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Clothes clearout

(100 Posts)
Cambia Tue 11-Sep-18 11:13:15

This morning I did my usual swap from summer to winter wardrobes. Every time I do this I sort out a charity pile for clothes that were mistakes or have not been worn, so I thought I was not a hoarder. Today I did this and have six huge bags of clothes to take to the charity shop!! I am horrified at the amount of clothes I seem to have gained.

To be fair, I did sort out a wardrobe of “good clothes” that I have kept because they were going out clothes and I thought they might just come in some time. One of the items was an expensive outfit that I bought for my sons wedding and have never worn since. They have been married over ten years! And hats from weddings went too.

Since retirement, I live in leggings and tops and rarely dress up. Why then do I still have two big wardrobes of clothes left??

Anyone got good advice on managing their wardrobe efficiently?

Marydoll Tue 11-Sep-18 11:38:29

Unfortunately, not! I'm probably worse than you are! ?
I have just bought even more on holiday to put away for next year.?

GrannyGravy13 Tue 11-Sep-18 11:48:57

We have major renovations about to start, I am meant to be clearing out wardrobes etc. in my bedroom. Instead I am on here!!!

Already taken 3 large bags of clothes to charity shop yesterday, from the GC's outgrown bits that they leave in their room here.

Eglantine21 Tue 11-Sep-18 11:58:02

What I try to do is have the minimum, wear it to death and throw it away. I think one of my problems was that I had so much nothing got worn very often, so nothing really wore out.

But, of course I got bored with it, and bought something new but couldn’t throw the not worn out stuff away. And that’s how it built up!

When I downsized so much had to go (only one wardrobe in the new house) that I was determined not to let it build up again.

I stick to one colour, navy, for my basics and add in whatever is the colour of the season for the replacement items, if you see what I mean.

Greenfinch Tue 11-Sep-18 12:12:57

You have inspired me to go and have a sort out.I am a dreadful hoarder.When looking for a pair of reasonably white socks for DGD1 this morning I found a whole drawer full of junior school uniform of no more use as she and her brother are now at secondary school . Fortunately,while in Sainsbury's I passed a pink box overflowing with school uniform no longer required which will be passed on to needy families . Hopefully I will remember to take it next week.

paddyann Tue 11-Sep-18 12:19:23

I emptied my wardrobe a few weeks ago ,everything went in bags and to my sister,not that she particularly needs stuff ,she just likes first pick.Anything she doesn't want will be passed to her SIL and so on.
All Bras that have been dumped are going to a charity called Smalls for All and will go to young women in Africa who face difficulties with the opposite sex if they aren't covered by underwear .I.m clearing out because I've lost weight and I am determined not to put it back on,if I dont keep clothes than I wont be tempted to .

ninathenana Tue 11-Sep-18 12:25:18

shock I have one side of a wardrobe and a chest of 4 drawers !

MawBroon Tue 11-Sep-18 12:31:38

Cambia I could have written your post! Today was bags to the loft day or me too.
I (still) have far too many clothes and since retirement, fewer occasions to wear them so I make the effort to wear something different each day and “dress up” given the slightest encouragement.
But just to ask a question, how many pairs of jeans is too many? I won’t admit to how many I have “found” blush
Not counting the expensive but too small ones I might fit into again one day - if I don’t eat for a month?

JudyJudy12 Tue 11-Sep-18 12:49:10

When I moved I had a good clear out and only kept clothes I really liked and that fitted, I had to be brutal as space was limited and got rid of many "bargains" that still had tags.

Now when I buy something new I get rid of what it is replacing so I always have the same number of each item. It works well in that I do not buy much as I like what I already have.

Maggiemaybe Tue 11-Sep-18 13:12:00

I’ve no tips. I end up keeping far too much, as I always reckon my surplus Summer clothes will be more use to the charity shop if I take it the next Spring - why would anyone buy it in September? When April comes it all looks new and fresh again and I end up keeping most of it.

