I Cleaned My Closets and "OH THE WASTE!!"

Christine

DIS Legend
Joined
Aug 31, 1999
Messages
32,580
Do you ever feel this way?

My closet and my kids' closets were just a mess. Now, I'm just talking clothes.

I decided to throw out some stuff and then set aside stuff to donate.

I ended up with two, 55-gallon drum liner plastic backs full of nothing but clothes. It just SHAMES me and shocks me.

For myself, some of this stuff was several years old. I just couldn't part with it (even though I didn't wear it) because I just can't find any other clothes. The clothes they are selling today don't even appeal to me--I don't even know if they would fit or not!! So, I just got rid of it. Most of the stuff is woefully out of style or the sweaters are too short or too wide because they were cheap to begin with.

Then I got to DD's closet. :rolleyes: She is 14. Most of her stuff was just "uncool." The Mudd jeans I bought a few months ago were no longer "right" for high school and she refuses to wear it. Then she found a winter coat she liked but then "no one wears coats."

I decided no more clothes for her. Period. She is just wasting my $$$$.

DS (11) wasn't too bad. Mainly old school uniform pants, shirts, stuff he'd outgrown. What can I say--he's a guy!!

The wastefulness of it all kind of got to me.
 
I went through my closet in November. I have 3 boxes of just my stuff plus about 10 pairs of shoes (this is after a purge in July). When I was finished and everything back in the closet I couldn't really tell anything was gone. :confused3 It is sad just sad.
 
I decided no more clothes for her. Period. She is just wasting my $$$$.

my mom always said in the fall and the spring: "ok you have $xxx to spend on new clothes. you can spend it on whatever you want, but once you are out of money, that's it. so spend wisely." maybe that would work for your daughter.

i really need to clean out my own closets. there are a lot of things i have that i never wear. i recently realized that i own 4 brown skirts. :confused3 :teeth:
 
Several years back I did a closet purge and had this feeling and it really changed the way I shop.

I now try and do neutral bottoms, whether the "bottom" is a skirt or pants...black, khaki, gray, navy. Add a couple of pairs of white for summer.

I have some "classic" jackets and blazers...black, a black & pink plaid (I wear those 2 colors a lot and it was a great sale price...like $9.99), gray tweed, red and a black/sage green/khaki floral...again, subdued and I wear those colors a lot.

Tops I punch up with a bit more color. I have the classics...black, white. But I do a lot of red, pink, yellow, blue, some stripes and prints. I try to keep the tops a more classic style...not too many of the trendy wraps and such that will be "out" in a couple of years. I have a couple, because it is noice to be a bit trendy within reason, but again, I don' buy 50 trendy tops that I am just going to be giving to Goodwill, and if I do trendy, I do it in an all-purpose color that works for me.

I am slowly paring it down to mix & match type classic stuff. If you have a pretty good clasisc base, then you can do a couple of trendy pieces every season and not break the bank.

I also really think about something before I buy it. If I am "iffy" about a purchase, then I don't purchase it. If I have to talk myself into something, then chances are it's no good for me, I won't wear it enough to justify the cost, and it'll end up being a waste. I also don't buy things that won't match anything I already own. If I have to start saying "Well, if I get this skirt, then I can get a nice blue sweater, and maybe that blue & yellow plaid blazer"...now I am building an outfit around one piece and all it is going to match is that one ensemble. I try to shop sales or outlet stores...if you know pricing, you can get some good deals.
 

I'm with Disney Doll! If I can't wear black or beige shoes with it, it doesn't get purchased. :rotfl: (I also remember an old adage that went sort of "Don't ever buy an outfit if you have to buy special underwear for it...you won't be comfortable.)

I JUST got rid of all of my red tops. I found that at my age they pick up too much yellow in my skin. I look better in pinks, roses, etc so will stick with them. I also got rid of anything that's low cut; no one wants to see my wrinkled chest. :rotfl:
 
I know how you feel. I did a similar thing before Christmas with my DDs' toys. I was shocked and ashamed at all of the stuff they had knowing they would get tons more stuff from Santa and relatives at Christmas. Haven't bought a thing for them since Christmas, whereas before I would pick up things here and there if they were a good value/on clearance.
 
