The hardest thing to declutter - the scruff stuff…

According to Marie Kondo (whom I very much admire, and whose theories have brought me benefits), we should be getting rid of the things that don’t spark joy, and I don’t know about you, but my naff jeans with stains and paint splotches on them don’t spark any joy………..and yet, I need them. I don’t think that’s overstating that fact.

I can attest to the personal benefits I have seen to getting rid of anything that doesn’t fit, doesn’t get worn much or doesn’t speak for my personal style. I have done it long enough now that this isn’t just a theory to me, but lived experience and I am genuinely committed to a more minimal wardrobe with less clutter populated only by the things I love. Problem is, the scruff stuff flies in the face of all the reasons I usually give myself to declutter; I don’t really like them and I don’t use them often, but when I do need them, nothing else will do. Really, nothing else will do, especially when the aim is for the rest of my wardrobe to be filled with items of joy and beauty and aesthetic pleasure. I’m not going to want to do the gardening, or clean my bike, or move house in clothes I actually like - they would get ruined that way!

Hence, some scruffy garms kinda feel like a necessary eyesore. The number of times I have nearly gotten rid of them on a decluttering mission and then I stop myself, reluctantly, to congratulate myself later when I need them for a mucky job.

The trick here is not letting this very valid reason become a reason to keep more of this stuff than I need - one pair of jeans, one sleeveless top, one long sleeved top, one sweater and one pair of trainers will cut the mustard.