By Gabi Falanga

Parenting can be overwhelming on countless levels. Most of the time we have many balls in the air at the same time. We struggle with decision fatigue, when, at some stage during the day, our brain is unable to continue making decisions because we’ve had to make so many already. 

Capsule wardrobes have become increasingly popular as people start seeing the benefits of living more simply and sustainably. This move towards minimalism is a lifestyle worth considering if you find making choices around what you and your kids should wear each day particularly exhausting. 

A capsule wardrobe is a versatile, mini wardrobe that consists of clothes that can be worn in various combinations to create a variety of outfits that can be worn for all occasions. Thirty-seven items of clothing is deemed the ideal number of clothing items needed to make up such a wardrobe. 

To make a capsule wardrobe, you need to take a look at your cupboard and chose a few high-quality, long lasting classics to keep - like trousers, dresses, jeans and skirts in neutral colours. Then, add blouses, shirts and blazers in two to three accent colours. The next step is to add shoes, accessories and jewellery in neutral colours, or your chosen accent colours. Make sure that every item you’ve chosen can be worn in numerous combinations with each other. 

You may want to add cardigans, coats and scarves which you can layer on in colder weather. For those living in parts of the country with extreme temperature changes between seasons – consider having two capsule wardrobes. When you’re using the summer one, the winter wardrobe gets stored!

Don’t be tempted to keep items that you never wear, that don’t fit, or uncomfortable or broken. Donate, sell or mend these to prevent waste. 

If each member of the family has a capsule wardrobe – a lot less time will be wasted on deciding what to wear each day – and you can use your energy to make more important decisions.