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How many clothes do you REALLY own? - Page 2

post #21 of 52
2/5/09 at 7:40pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Crunchy*VT*Mom View Post


I'm a minimalist.

I like space between the hangers in my closet so the clothes can breathe.

I buy a few GOOD things (and I'll pay full price without a qualm if it looks good on me and is a quality piece of clothing) each year.

I rarely keep anything over a year or two because when I buy it, I wear it OUT.

There is nothing in my closet that doesn't fit me right now, today.

Because when I was pregnant the first time, I went out and bought about ten great maternity pieces...and I wore them every day. And I was the best dressed I had been in my entire life.

That taught me a lesson and after that I took it to heart.

Buy what looks great now and WEAR it.

Throw the rest out.
:

I'm a ruthless purger when it comes to clothes (and most other things). Right now I'm in the last few weeks (or days) of my last pregnancy, and I literally wear the same 3 pairs of pants and 4 or 5 shirts over and over again. And I'm fine with it.

I've recently purged a bunch of clothes that I didn't think I'd ever wear again, and I don't have very much left to "shrink into" after I have the baby. The way I look at it is that I'd rather have a small amount of clothing that I wear until it's worn out than a closet full of clothes I never wear at all.
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post #22 of 52
2/8/09 at 11:02pm
I recently heard a great method of getting rid of unworn clothes. It was so logical that I can't believe I didn't come up with it!

Put everything on hangers and hang the hangers on the rack backwards (so, you turn the C part of the hanger so it's open on the front of the rod...if that makes sense). In 6 months if anything is still hanging backwards, toss it, donate it, do whatever.
post #23 of 52
2/8/09 at 11:17pm
Here's what I do -- I rotate my clothes seasonally -- I have summer, winter, and spring/fall clothes, and I only keep out the ones that are seasonally appropriate.

When I do the rotation, I purge stuff I didn't wear in the last rotation, things that don't fit, are out of style, etc. In the last year I've been particularly ruthless because I'm done having kids and I'm back down to pre-kid weight, so I've purged ALL my bigger clothes. I used to have a range of sizes to work with.

As a side benefit, I can't gain weight because I'll have nothing to wear... so I notice right away if my clothes are too tight. Previously, I could just reach for the next size up!
post #24 of 52
2/9/09 at 2:37pm
Donate those items you are not using & havent been able to sell. You can use the donation receipt for taxes. You will declutter and you wont be waisting time either trying to sell things that arent selling kwim? Plus a charity will get the benefit of your items!
post #25 of 52
2/9/09 at 5:46pm
Maybe start by getting rid of anything you know for sure you just don't like anymore?

If you have friends about the right size for the clothes, maybe bribe them with a couple of shirts and a chance to hold the baby if they come over and do your laundry/dishes/etc?
post #26 of 52
2/10/09 at 11:05am
Quote:
I really like to go through everything with a full length mirror and a good, honest friend and chuck everything that doesn't make me look good.
I think that's a great way to do it. I'm going to work on decluttering my clothes when ds3 wakes up and I can go in my room.
post #27 of 52
2/10/09 at 11:39am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Crunchy*VT*Mom View Post


I'm a minimalist.

I like space between the hangers in my closet so the clothes can breathe.

I buy a few GOOD things (and I'll pay full price without a qualm if it looks good on me and is a quality piece of clothing) each year.

I rarely keep anything over a year or two because when I buy it, I wear it OUT.

There is nothing in my closet that doesn't fit me right now, today.

Because when I was pregnant the first time, I went out and bought about ten great maternity pieces...and I wore them every day. And I was the best dressed I had been in my entire life.
That taught me a lesson and after that I took it to heart.

Buy what looks great now and WEAR it.

Throw the rest out.
My bold. I also felt the best dressed during my pregnancy.

Because I had to buy clothes and was not going drag all over creation looking for sales, I was forced (in my own reasoning) to pay full price and therefore, I bought was I liked and felt good in.

I had awesome maternity stuff! I worked in an office so I stuck with neutral colors but the stuff was edgy, so unlike my non-pregnant wardrobe.

I am tackling another clump of "$100 but paid only $x shirts" very soon. I know I haven't worn them in at least 3 years and they must go.
post #28 of 52
2/10/09 at 12:51pm
I sort of have a lot- but not a crazy amount, because I don't have a closet.

