Cleaning out the closet.

Hello everyone!

A new year is upon us and I went into my closet and noticed it seemed to be much bulkier than normal and I have zero shelf space. If you're hurting for storage like I am, take a look around your closet and get rid of these items that you totally do not need anymore.

• Old costumes.

If you haven't worn that ketchup bottle getup since you bought it 10 years ago for your office Halloween party, it's probably time to say goodbye. The chances that one day you'll desperately wish you didn't put it in the donation bin because you need it are slim to none. Let it go.

• Bridesmaid dresses.

This is a hard one. You paid so.much.money for it. And no matter how much you want to believe your bride friend that you'll totally wear that merlot-colored ruched bodice chiffon cocktail dress again, you won't, and you know it. Let it go.

• Things someone gave you as a gift that you never liked.

Trust me when I say I understand the struggle here. My mother has the knack for buying me ill-fitting clothes that I only half like and absolutely never wear (sorry Mom!). These things sit in my closet taking up precious space because I feel like I'll be unknowingly putting a dagger through my mother's heart if I get rid of them. If you have the same affliction, take solace in knowing that your mom/aunt/grandmother/neighbor probably doesn't even remember giving it to you in the first place. Let it go.

• Stretched out clothing.

Let it go.

• Things you're holding on to just because you spent $$$.

Confession: I discovered a heavily discounted BCBG dress once upon a time that I bought on a whim. It was black and grey with a slimming cut. Even though it was on clearance, it was still a splurge, but I convinced myself I'd be a fool not to buy it. I wore it quite a few times in my early 20's. Fast forward 7 years and it's sadly hanging out in my closet waiting for me to fit into it again. Sadly, that will likely never happen, and it's time to set myself free from it. If this story rings true to you, head my warning: you're never going to wear it. Let it go.

• Shoes that leave you limping (even if they are super cute).

We all have those super sexy, super high shoes that we put on while we're getting dressed and feeling good. Two steps and an about-face back into the closet later, the slightly more sensible shoes win out because you're still suffering from trauma from the last time you thought you could survive the night in them. Let them go. Your feet will thank you.

• Tangled or discolored costume jewelry.

That now-green-once-gold $10 bib necklace from Forever21? Let it go.

• Free T-shirts.

If you're not in college anymore, you don't need that generic "College" shirt you got when being duped into signing up for your first credit card. Let it go.

• "Painting clothes."

By all means, keep around some junky clothes for painting or gardening or anything else that'll get your hands dirty. But remember, you can't wear more than one outfit at a time, so there's no need to have a drawer full of paint-stained T-shirts and yoga pants. Let (most of) it go.

• Your "fix it" pile.

If you were actually going to take those shoes to get resoled, or that dress to get hemmed, you would have done it by now. Things that have been sitting around for six months waiting to get some love are probably not things you are eager to wear anyway, so either actually take it in to get it fixed (this week!) or let it go.

• All those free tote bags.

You know the ones. Get them out of the back of your closet and either put them in your kitchen/car for grocery shopping or let them go.

• Those things you held onto the last time you cleaned out your closet.

If you're anything like me, every time you clean out your closet, a pile remains that you're just not ready to part with. Then, that same pile rears its sentimental head six months or a year later when you tackle the organizing task again, only to find you forgot all about it, but still feel attached, for whatever reason. Repeat after me...Let. It. Go.

Until next time...