Embracing Budgeting

Part 1

With spring just around the corner, I find myself planning. Organizing. Making lists. Thinking about cleaning out my closet, my pantry, my junk drawer! I don’t know if it is the warmer sunshine, the melting snow uncovering the dirt of the winter, or just being sick and tired of boots, gloves, scarves and hats, but I always get antsy this time of year to make sure I am ready for a new season.

It isn’t just the physical things this year that have me in an organizing mood. This year, my budget has been in the forefront of my thoughts. 2019 was a pretty expensive year for our family. There were lots of unexpected expenses, and yes, we did go a bit overboard at Christmas. I have been in recovery mode since January, taking stock as it were, of my budget, where I can tighten, where I can slash expenses, and how I can start rebuilding my savings account to a more comfortable level.

Along with the physical aspects of spring cleaning, swapping out the winter wardrobe for the spring wardrobe brings an opportunity to re-evaluate my clothing budget, as well as to “weed” my clothing collection. I have been toying with the idea of a minimal wardrobe for awhile, and with the opportunity of going through my closet also comes an opportunity to make a bit of extra money, either through selling my clothes through Varagesale, or through a consignment shop.

the Varagesale app is so quick and easy to use for posting items you no longer need and hope to sell. You can take photos of your items and post directly into the app, sorting by category, and using key descriptions so that people can find your item quickly. The only downside with Varagesale is sometimes it can take MONTHS for the right person to find that silk shirt you’re not such a fan of anymore. I have posted items and then put them away somewhere and forgotten about them, when a few months later I get a notification that someone is interested in buying it! I then have to go tearing through closets trying to find said item. If using Varagesale, I have found it’s best to keep all your items together in one place to avoid this very situation. I have a storage bin clearly labeled for this exact purpose!

Another way to sell off your unwanted clothing is through a consignment store. This way is a much more hands off way of selling your unwanted items, though of course you end up earning a bit less on the sale of the items. Basically what you do is you find a local store that accepts items on consignment. You bring your items into the store, they take note of them, and give you a client number. Then, the store puts your items on display, and you earn a percentage of what the items sell for. If the items are not sold within a certain period of time, the items are then usually donated to local charities in need. You have less control over this way of cleaning out your closet, but you also don’t need to worry about meet ups or keeping your items in storage for prolonged periods of time.

What are some of your go to closet cleaning tricks? Have you ever considered a minimal wardrobe?