Loads of clothes I never use. Any advice about clearing out?

LilElvis

tea_lover wrote: »

That's how you end up overwhelmed by belongings.

I've filled:

A 3 door wardrobe in our bedroom
A double wardrobe in one spare bedroom
An 8 door wardrobe in another spare bedroom
2 double storage wardrobes in the loft

Plus a hoard of storage bags and bin liners in the loft!

Just as well I have a large house!

No way am I sending enough Nicole Farhi to stock a boutique to the charity shop!

belfastgirl23

The KonMarie stuff is really useful.

The thing I found helpful is formally saying goodbye to your old clothes. Thanking them for being there the one time you needed them and then free them and let them go. Sounds kind of hippy and mad but it worked for me.

Also from 'the other side' it feels very freeing not having a load of c**p weighing you down. By all means keep one good frock in case you have a wedding to go to - again quoting KonMarie, one that brings you joy. But don't hold onto a load of stuff that doesn't bring you joy just in case.

purpleshoes_2

Freecycle, ebay, charity shops, freelywheely, gumtree.

I had way too many clothes and still have but Im getting there. I lost weight so all my clothes that fitted me when I was heavier went. I gave a lot away on freecycle and Ive charity shopped a lot as well.

Im also organising a clothes/books and magazines swap, I'll be happy just to give mine away and take stuff that's not clothes.

I have some room for new books as charity shopped around 250 of them since the new year.

I probably wear about 25 per cent of the clothes I have left, so there's a lot more to go, but Im getting there.

purpleshoes_2

Its also ok being thrifty, I love a bargain, but if you wear 10 per cent of your clothes, you could get that reduced, you certainly don't need to give the 90 per cent away or sell it, but whats the point of stuff just sitting there.

Ive sold stuff on ebay, boots I bought and never wore, 2 pairs of sandals, same, Ive sold about £100 quids worth of stuff in the last month, anything that I don't think would sell, I'll happily donate it to charity, most charities take the stuff thats not fit for sale, or there are textile banks often at recycling facilities.

Kim_kim

80:20 rule

We wear 20% of our wardrobe, 80% of the time.
I get my daughter around & she will often make me bin things.
I must do it again.....

purpleshoes_2

Im definitely not doing the kon marie style of decluttering. But I do need to declutter and I really need to declutter clothes. I have a dress I bought about ten years ago, Ive worn it loads, I also have another tunic style dress that I like, but I can think of 3 or 4 dresses that have never been on, the thing is, its fine to keep enough clothes that you have for in case of occasions, but its pointless to have wardrobes and wardrobes of clothes sitting just incase.

They aren't any use to you if they are sitting in a cupboard. Im going to try and make an effort to wear more of the stuff I currently don't and if I havent in a few months time, off it goes as well.

I think people get attached to stuff because you've paid good money for it and I understand that, but the heels I just sold on ebay (dont wear heels anymore due to breaking my arm while wearing a pair) had been sitting in my cupboard for a few years and I knew Id never wear them.

I'm happy someone else has got the use of them that I didn't.

ripplyuk

Thanks everyone. I forgot to mention that I also have some large vaccuum bags filled with clothes for the last ten years or so, as well as the overflowing wardrobes/drawers. I've never worn them again but kept them just in case. I'm now thinking that like swingaloo said, if an occasion did come up, I'd probably like something new anyway. There's plenty of friends/family I could borrow from.

I'm good at clearing out with everything else. I find clutter stressful. It's just clothes I seem to hoard. It's definitely the familiarity of having them there. If I couldn't see them, I'd never miss them. My problem is when I look through the stuff I've packed away for years, I end up thinking how nice they are and pack them away again for future use! Its a better idea to put the stuff in bags and not open it again, just get rid of it without looking.

I'm going to make an effort this time and just keep maybe two outfits that might be useful. I'd rather my wardrobe was filled with stuff that I actually wear.

LilElvis

littlesnuggy wrote: »

Join the KonMarie method thread over on the Old Style board! I read the first few pages (haven't bought the book) but took onboard the philosophy of asking whether an item "brings you joy" then tackled my wardrobes and drawers. This is the result (waiting to arrange collection by charity shop):



Included in that is 32 (yes, thirty two) pairs of shoes. I still have more than enough clothes, and at least that number of pairs of shoes left. It is much more pleasurable opening (and closing!) my drawers though to decide what to wear each day, as I know what's in there.

It has been a bit difficult to resist the temptation of rummaging back through the bags for the charity shop to 'double check' I'm not getting rid of anything I really want to keep, but I've been strict with myself.

That's ok then! My 120+ pairs of shoes bring me huge joy. Ditto my numerous rammed-full wardrobes of clothes. I don't buy based on trends so I can happily pull out something that is a decade old, and will hopefully still be able to fit into it in another 10 years. I hardly buy anything now - I don't need it ..... apart from the Orla Kiely scarf I ordered today, obviously!

purpleshoes_2

I think I have around 6 pairs of shoes and the same trainers.

purpleshoes_2

littlesnuggy wrote: »

Join the KonMarie method thread over on the Old Style board! I read the first few pages (haven't bought the book) but took onboard the philosophy of asking whether an item "brings you joy" then tackled my wardrobes and drawers. This is the result (waiting to arrange collection by charity shop):



Included in that is 32 (yes, thirty two) pairs of shoes. I still have more than enough clothes, and at least that number of pairs of shoes left. It is much more pleasurable opening (and closing!) my drawers though to decide what to wear each day, as I know what's in there.

It has been a bit difficult to resist the temptation of rummaging back through the bags for the charity shop to 'double check' I'm not getting rid of anything I really want to keep, but I've been strict with myself.

I think for me, it would be very hard to decide whether something brought me joy if it were lurking at the back of a cupboard.

Clearly it's not, its just sitting in a cupboard. One thing I have learned and very recently is that possessions you have should be used. That doesn't mean wearing every single item of clothing I have in rotation, but if something hasnt been worn for even a year, am I likely to wear it, Id say no.

I do have a couple of tops I bought well over a decade ago, they still fit and Im keeping them, I also wear them, but anything else, if Ive not had it on in the last 12 months, its going.

Looking at items in the cupboard doesn't bring me joy, it just makes me go, I have way too much stuff and I need to get rid of it.