Since we moved into our new house (with an unfinished basement) in 2020, I've kept a large number of clothes there in "backstock": they were things I didn't love, didn't fit, had grown tired of, had worn out, or wasn't sure about giving up.

I am good about keeping my own mid-sized closet up-to-date, but bad about sorting things that end up in the basement. Store it and forget it! Leave that for four years and you end up with a big pile.

We need to have our foundation repointed at some point this year, which means clearing out the clutter. A good kick in the (unworn) pants to dig through the mess!

Yesterday, I hauled any number of boxes, shopping bags, and totes up to the main floor and sorted through EVERY SINGLE PIECE. Given that I just did a seasonal review of my upstairs closet, this means that I've had hands on every single item of clothing in my possession in the last month. I don't think that's something I have been able to say in YEARS. Though I'm not a minimalist, they are certainly onto something: knowing exactly what you have and why you have it feels amazing.

As I sorted, I wasn't trying to purge. I was just trying to evaluate:

- Does it fit?
- Is it in good shape?
- Is it in my palette?
- Could someone else use it?
- Is it valuable?

I did end up setting aside the majority of pieces for donation (mostly for fit issues), as well as a bag for recycling and a dozen or so pieces for consignment. The rest — I would say about 1/5? — are already back in my closet (or in the laundry on the way there). Many of them are summer pieces, which is exciting. And some of them feel like long-lost friends that I'm SO HAPPY to be reunited with. I nearly cried with joy when I pulled on the super comfy and still chic Saint and Sophia lounge pants that were an Angie recommendation years ago and that I needed a break from after wearing them constantly during lockdown... A lesson there about using the holding zone to revive our relationships with our clothing and about not being too quick to purge.

After this big cull, there are only a handful of pieces left in my entire wardrobe that pre-date my time of YLF. It's amazing how this project feels tied up with the support of this community and Angie most of all.

So, THANKS for being a wonderful place on the internet, and if you've gotten this far, thanks for reading!