I had an idea today. I can not get my laundry under control. I have too many clothes. I never hang them up. I even bought beautiful hangers to entice me. I had an idea... What if I picked out a weeks worth of clothing for me to wear. Once I establish a habit of washing the laundry, hanging it or putting it in drawers where it belongs, then I can introduce a few additional items into the cycle. Do you think this would work?
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Posted 2 years ago #
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Wow! A great way to think outside the box!
I'd suggest two weeks of business clothing, a few outfits for casual activities, two changes for working out, and at least one "dressy" or formal outfit.
I'm a professional organizer and you'll get a kick out of this true story. I had a client who had laundry scattered throughout her entire house. She paid me for 8 hours of organizing time to do nothing but laundry! At the end of the day, I suggested that a laundry service would be more affordable and would remove this task from her list.
Most of my clients have far too many clothes. So I applaud your initiative in realizing you need to par down your wardrobe! Good luck! And keep us posted on how you do!
Posted 2 years ago # -
Purging until you have a reasonable amt does work (I speak as a person that used to go a month without worrying but had a closet floor of dirty clothes).
Posted 2 years ago # -
i love this idea!
i have a few too many clothes too.
not wild heaps, but about 2 weeks worth.
periodically, i take a 6 week trip around asia and i just adore the challenge of getting the clothes down to a minimal number of outfits.
i know what i am wearing each day, because i've got one about to be washed, one coming back from the laundry or drying and one ready to wear.
i fantasize about doing this at home too.Posted 2 years ago # -
I think that is a spectacular idea! If you try it, let us know how it turns out :)
Posted 2 years ago # -
A friend just gave me three swimsuits that she can't wear, because she had a mastectomy. :(
I already had one, so now I have four. She lives in Florida, near the beach. She goes to the Y about three times a week in warm weather. I live in outer podunk central Texas. I have no pool. There is no public pool. There is nowhere for me to swim, except on our rare visits to Hamilton Pool near Austin.
I don't really need any advice about this. I know I need to get rid of a couple. I just thought it was funny that such a landlocked person was given so many swimsuits. Unless, maybe this is an indication that our fortunes are about to change... Hmmmmm...
:)
Posted 2 years ago # -
I love the idea, but what do you do with the clothes you aren't going to wear if you don't have anywhere to store them?
Posted 2 years ago # -
get rid of them
Posted 2 years ago # -
I love your idea. I do this for the most part. I wear a white cami/tank tops under my shirts most days, but I only have 4 of them. So when I have worn all of them I have to do laundry, and of course, I then do all the whites in the house. I do have a family and we all have about 1 weeks worth of clothes. When I went to this system the laundry got so much easier. The hard part is only buying little girls 7 tops/bottoms. The good part is socks and underwear do not sit in the laundry basket too long. gross.
I agree with charmed2482 get rid of them!!!!! So many others can use our extra clothes why hoard them for ourselves.Posted 2 years ago # -
I'm in the process of "using up" the clothes I have. I have not allowed myself to buy any new clothes, shoes, bags, coats, etc. for the past 6 months or so. While I may not love what I have been wearing, I am trying to make it through the winter with these clothes and come April, any that are worn are getting tossed, guilt-free. Then I won't feel bad about buying new ones - I will actually need new clothes at this point! And from that point on, I will only buy higher quality items in lesser quantities to keep my wardrobe at a managable amount.
Posted 2 years ago # -
just not buying anything for a while is such a simple powerful idea.
i get all my clothes made in bali, because i travel up there once or twice a year.
there is beautiful fabric and i have an excellent tailor.
i live in loose unlined linen/silk pants and shirts all year round (tropical climate) and they really do last well.
i got over the *OMG CHEEEEP LET'S BUY LOTS* syndrome some years ago and now i just top up my wardrobe with a handful of things each trip.i buy yoga gear online and wear it to work in...until it is falling off me!
Posted 2 years ago # -
bandicoot tell me how you got out of the "OMG CHEEEEP LET'S BUY LOTS" SYNDROME. I do well most of the time, but every so often I buy. Today I returns 7 tees in different colors that were for my daughter. What was I thinking. That is boring, even if they were 5 bucks each.
Posted 2 years ago # -
I'm fat AND longwaisted, so I can't buy clothes off the rack; I have to sew for myself. This dramatically limits the amount of clothing I possess. I have four pairs of shorts, four pairs of long pants, eight T-shirts, three nice shirts, and five nightshirts. Plain underwear for eight days.
