amt of clothing?

[chewie]

I often have a bit of time finding things that fit. I am not short, nor very thin. when I do find something (99% at thrift stores) I get it and even if i don't really like it. and I am finding I look rather, goofy.

I am also feeling horribly overwhelmed with so. much. crap. the laundry room is always overflowing. ick.

so even if it fits, but I don't care much for it, do i dump it?? I really wanna pare down to just a minimal amt of stuff. i do alot outside, so i always think 'i'll just use it at home'. then wind up running to town, looking down at myself, and oh dear. now, i'm not real worried as much at what others are thinking of me, its more of an internal not feeling good about what i am doing with myself thing.

how much clothes do you all have?? I do not work in an office, so I dont' need a dual wardrobe for that situation. I work on our little farm, in my art studio, and at the lodge, which means good jeans and nice tshirts. i go to church once in a while, and never anything really fancy. even weddings here are nice tops/good jeans/boots.
having trouble keeping up with cleaning, and my kids are the same way (surprise? no!) so I would like to do a bit a day/week and lighten our load here in the house. its not real bad, but i'm feeling 'itchy' about what is here.

i am leaning towards the idea that since i pay little for clothing anyhow, toss most of it, and when i do need more, its way cheap to replace anyhow, so i can afford to have less, but nicer things that fit well. does this make sense???

maybe i'm nuts. but stuff is crowding me and really, its not bad! i can clean most of the house ready for company in less than an hour. but, its just not enough lately. maybe its the christmas stuff, but even at that, i have a 4ft tree and some garland/lights on the banister, that is it. its too many clothes and too many dishes and too much 'bits' of whatevers.

[Gianni]

Enough for a week long trip winter and summer. I rotate and use old clothes to work in around the place. My exception is hunting camo but most of it is over 10 years old.

[Pelenaka]

I hear ya about clothing way to much. I haven't bought any clothing in over 3 years but did pick up a small trash bag of office attire/church outfits two years when I was a deacon @ our church sponsored clothing swap. Didn't want to look to trashy when I was serving communion.

I keep a clean outfit on the back of the bathroom door to change into when I have to leave the yard. Since my transportation is my bike I just can't go as I am and use the drive thru. I gather my hair up in a pony tail, put on some lip stick & shades, wear the go to outfit.
One day last Summer as I was waiting on a traffic light someone I knew rolled down their car window & said hey. Then they said something about I must like pink because they always see me wearing it as I ride around the city (biked to Mom's for her daily meds). Light changed they speed off. I looked down & realized that I had worn the same pink pedal pusher outfit when I left the house on my bike for the past week.
Hey as long as the drawers are changed daily it's all good.


~~ pelenaka ~~

[Use Less]

If what you have doesn't fit your needs, it's a burden to take care of, and you're feeling frumpy, I'd say you need to change it all up. I had gotten to have a HUGE wardrobe of clothing suitable for active elementary-school teaching. I knew retirement was coming, but I didn't put it all together in my head so well, and all at once, there I was, leaving! Too many coupons, "deals" at dept. stores & pretty upscale stuff at some charity stores around here, plus some emotional need to shop happened here... I have significantly reduced 3 times since retiring, and still have more than I need. You could start by setting a drawer or closet section for stuff you're keeping for chores, and make a big effort to put those on when you're doing same, and consciously think of changing when you're going out. As you sort for work clothes, go ahead and hand along the stuff that makes you feel awful, even though "just for chores." Apply the same standard to an initial sort-out of your better clothes. If it makes you feel frumpy & depressed just putting it on, OUT Buy one really nice new outfit for situations where you need to feel you look great. Sue

[chewie]

i guess i get caught up with the thought of its wasteful to toss what's still useable. but there must be a line in there, useful vs. clutter how many plates is too many? how many glasses? stuff like this is bogging me down. my house is too full, and this is a big house, almost 2800sf!! (does include my art studio, but still!) and maybe 'too full' isn't even it, just sick of picking it up, cleaning around it, when less of it would do.

i know my kids have a train of thought like this--why wash dishes when there is some left in the cupboard? so if there was less in the cupboard, there'd be less dirty ones as well! when we were building this house, i only kept out enough for a day, and you know what? I didn't miss ONE thing in that way. the kids did, cuz they're slobs and didn't want to wash. but me, it was grand. no huge laundry piles as there wasn't enough to MAKE a big pile! ahhh.

and some stuff I do like, but when you have 3, do you pitch 2? one? store it? (note..if i store it, its outta sight/outta mind, and then I will buy another when needed, forgetting the stored item) i really would love to hear how some of you deal with this.

