I was getting ready to head to the gym recently and opened my athletic clothes drawer and it got stuck after only opening an inch. I thought not nice thoughts and placed my hand in the drawer to smack down the clothes blocking it opening, and once opened, grabbed my workout clothes. I then repeated this process with my sock drawer, not nice thoughts and all.
After returning home I began to think of the above experience, that has been repeated more times than I would like to admit, and knew there had to be a better way. I googled drawer organization and this led me to Youtube, and down a rabbit hole of folding techniques for clothing. I decided trying these methods couldn’t hurt.
When I completed the first drawer, my sock drawer, and was not only able to fit more socks in the drawer, but was able to see all of them at one time and had no trouble opening the drawer, I was hooked. I then set about finding videos for how to fold the items in the rest of my dresser.
So, why am I sharing the above. One reason is because I want to share things that help me, bring me joy, and I believe can also help you. The second reason is because I believe this simple “hack” can not only have an affect on your finances, but also your mental freedom.
I have personally seen the benefits that folding my clothing this way can have on my finances, though sadly a bit late. Since the weather has turned cold, I have been rotating three pairs of athletic pants for the three days I workout. One pair that I have owned since high school didn’t have a draw string around the waist and the elastic was getting stretched to where I was having to pull them up multiple times during my workout. While not the end of the world, I decided to head to the thrift store and see if I could find a new to me pair. I was successful and this allowed me to donate the pair that was loose on me.
As I was going through all my drawers and refolding the clothing in them I discovered two pairs of workout pants that I forgot I owned and that weren’t in the workout drawer because, as mentioned at the beginning of this article, I was already fighting to open the drawer with just three pairs of pants in it. Now, whenever I open the drawer I can see all 5 pairs of pants at once and open the drawer with ease. Folding my socks in the method I found not only allows the drawer to open with ease, but also helps preserve the elastic as I am not stretching it out to store them as I used to do. I have also learned I do not need anymore pajama pants for many years as seen below.
The other way this method has helped me is providing freedom from stress. I have been listening to a lot of The Mentalists podcast, which to be honest is probably what spurred my drawer organization thinking, as the drawers getting stuck made me question whether I needed everything in the drawer. Similar to financial independence, I believe the main goal of minimalism is freedom, with more money and less items being their byproducts, respectively. Whenever I open my drawers now, I not only have freedom from stress as I avoid the nasty thoughts and anger I used to have when they would get stuck, but I truthfully am brought joy by seeing everything so neat and organized. Whether this joy shows I am getting old, that I am that bored in these COVID times, or something else entirely is still to be decided.