Because I'm poor, I have only one pair of shoes.
I do have a bit of clothing clutter -- clothing that's a little too small for me. But it's handmade, well made, and I don't want to let it go. But it's not much ... perhaps ten pieces. Who knows, I *might* succeed in losing weight :)
Posted 2 years ago # -
rachel...i'd drag all this stuff home, trip after trip and then end up giving it away because i wasn't using it.
bali is stuffed full of wonderful textiles and wooden carvings and leather goods and and and....and it was easy to go overboard.
i dunno...i just had to get a grip and work out what i really wanted.
i've been interested in voluntary simplicity for about ten years, so i guess that helped me along.zora, i'm short and wide and buy very little off the rack also.
my previous clothes hoarding was all about finding a style i could live with and then getting it made in eleventy million versions so i would never ever ever run out.
i'm also very fussy about fabrics and can't abide synthetics....which can limit your options also.
i've managed to get over that fear of running out by finding a tailor who keeps my patterns on file, has an email address and will post to me. we've known one another a long time and there is much mutual trust and regard.
if i hadn't found her, i'd be learning how to sew.Posted 2 years ago # -
I really wish I could get over the "it's so cheap let's buy it" syndrome! Just when I think I'm building up a wardrobe of nice clothes (the ones in the store Cache fit beautifully, but are very expensive so I only buy a few here and there) I end up buying a $3 shirt off the clearance rack that looks like rubbish after one wash. I need to stop myself from doing that!
Posted 2 years ago # -
I was inspired by a friend who never buys any clothing that she doesn't love 100% and doesn't suit her. I wanted to look as ghood as she did. So now, I try things on, and if i don't love it, I don't buy it. I also then have money to get stuff I do like :D even if I find a lovely top in the charity shops.
Posted 2 years ago # -
badkitti - that's a big problem of mine - I don't always try shirts on! I'm going to do what your friend did and only buy clothes I absolutely LOVE. It will take some discipline, but after my clothes-buying fast, I think I will only want to replace these old clothes with things I love!
Posted 2 years ago # -
yep, i've spent too many years buying clothes that are "just ok", or "almost right", or "not too bad".
i'm done with that.Posted 2 years ago # -
A year or so ago, I checked out various books from the library -- all books about creating a wardrobe for yourself, paring down the clothes you have, etc.... I found a few inspirational (to me) tips.
One thing I liked: Many times when cleaning out closets, people just toss w/out thinking about what they will end up w/ at the end. One book suggested the first thing to do is to pull out some complete outfits from your closet -- something like 3 entire sets of what you would wear for your normal day, using items you have, that fit, and that you love (or at least like, at this point). Pull out 1 dressy outfit that you could wear to a party or wedding; 1 set that you could wear for a somber event (such as a funeral); and so on. Basically, go through your clothes, pull out complete outfits for the variety of life & events for which you need to dress. Once those are out of the way (your core wardrobe), everything that's left in your closet is 'optional'. You can then take a very hard look at what remains in your closet & ruthlessly declutter those items. At the end of your closet redo, you know you will have sets of clothes to fit your lifestyle & much more space because you got rid of stuff you don't have to have. Once it's all pared down, you can then think about upgrading/replacing items as needed.
Another book mentioned that you should decide your 'style' too (or what style you want to have) -- classic, bohemian, modern chic, etc.... Make sure that the items you keep adhere to your 'style' & that will help ensure that your items mix & match well, as well as giving you a more pulled-together look (because you will be true to your style).
A different book had a guide for the basics/wardrobe essentials (for a woman). I jotted down a list so that I could carry it in my purse to help me keep in mind what pieces I'm looking for if I'm shopping:
one dress
one 3-pc. suit (jacket, pants, skirt)
basic knit tops
white, collared shirt
shoes: pump, bootie, strappy heel, flat
modern jeans
jacket that can be dressed up or down
basic bag or tote
Not sure that I totally agree w/ this as 'the' list for a wardrobe, but I thought it was a nice list of the basics....Posted 2 years ago # -
Stacia, thank you for sharing that information! Those are great tips, especially for someone like me who gets so wrapped up in decluttering that I (occasionally) end up getting rid of things before I have found replacements!
Posted 2 years ago #
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