Back to School Made Easy: Clothes

I've always loved school. As a little girl, I would get giddy with anticipation at the thought of starting a new school year. Yeah, I know I'm a freak.

And so we have the new school year fast approaching for many and for some on an alternative annual schedule, it's already here! Throughout August, I'll be providing tips to help ease the chaos of getting kids ready for the new school year:

CLOTHES

* Before starting your back-to-school shopping, take stock of what's already in your student's closets and drawers. This is a great time to pull everything out of their closets to determine (1) what still fits, (2) what's not being worn because your kid doesn't really like the garment or it's uncomfortable and scratchy, and (3) what pieces are needed to fill in the gaps.

* If the unwanted clothes are still in like-new condition, find a local consignment store and set up an account so that you can make a little money on your kid's castoffs.

* When you're ready to start shopping, bring a list of the garments you're looking for to flesh out your student(s) closet. Just like at the grocery store, a list helps you save time, stay focused, and minimizes trendy impulse purchase.

* Consider buying new clothes online as long as the seller has a flexible return policy. In my hometown of Atlanta, traffic is so crazy, it's worth it to buy stuff online just to avoid the stress and time of driving. Plus, you can avoid the crowds at the malls and discount stores during the back-to-school feeding frenzy.

* Remember those consignment stores I mentioned earlier? They are a GREAT place to buy clothes for kids, tweens, and teens. A friend of mine has a teen who has just discovered that he can sell his old clothes and get some really cool gently-used clothes in the same store. This new discovery is saving his parents a ton compared to what they'd have to pay to new stuff to keep up with their fickle teen's ever-changing taste in fashion.

Next time we'll discuss ways to save money and time getting school supplies.

Simplify Your (and Your Kid's) Wardrobe

Fellow organizer and blogger, Jeri Dansky, recently wrote in her fabulous blog about the trend toward simplifying your wardrobe by finding a uniform that works for you.

This reminded me of a conversation that I had last week with a client while we were organizing her second-grader's room. Mom told me that, after realizing that her daughter only wore about 20% of her clothes with any regularity, she decided to only buy what the daughter liked to wear. It's sounds so simple, yet so perfect! Mom donated the 80% of the clothes her daughter never wore and bought a few new core pieces (in her daughter's case, that meant more pants and cute t-shirts). Now she has tons more closet and drawer space. Plus, mom says that her daughter still gets complemented all the time on the 6 or 7 outfits that she mixes and matches.

My own wardrobe follows a similar path. I tend to invest in well-made basics with colorful tops and jackets to jazz things up. My mother-in-law taught me years ago to stick with the classics, find colors that flatter you, and invest in quality clothing. She always looks smashing, so I try and take her advice.

When it comes to developing a practical, signature look, I think Jamie Lee Curtis said it best in this May/June 2008 AARP magazine interview:

"My style is a distillation. I've etched out who I am through myriad haircut attempts, outfit attempts, beauty attempts, diet attempts. It's been an evolution. I've let my hair go gray. I wear only black and white. Every year I buy three or four black dresses that I just keep in rotation. I own one pair of blue jeans. I've given away all my jewelry, because I don't wear it."

Wow, now that's a woman who's comfortable with her uniform!

Photo from alllovelpy-2' flickr account

Tips for Laundry Room Organizing

For those of you looking for tips on keeping your laundry room organized, be sure to pick the July 2008 "Atlanta Home Improvement" magazine. In it, you'll find tips that I shared with writer Julie Edwards for her piece titled, "Laundry Room Redo: Tips for a Functional and Stylish Space." You can find this free publication at area Whole Foods grocery stores and Ace Hardware, among other places. I normally pick my copy up at my favorite household consignment store, Finders Keepers, in Avondale Estates.

Here are a few laundry room organizing tips that I shared with Julie:

• Keep laundry supplies that you use most often, such as detergent, fabric softener, and anti-static sheets on the more accessible lower shelves.

• Store seldom used items on the higher shelves. I often recommend to my organizing clients that they use the higher shelves in the laundry room to store larger serving pieces or party supplies. Be sure to keep a small folding step stool nearby or you're likely to forget what is stored up there!

