Snowed in... Want to start purging

[DAISYDUCKRN]

Snowed in today, good day to start purging clothing closet, the problem is I have a hard time trying to get rid of things. I really want to slim down the stuff. How do you all decide what to keep and what to toss. I recently got rid of lots of older clothing but want to purge the stuff that I feel is still good but not using. Any suggestions on how you all handle this is appreciated.

 

[Disneychix]

When I did this last fall I really tried to remember when was the last time 'it' was worn or how in fashion 'it' was still or for what occasion might I wear 'it' again.

I got rid of sooo much stuff! I was a purging maniac! Sadly, the bags for Goodwill are still in the car But they are out of the house!!

 

[JandJ]

I guess I go by the old rule, if you haven't worn it in 6 months, or whatever limit you want to set for yourself, get rid of it. I also get rid of anything that just doesn't fit great anymore. If the pants are a bit too tight or the shirt is a little too short, I give it to my niece or to a charity. Anything that has a stain and it won't come out, it has to go. After I started working out regularly my body changed and I had to buy new clothes and although I could still sort of fit in the older stuff I just wasn't as comfortable in it, so it had to go.

I love purging my closet! DH won't let me get rid of anything of his. It's so annoying. He has socks and t-shirts with holes in them but he won't budge. Oh well, if that's the worst thing he does

With that in mind, there are some pieces I will keep forever. My Godmother bought me a dressy military jacket when I was in college and although I never wear it anymore, I still keep that jacket. Military jackets are back "in" but I still don't see me wearing it. Same with a sweater I bought in Scotland. I love those pieces and even if they hang in my closet for the next 20 years, well, that's wear they'll hang

 

[PatMcDuck]

I purged 2 of the bathrooms the other day. Went thru all the cabinets and drawers in there, and got one trash bag to toss out of each! (each bathroom has a double sink vanity). Felt good!

I want to toss at least one trash bag a week. If I go into the basement, that will be easy.

 

[SDSorority]

If it has holes, is mis-shapen or too big/small, out of style, uncomfortable, or if I haven't worn it in 6 months I bless others with it.

 

[MonkersMama]

What a great snow day activity!

I went through our hallway closet (linens, totes with medications, and cleaning supplies) and pitched 2 big garbage bags of junk...with a 3rd bag with donations. It feels SO good to do that.

Next: the front entry closet.

 

[ilovejack02]

If I haven't worn it in a year it goes for the most part. A classic black dress. black lined dress pants or party dress will stay longer.


Hubby clothes disappear as I wash and fold. Socks and undies with holes get thrown away without him ever knowing. New ones magically appear without me saying a word. ; ) He must think we have fairies or doesn't realize that clothes wear out haha !

 

[vicki_c]

The Flylady is doing all closet cleaning activities this week. Here's a link to some things on her website about closet cleaning.

http://www.flylady.net/pages/gcc_main.asp

 

[JandJ]

Hubby clothes disappear as I wash and fold. Socks and undies with holes get thrown away without him ever knowing. New ones magically appear without me saying a word. ; ) He must think we have fairies or doesn't realize that clothes wear out haha !

I wish! Early in our marriage I threw away a pair of socks with holes in them and a couple days later he was asking about them. How he can remember one pair of brown socks over the dozen others in the drawer I'll never know!

 

[DisneyScraps]

When I do it I get rid of anything that I didn't wear the last season. If last summer I didn't wear it, it goes. The only exception are sentimental things, I have my cheerleader skirt from high school and my high school jacket and anything I didn't wear because of the occasion. I mean gowns and dressy things. I might not get to wear that stuff every year.

I always have good motivation because I resell 80% of my clothing to a high end resale store and I LOVE those checks!

Lisa

 

[Smile4Me]

We just moved into our first home, so I've done several purges recently! For clothes my rule is if I haven't worn it in two years its for sure gone. If I haven't worn it in a year, I ask why and can I still use it? Will I wear it next year? And if I'm really honest with myself a lot of the times I know the answer and get rid of it. I had so much this last time I've decided I'm going to hold it and have a garage sale or go to a consignment shop with it. Might as well try to make a little $$ before donating it.

