Use it or Lose it (Accessories)

When I am 5S-ing an area and trying to decide whether to keep something, I use the "use it or lose it" philosophy. If I own something, it should be useful and be used. It should be something I am proud to wear or display.

Sure, there are items you save for emergencies, but those should be planned and deliberate and have a specific location.
I am talking about items that tend to turn into clutter...product samples, free stuff, extras in colors you do not wear.

Now that I have minimized my closet to 33 items, I can see what colors I wear most. I used this pallet to sort my jewelry and scarves and identify items that do not match any of my favorite outfits.

1. Sort - first I cleared out my jewelry boxes (yes, multiple; I love jewelry, even though I do not wear it all).
2. Scrub - I dusted them and got rid of any trash or lost beads.
3. Set- I started by putting back my favorite pieces that match the newly organized outfits in the closet. In the bracelet section, I included the matching earrings.
Jewelry is also a great decoration. You may want to keep the pieces you love displayed prominently in your room. There are a ton of DIY ideas for hanging jewelry storage on Pinterest.
One of my favorites has strings across a picture frame to hang earrings and necklaces.
I also liked the idea of re-using pretty teacups to hold sets of jewelry.

4. Standardize - I tried to put each color in a unique drawer or location. I reviewed the outfits in the closet and made sure each color was represented in the jewelry.
Seasonal jewelry (holidays) I am keeping in a separate section, to rotate in 3 months.

The remainder of the jewelry I reviewed again. I chose a couple pieces to try wearing this week, to see if I want to keep them. If I am not proud to wear them, there is no use keeping them in rotation.

5. Sustain - I may not be willing to part with all the remnants right now, so I will put them away and revisit in 3 months. Maybe a trend will spark a renewed love of abalone. Or maybe I will be ready to let them go.