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Post by messycowgirl on Jun 5, 2010 17:39:02 GMT -5
One of my biggest problems all these years is clothes. They can be out of style and not fit but I still hold onto them because they are in good condition...and I can take them to goodwill....and they could be used for rags...
It seems wrong to throw clothes away, ya know?
But I never take them to goodwill, and I never make them into rags. Instead they spill out of the dresser and closet, onto the floor where they get dirty again.
So has the cycle been for 10+ years.
Until last week when I threw some clothes away. 15 garbage bags FULL of clothes. Unfortunately I have to go through them because I'm missing some shirts I want to wear. Let me clarify they haven't been in the bags 10 years.....it's been a cycle of rebag, unbag, rebag, unbag.
I still have more to go through. But it's a start. No more wasting laundry soap and water with the promises of I'll box them up to give away. Because it's costing me serious time and money.
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Post by messymimi on Jun 5, 2010 17:48:57 GMT -5
Good for you for tossing old, worn, out of style, don't fit, or just plain ugly clothes!
I'm glad you are finding it doesn't hurt much. In fact, do it enough, and it becomes fun to get the stuff out of your life.
messymimi
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Post by Peach on Jun 5, 2010 17:50:06 GMT -5
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MiSC
Banned
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 1,611
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Post by MiSC on Jun 5, 2010 17:51:08 GMT -5
That is EXACTLY what I did last year. Clothes clothes clothes everywhere. 13 big construction bags full of them went to Goodwill. It took several trips, but I got it done. I know what you mean about not being able to throw them away. That's part of the reason we were overrun by them, but another part is that it was so jumbled up that I couldn't find the clothes I needed, so I bought more. Is that you too? Congrats on a job well done.
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Post by success19 on Jun 5, 2010 22:33:18 GMT -5
Yes - 24 years in the same place and too many clothes too. I used to take them to a consignment shop - but they all closed - at least that way I made a little money. One thing I am learning is to buy less - really did you need that many clothes? I mean say you have a months worth - that is alot. Really less is more. I have steadily gotten rid of alot - and more to go. Good for you!
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Post by mouseanne on Jun 5, 2010 23:11:16 GMT -5
Such a hard job! Yay!!!! mouseanne
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Post by _Linda_ on Jun 6, 2010 8:03:28 GMT -5
WTG Messycowgirl!!!! Doesn't it feel great to have it done and to have the extra room? Keep up the good work!!
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i_believe
New Member
Be here now~
Joined: May 2010
Posts: 53
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Post by i_believe on Jun 6, 2010 8:20:51 GMT -5
Good going, messycowgirl
That took a lot of courage~ and you have done it! Thanks for sharing your achievement with us!
TYGtoday
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Post by Chris on Jun 6, 2010 9:02:04 GMT -5
Way to go 15 bags WOW It sure makes it easier when we have fewer clothes and just what fits and we will wear. You've reminded me -- I got 2 new shorts yesterday and they fit and are the right weight/style etc. -- now I need to get rid of 2 unfit ones minimum. The reason I got the new ones was lack of suitable shorts so now I can release the duds. I never want to go back to that overflowing clothing situation again it was hard work in many phases to get to where it's much better now. Now I need to maintain, maintain, maintain.....
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Post by moggyfan on Jun 6, 2010 9:11:46 GMT -5
Good start.
Remember though: Only retrieve something from the bags that you actually miss and are going to wear.
Can you do that retrieval soon and then get those bags OUT so you are not tempted further to "go through them"?
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Post by zen on Jun 6, 2010 10:48:56 GMT -5
One tip that has really helped me to see what I really wear, at least with clothing that is hung up in the closet is the trick of hanging up everything with the hanger put on the rod from the back. As you wear items - you replace the hanger normally. I thought I had done pretty well with purging clothing I did not wear - but lo and behold - I still seem to wear only a fraction of what is in the closet after continual purges. It really is that 80/20 thing.
As I get older - I have gotten into the "Garanimals for adults' vibe - really trying to stick to a simple color palette in my clothing colors - adding color more through accessories like scarves and such. I still find it hard to purge clothes that are just a teeny bit too tight - thinking I am only a month away from being able to shed a couple of pounds and put them back into circulation. heh the months keep going by - and the too-tight remain untouched.
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Post by Chris on Jun 6, 2010 10:54:01 GMT -5
messycowgirl -- your thread really inspired me I went back into my closet and I now have a whole bag to donate -- and I'm down to just one Rubbermaid "overflow" tub which has the clothing that is still a tad too tight. Before this, I had 2 giant tubs like that and now just one! I am happy to say that some of the things that went in there were stuff I now have replaced with clothing that fits better, is lighter weight etc. and I was real happy to get rid of a couple of difficult to iron pieces. Ironing is one thing but then there's those things that are so difficult to iron that it's just not worth it. Thanks for the inspiration!
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Post by shopgirl on Jun 6, 2010 14:24:15 GMT -5
Girls, you are all doing so well! Getting rid of clothing is the hardest thing. I've done okay with the folded clothes in my dresser, but the hanging clothes in the closet... I can't seem to make much progress there. Expensive jackets I never wear, out-of-style skirts that I love the fabric. I gotta just let go. This thread and your comments are quite an inspiration for me, the closet might be my project for this week.
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Post by success19 on Jun 6, 2010 16:21:33 GMT -5
If you have trouble getting rid of clothes due to money issues - you can find a consignment shop and get back at least some of the money.
Of course giving it away is good too - it like paying it forward.
We wear 20% of the clothing we own.
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Post by eagle on Jun 6, 2010 23:30:38 GMT -5
Are the bags gone yet? Filling them was a great first step. Now to get them gone!
Regarding having too many clothes. I have addressed that issue for the past few years with my personal 'One-In-Two-Out' rule. When I buy a new blouse, I consciously make that purchase KNOWING that when I get home I have to get two blouses (or t-shirts or other similar item) OUT of my house ASAP.
I have an ongoing donation bag that lives in the laundry room. I also used to keep one in the closet until I had purged sufficiently to reduce the excess to a reasonable amount to fit the space I have without packing it in like sardines in a can.
The donation bag goes to my car as soon as it is full. I do not look back. Nothing comes back out. It goes to the donation station usually within the week of being placed in my car, often within a couple of days.
Really, this rule has made a huge difference in my excessive clothing dilema, as well as with many other excess stuff.
If it comes out of the dryer with holes or torn or too many stains, I get the scissors and cut it up then and there, right there on the folding table in the laundry room. The rag bag is a mere yard or so away, just outside the door to the garage, conveniently located for this very purpose (to put new rags into as I cut them up.)
So my challenge to you is to get those bags out of your house, into your car and then to the donation station in the next day or two, if you haven't done so yet. If you have, Congratulations!
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