Mary Carlomagno, a clutter control specialist in Hoboken, N.J., and the author of Give It Up!: My Year of Learning to Live Better With Less, suggests making a written list. "Try to stop shopping, even for a weekend, and designate it as your clothing-inventory weekend," she says. Write down how many pants, blouses and shoes you have, and as you're going along, note the duplicate items that could be eliminated. Chances are, for example, you don’t need 10 pairs of black pants — and some probably don’t fit or have gone out of style.

2. Single Out What You Haven't Used Recently.

"If you haven't worn the article within two weeks of buying it, you don't like it enough to keep it," says Carlomagno. (The exception is clothes bought outofseason.) Another red flag: clothes that still have price tags on them. Carlomagno recommends returning these as soon as possible.

3. Say Goodbye to Your "Skinny" Clothes.

Women who haven't worn a size-8 dress in 15 years often hang on to the clothes they loved in their 20s. "It’s a kind of fantasy," Carlomagno points out. "They’re afraid to get rid of these clothes because that's admitting they’ll never be that thin again."

4. Eliminate the Outdated Clothes You've Been Hoping Will Eventually Come Into Style Again

"Trends do come back," says Carlomagno, "but they come back with some changes. The jacket you had years ago will look funny on you now."

5. Make Sure Your Closet Isn't Dominated by One Kind of Item

That's a sure sign of overshopping, according to Carlomagno.

6. Get Rid of the Surplus in Your Own Way

You can do it by having a garage sale, donating to a thrift store or going to a consignment shop. But, Carlomagno warns, don’t use any money you get from selling your stuff as an excuse to buy new things.

7. Finally, Give Your Closet the Slide Test

You'll know your work is done, says Carlomagno, "when you can slide your hangers back and forth on the rod. You should be able to see the front of every item." A pared-down closet gives you more than some new space, says Carlomagno. "Financially, you feel freer. You find more time, you find more space and new interests can come into your life."