One Less Item?

 

Three Scarves Decluttered

Angela at Tracing Rainbows posted about the "One Less" method of decluttering with a video link that explains it.  Briefly, you ask yourself the question, "Can I live with one less?" every time you open a drawer (for a pair of socks for example) or a cabinet (for a mug or a towel, for example) or check your bookshelf.  If the answer is, "Yes", then, you remove one item, your least favorite is what is suggested, and dispose of it (preferably donate or recycle).  Then, the next time you open that drawer or cabinet or check the bookshelf, you do the same; ask yourself the same, "Can I live with one less?" question and, if the answer is, "Yes", declutter another item.  And, I presume, repeat as needed.

It seems like a relatively easy way to declutter, especially for someone like me who struggles to declutter.  I am always trying to declutter, with varying degrees of success, as I find it very difficult to let go of things.  

So, the past couple of days, I decided to try this method of decluttering while putting away laundry, starting with the items I put in the drawers of my dresser.

I have seven drawers in my dresser, four larger ones and three smaller ones.  I store clothing items in the four larger drawers and one of the smaller ones.  The remaining smaller ones hold accessories and other items.

The two bottom drawers have winter items and I didn't have anything needing to be put away in them, at this time, but, I opened them, anyway:

Sweatshirts & Sweatpants 

This drawer contains five of the seven sweatshirts and all four pairs of sweatpants I currently have.  I live in them during the colder months.  Could I live with one less sweatshirt or pair of sweatpants?  Yes, I probably could.  But, do I want to?  No!  Not unless I absolutely have to! In fact, I'd like to have one additional pair of sweatpants, but, four are all that will fit in this drawer and running out of clean sweatpants is my cue to do another load of laundry (I usually do a load of laundry once or twice a week).

Winter Sleepwear Drawer

The other bottom drawer holds my winter sleepwear - a set of flannel pyjamas (top and bottom) and two flannel nightdresses which I sewed - and the other two sweatshirts.   I don't think one set of pyjamas and two nightdresses are excessive, but, could I live with one less?  Maybe.  But, I'm not sure if I'd want to.  However, I could probably live with one less sweatshirt.  This might be something to ask myself in the winter, when I start to wear these items.  Until then, as long as I have room for them in my dresser drawers, I am going to keep them.  

Summer Sleepwear, T-Shirts, etc.

This drawer is where I keep my summer/early fall sleepwear (two sleeveless long cotton nightdresses that I sewed myself, a short nightdress and matching short robe, a pair of silky pyjamas, a long sleeved silky nightdress my mother sewed for me, a long silky robe), four t-shirts, two tank tops, a blouse I sewed, and one pair of shorts (I had a second pair of shorts which I gave to my daughter, earlier in the summer.  Could I live with one less summer nightdress?  Yes, but, I'd have to do laundry more often.  Could I live with one less t-shirt?  Yes, but, I am not sure if I want to!

The Socks/Leggings/Slips Drawer

This is the real problem drawer!  I don't know if anyone else wears slips these days and I know I don't wear them as often since I retired, but, I do have two full slips (one white, one black) to wear under dresses and half slips to wear under skirts.  I also have two pairs of leggings to wear under my slacks during winter.  And then, I have socks!  I wear socks all the time except on the very hottest days of summer.  I have three pairs of knitted socks, eight pairs of regular socks, a couple of pairs of fuzzy bed socks, and four pairs of non-slip ones.  I also have a pack of 10 pairs of new socks under the currently in use socks, because I like to have replacement socks on hand.  I use old shoe boxes to keep my socks contained.  Could I live with one less pair of socks?  Yes!  I decluttered four pairs of socks from this drawer (three pairs of stretched out fuzzy bed socks and a pair of worn out ankle socks that I hardly ever wore!)  They were tossed, I'm afraid.

Decluttered Socks

The last drawer with clothing items contains my compression socks (5 pairs), several pairs of knee-highs (about 8), a couple of pairs of tights, my bras, undies, and an unopened packet of new undies (another item I like to keep extras of).  I took a picture of the drawer, but, decided not to post it!  I  decluttered three scarves (top photo) I had kept in that drawer; the pink one is an infinity scarf I had sewn, back when infinity scarves were a thing.  The scarves were put in the donations bag I have started.  I decided that I didn't want to live with one less bra (I own a grand total of three; the third one was bought after living with only two bras for about one year) or one less undie (I have 10 pairs in use, plus the unopened package of 10).  

I am happy with the amount of decluttering I did with the items in my dresser drawers by asking the question if I could live with one less.  It will be harder to declutter the chest of drawers where I store my sweaters, though!  Many of my sweaters are what I have knitted and I am loath to part with them!  But, that's where I am headed next.  

How about you?  Do you find it easy to declutter?  Do you think that asking if you could live with one less would help you declutter?