amt of clothing?

I have found that it is easy to make decisions when you break it down into small chunks. For example - my sister is a clothes-a-holic. She buys and makes clothes non-stop and keeps it all. She still has clothes - that she wears - from when she was a teenager. I helped her to clean up her overflowing house. With clothes the first thing you choose are the things that you will never get rid of - your wedding dress and any other items that have special memories for you - and pack them away in their own special box or cupboard. Then you divide your clothes into groups - sweaters, pants, skirts, coats, blouses etc. Then you divide one pile into colours, sizes and casual and formal. Many women have different sizes to fit different weights. Get rid of any of the largest size and smallest size. Keep what you can wear now or have a hope in hell of fitting again. Then take 3 items - lay them out before you and pick the one you like the least. Discard it into the give or garbage pile. Now choose between the remaining two. Discard the one you did not choose and put the one you chose aside. When you have only the keep pile left go through it and make sure you really like everything you have chosen. Fashion is not everything. Comfort and practicality is also very important.

I am not a keeper of things however I have noticed that what I wear really affects how I feel at the moment and about myself in general. When I dress frumpy or keep my jamas on I feel and look like carp. I try to keep enough clothes so I only have to do the wash once weekly. I recently lost and gained over 40 pounds and so now do not (again) have much that fits me and that is fine. Have three jeans about 8 shirts and probably 10 sets of under garments with the exception of bras- only two of those. Seems to be plenty for around the place, out to the store, out to church or a social gathering of not the dressy type. Have no idea what i would wear to a wedding so I probably would not attend if I could not pass with jeans.

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www.MontanaSticksAndStones.com at Goshen Farm

I have clothes that fit, but I don't like, in cardboard boxes in storage. I figure they won't look so bad if the EOTWAWKI hits and the choice is to wear what I don't like or go naked (it gets really chilly up here).

I am rough on clothes always accept a bag of second hand stuff when one is offered. This works for me, and now it works for my daughter too.

Drag out every stitch.
Sort it into piles, warm weather shirts, cold weather shirts, jeans, office/town wear, dressy stuff, etc, etc.
Think of what feels to you like a ridiculous number of say, warm weather shirts. Say ... 10 (almost 2 weeks worth!!)
Spread out 10 shirts on the bed, pick up the next shirt and decide if you like it better then any of the ones on the bed. If so, trade it out. Put the discarded shirt in a bag to go to the thrift store.
Anything that doesn't fit goes instantly into the bag.
When you've gone through the whole pile, look at the bed.
Realize that you'll still never use all 10 shirts.
Toss your x# least favorite.
Hang the remaining shirts in your empty closet.
Repeat with every pile.
Decide your closet is still too full, and toss 3 more outfits into the bag.
Smile all the way to the thrift store.

Like someone else said, give yourself permission to keep a few favorite things. I've got some of the kid's baby clothes and some very ratty old flannels that just get to stay. But not too many.

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A ship in the harbor may be safe, but that's not what ships are built for

I wear what I like, and could give a rats derriere what others think. I think most folks look like mindless drones, following each other in the current style regimen....

I wouldn't toss the clothes, especially if you have a hard to find size. I get sacks full of shirts from the thrift store. Half the time, I'm getting 'work' shirts for outside work, get home, and realize these 'work clothes' are better than my 'dress up' clothes, and end up wearing my old dress ups out on chainsaw sessions...

As far as wearing your 'style' to town, hold your head up proud, and who cares what others think. Violate enough 'rules' often enough, and you may reach the hallowed status of the crazy guy!

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Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity. Seneca
Learning is not compulsory... neither is survival. W. Edwards Deming

Enough to be legal. I don't have any desire to impress anybody - especially people I don't know or like. Got enough socks to last a couple weeks between washes.

I have very little clothing. But then clothing isn't important to me and I don't go anywhere most of the time. Aside from my boots and work suits it all fits in two cubic-feet of space.

I have:
Two pairs of mud boots plus a pair of steel toe boots I share with my wife and son
Two pair of shoes - farm vs in-town
Two coverall work suits - one for winter, one for summer
Two light jackets - I wear one over the other for layers
Two pairs of long pants
Dozen pairs of black shorts
Dozen work T-shirts plus two nice ones
One dancing shirt
Dozen Underwear
Bunch of socks
Dozen Handkerchiefs

It all fits in half a trunk - about two square feet.

