“Cheerfulness and contentment are great beautifiers.” – Charles Dickens
A few years back, I experimented with reducing my wardrobe by joining Project 333.
The idea behind Project 333 is simple: Wear only 33 articles of clothing for the next 3 months. All clothing, accessories, jewelry, outerwear, and shoes count towards your number. Exceptions include wedding rings, underwear, sleepwear, in-home loungewear, and workout clothing. Clothing that no longer fits or becomes in poor condition may be replaced during the time period.
Originally, I decided to try it for a number of reasons:
- I needed an extra push to reduce the clutter in my closet.
- I find boundaries to be helpful in minimizing.
- The project sounded both challenging and reasonable.
- The Project 333 community seemed encouraging.
The project began on October 1 and concluded on December 31. And other than a few minor exceptions (think Ugly Sweater Christmas Party), I was able to stick to the rules of 33 articles of clothing with only minimal adjustments to my weekly routine.
It became an experiment that I valued and often recommended to others. I learned some valuable lessons about boundaries over those three months.
Consider the benefits of living life within boundaries:
1. Boundaries keep us restrained.
Artificial boundaries can keep us in check when our natural self-control does not. Over the years, I had amassed a closet full of clothes—far more than I truly need. Looking back, I am embarrassed at the amount of time, money, energy, and attention devoted to my clothes.
In similar ways, the average American carries $7,200 in credit card debt and watches over 32 hours of television per week. We are in need of boundaries. Good parents set boundaries for their children… and good adults should set boundaries for themselves.
2. Boundaries force our values.
When you are challenged to pare down your clothing to 33 items, you are forced to identify which items are absolutely necessary. You are forced to single out the most important, most versatile, and most loved items. You are required to identify the most valuable things in your closet.
Similarly, boundaries in life help to force this exact same thought process. Boundaries force us to identify the difference between “really important” and only “somewhat important”—just ask anyone who has ever been given a limited amount of time left to live.
3. Boundaries promote creativity.
Orson Welles said, “The enemy of art is the absence of limitations.” Limiting your clothing items to 33 items for 3 months forces art. Limiting your wardrobe to a capsule wardrobe does not rob you of personal style…it causes you to truly find it. For help getting started, try this: A Practical Guide to Owning Fewer Clothes.
4. Boundaries bring freedom.
This may sound contradictory…and depending on the exact boundaries, it may be. But in the example of clothing, I found great freedom in the project. It is a refreshing feeling to look inside a closet and see only clothes that you love. Getting ready in the morning is less time-consuming. Laundry is easier. And I saved a few dollars over the 3 months as well. The experiment granted me more time, energy, and money—the very things I was losing without it.
For me, Project 333 became something far greater than wearing fewer articles of clothing. It became about recognizing the value of boundaries. And the value of boundaries reaches far beyond our closets. It begins to spill into how we decorate our homes, the toys we buy for our children, our yarn supplies, and even how we choose to spend our time, money, and energy.
Why don’t you try giving it a shot?
You’ll enjoy the challenge. And you’ve got nothing to lose but the clutter in your closet.
Katherine says
Nice idea, but it doesn’t count on seasonal changes. I like the idea, rather, of taking a whole year and starting with all the hangers backwards. At the end of each season (or the year) donate all the clothes with hangers still backwards.
Also: for sentimental stuff, I cleared out my formal dresses and reduced jeans by giving them to my niece. Easier to get rid of that way. Of course, I tend to ignore fashion trends and stick with my favorites, but I bet that is true for most minimalists.
anonymous says
Your the only other person I saw mention the seasonal changes. I live in upstate new york and I understand where you are coming from COMPLETELY.
Beatriz says
That is why the project is 33-3: 33 pieces for 3 months. In other words, each season gets its own set of appropriate clothing, with many basics (like jeans) that transition through several seasons.
Tori says
But most people get multiple seasons (temperature wise) in a month…. 40 degree differences in the hottest day to the coldest day this month alone.
Ram says
Living in India is lot different. Have been under 33 for as long as i remember.
7 shirts.
5 pants
7 under wear
7 inner wear
3 pair of socks
2 hand napkins.
the west can learn a lot about minimalism from us.
