Decluttering Question- closet full of clothes and nothing to wear!!!
Hi there! I am reading Decluttering Your Heart and Home (thank you ArmsofLove!) and learning so much!
I am such a clutterbug, I can find so many reasons to keep things, and that is exacerbated in my closet by living in a country where clothes just don't fit me well unless they are aimed at foreigners and out of my budget! I order online when I need to, but returning is not easy so I am not always happy with what I've bought and it takes more than a few days to get something in the mail! In addition, I moved from a professional life to a SAHM and my daily wardrobe needs are different. Could you all help me define how many outfits are good for daily wear and for special occasions? I know this differs by person, but I need a benchmark to start from in making it my own! Thanks so much for helping this clutterbug set some limits and get my closet back in usable order. :). :heart ---------- Post added at 04:11 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:33 PM ---------- Seems this got buried in a slew of new messages! :bump |
Re: Decluttering Question- closet full of clothes and nothing to wear!!!
:think hmm... Well first I would probably go through and donate anything that doesn't fit you. Start there. :) it will help you get a handle on what you have to work with.
From there, you're right - it really depends! What's your climate, how often do you do laundry, what are your daily activities, etc. I always have more shirts than pants/skirts. I like to have 2-3 pairs of jeans that fit.They to put together outfits out of the same pieces to maximize your wardrobe without having too many clothes- in other words, things you can mix and match for more options. :) Sorry if that's not super specific, lol. ITU about hanging on to too many clothes, but it sure feels good when you don't have to dig through the things you don't wear to get to the good stuff. |
Re: Decluttering Question- closet full of clothes and nothing to wear!!!
I need to do this too, so I don't really have any any suggestions for you. I am going to be looking for some tips, though.
Who wrote the book you mentioned? Amazon had two with that title. |
Re: Decluttering Question- closet full of clothes and nothing to wear!!!
I have a fairly small wardrobe (by American standards, at least). I have a certain amount of nice wooden hangers (not sure how many, but I could go count, lol) and that's all the clothes I keep in the closet. It's worked well for me to keep a handle on things. I always feel like I have something to wear that fits, and if something new comes in, the old goes out, b/c I don't have enough hangers.
Off the top of my head I have 3 pairs of jeans, various t-shirts/tanks, two sweaters, 3 dress pants, one pair of kahkis, two pairs of capris, 3 skirts, 4 dresses, several blouses, and a couple specific things for dress events (I play piano with jazz groups), four pajama sets/nighties, and one sweatshirt. I also have a drawer of socks and underwear, which I recently pared down. I also keep a specific set of shoes on four shoe shelves. I can fit everything on those. I've been trying to buy really high-quality clothing and shoes that will last years. I've been losing some weight so once I get to my goal weight then I will clean some more stuff out b/c several of the things are too big right now :rockon and update my dress pants and skirts, in particular. |
Re: Decluttering Question- closet full of clothes and nothing to wear!!!
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---------- Post added at 07:17 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:52 PM ---------- :ty4 canadiyank!!! This is exactly what I was looking for! As you lose weight, how do you manage? I think part of my proliferation is due to multiple sizes and prepregnancy clothes. Many fit but are not breastfeeding or babywearing friendly, although I love them! I see you are a WAHM. How often do you need to dress up to attend meetings, etc? Thanks again! Quote:
---------- Post added at 07:31 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:17 PM ---------- :ty4 crunchymum! Come to think of it, each child has a primary color and I mix and match that way for them. Since they outgrow their clothes, it is easy to have matching color pallettes. I suppose that's why my classic go to pieces have lasted so long, bc I do the same for myself. But I don't necessarily replace my clothes as often as theirs. ;) thanks for the reminder and the rough bench mark. :heart Quote:
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Re: Decluttering Question- closet full of clothes and nothing to wear!!!
I have a lot of shelf space in my closet so I keep most sweaters, sweatshirts and a couple piles of out of season clothes there. Twice a year I switch out my wardrobes - from shorts to long sleeves.
I typically wear "business casual" (dockers and cotton shirts) to teach lessons and to church, so I have 4-5 outfits like that. I also have four pair of jeans (two blues, one brown and one black - the colors can be slightly dressed up for get-togethers, etc). I have A LOT of shirts that can be worn with jeans for everyday or with dress pants for church/parties. I decided one day that though I was home every day, I could dress more nicely without dressing in expensive clothes. KOHLS is especially good for blousy-type shirts for everyday wear. I don't wear run-down tshirts anymore. Every time I switch out my wardrobe, I first go to what is hanging and purposely pick out one garbage bag (for donation) of stuff I wore very little or didn't fit well. If it didn't fit well, I'll be less inclined to wear it again next year. I'm pretty generous with what I toss - and when I find a shirt I like a lot, I tend to buy 2-3 in different colors. Lastly, I have 2-3 basic black dress pants with 2-3 basic dress jackets (in colors to go with patterned shirts) for real dress up days. I play in an orchestra so the black dress pants are mandatory (as well as a dozen or more dress tops in various warmths and layers LOL). |
Re: Decluttering Question- closet full of clothes and nothing to wear!!!
:ty4 for the details camperjen. Your description helps me a lot, especially the clothes for different purposes part. :)
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Re: Decluttering Question- closet full of clothes and nothing to wear!!!
First, if it doesn't fit, get rid of it.
Second, if you don't like it, why keep it? Third, if it's an issue of bf'ing etc then by all means box it up and stop wasting space in your closet when you can't enjoy it :yes Fourth, what do you do? What is your life about? Keep a few clothes that go outside that (nice dress if you occasionally go out but not often, suit just in case, etc) |
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