Cleaning out my closet. :(

[mistymouse5001]

I have to rid myself of some clothing that is consuming my household. The kids have way too much. How many of each thing do they NEED?

 

[Nie0214]

Do you really need DIS help with this?

Start out with things that don't fit, things they don't like, things that are for winter (I pack my winter things up for the summer). You can always get compact IKEA-like storage units too.

 

[mistymouse5001]

Yes I really do. I will either give up too much and have to go shopping and buy too much OR I will keep too much and have to start all over. My mom was a pack rat so I tend to over give things. And BTW who doesn't use the DIS for EVERYTHING?

 

[Darcy03231]

I have to rid myself of some clothing that is consuming my household. The kids have way too much. How many of each thing do they NEED?

NEED - I would say enough for 7 full days of clothing. I also think kids need at least one set of dressy clothes just in case you need to go somewhere that requires they dress up a bit. We live in NE so in the summer they would need at least one bathing suit and in the winter a winter coat, snowpants and boots. A lightweight jacket for spring and fall.

 

[eeyore65]

I learned this trick from Oprah. First go through and get rid of all the stuff already mentioned. Too small, stained, can't be repaired, too big (never happens to me!) etc. Then, turn all of the hangers around backwards. When you wear something turn it forward. After 30 days - get rid of everthing that is still backwards. I made a few exceptions for a formal dress and ski clothes. I loved this because in order to keep something, I had to wear it. You quickly figure out that you don't really wear that much in your closet. You also figure out if you have orphans - something you like that doesn't go with anything and you can make a shopping list so you will wear the orphans. You can do the same thing with shoes. Turn them backwards and forwards when you where them.

 

[mackeysmom]

I recently swapped my winter/spring clothes and forced myself to get rid of anything I hadn't worn during the winter. My theory was "if I didn't wear it for an entire season, I have no need for it".

Another thing I did (for added motivation) was to call Big Brothers/Big Sisters in advance and schedule a clothing pick-up for later in the week. Knowing that I'd promised them a donation made me less likely to put off the dreaded chore.

Good luck

-- Laura

 

[mistymouse5001]

Sounds easier than it looks but I'll give it a go!

 

[laurafergie]

My rule of thumb for the kids has always been:

2 full weeks of clothes per season from the skin out. Including underwear, undershirts (if needed for your climate) and socks.

1 full week of clothes for "in between weather". We have a lot of that around here here in the spring and fall.

1 full week of pajamas per season.

1 dressy outfit per season/or if you attend church, no more than 4 dressy outfits with shoes, socks and/or tights per season.

1 winter coat, 1 light weight jacket, 1 sweater or sweatshirt.

1-2 pairs of shoes per season, includes athletic shoes for school and sandles for summer.

Also you may want to include for your climate, snow pants, rain coat, boots and gloves.

This is a bit more than "need", but it will allow you to go for more than a week if you can't wash clothes.

Put away the clothes out of season in plastic boxes.

 

[merekc]

My rule of thumb for the kids has always been:

2 full weeks of clothes per season from the skin out. Including underwear, undershirts (if needed for your climate) and socks.

1 full week of clothes for "in between weather". We have a lot of that around here here in the spring and fall.

1 full week of pajamas per season.

1 dressy outfit per season/or if you attend church, no more than 4 dressy outfits with shoes, socks and/or tights per season.

1 winter coat, 1 light weight jacket, 1 sweater or sweatshirt.

1-2 pairs of shoes per season, includes athletic shoes for school and sandles for summer.

Also you may want to include for your climate, snow pants, rain coat, boots and gloves.

This is a bit more than "need", but it will allow you to go for more than a week if you can't wash clothes.

Put away the clothes out of season in plastic boxes.

Thanks for the list. I, like the OP, "NEED" Dis help on what is an appropriate amount of clothes for the kids. I don't buy new but when I pull out my totes of garage sale/clearance/thriftstore clothes each season, I find I have way overbought. I am a packrat and come from a long line of packrats. I've been staring at the pile of shorts for DS7 trying to figure out how many to get rid of now because it is ridiculous the amount he has. I may use your list to try to get a handle on things.

 

[pezheadmeg]

I can be lethal. I did my own closet last week and accumulated 2 30 gallon bags!

For my current wardrobe in the closet I have:

• 6 complete work outfits, I wear the black every day, so it's a week plus a day just in case.
• 4 Dresses, one little black, one black for work, 2 ones for showers, weddings, etc.
• 3 pairs of jeans, and I got rid of 4 plus a denim skirt I never wear
• 2 hoodies, because well a girl needs her hoodies, but I got rid of 6
• 3 weekend cardigans
• 3 pairs of khakis
• 4 pairs of cropped pants, but I wear them all winter with boots.

I totally take advantage of using multi-tierd pants hangers. And to be honest at the moment I own 8 days worth of underwear, and I'm doing a weekend outlet run because I really could use a few more bras.

 

[raysnkaysmom]

I have to rid myself of some clothing that is consuming my household. The kids have way too much. How many of each thing do they NEED?

lol...I've worked at a clothing store since I had my first DD. We have Wayy too many clothes. I could do laundry 24/7 for days and still not catch up! I did go thru them a couple weeks ago (gave some to the neighbor girls) and have some nicer things set up for a yard sale... otherwise...DONATE!! (and trash the stuff you wouldnt' want your own kids to wear with stains or rips)

BTW...the not smoking still going good?

 

[MoniqueU]

Op don't feel bad I have the same problem. I hqve to pay the neighbor girls to come help me go through my clothes or my youngest DD's clothes. I got rid of alot of mine since I had lost weight and what I had was cheap and frumpy. That didn't take that long to go through. My DD on the other hand I have 2 ourstanding orders to justice waiting to be delivered and an entire dining room table filled with her clean clothes that need to be taken upstairs. I have this weird thing where I think she shouldn't wear hand me downs and that I know what she will like to wear. So I shop for her, my oldest dd shops with her and helps her pick out stuff and then she gets all the hand me down stuff anyhow. I need to get the neighbors down here again to help me out, I am just not good at going through things and deciding what goes or stays. We have a pool so I probably have 30 bathing suits in assorted sizes because no one in our neighborhood seems to own one and they all swim at my house. I could never get by with just one suit in the summer. I buy my girls coats and they won't wear them they wear hoodies that I don't even know where they came from. I need to stop shopping for my kids is the bottom line, what they like and think they need vs what I like and think they need are 2 different things.

I guess I know what I will be doing tomorrow getting my DDs room in order. Oh yeah the neighbor girls will be so happy to make some money from me.