Bellanonna Tue 11-Sep-18 14:09:58

Maria Bambola (MD) you are incorrigible!! I hope the Romans have something left in their shops!

Bellanonna Tue 11-Sep-18 14:14:27

Maw, I’m not sure about the jeans. I have a few but some now seem too wide at the ankle, even though they are not particularly wide. They have gone into the charity bag along with other things not worn for a while, including 3 jackets. Even theatre trips (mostly matinees these days) are not dress-up occasions so I have very little use for “decent” clothes. Suits me fine that way though.

Marydoll Tue 11-Sep-18 16:50:32

Bellanonna, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa! ?

Bellanonna Tue 11-Sep-18 17:09:48

?

BBbevan Tue 11-Sep-18 18:02:24

paddyann I donate my bras that way also. Not too good stuff goes to charity. Anything good,I ebay. Then buy something else with proceeds!

petra Tue 11-Sep-18 20:28:41

Maggiemaybe
I wish more people thought like you Re the summer clothes donations at this time of year.
Several times over the past couple of weeks we have been unable to sort 'stuff' because we had no room to work.
Add to that we have had to be ruthless in deciding what to keep as we are now in the position where the charity is having to pay for a storage unit to store the summer clothes!!!
Most charity shops have the same problem. But how do you explain this to the people who give without offending?

Melanieeastanglia Tue 11-Sep-18 21:33:11

I try not to have to many clothes. The more you have, the less you wear each item. I find clear-outs of clothes or any other items very cathartic.

Moving house always forces you to de-clutter so I often imagine I am moving and go through every room getting rid of unwanted things. Sometimes, after I have given an item to the charity shop, I wish I still had it afterwards.

FarNorth Tue 11-Sep-18 21:45:04

I've lately started to look through clothes asking myself about each item - Would I buy this if I had just found it in a charity shop?
If I answer No, then it goes in the bag.

(Lots of my clothes were bought in charity shops to start with, I've never had much in the way of smart gear.)

Thebeeb Tue 11-Sep-18 22:29:27

Oooh. I feel so much better.

Teacheranne Tue 11-Sep-18 23:24:42

I can beat that, I had eight huge bin bags full of clothes to get rid of this weekend! Most of it has not been worn for at least six years, which is when I moved to this house.

I was quite ashamed of how much I had hoarded over the years but I felt so much better after my clear out.

Chewbacca Tue 11-Sep-18 23:40:01

The beauty of living in a tiny house is that I have to have a "1 in 1 out" system. There is no room in my house to hoard anything!

morethan2 Wed 12-Sep-18 06:46:29

I hope some of the tips on this tread help me. I spend a lot of time moving one massive lot of clothes into one place then not so long after, moving the same lot back to were they were in the first place. Why oh why can’t I just get rid. Great big ? sigh

M0nica Wed 12-Sep-18 07:35:18

Only buy clothes if you need them. At the beginning of winter and summer, I review my wardrobe, Clear out anything that is dated or worn out. Re-sort, work out what is needed to give me five or six changes of clothes for every day ago, go out and buy them and then that is it. I have various occasion specific items, an extra sweater or two, a nice dress etc, but I all my clothes fit into a standard Victorian wardrobe and big chest of drawers.

What I can never understand is where people find the money to buy these vast quantities of clothes. Even if everything comes from supermarkets and charity shops, the cost probably runs into hundreds of pounds every year, not to mention all the time spent wandering around shops or online.

I have neither the time, nor the money to spend like this.

mcem Wed 12-Sep-18 07:42:36

I will look at my seasonal clearouts differently now maggie.
When the summer suitcases come down in spring I'll do the major clearout as I do have space and hadn't thought of the charity shops' storage problems.
Thank you.

travelsafar Wed 12-Sep-18 08:20:18

This has been on my agenda since i retired in 2015 and i still have not done it!!! smile