Here’s one new year’s resolution that won’t cost you a cent.

We all want to do better, look better, feel better, be better–and people who want your hard-earned money know this, and have come with all kinds of ways to sell you things they’ve convinced you are vital to achieving those goals.  This isn’t really a bad thing–it’s just not always necessary.

So, to make the most of your wardrobe and start off with a brand new you, the best thing you can do is go on the world’s most intimate shopping trip, and it’s absolutely free:  shop your own closet.

It’s amazing how easy it is to fall into a rut of wearing the same handful of outfits over and over because we just forget what’s in our closet.  Things get crowded out, shoved to the back, marooned in the dry cleaning pile or wadded up and stranded in the back of a drawer.

I’ll be you tomorrow’s lunch money that if you took everything out of your closet (and drawers), you’d find something fabulous that you’ve completely forgotten you had.  It’s almost like getting free clothes!

If your closet has gotten completely out of control, reorganizing it can be a daunting task.  I’ve found the best approach is to take everything out (of both the closet and my drawers), pile it all up on the bed and go through it a piece at a time.  Doing this prevents me (and you) from only partially organizing and “skimming over” certain things.

While you’re doing this, put aside anything you haven’t worn in six months (back to that pile in a minute).  Re-hang everything, and hang together everything of-a-kind; shirts with shirts, skirts with skirts, and so on.  Within those categories, consider breaking down by color or season.  If you come across something that needs to be washed or sent to the dry cleaner, set it aside–and then get it clean and back in the closet, don’t relegate it to a pile in the dark end of your closet.

As you put things away, you’ll rediscover things you’d completely forgotten about, and have a few lightbulb moments for new outfit combinations you hadn’t seen before.  As you organize, try to keep in mind the basics of a good wardrobe foundation; doing this will help you determine what, if anything, you need to buy to fill out that foundation.

It’s even possible that some of your key pieces just need a little TLC to revitalize them, and that’s something most of us can do ourselves.

Hopefully the most you’ll spend when you whip your closet into shape is a few bucks for a new shoe organizer or $25 or so for a new white cotton shirt–that’s what’s so great about “shopping” your own closet.  It’s a great way to start the new year, and it’s easy on the budget.