Waged War on My Closet and Won-The Sequel

I'm gearing up for cleaning out my closets for my bi-annual charity donation. I give all my stuff to my girlfriend for her non-profit that gives clothing to women who need to find work and don't have the proper items to wear to an office. They also give clothing to women that have gotten out of jail and have no clothing at all. I feel good about doing this.

This did me good today. I took a small load to the thrift store, and there was a woman there also making donations. She was just about the PERFECT size for some of my cashmere sweaters, so I offered them to her. She was nearly speechless with appreciation :)

This did me good today. I took a small load to the thrift store, and there was a woman there also making donations. She was just about the PERFECT size for some of my cashmere sweaters, so I offered them to her. She was nearly speechless with appreciation :)

Wow! How very generous:D of you. I bet you made her day extremely special. Free cashmere sweaters...gotta love that!

See...LOL..now you'll "reap" somewhere in life because you sowed into someone else's :)

This did me good today. I took a small load to the thrift store, and there was a woman there also making donations. She was just about the PERFECT size for some of my cashmere sweaters, so I offered them to her. She was nearly speechless with appreciation :)

I retired 2 years ago and just sent the last of my jackets to a thrift shop. The suits are long gone. I still have some slacks that I "think I might wear" but I've lost about 20 pounds so probably won't. They'll be the next to go. I keep recycling t-shirts from wearing around the house to cleaning to gardening to painting. Many are too big but I keep thinking "what will I wear when gardening?" Sometimes it is hard to let go. LOL.

Mary Lou

Well I finally finished "waging war" on my home office/computer room-I started that project on Dec. 26 and finally finished it off today-sickening the "overload" of office supplies I had, books I didn't know what to do with, etc. No,it wasn't clothes but it was the clothes war that led to the other parts of the house.

Now I'm working on decorating it so I can have a comfy "she cave"-I repainted bookshelves and papered the shelves, a vintage Woodard iron painted white became a lovely writing table, floor kitchen cabinets were turned into a credenza, a repurposed chair from Goodwill steam cleaned is my reading nook in front of the window. Almost everything I a decorating with came from the "war"on the other closets.

It only took 7 months!!! But it's done. Wage on, ladies! :)

5 sweaters donated, a PILE identified to be sold on Etsy, and 2 more pairs of shoes (you are gonna cry with me on these -- Bally and Fendi) donated.

:D

NO! Not the Fendi's! And you make it sound so casual :) LOL

I am in the process of starting an ETSY shop-just trying to figure out the shipping, etc. I'm selling mostly mid century stuff.

5 sweaters donated, a PILE identified to be sold on Etsy, and 2 more pairs of shoes (you are gonna cry with me on these -- Bally and Fendi) donated.

 

:D

I'm late to the party. I've generally done a good clean-out about once a year, but I still have three entire closets full of clothes & shoes, plus about 3 big plastic bins in the attic. I like everything I have - last year I got rid of all of the really old stuff, save for a couple of sentimental items like my wedding dress.

I have three sizes of clothes. Last year I bit the bullet and got rid of the 6s and 8s because they probably won't be that size time soon, and if I am that stuff will all be out of style. But I am bound and determined to be back into the 10s by the time I'm wearing sweaters again this fall, so I'm not willing to get rid of a lot of things.

Today I turned all the hangers backwards in my main closet (current season clothes). If I wear the item, the hanger gets turned around the 'right' way. I'll go through the clothes after Labour Day and that not worn is going to Goodwill or a consignment store. I really love most of this stuff ... but the sad thing is that there must be 7 or 8 tops that have never been worn. I loved them enough to buy them, but then I don't wear them?

This de-cluttering, re-organizing, living mindfully thing is my focus for the next while - enough that it's going to be a primary subject on my blog.

Welcome to the party-your just in time! :) Never tardy to the party when it comes to waging war on stuff we don't need!

I've heard about that hanger strategy-would love to know if it's actually helpful as I've considered it. Would love to read your blog too.