[Use Less]

I have trouble tossing anything, so I have found places to donate a lot. A church nearby takes women's professional clothing for a service w/unemployed women and those returning to work. The usul charities take stuff for resale. There's one here that will take sacks labeled "rags" so i have a home for really stained & worn-out stuff, too, besides the rag bag. If you like it, keep it even if you have two or three. it doesn't take that long to wear one out if you mostly wear one and briefly "spare" the others. But if you have 7 black pull-over tees, probably a couple are "less favorite" than others Sue

[goatlady]

If you do not like it, you won't wear it, so why have it? I have 1 drawer of summer grubbies, 1 drawer of summer goodies, 1 each of winter grubbies and goodies. The rest/excess are stored in totes in the closet to be used to replace what is in the drawers when even the grubbies at not fit to wear. It is also really not necessary to wear a "new" outfit every day, just "new" undies, the outer clothes are for your body's protection, not to impress others. That's my outlook anyway and works for me just fine.

[oregon woodsmok]

I have to point out that if you are over-run with clothing, you are not having a problem finding things that fit you. So you really don't have any reason to buy clothing you don't like.

If you don't like it, wash it up nicely and donate it back to the thrift store.

A couple of other options: Dye is not all that hard to use, so you could take all the shirts that the only problem is the color and dye them all a darker color that you like.

My wardrobe? I own 6 pairs of blue jeans that are bought new and fit me. I own 8 T-shirts that I wear working around the garden. I own 6 pretty shirts that I wear to town, with the blue jeans. 1 pair tennies for the tradmill, 1 pair clean newer tennies for going to town, 1 pair tennies for working outside. The town tennies get demoted to garden tennies when they are no longer nice looking, then the garden tennies get thrown out.

I have exactly one, count it one, load of clothing. I can wash all my colored clothing in one load of the front loader.

I have 60 pair of white cotton socks. I wear two pair of socks every day and at the end of the month, I have one load of whites with bleach.

[FarmerRob]

You said you are "not short and not thin," so that makes me think tall and big. If that is the case and you are not happy with the thrift stuff then get some nice catalogs that carry the sizes and styles that you like. You can take your time shopping and gradually add what you really like. Just limit yourself to what you REALLY need. Make a list of how many outfits and of what type you NEED. Then stick to it. If you don't develop any self discipline then you will never be able to teach it to your kids. They will never do what you say, instead, they will do what they SEE you do.

As for the stuff you have--get rid of anything that you do not really like. I'm sure you have seen the show "Hoarders." Don't turn into one of those people--I assure you they did not get that way overnight. It was most likely a slow gradual process fostered by a refusal to clean out and throw away useless crap.

You know what you need to do--you have already answered your own questions in your posts.

[RebelDigger]

FWIW I cull things out in Spring and again in Fall. If I have not worn an item since the last cull, it goes. Most of it comes from the Salvation Army so I take it back there. I also cull household stuff at the same time and have gotten to where I just don't have nicnacs sitting around, too much dusting. However, they will have to pry my fabric stash out of my cold dead hands LOL.

[Pink_Carnation]

With dishes if you have a family of 4 and don't have lots of large groups over for dinner I would say a place setting for 8 is plenty. For larger groups use paper plates.

For clothing more is not better. There was even a group that was cutting back to 6 or so items if I could remember what they called themselves I would recommend you look up what they had to say. One to two pairs of nicer jeans with 3-4 tops per season should be enough for out and about. For yard work I would only have about 2 outfits per season since you really don't want them to sit very long before cleaning. I do however prefer to have 2 weeks worth of socks and undies.

[julieq]

When I hit size 16 awhile back, I quit buying. I used to have my own walk in wardrobe of beautiful clothes back when I was about a size 8, but since I quit working full time in 1999 I just don't spend money on clothes.

Which is fine as DH's big shirts and his lined jeans fit me just fine this time of the year!

[Callieslamb]

We each just have a few pairs of pants that we wear. I have more shirts than my guys do, but I'm a girl so it's allowed. I also keep 5 sets of clothing ahead for each of us in a separate closet. This way the laundry never gets the point of depression, since we are rotating through just a few items each, but we still have enough clothing available that if here was an emergency - like the washer breaking on the weekend - we will still have items to wear. I don't like piles of dirty clothes. I usually wash something every day. So we get buy easily with this method.

[chewie]

you are all really getting what i'm saying. yup, i'm not a tiny gal, but not huge either, do you know of catalogs to look thru? i do think a couple nicer things that would mix/match into say 4 different options would be nice. when i do want to look good for soemthing, i am really out of options right now. something that is fairly classical so it doesn't go out of style in a month. i like stuff i can wear with boots, no heels for me!

o.w.--i really like what you are doing. this sounds like a good plan for me to try for as well.
pink c.--I would love to look into that group you speak of.

i am going to cull out anything that, when i see it's what's there for the day, i say, uh, anything else in there?! often i wear it anyhow cuz its there.

when in the camper, i had just a few of each thing. and it was easier. don't know what is making it so hard now that i'm in the house??

some stuff i like, but yet not. a big flannel shirt for instance. i loved it when I got it. but when i wear it, well, it bunches under my coat so i have been avoiding it. its grey and just frumpy. so it goes. the stuff that is so out of date its goofy, going. basically ANYTHIGN that i'm not happy to wear, chores or not. coupla pair of jeans i bought cheap, they are just not flattering, again, even for around home. makes me feel dumpy.

i am 44, and have no plans to go fru-fru or anything, just dump what's too much and liven up what i do keep/get.

and plan to donate some dishes as well. just too much there too, just too. much. stuff!!!!!

thanks for all the help, just talking thru it is helping.