Let me explain.

I have an armoire- this holds all my day to day clothes. I am a SAHM, so all this means are my sweats, pjs, undies, socks, and actual outfits.

I also have two large oak baskets on top of the armoire that hold my off season clothes- obviously, it's all sundresses and bathing suits and shorts in those right now.

Then, we have what could either be called a large, un-hardwared closet or the world's tiniest bedroom across the hall. At the one end of this room, I have two big zippered plastic "closets" that I have dress up clothes in- holiday stuff, party dresses, and few professional clothes that I've hung onto, as well as, I think, four pairs of heels and my wedding dress.

These plastic closets are really full right now, because I'm pregnant and my armoire in our bedroom is full of maternity clothes, so my regular clothes had to go somewhere.

I have a rule about dozens. I can only have 12 outfits of any one category.

I organize my clothes into outfits- one entire outfit per hanger. This started when we moved here and I didn't have my own closet anymore- it takes up much less space to do it this way.

My categories are casual winter, casual summer, professional, special occaision, sweats, pajamas, and underwear. I have just added the "maternity clothes, summer and winter category".

I have a dozen maternity outfits currently, plus four sweatsuits (pants, tee, sweatshirt) and my pajamas. My dozen regular winter outfits are crammed in the plastic closets, and my dozen summer outfits are in the baskets.

I have six professional outfits and about eight special occaision outfits that live in the plastic closets all the time, because I only wear clothes like that once a month at the very most.

I have a dozen pairs of underwear, and probably about eight bras right now, including sports bras. I also have two scarves, two headwraps, and lots and lots of socks.

As for shoes, I have those four pairs of heels, an inside pair of athletic shoes, an outside pair, a pair of one stars, a pair of loafers, a pair of flats, two pairs sandals, two pairs dress boots, one pair casual boots, a pair of hiking boots and snow boots. (Hey, our seasons include "mud" and "snow"! We need boots here! ) My shoes live in underbed boxes.

I also shop thrift stores, and we have really good ones here. I have a budget for clothes for all of us of $500 per year. (This doesn't include DH's shoes, though, as those are a special order item.) I had to impose the dozen complete outfits rule to keep us all organized in a virtually closetless house.
post #29 of 52
3/11/09 at 2:17pm
thanks for starting this thread, OP! And thanks Crunchy*VT*Mom for your post- it inspired me to go through ALL my clothes again and I've picked out lots that I liked okay, but not enough to keep and they didn't look good on me. I've got a big bag full of clothes that I'll let my best friend look at to see if she wants anything, and I'll donate the rest. I also have a pile of clothes I know she won't like, but the fabrics will be good for making into quilts and whatever else. I love messing with old clothes and making them into dd clothes or blankets or soft playmats. I'm working on a circular scrap quilt/playmat at the moment, and I'll incorporate the new clothing stuff into it. Sweet. 8^) I have never been this happy with my own clothing situation before! I'm a serious minimalist, and thought I'd purged clothing well in the past, but this is even better! I loved reading this thread. :-)
post #30 of 52
3/13/09 at 4:11pm
I have few clothes. I have 3 dresses, about 5 skirts, 1 pair of pants, 2 pairs of capris, 3 bathings suits and about 8 shirts, plus undergarments and a winter coat and a light coat. I keep all the clothes I wear hanging up and the seasonal items in a small tote at the bottom of my closet. I also have a small tote at the top of my closet of clothes I am about to fit into (down 25lbs and counting, yay!). I still occasionally toss things if they are worn of I am just getting tired of them. I do laundry every day so I don't even mind not having many clothes and I would rather wear clothes that are nice and look good on me over and over than have a varied collection of clothes I don't care much for, which is what I used to have.
post #31 of 52
3/13/09 at 4:31pm
At the moment I have about a dozen shirts, four skirts, several pullovers and cardigans, three 'nicer' dresses, and one formal dress. We're in a four-season climate, so some of this stuff is different weights I can layer to suit the weather. There's one small box of odds and ends for mucky jobs.

I have six pairs of shoes: lined boots, unlined boots, shoes, sandals, house slippers, and really cruddy shoes for the next time my mother's basement floods. Unless we're moving to a warmer climate, I need to get some knee-high lined boots; the snow has been higher here the last few years.