I saw a link to a group that takes wedding dresses that are donated and makes christening gowns and even gowns for (sadly) children who have had an untimely death. What a great idea for a wedding dress, but I'm not ready to part with mine yet either.

I'm late to the party. I've generally done a good clean-out about once a year, but I still have three entire closets full of clothes & shoes, plus about 3 big plastic bins in the attic. I like everything I have - last year I got rid of all of the really old stuff, save for a couple of sentimental items like my wedding dress.

 

I have three sizes of clothes. Last year I bit the bullet and got rid of the 6s and 8s because they probably won't be that size time soon, and if I am that stuff will all be out of style. But I am bound and determined to be back into the 10s by the time I'm wearing sweaters again this fall, so I'm not willing to get rid of a lot of things.

 

Today I turned all the hangers backwards in my main closet (current season clothes). If I wear the item, the hanger gets turned around the 'right' way. I'll go through the clothes after Labour Day and that not worn is going to Goodwill or a consignment store. I really love most of this stuff ... but the sad thing is that there must be 7 or 8 tops that have never been worn. I loved them enough to buy them, but then I don't wear them?

 

This de-cluttering, re-organizing, living mindfully thing is my focus for the next while - enough that it's going to be a primary subject on my blog.

A dozen "angel gowns" can be made from one wedding dress. What a lovely idea.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2590022/Crafting-angel-gowns-wedding-dresses-Meet-women-create-special-garments-babies-pass-away-soon.html

I do a similar strategy. As I wear something, I hang it back up at the closest end of the closet pole. What I found is that the same handful of shirts, say, get worn over and over, and the rest just hang there.

I did make, and have kept, a rule this past year. If I put something on and then take it right off because I don't like how it looks, it immediately goes into a large black trash bag I keep in the closet. Same goes for when I do wear something but realize it's not comfortable, it's not flattering, it's not..... whatever. When the bag is full, out it goes to Goodwill or Salvation Army. And NO looking back in the bag. Once an item has entered that black hole, there is no escape in my house.

A dozen "angel gowns" can be made from one wedding dress. What a lovely idea.

 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2590022/Crafting-angel-gowns-wedding-dresses-Meet-women-create-special-garments-babies-pass-away-soon.html

I agree Gathina, that is a lovely idea

NO! Not the Fendi's! And you make it sound so casual :) LOL

 

I am in the process of starting an ETSY shop-just trying to figure out the shipping, etc. I'm selling mostly mid century stuff.

The Fendis were not at all casual ;) . I had them in a bag for 3 or 4 months before I "did the deed", and I'd take them out every few days and think about it.....

Re Etsy -- I like it a lot better than ebay for selling certain things. Now that I have a functioning camera (YAY!) I'll be reopening my shop there for vintage clothing and jewelry. Some stuff is just too high-dollar-value to give away. I wish you great success!

Are you the sister from that old picture we found of my dad in WWII with a beautiful woman on the beach in Italy? LOL (joke)..love Vintage clothing-found a summer short dress from the 1960's at Goodwill for $7 and I wear it faithfully so that stays in the closet.

Let me know when your shop is up..agree..Etsy is a cut above.

The Fendis were not at all casual ;) . I had them in a bag for 3 or 4 months before I "did the deed", and I'd take them out every few days and think about it.....

 

Re Etsy -- I like it a lot better than ebay for selling certain things. Now that I have a functioning camera (YAY!) I'll be reopening my shop there for vintage clothing and jewelry. Some stuff is just too high-dollar-value to give away. I wish you great success!

Are you the sister from that old picture we found of my dad in WWII with a beautiful woman on the beach in Italy? LOL (joke)..love Vintage clothing-found a summer short dress from the 1960's at Goodwill for $7 and I wear it faithfully so that stays in the closet.

 

Let me know when your shop is up..agree..Etsy is a cut above.

