Wardrobe Sort-Out.

Then in January anything unworn in the previous year goes to the charity shop

Kudos to you Casdon! Pretty hardcore. I struggle throwing stuff away from years ago. I’m rubbish. Then I think ‘do I want to keep wearing these FOREVER’. Hmm. As I put stuff back in the wardrobe I decide I must do.

I wish I could be ruthless.

I’m joining Slimming World next month. Maybe in a few months I will lose weight, reevaluate my wardrobe, have a clear out and buy some new clothes for the new slimmer me.

Urmstongran

I think the saying is that we only wear 20% of our clothes 80% of the time Calendargirl which allows us to dither just enough when it comes to getting rid! ...in that ‘is this dress one of the items that I DO wear in that 20% window?’

As I get older I value streamlining. I regret buying so many watches and sunglasses for example. I wish choices were binary. This OR that? Best OR everyday? I find too much choice overwhelming.

I'm with you on the accessories overload! I got rid of 14-yep! Long scarves,pashminas then 8 good quality handbags 5 pairs boots I also have 13 watches (for most outfits) but honestly used to have 2 and wonder why I've hoarded them? I truly think that because I have nil contact with#2DS and 3DGK I'm somehow filling a yawning great hole in my life with- "stuff," I'm not making any new memories and daren,'t think of the old ones as I get desperately upset at the loss. So, buying clothes and stuff has been my occupation and I can well afford due to lockdowns and no budget for presents any more.sad or what?!

I've downloaded this from a very useful site and it's my new credo of the wardrobe!! It works too, I've off-loaded a ton of stuff using these rules and not regretted one ! Charity shops got a bumper crop too! Try it -its the future...!?

I haven't had time to read all of the comments so apologies if someone has already mentioned this.

If you want to get an idea of what you do and don't wear in your wardrobe, prior to having a clear out, this is what you should do.

Hang all of the clothes hangers in the same direction on the rail. When you wear something or put it back, hang the clothes hanger the other way around. I saw this on one of those 'helpful' TV shows.

In theory this should work and highlight the things that you don't wear.

One solution is to be brutally honest with yourself when shopping for clothes. A conversation with myself might go like this,

"Oh! What a nice dress. Lovely fabric and not a bad price..... Liz, how often do you wear a dress? Well, never. Will your lifestyle ever change to make wearing dresses practical? No! Put it back on the rail, Liz..."

In the past I haven't always had this little chat with myself so now I'm off to put some rather nice dresses in a bag for the charity shop.

I do a lot of sewing lately and I enjoy watching people's sewing channels on YouTube. Those women are always making, and apparently wearing, really nice dresses! They must spend their lives constantly getting changed! I have two types of outfit, nightwear and jeans and tee shirt or other top. Oh! and my karate suit!

I have had several wardrobe clear outs in the past year but i still have lots of clothes. I have decided I will hold on to everything now because you just cannot find the quality now. A lot of things are very difficult to find too. I think retailers must be struggling to get the merchandise.

I do have a lot of clothes I rarely wear, but have been weeding them out over the last few years and haven't bought anything new except a pair of jeggings since well before lockdown. The clothes I do have are all nice and wearable, though, none are kept because I just can't face getting rid of them even though I can't wear them.

The jumper I have on today is about 20 years old but looks like new. It's a beautiful cobalt blue, haven't seen anything like it in the shops and three people have asked me where I bought it. I don't like to say how old it actually is so I usually say I bought it a few years ago ?

I love clothes, I wouldn’t be happy having any kind of rota - it’s fun choosing what to wear. I do operate a capsule wardrobe though, so I don’t buy things that won’t go with what I own already. I turn my hangers backwards at the beginning of the year, and when I wear something, I put the hanger back the right way. Then in January anything unworn in the previous year goes to the charity shop. My weakness is shoes and boots though, I find them very easy to buy and hard to get rid of. Since I retired I’m trying really hard, so it’s one in one out now.

Now I have retired all of my work wardrobe went to the Salvation Army. I tend to give clothes to the SA and other stuff to the Hospice, who will take unwanted electricals as they have someone who will PAT test them. Any thing they won't take Electric blankets, duvets etc I Freecycle.
The local hospice sell any unserviceable clothes and textiles for rags, so nothing goes to waste.
I tend to live in jeans, haven't worn a skirt for years.

I haven't seen any collection points for Ukranian refugees, I have some unused duvets that would probably be welcome....

