Project 333: Learning to Live with Less

Do you ever gaze into your closet and wonder why you can never find anything to wear, even though it is already bursting with clothes? This seems to happen to me on a daily basis despite my inability to find a place for everything in my wardrobe. 

Why is it so hard to find something to wear in our overstuffed and fully supplied closets?!

I recently stumbled upon a miraculous website called Project 333, which introduced to me the concept of minimalism in my own wardrobe. I was totally overwhelmed and really didn't think that minimalism was necessary for me when I first searched through the site a few months ago, but since then I've only accumulated more and worn even less so I am ready to give it a go!

Courtney, the mastermind behind Project 333, explains wardrobe minimalism as "living more with less". Project 333 breaks down your wardrobe to only 33 items per season. Your "33" doesn't include workout clothing, uniforms or underwear, but it does include things like coats, shoes, jewelry, bags and all other accessories. Anything that you can't fit into your "33" either goes into the donation pile or is boxed up and saved for another season. It may seem like nothing will be left in your closet, but Project 333 encourages us to mix and match and to be more creative with our wardrobe. As we slowly add and remove from our wardrobe, our personal style will become more defined and our focus will switch from the quantity of our clothing to the quality of what we wear.

My first goal with Project 333 is to clean out my closet of anything I don't love and that will never be part of my 33 for any season. I've already gone through my closet once since I decided that I was ready to start Project 333, but there are definitely things that still need to go! Sometimes I feel guilty giving away so many things, but when I really thought about it, someone else might find these clothes at the thrift store and will hopefully wear them much more than I ever did, and as I become more accustomed to living with less I will become more grateful for everything I do have. Nothing shows gratitude better than humility, and there is nothing humble about my closet right now!

Here's my closet after one bag to the thrift store. I already feel like I've lost 20 pounds!

I've got a way to go before I'll have my closet truly minimized and I haven't gone through my accessories yet, but I'm excited to track my progress. Here's to learning to live more with less!