Hahaha! Sisters from another mother? :D

I no longer wear vintage, I'm at the age where people might wonder if I bought that dress, sweater, handbag NEW -- and have never updated my wardrobe :eek: :D But I still admire vintage on people who can carry it off! Well done onthe dress :D

Hahaha! Sisters from another mother? :D

 

I no longer wear vintage, I'm at the age where people might wonder if I bought that dress, sweater, handbag NEW -- and have never updated my wardrobe :eek: :D But I still admire vintage on people who can carry it off! Well done onthe dress :D

LOL! That's exactly how I feel about vintage these days. :D I used to rock vintage back in the 70s and early 80s but not too much any more!

Cowprincess, what's the name of your Etsy shop??

Cowprincess, what's the name of your Etsy shop??

Gathina, email me at nakitathedog@yahoo.ca and I'll give you the name. It is empty right now ;) but I'm pretty motivated, so I expect by mid-August it'll have decent stock in it.

CowPrincess- I'm in Washington state on business this week-actually one one of the Puget sound islands-and when I finished today I wandered into a thrift shop near my hotel and they had multiple pairs of Ferregamo shoes, for---gasp--$5.00 and they were like new. I about had a heart attack but they were size 8 and I am a 10. I wanted to add them to my select shoes selection-I finally got down to 10 pairs but thank Goodness they didn't fit!

All my closets officially purged-it only took 8 months, now working on closet "organizing" thanks to the rod breaking. Now slowly sneaking into the storage closet outside to organize that when husband isn't home!

Gathina, email me at nakitathedog@yahoo.ca and I'll give you the name. It is empty right now ;) but I'm pretty motivated, so I expect by mid-August it'll have decent stock in it.

OMG! I can't tell you how therapeutic this thread is for me. I thought I was the only person who dealt with these issues and the emotions that go along with them. I'm pretty good about cleaning out my closet and donating the items. However, I think I sometimes put it off because of the guilt I feel when I do it - does anyone else understand this feeling? I guess I feel guilty because I paid good $$ for an item, and here I am throwing it out. Although I do try to wear items and get my money's worth out of each one. I also know that I'll need to replace worn out pieces of clothing that I'm donating which requires me to go shopping. I guess I'm one of the few women in the world who actually dread this activity. I get frustrated when I go to the store because I feel like I just buy the same old boring type clothes each time. I don't exactly have an eye for fashion either. I'm an Executive Assistant to a CEO, so most of my outfits consist of black pants with a nice blouse/cardigan/jacket to go with it. It's also frustrating to see most of the clothes in the stores geared toward the 20-something crowd. I'm in my mid 40s and it seems like a challenge to find something stylish, age appropriate, and something that covers up everything! The one thing I have absolutely NO problem shopping for is costume jewelry - Charming Charlie and Versona are my faves!! My husband says he's going to have to add on to the house so I'll have a place for my jewelry - LOL!!

OMG! I can't tell you how therapeutic this thread is for me. I thought I was the only person who dealt with these issues and the emotions that go along with them. I'm pretty good about cleaning out my closet and donating the items. However, I think I sometimes put it off because of the guilt I feel when I do it - does anyone else understand this feeling? I guess I feel guilty because I paid good $$ for an item, and here I am throwing it out. Although I do try to wear items and get my money's worth out of each one. I also know that I'll need to replace worn out pieces of clothing that I'm donating which requires me to go shopping. I guess I'm one of the few women in the world who actually dread this activity. I get frustrated when I go to the store because I feel like I just buy the same old boring type clothes each time. I don't exactly have an eye for fashion either. I'm an Executive Assistant to a CEO, so most of my outfits consist of black pants with a nice blouse/cardigan/jacket to go with it. It's also frustrating to see most of the clothes in the stores geared toward the 20-something crowd. I'm in my mid 40s and it seems like a challenge to find something stylish, age appropriate, and something that covers up everything! The one thing I have absolutely NO problem shopping for is costume jewelry - Charming Charlie and Versona are my faves!! My husband says he's going to have to add on to the house so I'll have a place for my jewelry - LOL!!

First off, if you are donating something you are NOT "throwing it out". YOu are allowing it to be a blessing in someone else's life. And a blessing to whatever organization sells it.

I agree about the frustration of shopping for age-appropriate clothes. Where we live the stores are geared to athletes and 20-somethings :D Imagine trying to find clothes here :D I stick to neutral colours, top and bottom, and add interest with spectacular shoes and nice jewelry.

