “Sometimes you’re just trying to organize too much stuff.” She says the trouble is rarely a lack of organizing skill.
Six Drawers Produced A Mountain Of Trash And Almost Nothing For Goodwill
When she finished, the drawers looked amazing, she says. She had so much trash and no donation pile, because the items were socks, underwear, bras and shirts with holes, too personal and too worn to give away.
She held up a bag of garbage from those six drawers and called it crazy. She was left with about eight pairs of socks. She also kept older gym clothes that have no holes, saying “they work just fine right now,” and plans to replace them later.
She Found $20 In A Card And Put It Toward Prints For Her Curtains
Her reward was found money. She turned up a $2 bill she believes her mom gave her, and a card from her sister with a $20 bill inside, tucked in with some Christmas cards from nieces and nephews.
She considered putting the money back in the drawer, then thought, “For what? It ain’t gonna serve me in there.” Instead it went into her savings challenge, which she says now stands at $45. That brings her closer to buying prints to go with her curtains.
How To Do Your Own Drawer Edit
You do not need a free weekend for this. The same approach works in any bedroom, and Tara’s experience points to a few simple steps.
- Take everything out of one drawer at a time, so the job stays small.
- Sort into keep, donate and trash. Worn underwear, socks and anything with holes belongs in the trash.
- Ask yourself when you last wore each item and whether you bought it because you loved it or because it was cheap or available.
- Fold upright so you can see everything at a glance, and give each type of clothing its own spot.
- Check pockets and cards while you work, since forgotten cash turns up more often than you would think.
Tara’s closing question is a good one to try at home. “What did you declutter today?” Her promise is simple: “If I can do it, you can do it.”
More Stories You May Like
- HotHands Rechargeable Hand Warmers Are Recalled Because The Battery Can Overheat And Ignite, Right As Football And Cold Season Starts, And They Cannot Go In Regular Trash
- Retired Texan Takes A Second Pass At Decluttering The Guest Room And Says Start With The Bulky Stuff First Because Seeing Progress Keeps You Going
- Declutterer Admits Buying Way Too Much Stuff Six Years Ago And Is Now Purging Everything Before The Big Move