Not much variety there. A long time ago I decided what I liked to wear (black shorts, T-shirt, adding light jacket and works suit layers as needed) and kept it simple. This way I don't have to figure out what I want to wear when in the morning. I just put cloths on. What goes on only depends on the weather (put on more layers) and rare times I go in-town (put on clean cloths and town shoes). I've got more important stuff to think about than cloths.

What I don't like is that after ten or fifteen years cloths get so thread bare and worn out and then I have to buy new ones. Keep on patching.

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SugarMtnFarm.com -- Pastured Pigs, Poultry, Sheep, Dogs and Kids

agree with you here! went to the mall a few weeks ago in sioux falls, and altho I liked the style, every gal was wearing a puffy vest, skinny jeans and tall boots. i do not want to be this! and i've said a hundred times that when i grow up, i wanna be the 'crazy goat lady down that long lane'. lol!

started playing pitch it. feels so good! using a combo of suggestions here. first on the pile is flat out 'don't like it' stuff. no matter why, if i dont' love wearing it, its already gone. like the shirt whose sleeves won't stay pushed up, argh! life's too short to fight with a shirt!

this also filtered thru the kitchen as well--some things i dont' have any reasoning of why i have it. duh! well, i don't no more! hehe some i simply aquired better, and some i can use at the lodge, so its going there.

the type of things I have too many *of*, but like them all, i am putting in the store room (we have a nice one in the back of the house, in lieu of a basement) and will be sure to go 'shopping' at home before I even step foot into a store, esp a thrift store. just keeping a few in circulation, so as not to add more stuff into my day to day space. the super trashed stuff isn't needed either. i will make a rule for myself, if i do find something I cant leave, then i'll toss at least one, and maybe 2 of the current or stored items.

i think sisterpine is right too--i just feel better if i'm not wearing what could double as a cleaning rag. if i plan to cook i can grab an apron, which i have 3 and love em. easy-peasy! stay clean and look better doing it! (hey, maybe I can be qualified as a 'good wife' then?! haha!) and if i really trash it, well, my store room shopping is just a room away. many of the icky things will be much ickier come kidding season, one more use for them and then they go. a perfect send off!

this has been very helpful and the extra push i needed to keep going.

oh, and i found i do have several nicer blouses that would be ok with jeans, but they are rather dull--then i found those 2 nice scarves i've been saving. problem solved there too, without shopping, spending or much time. ahh, simple. got the idea from online clothing stores, so thanks for suggestions of that nature.

i feel so much better now, clearing clutter. and that 'to go' pile is getting huge! yeah!

We have a big walk in closet, for the two of us, in our BR. And it is loaded. I wear jeans black t's and blue chambray shirts, most times. But, as one of the artists, DSW dresses up when ever they have an opening at one of the Galleries she shows in. Of course, I need to dress up also, to not look out of place. So I have some nice clothes too.

But, several years ago, I was heavily involved in Lodge, going through the chairs. So I still have a couple of nice tuxes, that still fit me. Haven't changed a size in many years, 52 regular jacket and 42x32 slacks.
I'm still a member, of Masons, and may get active again, if the mood strikes me.
DSW has been encouraging me lately. It's a good organization.
ETA..... And, I hate to throw out good clothes, that I like & still fit.

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Be Intense, always. But always take the time to
Smell the Roses, give a Hug, Really Listen, or
Jump to Defend your Friends & What you Believe in.
'Til later, Have Fun,
Old John

Something I do to help control the clothing - all shirts go on hangers, no matter if its a nice one, or a ratty 'farm work' tshirt. As I wash laundry, the clean stuff comes to the front of the line, the older stuff that was still hanging gets pushed back. Every now and then, I browse through the stuff that is furthest back on the closet rod (been hanging the longest) and get rid of some of it.

I rotate some of my clothing as per the seasons dictate, so if something hung at the back of the line for the entire season (never got worn) it doesn't go into storage until next season, it goes out. A few exceptions of course, but it really helps me keep the clothing narrowed down to what I'm really using.

Another thing that I do from time to time, is grab some of the items I'm just not sure about, stand in front of a mirror and put it on. If I don't feel good about how I look wearing it, out it goes.