[Joshie]

If getting rid of the stuff makes you feel guilty why don't you give it back to the thrift shop or use the fabric to make something? Then.... Don't buy clothing you don't love, thrift shop or not.

[soulsurvivor]

For yourself, think of what outfit you want to wear daily and purchase those. Tell yourself you can't hang the new items in the closet until it's empty. Same with the dishes. Decide what you need and like, buy it and don't put it in the cabinet until it's empty.

I happen to have had a coworker that has many in her extended family who do need clothing. She will come and get anything I give her and be very glad and appreciative.

I know how difficult it is to get in the right frame of mind to do this, but you've made a good start chewie and good luck with the follow through.

[Pink_Carnation]

Here is an article about the shopping diet/clothing diet http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/BeautySecr...0#.Tu_nnGMk67s

[soulsurvivor]

I'll go on and post links to the online sites I've used for ordering my clothing. Each has a customer service number to call and request a catalog.

http://www.llbean.com (petite pants)

http://www.landsend.com (sleepware/slippers)

http://www.travelsmith.com (coordinated easy-care separates for dressup)

http://www.exofficio.com (underwear)

http://www.woolrich.com (shirts)

[lisa's garden]

Like others said already, donate what is still usable.

I only have one child, a 16 yo son. But between hubby and son, things do get left sitting around sometimes. I make little piles for them to take care of and if it sits on the table too long I sit it on the floor in front of their office/bedroom door so they get the point!

When my son was about 12 I taught him to do his own laundry and put a clothes basket in his room for his dirty laundry...so no more piles of laundry, unless it's my own.

He also does the dishes as part of his allowance chore schedule, and although they aren't done as often as I'd like, he does get them done at least every day...sometimes twice a day. If I make jam or bread or something like that, I do the pile of dishes that I get dirty.

This has really helped our family keep the place cleaned up and our son understands what it means to help out around the place. Maybe this would help you feel like things are more in control at your place?

[Laura Zone 10]

Originally Posted by chewie

I often have a bit of time finding things that fit. I am not short, nor very thin. when I do find something (99% at thrift stores) I get it and even if i don't really like it. and I am finding I look rather, goofy.

What 'look' are you going for? Grab a few magazines, books, ads, whatever, and mark down the things that you like.
Then cut them out, and keep only the things you REALLY like. That will give you some idea of your 'style'.
(And I hear you about clothes shopping....I HATE IT. 5'7 inches, 118lbs...with a 35inch inseam. Yeah, no one makes clothes for me!!)

I am also feeling horribly overwhelmed with so. much. crap. the laundry room is always overflowing. ick.so even if it fits, but I don't care much for it, do i dump it??

If most of your clothes (like mine) come from goodwill and such, you don't have a ton of cash invested. If it doesn't fit / never will fit / or you don't like it enough to put it on and look in the mirror and feel good about walking out of the house.....DUMP IT.

I really wanna pare down to just a minimal amt of stuff. i do alot outside, so i always think 'i'll just use it at home'. then wind up running to town, looking down at myself, and oh dear. now, i'm not real worried as much at what others are thinking of me, its more of an internal not feeling good about what i am doing with myself thing.

Totally agree. Dump the stuff that doesn't fit, and you don't like.

how much clothes do you all have??

Maybe 4 pair of jeans that fit. 2 that don't.
Some nice summer tops / handful of nice sweaters.
4 Sweatshirts / Hand full of t-shirts
Handful of dresses. 3 pair of dress pants.
Everything I own can fit in one 55 gal trash bag.

i am leaning towards the idea that since i pay little for clothing anyhow, toss most of it, and when i do need more, its way cheap to replace anyhow, so i can afford to have less, but nicer things that fit well. does this make sense???

Totally makes sense.

maybe i'm nuts. but stuff is crowding me and really, its not bad! i can clean most of the house ready for company in less than an hour. but, its just not enough lately. maybe its the christmas stuff, but even at that, i have a 4ft tree and some garland/lights on the banister, that is it. its too many clothes and too many dishes and too much 'bits' of whatevers.

I 'can't breathe' when there is 'clutter'. Be that in a closet, in the living room....kitchen....anywhere. I am ALL about the purge, especially in January. Seems to be my 'purge month'!!
You will feel so much better when you get rid of the extra!!