There is a mountain of donated clothing growing daily in Poland. The agencies have lists of needed items that are currently required and clothing is not on them, so take your unwanted clothes to our charity shops please.

I used to enjoy shopping for clothes and having lots of different outfits. Now, like MOnica, I find that having things I don’t use is quite a burden. I much prefer having fewer carefully chosen clothes and accessories and actually wearing them. Having drawers and wardrobes stuffed with lots of clothes would really depress me.

I’m like MOnica I don’t like having ‘stuff’ that isn’t used and a similar rotasystem that tends to be governed by worn clothes getting washed.
Similar to GSM one watch, one pair of sunglasses. One purse, one handbag, two pairs of boots, three pairs of Skechers and three pairs of flip flops. Last purchase was a winter coat replacing one twelve years old.

Wow Monica, I wish I could be like you, I am terrible at sorting out clothes. Even if it is underwear I do this mad thing, I cut through the crutch with scissors and cut off the straps of a bra all because it stops me going back through the bag and changing my mind. Do you think I have a problem ? ha ha

M0nica

I only buy clothes I know I will wear and most of my wardrobe is in constant use.

It bothers me to have stuff round me that I never use or do not really need, whether it is clothes, furniture or anything else.

I even wear my clothes to a relaxed rota, to make sure that they are all worn regularly.

I want to be like this! But failing miserably.

For many of us, fashion is fun and we enjoy ringing the changes. Therefore we have lots of clothes in different colours and styles. They don’t have to be expensive.
I enjoy putting outfits and accessories together and often see a model in a magazine in an outfit and realise I can get that effect with the clothes I have.
I can’t think of anything worse clothes wise than restricting myself to a few sensible outfits and working on a rota.

I have already made that decision mokryna. In fact only yesterday I emailed Lands End, from whom I have bought trousers and tops over the years, asking them to remove me from their mailing list as it had come to my attention that their clothes were now made in China. I thought it important that they should know why I would no longer buy from them. Standard email received this morning confirming removal from mailing list. Interestingly, even the LE trousers I bought quite recently don’t bear a label showing country of origin.

Rather than a charity shop, please take your unwanted clothes to a collection point for donated items for Ukrainian refugees.

Chinese Russian

Germanshepherdsmum

M0nica

What always puzzles me is how people can afford to buy all these clothes. I will not pretend to pinched for money, because I am not, but I just cannot afford to go shopping every week/month casually buying clothes, that I do not need and possibly, will never wear, even when those clothes are from Primark or a supermarket.

Me too. I know it’s none of my business but whilst I can afford to buy plenty of clothes I only buy what I actually need, which is very little, but a lot of people seem to be unable to exist without frequent clothes shopping. Not good for the purse or the planet!

Maybe, to control yourself put the resolution, don’t buy from China nor Russia companies.
Labels are petty obvious although I agree that many have decamped to other counties.

I'm on a clothes embargo right now. In other words, I am not allowing myself to buy any new clothes for three months.
Meanwhile, I am having a serious clear out of things hanging in the wardrobe and hardly ever worn, - or, throwing out things that are too worn and replacing them with those that are hardly worn. If that makes sense.
This is my little part in trying to save the planet.

I've lost some weight so I am working my way through things I haven't worn for a while. I try to always put something in the charity bag when it comes. I have a voluntary role with a hospice and I know how much they rely on the income from their shops.

About six years ago I stopped buying things in sales, Debenhams when we had it in town was always having sales and I would buy something that was greatly reduced in price then get home and realise I had nothing to go with it so would have to either hang it in the wardrobe or buy something to go with it. The only big buys I have made recently are decent shoes and boots with arch support which have helped my back pain a lot.

I must be living like a monk. I have one watch and one pair of sunglasses.

I think the saying is that we only wear 20% of our clothes 80% of the time Calendargirl which allows us to dither just enough when it comes to getting rid! ...in that ‘is this dress one of the items that I DO wear in that 20% window?’

As I get older I value streamlining. I regret buying so many watches and sunglasses for example. I wish choices were binary. This OR that? Best OR everyday? I find too much choice overwhelming.

Am in awe of Monica’s admirable self discipline and wish I could be like that. Two thirds of my wardrobe is too small and I am not making much progress with losing weight so may never wear it, but can’t bear to part with clothes I like. Think I need a serious moth problem to make me get organised.