"Do you love it?"

This was the diagnostic question my mom would pose whenever we went clothes shopping throughout my childhood. If my answer was a sincere yes, it was almost always mine to keep. She's a stylish mother, she's a generous mother, and she's a wise consumer. Do you love it? is ingrained in my mind.

My mom still poses the question to this day when we shop together as adults, and I use the diagnostic question all the time to assess purchases. Marie Kondo, author of The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, asks the same question in her own words: Does it spark joy?

As you make shopping decisions in 2018, don't buy because something is such a great price. (Oh boy, have I fallen prey to this one.) We all know those purchases usually end up unworn, taking up real estate in our drawers and crowding our closets. First pause and ask yourself the million dollar question: Do I love it?

• If you have to pause to figure out the answer, that means you don't love it. Your answer is no. Put it back. Do not buy.
• You aren't asking yourself, "Do I love the price?" You're asking, "Do I love the item?" Even if it's a steal-of-a-deal $10 pair of jeans, if you buy them and then never wear them, you wasted $10.

Would you rather have a closet stuffed to overflowing with endless options of clothes you kind of like and fit okay OR a lean closet full of clothes you love so much that you're temped to wear something two days in a row, just because you love it so?

Apply my mom's wisdom and see where it leads you. I made a purchase yesterday that I felt a bit guilty about, but the answer to "Do you love it?" was a resounding YES!, so I bought it and committed to clearing out some clothes I don't love.

It was a lounge suit at Nordstrom Rack that captured my heart : so soft, nicely tailored, comfortable, stylish. Marie Kondo advises against using old, worn-out clothes as pajamas and lounge wear. This is something I'm prone to do, but Kondo is right, it's bad for your psyche. She says love what you're lounging in and wearing to bed, as it influences your attitude. I concur! That's why I bought it, and I love it!