I was sitting here the other day, thinking about my next article here at HIVE. What is it that people would love to read about? I mean, my goal is to write around finance, but it is not THAT interesting for others to read I believe, vel maybe at LeoFinance, but even there I believe that some unorthodox posts are great from time to time. So, what if we just chill a bit and make a post about some minimalistic approaches, e.g., towards clothes? You could actually look at clothes from a financial perspective – just saying!
I believe even my girlfriend would read this post, because she has tons of clothes everywhere, I am not lying when I say I stumble over G-strings, bikinis, or bathrobes every other second, at home!
Clothes everywhere… how can we solve that issue? I did a ton of reading around the topic, there is actually many things that you can do, and it is not just that It saves up space. There are so many reasons to have “just enough” clothes that you would not believe it. You are not stumbling over clothes wherever you go in your apartment and the best of all, it is super cheap, you get to boost your savings, you only need to buy clothes when the old one is “out of date” (whenever that is). Let us put this in system.
People call it “capsule wardrobes”. We are on the topic of minimalism again – a minimalistic approach to clothing. I will discuss the benefits later in this post, but you might ask yourself; “what is a capsule wardrobe”? Well, it was actually my question the first time I heard the phrase…
From my research I found that a capsule wardrobe is a limited number of clothes for a limited period. "My goal is to have under 50 pieces of clothing in the wardrobe at any time, nothing more". Already here there are several questions that need to be raised. The clothes must be used in somewhat different ways, they must fit together, it must be complete for that period you want that capsule wardrobe (3 months at a time). You might eventually make it all fit together, just have a look at picture 1. This is a virtual picture of my capsule wardrobe. Smooth right?
Someone might think that this is a boring approach, same clothes, no stylish mix and so on. Never mind the latter - IT IS FUN! This approach actually reduce stress and as I said earlier you will have a much tidier atmosphere in your house! You get the chance to save money and maybe the best part of it, you get to be a lot more efficient in the morning! Which was absolutely a game changer for me, and I believe many of you out there might feel the same.
The picture under here is from my wardrobe and really, this is all that I need, a small stand with 7 shelves at IKEA for 10 USD and 10 hangers for shirts and sweaters (Yeah I know, I'm not so good at folding clothes, but I know what clothes I have at any time :P).
Before you start on your minimalistic journey towards clothing, I suggest that you throw all your clothes out of the closet, pick your favorites, and hang them right back where you found them. Put away everything that does not fit the time of the year, e.g., you do not save on bubble jacket in the summertime. Look at what you want to use for the coming 4 months (you use the same capsule in the spring as in the fall). Fifty garments are more than enough if you want that minimalistic approach. Are there any garments that fit together? You most likely do not need 10 shirts/dresses to survive the next month. After you have sorted out 3 seasons you place the other 2 seasons a place it is easy to bring them back (in the attic maybe?). When the winter is here you get rid of your summer rotation and bring up the winter rotation. To many of us keep the summer shorts next to the snowboard dress. if you think about it… it is a mess, right? It does not seem logical. Still, we tend to do so - most of us.
I use three seasons. You could also do 4 seasons; I use 3 because that’s even a bigger challenge and make it even more minimalistic. I mean, in Norway fall and spring is the same thing. More specifically I change my wardrobe 4 times, but I only have 3 capsules, while many have 4 capsules and changes 4 times accordingly. When do you buy new clothes? When the clothes do not fit anymore or if I'm just sick and tired of the clothes.
BOOORING, I bet you think, but we humans tend to get bored about routines and when things get strict, we become impatient. We need action, ye I can tell – if I personally do not get any form of action during the day, I cry, like a baby. Nevertheless, the benefits of the capsule wardrobe are many! Think about it! You get to choose you favorites clothes, no garment should be boring, you should create your capsule wardrobe in the way that every time you leave it you feel AWESOME! How many times haven’t you performed better at a party, at work or at home when you feel great in your clothes? 😊
The desire to shop is no more, which then again leads towards you saving more money which can buy you other things that you desire more in life than just clothes (I do not have time to think about clothes, life is too short for that - We're too smart to think about clothes). You get to have a clean wardrobe; you won’t stumble over clothes like I did! Think of the joy of reunion when you unpack the clothes you used last year (hoho). It will always be easy to fold clothes in the wardrobe after washing - everything hangs in the same place. You can define your own style, and do not have to make several boom purchases. This is a sustainable approach and guys the most environmentally sustainable clothes are the ones that is already in your closet. This can be inspiring, and you can use your brain in a creative way. But maybe the best part of it (as I said), you save a lot of time in the morning – you get dressed in no time, this is simply because you do not have to choose from a large selection. It just looks so much better with a small collection in your capsule wardrobe! Complete sets, I do not need to use my brain or think about what to put on, it is “ready made”! I have better things to do than planning outfits and tidying up my wardrobe. I do this 4 times a year, you could do the same!
Do you have a capsule wardrobe? Tell me all about it!
Cheers
-Olebulls