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

SavingPennies_2

LilElvis wrote: »

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!

OMG I feel overwhelmed just thinking about it, and I don't even know you! My rule is if the (one) wardrobe and drawers are full then it's time for a clear out. For me less is definitly more!

purpleshoes_2

Just had a look on the nicole fahri website, a blue suede skirt is currently retailing for 895 quid.

I remember a guy I worked with would only wear designer clothes, he jumped up on a kitchen worktop and a nail caught on them and ripped them, he was raging.

I spent 50 quid on clothes last year and it would have been less if I hadnt lost weight but as I said before still too many, so better crack on and get some offloaded to charity.

BigAunty

ripplyuk wrote: »

I need to clear out and make room for the clothes I actually do wear but I'm the thrifty type and keep thinking that as soon as I clear it all out, I'll end up needing them for some occasion and have to pay more money to buy new stuff. Also, I have things that don't fit but I keep thinking they will some day so I should keep them.

Does anyone have any words of wisdom that will encourage me to give the lot to the charity shop?

I buy most of my clothes and shoes on ebay second hand for around 10-30% of the cost in the shop. When I buy something new, I try to sell back a lesser worn item or give it to a charity shop. If I've worn it to death, it becomes a duster.

I have a single wardrobe and a single set of drawers - I can easily see when I've too many things - I don't store clothing in other cupboards or under the bed as it just encourages hoarding. I try to achieve a 'one in, one out' approach so the number of clothes don't zoom up.

Recently, I stocked up on some Whitestuff cords for winter, generally paying around £10 for them when they retailed at £55. I bought a spring coat from the current rage for £35 that cost closer to £100.

When I went on holiday over Xmas to a warm place, I managed to get a lot of lovely linen blouses for around a tenner or so each that would ordinarily cost £20-£50 each, plus a pair of Superdry chinos for £15 instead of £50+ and a pair of barely worn athletics trainers costing £20 that sell closer to £100. For winter, I bought a down jacket for £80 that originally retailed at £175.

For a wedding when I was going to be the best person, I bought a new Jacque Verts dress, indian sequinned slippers, throw and a fascinator for £90, a sum that some people would just spend on the shoes alone. Waterproof cycling jackets are very expensive - usually around £60, so I bagged one of the best brands second hand for half that.

My favourite shops are Monsoon, Boden, Whitestuff, Superdry, Howies and Fat Face and there is a thriving second hand market on ebay for items from these. Also, I quite like GAP and M&S for basics like plain shirts and jumpers. My fave shoes are Camper, Fly and Dr Martens - again, I can get a pair of barely worn shoes or boots for £15-30.

I know what looks good on me and what the general fit is like from my fave brands. If I buy something that isn't right for me, I can sell it back on ebay, usually for a similar sum that I paid. 99% of the time, the clothes I receive are in the excellent condition described with once in a blue moon getting something with a mark or hole in it that can be sent back to the seller for a refund.

So have a big clear out and know that you can get your favourite items for a fraction of the price on ebay. Use a bidding site like Gixen to put the maximum sum you'd pay for an item so you can forget about monitoring the auction, knowing if you don't get the item, another will be put up for sale soon.

*Cherry*

Like most of the posters I have too many clothes, lots that are not suitable any more (too big, too small, too dressy or formal, no longer suit my lifestyle etc) the way I manage them is to pack each season away in vaccuum bags or suitcases and rotate about 3 times a year.

When I am packing away the old season I filter out the worn out or damaged ones and send for recycling, those that I just don't like or don't fit right but are in good condition either go on ebay or to CS. Things that haven't been worn at all "this year" also get culled.

It also helps to have a fixed amount of storage - if the old season clothes don't fit in the bag / case / drawer that the next season ones come out of, I sort through again until it all fits!

All I need to do now is stop using what I raise from selling the old to buy new therefore starting the cycle all over again :cool:

purpleshoes_2

Theres a barnardos in my home town that sells all its clothes for 99p. Ive had new with tags monsoon jeans, nike workout wear, Ive bought all the clothes I needed after I lost weight from there.

I tend to donate to the local hospice shop and buy from barnardos.

Birdie85

I find it helps to take a step back emotionally and clear things out in waves. So first go through your wardrobe and pull out everything that isn't really wearable anymore and only good for being used as dusters. Then pull out the things you hate and never wear. Don't think about how much they cost or how many times you feel that you should have worn it but didn't, just take it out and send it to the charity shop or ebay. After a few weeks, have another go through and get rid of the stuff that doesn't fit, and won't realistically fit any time soon. After another few weeks, have another sort through and get rid of the things you kept for one reason or another during the first couple of clear-outs. It gets easier the more you do it and the more space you make, the more you want to make.

I really struggled with the money wasted on things I hadn't worn enough, but it's offset by the things I wear to death so I try to look at it as a bigger picture rather than 'this cost £££ so I can't get rid of it as I haven't had my money's worth'.

You only realistically need a couple of special occasion outfits so choose your favourites and sell the rest. No matter how many posh outfits I have, I still want a new outfit if I'm going to a good friend's wedding so would buy new anyway and allow the splurge!

BigAunty

ripplyuk wrote: »

Does anyone have any words of wisdom that will encourage me to give the lot to the charity shop?

Perhaps you could tot up the cost of your under and now non-worn clothes and work out what percentage of your wardrobe they occupy?

Perhaps you will be shocked to find that they have cost you £1,000 and form 80% of your clothing, for example.

Perhaps you could sell the most expensive on ebay and use the money to treat yourself to a few more everyday basics that you actually wear, then you will be happier to gift the remainder to the charity shop?

pukkamum

I have two sets of clothes for each season and i rotate, I don't buy trends I buy clothes i like and look good. By having 2 seta of each season it means that this summer I bring out from the loft clothes from 2 summers ago. It's like buying a whole new wardrobe every season as I still love the clothes and I haven't worn them for over a year. I buy myself one new outfit per season and always get rid of one to compensate. I also keep the amount of outfits I have to a minimum.
My winter wardrobe consists of 3 pairs of jeans 3 jumpers 3 long sleeved tops and 3 cardigans which i mix and match throughout the week.
My summer wardrobe much the same, 2 pairs of shorts,3 vest tops 3 cardigans 2 skirts 3 dresses all varying length etc.
I also have 6 going out outfits that are used when appropriate.
Shoes? Well shoes are a whole different ballgame, I have lots of shoes, mainly because I can change the look of my minimal wardrobe just with shoes (well thats my excuse and I'm sticking to it...)
Also when i first put the new seasons clothes on the rail I turn them with the coat hanger facing the wrong way. Any not turned over the right way at the end of the season I get rid of as they clearly haven't been worn.

DUKE

It is said that we only wear a third of our clothes, & if you don't use it within 3 months then you never will. Give your stuff away with love to your favourite charity, someone out there may need it more than you wardrobe does

minerva_windsong

wiogs wrote: »

Stick the stuff that doesn't fit into a bag. Go back to it in six months. If it still doesn't fit then get rid of it.

This, but I'd also add 'stuff you're not sure about' to that - maybe things you used to wear but don't any more. If in six months you find yourself thinking about a particular item, then keep that one and give the rest away. I've done this before and found it very useful.


For the things you'd like to wear: what is it that holds you back from wearing them? Is it the style? The colour? The fit? The shape? Do you need something to go with them? I think sometimes with that stuff you just have to try it and see how you feel. The worst that can happen is that you wear it once, it doesn't work and it goes into the charity bag.