For outerwear, I have one thin jacket, one unlined wool cloak, and one short mink jacket (for dress), plus one round of hat/scarf/gloves.

I also have two more drawers to look through and one tiny box of maternity shirts to assess (the leggings and cardigan were in shreds and patched by the end of it, so they got rag-bagged).

I hate shopping for clothes.
post #32 of 52
3/13/09 at 9:19pm
I have two pairs of pants in rotation, but three would be much easier.

I have two skirts that can be dressed up or down.

I have three pairs of shorts.

I have a pair of ski pants (I LIVE in Vermont, and wear these 5 to 6 times per month 4 months of the year.)

I have 1 pair of dress shoes that can go with jeans or skirts, 1 pair of sport shoes, 1 pair of snow boots, 1 pair of muck boots (I wear these 300 days a year), two pairs of sandals (I need to get rid of one), and one pair of fun red Keens.

I have 4 pairs of wool socks, and 6 pairs of cotton (my aunt just sent me these, and I wear through cotton socks really fast).

I have two cardigan sweaters and 2 pullovers.

I have 6 long sleeved t-shirts, and I think I could easily have one or 2 fewer.

I have 8 short sleeved t-shirts.

I have two "date" blouses.

I have felt guilty for having too many clothes, but this thread has made me feel better. Thanks! We're moving into a VERY small house soon (750 sq ft), and I am trying to figure out what to get rid of. I guess my gut feeling that I kind of need this many clothes is not too far off. I might cull a few shirts and 2 pairs of shoes...

Good luck OP! I think being honest with ourselves in these situations is really hard. We have so many hopes and emotions tied up in our clothes and what we thought we would be in them. May you find the number and type that fit not just who you are, but who you want to be.

I forgot- 1 heavy coat, 1 wool "city" coat (to feel pretty), 1 fleece, and a raincoat.

AND- 3 bras, one pair of pjs, and one set of work out clothes (for rowing, just old summer stuff)
post #33 of 52
3/13/09 at 9:51pm
Twelve complete casual outfits per season.

Two bathing suits.

Five coats, five hats, several pairs gloves, seven scarves.

Four complete sweatsuits.

Roughly a dozen "dress" outfits- special occaision and professional, along with about four pairs of dress shoes and two pairs of dress boots to go with them.

About six pairs of nylons/tights, two dozen pairs socks and undies each, several bras (running the gamut from sports bras to a corset), and about ten pairs of pajamas.

Three pairs of boots (Docs, hiking, and snow), two pair sandals, two pair athletic, three pair loafers, and a pair of flats.
post #34 of 52
3/13/09 at 10:35pm
wow, i'm feeling like a clotheshorse in comparison to some here! lol! i have a lot of clothing, but it's all pretty much mix and match. i have very classic taste in clothing.......think jennifer aniston. lots of neutrals (creams, tans, black, greys, chocolate brown, white), dark denim, tailored lines, simple (platinum/diamond) jewelry, classic handbags, and simple flats/shoes.

it works well for me!
post #35 of 52
3/14/09 at 10:47am
I have learned that I also would rather buy something expensive that I love and will use often then 5 things that are ok, are expensive together, and that I rarely use.

I have a small closet area- and I have a nice selection of work/professional clothing- maybe 12 bottoms and 18 tops. Then I have about 10 casual bottoms, and maube 20 casual tops. I have a few work out/house project things, and some fancier things- maybe 12 dresses and 8 tops....

I constantly get complements, and I do pride myself on looking well. I focus on fit and timelessness when I buy things, and I pretty much ignore fads and trends, unless I LOVE them, and then I indulge and get 1. Most of the things I love and wear the most often were the things I paid full price on and felt I couldn't leave without. My cleareance things are usually the shortest lasting, so it ends up being just wasted money.

The things I do hoard are bathing suits (I have at least a dozen, but our new home has a pool) and panties. I have, I'd guess, 200 pairs! I need to purge pretty much all of them and get new, and much less.

The things I need more of are bras- I have 1 good fitting one that cost 90$, and about 4 others that fit poorly, but I can't get rid of them till I can afford to replace them.

