While it’s not living out of a suitcase, two adults and a toddler living in one bedroom in a house is tough. Before we moved, we had already started minimizing our things, but knowing we would be based out of a bedroom with a tiny closet, we had to prioritize what we kept with us.

Packing cubes have been my biggest saving grace. Using them, I was able to pack one week’s worth of clothes for little man and myself, plus my toiletries and some winter gear, into a 3-day bag for our weeklong trip to northwestern Wisconsin to spend Christmas with the in-laws. I used that sense of planning to get us through our time at the lakehouse.

Squatch was not limited; having to work, he needs acess to more than I do. I decided little man’s clothes would all fit in a medium sized cube, along with some muslin blankies. His diaper kit is already in a storage basket, and I have another small basket for his 2 teething bibs, burp cloths (they are good for SO much more, which I will cover in a future post), and cotton breast pads. My toiletries were already in a small bin and tiny packing cube, so the next step was to cull the clothing.

I have always been great at cutting down my wardrobe. When I buy new clothes, I get rid of what I have not worn in a while. I also do a purge at the end of the season; if I did not wear it, it goes. I have always dropped off to Goodwill or Wings, and recently started thinking about turning to Facebook marketplace or a local consignment store.

This was going to be a new challenge, as I was limited to three incredibly tiny drawers in my ancient IKEA dresser, and a tiny portion of the hanging space in the closet. Because I stay home, I decided to keep 2 nicer dresses with me, 1 long-sleeve blouse, and 2 everyday sundresses in the closet. 3 pairs of denim capris (I live in the new Time & Tru brand from Walmart), 1 pair of jeans, 1 pair of bike shorts, 1 pair of everyday shorts, and some sweats completed my bottoms; I will say that I have worn all of these multiple times over the past two months. For tops, I kept it simple as well: 3 breastfeeding tanks, 3 regular tanks, and 4 tshirts. Again, I have worn them all and not wanted for anything. I also have a hoodie and 2 light sweaters for when it gets chilly, and that is it.

I LOVE my little wardrobe. When we get our own place, I am definitely going to cull my closet even more. It makes a difference not having to make so many choices for what to wear. I do laundry twice a week, but I also have a small basket for little man and myself that fills quickly.

It seems like it is crazy, but I highly recommend going down to a tiny closet. A few years ago, “capsule closets” or “capsule wardrobes” were the big thing in the organizing community. They were definitely on to something there. If you cannot commit to completely cutting down your wardrobe, try it for a month. I guarantee, no one will notice that you are wearing the same things over and over. Plus, it gives you a chance to accessorize (I am a bit of a scarf addict and have severely cut back). When I was pregnant, I wore the same 9 tunics (I got them in every colour, short and long sleeved!) over and over with my jeggings. I just changed the scarf I would wear with each top, and it was a whole new outfit.

I will be the first to admit that it is not easy, but freeing yourself from so many cloths is one of the most liberating things you can do. Reduce the stress of making sure you have just the right outfit, cut down on the number of choices you have to make, and really play around with your style. Try it; I guarantee you will see a big difference.