This story is going to be way too long and not nearly interesting enough (how is that for a strong hook?) and there won't even be a true before picture and the after is probably even anxiety inducing for some of you but let’s walk through this all together because we’re going somewhere that matters. We'll walk away with the two most simple keys to dig out of your own Monica Closet. But first, let's begin a few weeks ago as our neighborhood planned a yard sale. I didn’t commit at first because
- Yard sales are notoriously more work than they’re worth (can I get an amen?)
- Scheduling didn’t seem favorable.
But early in the week of the sale I got the itch. I started to see how I could actually make it work and the not so realistic visions (you know, “if I just sell everything for $1 each I’ll have one million dollars when it’s over.” #math) motivated me to start pulling things out of the Monica Closet and getting to work. Here is just a little of what the guest room turned into during the process but promise we will still be friends, ok?
If you don’t have a Monica closet, congrats. Please send me your address and I’ll mail you a medal of honor for this because you are obviously a superior human and deserve the recognition. I applaud you, really but I had the worst of the worst Monica closet. I’m always going to prefer a messy closet and a more orderly home. Sure, I could make them all look good but that doesn’t appear to be in my DNA so here we are. I have a Monica closet.
Or should I say HAD a Monica closet. It was so bad. I started pulling things out. I didn't even take a "before" picture because it was too scary and if we're being totally honest the door didn't even have full range of motion. Do you get the picture that it was terrible? I had saved so many of Tripp’s clothes to sell on Facebook, which was occasionally successful when I had the time. And just so many things that lost their homes in other areas came here to rest. It was too much. A yard sale (or stick of dynamite) was the only way out. I organized and categorized. I made signs and price stickers. My dining room turned into an efficient factory and I was the machine making it all happen. The million dollars was within reach; luckily I was just too busy to decide where all to spend it.
Then the weather turned. Torrential rain and wind were predicted for the weekend of the yard sale. The HOA canceled, clearly not knowing the million dollars it had cost me. Rude. They rescheduled for a few weeks away but the line had been drawn. I could not and would not store all these extras any longer. Sticking it back in the Monica closet, stashing it elsewhere or leaving it in the dining room for a few weeks were not options. I thought of all the time I had already invested in this and all it would take to find a suitable storage option and then get it all out again and it no longer made sense. I couldn’t do it. My math might be off sometimes but this time I was spot on. The stuff was now costing more than it would ever make.
Here is where this story gets even more boring. I loaded it all up and took it to the donation center. Womp, womp. I saved a few of the better items to sell on FBMP but have zero regrets for letting it go. Be under no illusion that I am clutter free and totally organized; there is still so much work to do but the progress is remarkable.
Here is where everything actually starts getting better…
With the “extras” out of the closet, I defined the space and gave it a purpose. Monica Closet is not an actual purpose. It’s our guest room closet and gigantic. It could be a cozy little room if I was feeling really creative. It’s actually not much smaller than the library. It’s been the “Monica closet” as long as we’ve lived here but now I have anointed it the “Activity Closet.” Golf equipment, games, crafting supplies, sewing paraphernalia, and all similar things are happily here and accessible. We still have a few clothes hanging (wedding and formal dresses, a red sox jersey, winter coats, high school football treasures etc) suitcases and a few boxes of mementos that don’t need the heat of the attic, but defining the purpose keeps it under control.
Not only is this space better but it was a catalyst for other areas too. There were still a few boxes of books stored in here so those made their way to the library, which now had more room because the golf stuff was gone. Tripp gained a whole shelf in the bonus room closet because the games moved in here. I moved an extra shelving unit from my office (that was actually moved out of the library previously) and so much of my crafting things out of the office closet freeing up valuable space there.
This is not a happy ending quite yet. I’m still digging my way out of collateral messes, but the progress is not only remarkable, it’s motivating.
If you want to start the journey to end your Monica closet, it's not about the right containers or color coded system, or reading the book that solves it all. You can even do it without hiring an expert or building a custom closet. It's not even about a perfect "after" or being magazine worthy (see above) It really can be as simple as these two things:
- Define the purpose of the space
- Just get started. It won’t be perfect but it can be better!
I think I might be retired from yard sales. I’ll never be a minimalist and it’s deep in my DNA to think of all the possible uses for things. Add in the fact that I’ll always have extra “stuff” around because it’s literally my job (please buy more!) but I have to take a serious look and math as hard as I can about the cost of keeping more. My mindset has shifted. I’ll never have a perfect house and I’ll always probably collect a little too much but I am already more intentional because I’ve decided the purpose this area of our home and I'm prioritizing that… one Monica Closet at a time. (you didn't think this was all did you? I'm always a work in progress but progress is always good!)