I've really learned my lesson about quality vs quantity, and my wardrobe is about 1/5 the size it used to be, thank goodness.
post #36 of 52
3/14/09 at 12:01pm
I'm getting rid of a few things, but here's the list:

LONG-SLEEVED TEES (5) 2 black, 1 grey/brown stripes, 1 cream, 1 black/white stripes

SHORT-SLEEVED TEES (7) 2 black, 2 green, 1 grey, 1 cream, 1 brownish

PANTS (9) 2 jeans, 2 wool, 2 jammies, 1 scrubs, 1 yoga, 1 black capris

SKIRTS (4) 1 black, 1 red, 1 black/white flowers, 1 denim

DRESSES (4) 1 sundress, 1 cocktail, 2 cotton (1 black, 1 grey)

SWEATERS (6) 2 black, 1 pink, 1 green, 2 grey

TANKS (7) 1 brown, 3 nursing (1 grey, 1 black, 1 pinkish), 1 black, 1 cami, 1 knitted

SWEATSHIRTS (3) 1 black, 1 green, 1 maroon

BLOUSES (2) 1 ss grey, 1 ls patterned

COATS (3) 1 green wool, 1 brown heavy sweater, 1 beige light sweater

SHOES (5) 1 black boots, 1 black pumps, 1 black maryjanes, 1 running shoes, 1 black Birkenstock clogs

ODDS AND ENDS 1 one-piece swimsuit, 1 two-piece swimsuit, 3 bras, tights, socks, undies, scarves, mittens, hats

I'm thinking of saying goodbye to the coloured items, and I need a new pair of dress shoes since the ones I have now are viciously uncomfy since I had the babies. I also need to replace most of my tees as they are holey and ratty-looking.

I'm starting to put more thought into the colours I buy. Since I don't have much, it all needs to match. As much as I like brown, I don't own any brown shoes, and I wear an awful lot of black and grey, so I steer away from buying any new brown clothes. Most of my wardrobe is black and grey with a bit of cream, red, and green.
post #37 of 52
3/16/09 at 10:38pm
Now I feel bad about harassing my husband for how much clothing he has..
Between the two of us we have 2 closets (small one for every day clothes, and another for DH's uniforms and suits.. and the bookcase to keep it away from DD) and a dresser that we only use two drawers of. Everything is hung up except undergarment, workout clothing, night clothes and swimsuits.
Currently I have: 3 pairs of jeans, 8 short sleeve shirts, 4 long sleeve shirts, 3 knee length skirts, one long skirt. I go through the entire wardrobe several times a week (my baby spits up a LOT and my toddler loves to get messy and climb all over me- wearing dirty clothing is depressing so I change). I have 2 night sets, 1 swim suit and 1 pair of work out pants (I use my regular shirts to work out in).
DH has: 4 pairs shorts, 5 (or 6) pairs pants, 20 Tshirts, 2 long sleeve shirts, 3 suits and then his work uniforms which are kept in a different closet. He has 4-5 workout outfits and 3 swim trunks..
post #38 of 52
3/16/09 at 11:53pm
I'm a clothes addict, so that's the one thing I don't declutter. We have a gargantuan walk-in closet that is nearly the size of a bedroom, and I just keep it really really neat so I don't feel bad about the thousands of clothing items in there.
post #39 of 52
3/17/09 at 4:17pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by becoming View Post
I'm a clothes addict, so that's the one thing I don't declutter. We have a gargantuan walk-in closet that is nearly the size of a bedroom, and I just keep it really really neat so I don't feel bad about the thousands of clothing items in there.
Woot! Finally somebody speaking my language.
post #40 of 52
3/17/09 at 6:11pm
Oy.

I have only like 2 pairs of pants that fit. Most of my clothes have holes or stains. Most of my shirts are old and stretched out. Ugh. No, I'm not *that* broke, I have huge guilt over getting rid of things and getting new things. Even if I donate clothes and buy stuff on sale, I feel guilty. I wish I knew why. I'd love to build a nice wardrobe. Problem is, my weight fluctuates a lot (that, and I keep getting knocked up! Though I have an IUD now so hopefully no more of that for a while!). I have some nice things that fit me at 100 lbs that don't now around 125. I did get rid of all my size 0 jeans just to convince myself that I never need to be that skinny again (I normally wear between a 3 and a 7).

Thanks for posting this, though. It reminded me that I need to get over this!