Oh yeah and if anything is ripped or in really bad shape we just pitch it, because it will be no good to anyone else in that shape either.

 

[laurafergie]

Hubby clothes disappear as I wash and fold. Socks and undies with holes get thrown away without him ever knowing. New ones magically appear without me saying a word. ; ) He must think we have fairies or doesn't realize that clothes wear out haha !

That's what happens to my DH too!! I'm almost positive he has never purchased clothes, underwear or socks for himself in his life! They just "appear".

Anyway - YES! Anything you haven't worn in a year, out of style, too big or too small and are not immediately prepared to repair that button or zipper, is out the door. This includes the purses, belts, scarves and shoes.

 

[hsmamato2]

If it has holes, is mis-shapen or too big/small, out of style, uncomfortable, or if I haven't worn it in 6 months I bless others with it.

anyone else see the humor here?
I give my stuff I haven't worn for the past season to Goodwill- and when I need something 'new' I usually shop there too! i.e., one sweater just isn;t doing it for me,I give it away and get another that someone else didn't want.... but I don;'t buy or keep old junky ripped clothes...I use them for household rags,etc

 

[NVDisMom]

Garbage = stained, ripped or worn out
Goodwill = Too big or small, out of style, or haven't worn it in the last year.

On the DH thing...his clothes usually magically appear too. When I find what he needs or will need on sale or clearance I tend to stock up. But he wanted to go shopping this last time and pick out his own clothes. He just about had a heart attack when he found out how much his favorite style of underwear and tshirts cost. Boy was he glad I knew where to find the clearance items! By the time we made it to shoes he decided he could wear his dress shoes for a little longer. Fortunately, I found a pair couple of weeks later on sale. No complaints that they magically appeared and the old ones vanished. He did ask how much though and decided he was impressed. Thanks for the positive reinforcement! LOL

 

[elcodfish]

If you are having a hard time deciding, think about if you took out that item right now and put it on, how would it make you feel? Where would you wear that item to? Do you have something else to wear that matches it? If you don't love it and you don't feel good in it get rid of it! Once you get rid of the clutter, maybe you will find some things that haven't been worn because of the excess.

 

[we3peas]

I purge the whole house twice a year. Our church has a youth rummage sale in Mar. and my Sunday school class has one in Oct. Anything that hasn't seen the light of day in the last 6 months gets tossed. I always have a big box ready in our schoolroom for anything we don't want or need. Right now it is full of junk we didn't want that we got for Christmas. We always ask my in laws for $$ or gift cards but they insist on buying junk we don't want or need, so it all goes.

DD is still growing so her clothes get tossed pretty regularly as well. Glad she is now into electronics and not toys anymore. School stuff I go through at the end of the year and toss to make room for the new stuff we use.

I hate clutter, grew up in a house that was full of it and I won't live like that. In fact I have 2 completely empty rooms in my house which my dd loves to slide on the wood floors and we can even put 2 cars into our garage as well.

 

[tinkarooni]

Sometimes I do the " two step get rid of clothing program". If I am on the fence about it I put it into a rubbermaid bin in the basement. If the next year I still haven't touched it I get rid of it. I clean out every fall or so.

Just FYI, our local goodwill told us that they want those holey clothes, they bundle them and sell them to companies who recycle them for rugs or something. So it seems they even want the old junk. Check with your Goodwill.

 

[Nina1]

I recently lost alot of weight (baby weight that I just couldn't seem to get rid of over the past five years and am back to my pre-baby size. However, since I've been working out, my body has changed and some of those pre-baby clothes were too big. So...I went through my closet and packed up all the clothes that were too big, along with those I know I will no longer wear because they're out of style or I just didn't like them anymore. I was ruthless... aside from a few items that hold sentimental value, everything else went, regardless of how much it cost.

Then, just today, I went to a local consignment store that pays cash outright and made $125.00 on said clothes. I'm going to put this toward the redo of our son's room.