Nothing to wear? If this how you feel when you look into your closet, then this is the perfect time to hang on to what you will wear and strip away what you won't. It is now the end of January, allow for an hour or two to reacquaint yourself with your wardrobe or lack of one. Winter will be over soon and spring will be at your door. Might as well look good when it arrives.

PREP STEPS:

-- Make this easier on yourself by getting out an empty shopping bag (or two) to hold the clothes you decide to donate. If you can spare it, then share it with someone less fortunate. Many charities now offer a scheduled pickup service for donated goods right at your front door.

-- Set a timer. Unless you have Mariah Carey's closet to clean, two hours should do it. Work without a break and keep moving.

-- Have a large mirror in the room where you will be trying on the clothes.

-- This is an exercise in discovery NOT organization. Don't worry about color coordinating your racks, just focus on whether or not the item is a keeper. These five questions will help you clear the way for a wearable wardrobe without spending a cent.

Try this exercise on for size:

1. Does it fit? Take a good honest look from all sides, bend over, sit down. If it shows anything you wouldn't want a stranger to see, into the bag it goes. NOTE: Sucking in your belly while wearing pantyhose to make the garment hang smoothly means it does not fit, sorry. If you can't get it over your head or up around your waist, stop, take it off and put it into the donation bag. Don't torture yourself, let it go. This item has become clutter in your closet. Be brave and make room for beautiful, new things to find you.

2. If it fits, is it flattering? You may think so, but go deeper here...Is it the image you want to project? What is it saying? Professional, housewife, or your 1983 senior trip outfit? Make sure it reflects who you are today.

3. If it passed the first two steps...Do you like it? Love it? Does it make you feel vibrant? If not, you probably won't wear it much, if at all. This is especially true if you had a bad emotional experience while wearing it. Time to let someone else enjoy it.

4. Where can I wear it? To work, meetings, shopping, dinner, doing errands? Is it useful to your lifestyle? If you have piles of sweaters but are moving to Florida, keep the best fitting  two or three. Same test for shoes and boots. If you are over high heels, keep one multi-purpose black pair of pumps (just in case) and say, "hello comfy flats."

5. Do you have the full accessory ensemble to complement it? If not, do you really want to spend the $ and time trying to find the perfect pair of shoes to match a pea green dress you bought on sale seasons ago, but have yet to wear? It may be cheaper to let it go.

Times up! By now, you should have a few full donation bags...good for you, good for someone else.

Try not to buy anything for at least a month. Wear what you have decided to keep. Make a list of things you would like to infuse back into your wardrobe, but try to wait on purchasing anything for a month. You might find you don't need as much after all!