I’ll admit, I have a closet full of clothes and half of which I don’t wear regularly. This can serve as clutter that I really don’t need in my life because the time it takes to organize all of my clothes after doing laundry (or while frantically sorting through them when I’m running late in the mornings) is wasted. Check out the list of elementary teacher outfit organization tips and ideas below!
3 Tips for Purchasing Teacher Clothes
Below are some tips and ideas for elementary teachers purchasing a new teacher outfit.
1. Seek Comfort
It’s important to have pieces that are comfortable. When selecting clothes, think about how you need to be able to move in your clothes when selecting them. Do you sit on the ground a lot with your students? Do you need to be able to run at a moment’s notice? Keep these things in mind when selecting clothes.
2. Look for Versatile Pieces
When shopping for new clothes, look for versatile pieces. It’s great when you can find clothing that can be worn at work and in everyday life. Also, look for staple pieces that can be paired up with numerous other pieces. This makes it so you can mix and match to make different combinations. You’ll save yourself money and time if you have pants that work with numerous tops and vice versa.
3. Shop at Stores with Teacher Discount Programs
There are a bunch of stores out there that have teacher discount programs where you can score 15% off by showing your teacher ID. Take advantage of these exclusive discounts!
How to Organize Your Clothing Closet
Below are tips for elementary teachers organizing their teacher outfit clothes in their closet.
1. Don’t Procrastinate
You don’t need to wait until spring time to do some “spring cleaning” in your closet. If you haven’t worn an item in over a year, donate it to a place like Goodwill or Salvation Army. If you’re like me and you have clothes in many different sizes because you’ll “fit into them again someday”, then pick up a clear storage tote at Walmart and store them so they don’t get in the way of clothes you wear regularly (and you’ll be able to see what’s in the tote if it’s clear!). After purging your closet, you’ll find you have much more space to organize the clothes that you wear on a regular basis and it will save you so much time each morning while getting ready for work.
2. Work in Small Chunks
Taking EVERYTHING out of your closet at one time will cause you to be overwhelmed. Start with like-items (shirts, pants, etc.). Create piles for “donate”, “storage”, “keep”, and/or “trash”. This will help you see what key pieces you have to work with in your wardrobe.
3. Have a Plan for Unwanted Items
Have a plan for where the items will go after they are out of your closet. As you cleaned your closet, you made piles for where you want the clothes to go, and now it’s time to act! Have those storage bins ready and fold the “storage pile” clothes neatly into each bin. Then find a place to store those bins where they won’t be in the way (garage or attic). Did you create a “donate pile”? Good! Load up the car and your next trip out, head to your nearest drop off site! The clothes you chose to keep need to be placed back in your closet in a way that helps you find what you need quicker (by item type, by color, by season, etc.).
4. Set Very Specific Rules
It’s important to set very specific rules for whether or not you will keep an item. It’s easy to hold onto something because you “may” wear it in the future. Setting non-negotiable rules will help avoid that. If you haven’t worn it in a year, are you really going to wear it this year? Probably not.
Sometimes just asking yourself these three questions helps:
- Do I wear this regularly?
- Do I love it?
- Would someone else be better off owning it?
5. Take Inventory of What You Have
Take a mental inventory of what you’re putting back in your closet to keep, so you know what pieces you may need to pick up the next time you’re out shopping.
How to Save Time in the Morning
Below are elementary teacher outfit organization ideas for making school day mornings easier.
1. Pick Out Your Clothes Ahead of Time
Pick out your outfits and prepare the clothes for the week on the weekend. Put together everything you need (top, bottom, undergarments, accessories). This will save “what am I going to wear?” minutes as well as ensure that what you intend to wear is clean and wrinkle-free. As a bonus, this also prevents coming home to a pile of discarded clothes on the bedroom floor that you tried on and didn’t wear that day.
2. Arrange Your Closet Purposefully
Arrange your closet in a manner that makes it easy to find what you need. This could mean by color or by like-items being grouped together. For example, I have one side of my closet as “work clothes” and the other side is “casual clothes”. This helps me piece together outfits quickly.
3. Store Away Clothes You Don’t Need
If you live in a seasonal climate, box up clothes from the off season. Even if your closet is really large, you’ll find it easier to get ready for school if your space is simplified.
In closing, we hope you found this post about elementary teacher outfit organization ideas helpful! If you did, then you may also be interested in these posts:
- How to Make Connections with Your Elementary Students
- 10 Tips for How to Save Money as a Teacher
- How Teachers Can Make More Money this Year
