DECLUTTERING YOUR LIFE

This month, Kathy gives her top tips for re-organising your space as you enter the new year.

EDITED BY KATHY CLUGSTON

about, store away and revisit in three months. Get rid of any saggy underwear and socks whose partner ain’t ever coming back. Get rid of duplicates. Do you really need nine pairs of trainers? A colourful pair and a white pair will probably cover it. Same with all your shoes/bags/belts. If you have lots that are similar, keep the best and donate/sell the rest.

Work out what suits you. The clothes that you have left should indicate what your style is. When I first decluttered my wardrobe I realised that the things I kept purchasing but rarely wore were blazers and dresses, so I’ve stopped buying them. Buy clothes that work for your real life, not one you don’t actually lead.

Maximise your wardrobe by making new outfits. Find online inspiration for different ways of wearing all the pieces of clothing you own - fancy tops with jeans, suits with trainers, dresses with jumpers, putting clashing colours together etc.

Stop impulse buying. Work out what your wardrobe is genuinely missing and keep a list. Wait at least 24 hours between seeing something and making a purchase. Buy the best you can afford, in a style that will last, secondhand if you can. Buy for the size you are right now. Unsubscribe from all email newsletters and catalogues and don’t shop in the sales unless it’s for something on your list.

As you slump, post-festivities, amid the gifted scarves, jumpers and onesies, you might feel you need some room to breathe. Last month I told you about the joys of minimalism and some of you were keen for more practical tips. So here are some of the techniques I’ve adopted to make less feel like more. After much trial and error, I’ve whittled my clothes down to 40 or so items, including coats and shoes but not including occasionwear, sportswear, nightwear, underwear and accessories (these are the rules I follow, there are many variations). I save money as I shop far less (which is more sustainable too) and I find it easy to get dressed in the morning as my choices are limited. No wailing about having nothing to wear, though, everything in my wardrobe fits me, goes with other things and will last. There is a mind-boggling array of advice out there on decluttering, not least from Marie Kondo, the Japanese queen of organisation, but if you’re not in the mood to painstakingly fold each individual sock so that it stands vertically in a drawer and would just like a bit less stuff around the place, here are some of ways you can chip away at that clothes mountain.

Make three piles. All that you love and wear regularly, keep. Anything that doesn’t fit well, is a bad colour or not worn in a year or more, sell or donate. Seasonal items and things you aren’t sure

THIS MONTH’S OBSESSIONS:

Alyssa Beltempo – A Canadian YouTuber and “shop your closet” expert, who explains how to recreate outfits by identifying the style elements that make it work and using items you already own.

Borrow/rent. Don’t buy a piece of occasionwear for just one specific event. I have a separate mini-capsule with a few sparkly, evening things in it but if they aren’t appropriate I’ll see if I can borrow from a friend or rent.

The rules that apply to your wardrobe are also useful for the rest of your home. Keep only what is truly useful and makes you feel good. Things that are hidden away in boxes or stuffed in the pack of cupboards take up mental as well as physical space.

Start small. If you feel overwhelmed, start with one drawer. Just one, and see how it goes.

Beware of “just in case”. This is different from “just for when”. Keep your surfboard for when you go surfing in the summer. Don’t keep a mountain of empty egg boxes just in case they might come in useful sometime. They won’t. Get rid of them.

Regift. Don’t feel guilty about passing on presents you don’t like or need. Think of it as giving the item a more loving home.

And finally: you don’t have to. Living a more minimal life isn’t for everyone. If you love having heaps of clothes, every inch of shelf space crammed with ornaments and the box room piled high with back copies of the Ulster Tatler, then go for it. It’s your life. Happy New Year!

Assume Nothing: The Secrets of St Brides –Gripping podcast from BBC Sounds about a “school for young ladies” that opened in Co. Donegal in the 1980s, where all was not as it seemed.

Cheesy potato farls – Bought these in a local home bakery recently - why didn’t I know they existed? Heavenly. Simple recipes can be found online.