• If you have wire shelving installed in your laundry room (the favorite affordable solution amongst contractors, it seems), consider using a product called The Shelfanator to cover the shelves. The Shelfanator is easy to install and covers up wire shelving giving the space a smooth surface. Too often, the combination of moisture and soap products in the laundry room creates a sticky film over traditional wire shelves. The Shelfanator's smooth surface makes the shelves easier to keep clean and helps prevent items from tipping over or falling through the
  

• Liven up the laundry room with bright paint on the walls or with one of the new colorful washer and dryer options like this one.
  

• Create a hanging area for clothes that need to air dry. If space is an issue, a folding drying rack or retractable interior clothesline may be perfect solutions.
  

• If you have children, consider installing a lower hanging rod so that your kids can help with laundry and begin learning how to take care of their clothes.
  

• Keep a small wastebasket in the laundry area for disposing of dryer sheets, dryer lint, and all those tissues and tiny pieces of paper that you pull out of pants pockets, hopefully BEFORE washing them.
  

One of my favorite trends that I'm seeing in new homes is having laundry rooms closer to the master bedroom. In a few cases, I've even seen them situated in closets inside the master bath. It's so much more convenient to get the clothes from the laundry hamper to the washer and back into closets when you don't have to trek all the way to the basement or mudroom, don't you think?

Closet Switch-a-Roo Time

If you saw my tiny closets, you would understand why I have to keep a whole season's worth of my clothes in the attic. Each fall when the temperature drops, I haul down three or four plastic bins of sassy sweaters and warm wools. I love pulling out what feels like a whole new wardrobe after not seeing it for six months.

Part of this ritual also involves me trying on most of the "new" fall/winter clothes to make sure they still fit and to see which pieces continue to earn the right to live in the prime real estate of my closet. To make the grade, the piece has to fit well, be comfy, and make me feel pretty. Along the way, if I realize that I need a something to complete an outfit, I write it on a list that stays in my purse. Yes, it's a time consuming process, but worth the effort and I only have to do it twice a year.

Those clothes that don't make the grade end up either being thrown away, donated, or resold at Finders Keepers consignment shop. The way I look at it, if a piece isn't working for me, I may as well put it back into circulation and make more room in my closet.

If you are an organizing client of mine and I've set up your Finders Keepers account for you, this is your reminder that Finders Keepers is now accepting fall clothing consignments. Drop offs are limited to 30 items and must be on hangers unless you are a donate. Donates may drop off 50 items. Here are the guidelines for what not to bring:

• Knock off purses
• Double breasted or big boxy blazers
• Pleated, tapered, or stirrup pants
• Too-light wash denim
• Big oversize sweaters
• Too worn or pilly sweaters
• Denim or corduroy jumpers
• Turtlenecks with embroidered necks
• Outdated or colored leather
• Altered clothing
• Anything with big shoulder pads

Now that I've taken all of my consignments in, I know that everything in my closet fits. Now if only this freakishly warm Atlanta weather would cool off, I could start wearing some of these clothes.

If you or someone you know needs help organizing closets this season, give me a call!

There's Money Hidden in Your Closet

We've all got them. Those items of clothing that hang in our closets but never get worn. The reasons we don't wear these space-stealers are varied....maybe the jeans are too snug, the jacket fits weird, the sweater is scratchy, the color makes us look like death. So why do we let these clothes take up valuable real estate in our closets even though they never see the light of day? Maybe it's because they used to fit but, after weight fluctuations, not so much now. Maybe some were gifts or bought during an impulsive buying frenzy.

Regardless, I have a suggestion that will put cash in your pocket and free up room for the clothes you do love and wear. Consignment stores! As many of my hands-on organizing clients know, I'm a huge fan of consignment stores, and my favorite local shop is Finders Keepers in Avondale Estates, GA. One of the services I offer to my Organizing Makeover clients is to sign them up with an account at Finders Keepers so that they can offload those clothes and household items that they no longer use or love. The store generally accepts those clothing items that are in style and in great shape. Please be aware that Finders Keepers has really stringent quality standards, so "great" means "like new."

Right now, Finders Keepers is accepting spring consignments. Shoes and handbags are great sellers, and they sell every designer handbag they get. To find out more about their sign-up schedule for new consigners, store policies, and payback percentages, give them a call at (404) 296-0285 or go to their web site.

Just try not to come home with more than you drop off!!