Need to unclutter.... a clothing item

Unclutterer ForumsUnclutter Your Life in One WeekMondayYour Wardrobe

Need to unclutter.... a clothing item

(11 posts) (9 voices)

Started 2 years ago by Mid America Mom
Latest reply from Mid America Mom
RSS feed for this topic

Overall Rating: votes

Tags:

Mid America Mom
Member

I know you thought what? Unclutter a clothing item??? You mean a purse right?

No.

Yesterday it hit me. I have to unclutter my coat!

A year and half ago we moved to downtown Toronto. It was a big change in lifestyle. Smaller home, we never use the car, I shop for groceries more often, and miss mall retailing.

We had to rethink outerwear since we could not rely on just making it to the car. I gave up using a purse on a daily basis and use a coin purse with attached key ring. I fit a lipstick, money, few cards, and a bandaid in it. Many days I will sport a canvas tote bag for groceries. And we experience it all- snow, rain, wind, humidity in the summer. I am always cold. So last winter after looking and researching I settled on a winter coat from Land's End -- http://www.landsend.com/pp/LongDownCommuterCoat~112985_59.html?bcc=y&action=order_more&sku_0=::LSN&CM_MERCH=IDX_00007__0000001034

It was a perfect storm. No purse or car and a comfy winter coat with pockets.

We brought this coat online and I knew it had at least 1 pocket inside. What I did not realize is that it had many pockets. They are everywhere! Besides the traditional pockets on the outside for your hands... I have 5 more. They are all deep and roomy. 3 are hidden on my chest (they are vertical near the zipper) and they zipper. Two are on my thighs. I have 7 pockets in all.

And can we say if you have space, stuff will come? I like to use one pocket for my coin purse. Others hold... pen and small paper pad, business cards, receipts, a bottle of sanitizer and lipstick, packet of tissues, small brush, sometimes small packaged snacks or a cell phone. In the thigh pockets I usually place my travel mug and the other my gloves or hat when I go indoors. I forget where I put things. It took me months to settle on the pocket for my coin purse. Yesterday I had a pocket full of crumbs from cookies and my travel mug made a thud sound on the ground. I feel and sometimes look like a bag lady!

Really! Who needs 7 pockets???

Lands End I love the coat but my life could do WITHOUT the storage.

Posted 2 years ago #
Sky
Member

That's interesting. I've been trying to scale back from my tote size handbag to a very small shoulder bag or even just my debit card and cash folded with a rubber band in my pocket. I've been carrying makeup, brush, large wallet, etc. I don't think I really need to haul all that everywhere I go and it hurts my shoulder.
What do you do?

Posted 2 years ago #
bandicoot
Member

that is hysterical! "if you have space, stuff will come".
and so so true too.

to leave the house for the entire day, i need:
my phone
small pad and pen
a bottle of water
lip balm
cash and cards
and really....that's it.
i carry a small leather cosmetic bag that holds all but the water bottle.
i feel quite minimalist and over the years i have pared this down from quite a bagful of stuff.

on the other hand, i live in the tropics and don't need all the warm clothing you do....gloves and hats and winter coats are an absolutely foreign concept around here!

i am going to korea next weekend (to teach soapmaking workshops) and it is FREEZING there at the moment and i really don't have a lot of suitable clothing.
i am going to be relying heavily on a big cashmere pashmina and some handknit woollen socks.

Posted 2 years ago #
Lehcarjt
Member

Have you thought of sewing the pockets closed? Then you won't be tempted to overpack. ~Grin.

Posted 2 years ago #
Laetitia in Australia
Member

I mentioned this post to DH and he was absolutely unsurprised - he worked in Colorado for about a year in 1997; he says his snow jacket was absolutely stuffed.

Posted 2 years ago #
Another Deb
Member

Murphy's Law of coat pockets. In any Goodwill you go to, in any coat on the rack, in any pocket you put your hand in, there will be a wadded-up tissue.

Posted 2 years ago #
MsDasha
Member

I'm curious, why no purse?

Posted 2 years ago #
Mid America Mom
Member

Another Deb- LOL

Lehcarjt That is a good idea but then motivation is another story ;)

Ms Dasha you bring up a great point. When I was in school I used a backpack and everything was in there. Then in working life I did use a purse and I used my car.

Forward to staying home and having kids. I got used to using a diaper bag that was like a backpack and put everything in there.

When we moved to Toronto we did not have much need for the diaper bag but still used a stroller. I switched to a purse. Instead of wearing it I placed it on or in the stroller. Then I started to have my youngest walk more and took the stroller out less. Purses are problematic for me to wear in general. I dislike the kind with handles, the ones that wrap around the wrist just seem to formal, and the one with shoulder strap- well 95% of the time they like to fall off my shoulder repeatedly (I have hardly no shoulders and they are not broad) and I dislike that over the head thing in function and looks. So now that I walk everywhere and have no where to put it- I felt I had to ditch the purse. I use a coin purse since Canada uses coins for under 5 dollars and the mass transit here takes tokens. The attached key ring was a bonus and I really like it. I can fit the coin purse in most pockets and if not I revert to a purse. I stuff other items in my other pocket(s) as needed.

Posted 2 years ago #
IvyLeagueGirlie
Member

One incentive for not stuffing your coat pockets full: you'll ruin the lines of the clothing, and it'll look frumpy!

Posted 2 years ago #
knyghtmaire
Member

The key is to emptying it when you return home every time. I have nearly the same jacket. When I go out I have at minimum, the power cord for the eee PC, a portable hard drive, phone, candy (sometimes), gloves, hat, and a Power bar. When I return home, all but the power bar come out of the pockets (it's an emergency Power bar.) So if I have accumulated anything else like receipts, trash, Children's cups, water bottle etc. It all comes out the minute I get home.

That way there is a conscious thought every time you put it back in. For example, if I am just going to the store, I won't need the computer accessories. This will also prevent trash from going back in. I admit I used to live out of my coats the way many women keep everything in their purse. Teaching the kids by example has kicked that habit for me. Though I admit, it has only now become my habit on kids #5 and #6.

Posted 2 years ago #
Mid America Mom
Member

Knyghtmaire- thanks for that suggestion!

Posted 2 years ago #

Reply

You must log in to post. If you do not already have an account, you can register here.