Karen Dubrinsky says
I love this idea, Joshua, and want to try it out! I also have been thinking that I wear so many things over and over, and there’s nothing wrong with that! Thanks for sharing the idea and explaining how it works. I will tweak it for our different seasons here, but still feel it will work as I often wear short sleeves under sweaters in the winter. Thanks again!
dexter says
An interesting discussion will be worth comment. I do believe that you should publish more on this particular topic, it will not be a taboo issue but normally people are not enough to speak on such subjects. To the next. All the best
moya says
I live in a four season climate and use a ten item wardrobe. This means ten items for each season.II dont include coats or loungewear.I dont have forty garments as I use the same wardrobe for spring and autumn.I review my wardrobe at the start of each season ,discard any worn piece and replace it .I always go for quality and I include One fun fashion inexpensive piece in the colour of the season.This is a fun but minimalist way to dress and I feel like I have a whole new wardrobe each season.I have donated all my other clothes although I had collected many fine pieces over the years.I decided to become a minimalist in my sixties.I feel 20 years younger without all the clutter. Absolutely great blog Joshua.
laura m. says
I had recently purged my warm weather items as I live in S.E. Ala. was several swim suits, shorts, tops donated to charities. Just this week, sorted thru cooler weather outerwear, got rid of items that I didn’t wear last winter, as it was warmer than usual, so realize now I have too many light wt jackets plus rain wear. I must purge some jackets (got rid of three last mo) problem is, I got them on sale (North Face, Columbia brands) suitable for mild winter chilly days. but cannot decide which ones to purge. I may run ads in local online free ads when weather cools down. These jackets (soft shell) were 75% clearance sale too.
Becky says
Hi, I was hoping there would be an accountability/follow-up type post for this challenge, but that’s OK (or if I missed it) because my success really has been my own reward. :-)
I got rid of things that were a little too small, got all new mostly black coordinating all-weather things with just enough colored accessories to not be boring and with only one purchasing mistake. (My new haircut helps, too.) Now I’m sure I have only 33 things INCLUDING my underwear and sleep/lounge wear and it’s plenty.
My new 3-month goal is to be more graceful with my husband by making not one mention of his stuff at all. Thanks again!
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Linda says
I just counted 85 items hanging in my closet. That’s JUST the hanging stuff – primarily shirts, skirts, and dresses! Most of my pants, and quite a few shirts (t-shirts and sweatshirts) are folded on the shelf above the hanging stuff. And then there are my coats, jackets, and scarves in the coat closet (and on the backs of chairs in the kitchen and dining room), and shoes/slippers/boots, in various parts of the house, AND a drawer or two in my dresser with shirts and … whatever, that I never wear. I could easily give away the stuff in the dresser drawers – that would make more room for socks, which I really need more room for. (Now that I think of it, one drawer has all my summer shorts. So that’s yet more clothing that I *do* wera.) And, of course, socks and underwear don’t count, right?
I have dozens of pairs of earrings, and lots of necklaces (some of which my daughter made for me).
Obviously, I have way too much clothing. But I would have a terribly hard time choosing what to keep, even if I could keep only 50 articles of clothing!
On the other hand, I really should at least get rid of the stuff I know I’ll never wear again – either because it’s too worn and full of holes, or just stuff I don’t like.
I think it would be really cool to start a clothing “library”, where people can gain membership by contributing some of their own stuff (clean and in good condition), plus a small annual membership fee to maintain the space and pay the staff. And then they can just go in and borrow anything they like – or even exchange something of their own for something in the library.
Deborah says
The problem I have is our seasons.
It can be 97° or -35°
You can freeze here, and layers and various coats are a REQUIREMENT, as well as numerous boots, hats, glove, scarves.
Pidgen says
Hence why it’s only 3 months at a time. I now have 4 seasonal ‘rotations’ of clothing that each fit in a drawer. The season at hand gets to be in the closet. ;) And I don’t count outerwear, long-underwear layers, or mittens/hats/scarves. Having 33 things to make OUTFITS, is much different than freezing to death because you don’t have proper clothing. Give it a try – it’s actually a lot of fun!
Sara says
I probably don’t have much more than 33 things for all seasons, any more. Two coats, a rain coat and a winter coat. A couple of cardigans.I just can’t afford new stuff. But we have definite seasons too and I would NOT get rid of stuff just to keep to an arbitrary number like 33. I think it’s good to go through your stuff. But I don’t care for exercises like his that say its good to throw stuff away because you won’t use it in the next three months? And then what, when I need winter stuff, go shopping again? No thanks. Or am I misunderstanding?
Beatriz says
You don’t throw out the things you are not using this season! Like you said, that would make no sense. What you are aiming to do is to have a 33 piece wardrobe for each season (some pieces, of course, will be used for more than one season so your total will probably be well under 132 pieces – my favourite pair of jeans stay in my wardrobe the year around). What isn’t in season is packed away, to be retrieved in the next cycle.