You could try consigning the nicer items to get some money for them.

(If my daughter suddenly didn't want to wear jeans because they were no longer faddish, then she would definately get put on a clothing budget so she could learn how much her clothes REALLY cost.)
 
/
Ah - but what about the various sizes in the closet? Anyone have that dilemma? I lost some weight - threw out the fat pants, bought them in the smaller size, regained some of the weight, now I have pants that are too small, along with ones that fit today. (thank goodness I didn't regain ALL the weight I'd lost! so I don't need the really fat pants.)

My younger DS, who doesn't live at home any more, has a closet full of clothes - that he won't ever wear again. I've assigned him the project to come clean out his closet (maybe I need to give him a deadline!)
 
I have sizes ranging from 4-14. Anything that doesn't fit today, but is within 10 pounds of fitting (either way) goes into my spare closet. (along with out of season clothes and "fancy" outfits) The box is dated with the season (too small/too big-winter-2005-6) If they still don't fit in a year, they go into long term storagein the cedar closet. I winnow through that every couple of years, and get rid of anything that doesn't fit that is not a "classic and/or really expensive."

Because of this long term storage, DD is able to wear some of my "vintage" clothing from the 70s & 80s.
 
I'm in a similar "weeding out" project right now - but mine involves the entire house and the garage! I moved out to CA 2 years ago when I got married, but we never finished unpacking all of my boxes. I moved into the house DH has lived in for 10 years, and it's not been easy finding space for my stuff and purging some of his as well as some of mine. (I guess this is what happens when you marry for the first time in your 30's...)

Anyway, I'm going to start nannying for a neighbor, and we'd like to do some of that child care at our house a few times a week so I can get stuff done here while the baby naps. So the office has to be converted to a kid room, which means the office has to move into the garage, which means the garage has to be cleaned out, which means the rest of the house has to be purged to make room for more stuff that makes the cut to get moved into the house...

I've already donated a dozen boxes of clothing, housewares, linens, books, etc. to the homeless shelter, and I've only done half of the garage!

I'm feeling very ashamed of my excessive accumulation of stuff, especially once I saw how grateful the folks at the shelter were to get some of the things I donated. It's made me think - do I really need all the things I think I need? I bet I could easily live with less...and give away more and donate more money to people who could really use it more than I would use a new purse.
 
I've been trying to revamp my clothes also. We put one of those nice closet systems in and I didn't like seeing my old and worn-out stuff hanging in this beautiful closet. I've gotten rid of stuff that is outdated, worn, or anything that I haven't worn in two years. I've been trying to buy only those things that mix and match in basic colors - tans, blacks, etc. I'm getting to that age where I don't need to be wearing loud, bold colors. Does anyone remember Garanimals (sp?) for kids? LOL I've recently been buying a few items from Chico's...they have a good mix and match philosophy. Plus their stuff wears well. A little pricey, but I watch for sale items in the store and new stuff with tags from Ebay.
 
I just cleaned my closet out a few weeks ago... man, I had a lot of clothes! Got rid of a ton of stuff, some things I know I've had over 10 years... some of the things were brand new with the tags still on!!

I have a hard time getting rid of things, but I was determined to get my closet organized. I just tried not to overthink each item, and if I hadn't worn it this past year, out it went. I can actually walk inside my walk-in closet!
 
tinaluis said:
I know how you feel. I did a similar thing before Christmas with my DDs' toys. I was shocked and ashamed at all of the stuff they had knowing they would get tons more stuff from Santa and relatives at Christmas. Haven't bought a thing for them since Christmas, whereas before I would pick up things here and there if they were a good value/on clearance.