Gathina (the thread starter) has inspired me to really consider each and every item I add to my wardrobe, and to curate my existing wardrobe. I have moved out boxes and boxes of unworn clothing. It is for me quite freeing.

I continue to struggle with shoes. BIG struggle with shoes ;) I am now working on jewelry, with the intent to keep only those pieces that I use regularly.

Good luck, keep checking in. We all understand :D

CowPrincess- I'm in Washington state on business this week-actually one one of the Puget sound islands-and when I finished today I wandered into a thrift shop near my hotel and they had multiple pairs of Ferregamo shoes, for---gasp--$5.00 and they were like new. I about had a heart attack but they were size 8 and I am a 10. I wanted to add them to my select shoes selection-I finally got down to 10 pairs but thank Goodness they didn't fit!

 

All my closets officially purged-it only took 8 months, now working on closet "organizing" thanks to the rod breaking. Now slowly sneaking into the storage closet outside to organize that when husband isn't home!

Oh wow! I guess in some way it is a good thing they were not your size. Sigh..... go back there and look for high-end scarves maybe? :eek: ;)

I passed on a pair of MaxMara linen pants yesterday. $3. They did not fit quite properly. Sigh....

Ask CowPrincess about how she is detoxing from her cashmere sweaters!

I've noticed in Europe women have very small closets-and I think when you have less it forces you to be more mindful/resourceful. When you think about it most of us have a giant closet stuffed with clothes and we still wear the same 5 or 6 outfits regularly. I know with having less, for me, it's less stressful to choose what to wear, in a sense.

Now my next issue is my wedding gown-I got married 2 years ago-I love my wedding gown-but there will be no children to pass it onto, and I saw an ad about a woman who takes wedding gowns and makes beautiful burial "gowns" for families who have sadly lost a baby, and she calls them "angel gowns", and they are free to the family. I'm thinking this might be the way to go, but again, it's an emotional thing. She can get 4-5 angel gowns out of a wedding dress. What a loving thing to do. I'm just not there yet..

OMG! I can't tell you how therapeutic this thread is for me. I thought I was the only person who dealt with these issues and the emotions that go along with them. I'm pretty good about cleaning out my closet and donating the items. However, I think I sometimes put it off because of the guilt I feel when I do it - does anyone else understand this feeling? I guess I feel guilty because I paid good $$ for an item, and here I am throwing it out. Although I do try to wear items and get my money's worth out of each one. I also know that I'll need to replace worn out pieces of clothing that I'm donating which requires me to go shopping. I guess I'm one of the few women in the world who actually dread this activity. I get frustrated when I go to the store because I feel like I just buy the same old boring type clothes each time. I don't exactly have an eye for fashion either. I'm an Executive Assistant to a CEO, so most of my outfits consist of black pants with a nice blouse/cardigan/jacket to go with it. It's also frustrating to see most of the clothes in the stores geared toward the 20-something crowd. I'm in my mid 40s and it seems like a challenge to find something stylish, age appropriate, and something that covers up everything! The one thing I have absolutely NO problem shopping for is costume jewelry - Charming Charlie and Versona are my faves!! My husband says he's going to have to add on to the house so I'll have a place for my jewelry - LOL!!

Just found this thread & my local Dressed for Success organization is thrilled that I did. I was a protocol officer (event coordinator) for USAF for 30 years, wore a suit & heels every day to work. I love good clothes & took care of them. I knew I had many suits (we turned a guest room into my "closet"), but I'd never really counted them. This thread inspired me & I went on an almost total suit purge. I brought 72 suits to Dressed for Success, only one had tags on it. I kept 1 black, 1 white & 1 navy suit. They gave me a rather large donation slip for taxes (didn't expect that)

Next up is the formal wear purge (I have even more formal outfits than suits, lots of formal events in protocol) & shoe (heel) purge. My girls are already discussing who gets the (32 pairs) of Ferragamos (all 3 of us wear the same size shoe). Melody

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