Oh does this hit home! In the past year, I've done two purges of my son's closet. We donated boxes and boxes of stuff. (Granted, he inherited my other two's toys as they grew out of them). We only kept what he truly wanted. I was surprised...he wanted less than what I was willing to keep. So we got rid of stuff according to his wishes and now he's more organized and can now get to the stuff he wants to play with. It amazes me how much $$ we've spent on toys throughout the years. At times I bet we looked like an off-site Toys R Us facility.
 
I too, am going thru my closet, & like Christine, am thoroughly ashamed of my spending & plain ol' messy habits!
I am vowing not to waste more of our hard earned $$$ on things I think I 'need' or duplicates simply because I am so disorganized I can't dig out what I already own.
My weight goes up & down, so yes, I am going to put aside several sizes, storing in space bags & up in the attic--the majority will be donated, a few things will be cut up for rugs or quilts--
I have been ruminating for a few months on how different consummer spending was than even in the 60's & 70's. What started that off is a conversation with a mason & he said, re: Christmas presents, "Well, most of us have everything we want".
Although this man is a highly in demand, skilled craftsman, they live simply. We are not 'well off' by any stretch, & do live 'below' our means, but I am really seeing I have been very foolish with money :rolleyes: & am determined to be much less careless. Yep, a little financial wisdom is gonna be my New Years resolution! :goodvibes

Jean [/I]
 
I think my biggest *peeve* with all the stuff I threw out is with the quality. Most of it I stop wearing because after a few washes, it just didn't look good.

Now, I pride myself on trying to buy stuff a little higher end like from Talbot's, Ann Taylor and similar stores. Even there, I find that the clothes didn't look too nice after only two seasons.

Then I tried to go cheaper. I got a few dress pants from Old Navy. Oh, my. I wore them one time and they just lost their shape. They'd look good when I would first put them on but by the time I got to the office the "stretch" had stretched and they looked awful.

So, I had quite a few items that, after one time, I just didn't wear them anymore. :guilty:

Then there's the line of clothes I got at Kohl's because they were on sale and I had a coupon. Uuuggghhh, I get ONE season out of them.

My clothes just don't last anymore. However, I do have a few suits/skirts I bought in the late 90s that are still going.
 
I have a 4-year-old DD who is extremely picky about the way clothes feel. Even if I have her try on things first, once I wash them they no longer 'feel right' to her and she won't wear them. I'd estimate that half of what I buy she doesn't wear because it is itchy or otherwise uncomfortable. I really hope she grows out of this because I am tired of wasting money on clothes that don't get worn! :sad2:
 
I don't know if this still goes, but a friend's mom who was French, from Paris. My friend's Mom dressed very nicely, but never trendy, she told us that (for at least her generation) that French women tended to buy just a few very expensive, usually, custom made pieces, all mix & match. In other words their wardrobes were very small, but very, very well made. I remember her as looking very 'timeless', very classy

Jean
 
caitycaity said:
my mom always said in the fall and the spring: "ok you have $xxx to spend on new clothes. you can spend it on whatever you want, but once you are out of money, that's it. so spend wisely." maybe that would work for your daughter.
That's similar to how we do it. DD and DS each get a set amount for clothes at the beginning of school year and when it's gone, it's gone. They've been much better about making wise purchases knowing that I won't be buying anything else for them, absent a special occasion like prom, etc.
 
Congratulations on realizing how much waste you were doing, now you can change this habit & start new ones with your kids.
Try eBaying some of the clothes to make back some of the money & only use that to buy new ones.

For certain types of clothing, like my basics, I buy better quality & in neitral colors. But if I absolutely know a style is going to be around only ONE season, I have no problem buying cheap, trendy items, at prices that will reflect that they will only be around one season. Then I feel no guilt about tossing the items when they stlyes change or they wear out. I DO, however, buy enough quality to expect them to last, at least, the whole one season.
 
I need to do a serious cleansing of my closet! I keep saying that I will list a bunch of it on ebay (as most of it is great business attire that no longer fits) but I just can't seem to bring myself to do it. I'm quite sure I have some outfits in there that are more than 10 years old :scared:
 

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