This weekend I bit the proverbial bullet and tackled my closet.
I hadn’t cleaned my closet in 5 years. It doesn’t seen to bad until you consider that when we moved, I simply transferred the hangers from one house to the other. Some of my clothes were so old, they could’ve gotten their own driver licenses. Over the years, my side of closet had become a bit postapocalyptic, with stacks of folded clothes forming small towers, sweatpants in random places, various size labels on the floor, and drawers stuffed with bras which I will never wear.
Finally the situation reached a critical point, so I got some large garbage bags for donated and thrown away clothes and went to work. The plan was that if it’s stained, too small, too ugly, or falling apart, it went into one of the bags. It took roughly 5 hours and now I have questions. So many questions.
Questions like what is this shirt? When did I buy this shirt? Was I suffering from an ocular migraine when I bought it because this has to be one of the ugliest shirts in existence?
This shirt is half as old as my children. How long was I planning on keeping it?
Why are so many of my shirts terracotta-colored? I hate terracotta.
Why do I have so many shirts with horizontal stripes? Not only they are not flattering, I don’t really care for stripes.
Why do I own two identical shirts with horizontal terracotta stripes? What is going on here?
How and where did I buy a sack-shaped, shimmering gold metallic shirt that is two sizes too big and has a collar encrusted with shiny rhinestones? I would never wear that in a million years. Did I just have a sudden, irresistible urge to impersonate a giant Ferrero Roche chocolate? Because with my figure, that’s exactly what I would look like. How did this get into my closet? How?
Why do I own so many long-sleeved shirts? I live in Texas. I get to wear long-sleeved shirts exactly 30 days out of a year, if that. Why do I have so many soft, warm sweatshirts? Did I forget that we have to run AC in winter? Maybe it’s just wishful thinking?
Why do I own a very thick, retina-burning shade of magenta, too-small sweatshirt that says Austin on it? Did I forget where I live? Perhaps I just thought it would be lovely to advertise Austin to my neighbors, all of whom react to the word “Austin” in exactly the same way, by wincing and going, “Ugh, traffic.”
Why do I own so many sweatpants? Did I expect a sweatpants shortage? Did I confuse sweatpants with flour during the pandemic? I love sweatpants, but this is wildly excessive.
Why do I own so many leggings and why do some of them look like they were designed by someone at the heights of their acid trip? I don’t like leggings. I wore leggings like twice in the last year. I will have to wear them more often now because I have them, so I should get my money’s worth.
Why is there a collector’s copy of Small Magics buried under the stack of T-shirts? Was I hiding it from the robbers? Also why is there a box of Sharpie fine tip markers in roughly the same vicinity? Was I planning to hold a signing session in our closet?
How many bras does one woman need? Let me rephrase that, how many bras that don’t fit does one woman need?
In conclusion, I have made several resolutions for myself.
One, I will never buy a T-shirt from Tee Fury no matter what kind of cuteness is printed on it. They are all too thick and the fit is not flattering on me. They all end up in the back of the closet never to be worn.
Two, buying cheap sweatpants is not a good way to deal with stress, no matter what life throws at you.
And three, I’m forbidden to purchase additional T-shirts unless I’m willing to surrender one of the T-shirts I already own. It has to be like an ancient sacrifice. I must ascend the ziggurat via a staircase flanked by burning torches, carrying the sacrificial T-shirt on my outstretched arms and ritualistically deposit it into the donate pile while a gaggle of priests chants to themselves, “Let it go, let it go, let it go…”
The gentlest, most suburban mid-life crisis ever.
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Thank you. I needed that laugh.
+1 Also, the gold shirt with rhinestones – 1st thought – Costume!
Sounds like me. kept some stuff so long it is back in fashion.
Cracked up. Especially over the staircase of sacrifice. I need to do this. We’re remodeling our upstairs area which will become our bedroom and I am dreading the close move. I think I wear maybe ten things on rotation because I hate digging in the stupid closet trying to find things.
On the one hand, the good news is that the new closet will be bigger. And the bad news is that the new closet will be bigger. argh.
you could make an outfit per hanger as you sort your clothes then arrange your closet causal one end work then formal
Goodness…I love you both. This is so much me, it’s really kinda funny.
Well now you know where to hide a random box of sharpies that she will find in 5 years.
She’s too smart to throw away a perfectly awesome husband for a boy toy and a Ferrari. Let her have another tee????
I am guilty of too many of these. Especially leggings. I don’t know why I have so many leggings and t-shits. Now I’m tempted to clean out my closet as well!
But not the collector’s edition of Small Magics. Is there a way to make one appear in my closet as well?
Hehehe…t-shits.
I know it was a typo, but I’m probably going to use that name for those shirts for the rest of my life. FYI.
Bahaha… me too! ????
Hahaha woops!! Can I pretend it was intentional, though?
Absolutely. 😉
hahahaha thanks for making me laugh, this is hilarious. I love how good it feels after a wardrobe clear out. it sounds like you conquered massive job.
I died laughing! Any woman over 40 has clothes older than her kids. Just sayin’….
Now I tend to look at all my old clothes and consider new hobby possibilities (I was making baskets with tshirt strips for awhile).
I have boots and at least a couple of t-shirts older than some of my colleagues. Sigh…
I can relate. My kitchen dishes are older than my assistant!
I’m over 40 and have clothes (well, my grandmother’s silk velvet evening gown and a 1890’s wool overcoat) older than my mother. I do have clothes older than my kids that I still wear, like the jeans jacket i took off my younger brother because he out grew it.
I even have clothes that my kids’ raided from my closet that they’ve given back. (Still want my Red Camel long sleeve shirts back.)
Some of those items could have been gifts that friends and family thought they would look nice on you. The less flattering ones possibly were from people who are pretending to be your friends. Also never underestimate the power of going to a store with people during a “good sale” and getting caught up in the whirl of “what a great deal this XXX is, the price is fantastic”. Its a strange peer pressure that leaves you with clothes that are not your style and don’t flatter you.
Laughing and crying because the struggle is real…
I ‘ve been trying to figure out what clothes I need to keep since my job is now permanently work from home. Do I need the dress pants anymore? How many pairs do I keep fo those rare situations I have to put on professional clothes? How many hoodies and flannel shirts do I need? Are 10 pairs of leggings too many or not enough?
So much struggle ????
I took my business casual clothes to hang at the dead end of the closet, wrapped them against dust and what ever I hadn’t used in 2 years went to the Mission. all of my blazers stayed because I could use them with jeans. I have one just-in-case suit.
Enjoy!
Thanks. this is an excellent idea! Although, I may not wait another two years. I’ve been repurposing favorite work pieces with casual stuff too. Who knew my favorite tunic-length sweaters would work with flannel pj bottoms ????
LOL! Love it! Sending you all the good vibes that your t-shirt buying will is strong and your closet stays organized ????
LOL. I feel you. I’m wearing a cardigan right now that I made in 1983-ish. Definitely before 1985 anyway. It looks awful and doesn’t leave the house but it is comfy and Portland DOES get cold. As long as it doesn’t unravel I’m keeping it and wearing it.
Also, even in the summer the RIGHT long sleeved shirts are for gardening (pruning raspberries, etc) and/or sun protection.
Keep them Kate!!! In Portland, OR (not sure which one you are in), last night went down to around 17F with wind chill. It is COLD! Our friends in Canada are probably laughing their heads off at me right now, but we are freezing our you know whats off. I had just taken down the heated hummingbird feeders, now I’m microwaving these periodically and will re-deploy the heated ones soon. Back to clothes, I have quite a few items of clothing that never leave the house… and don’t pass too close to a window lol. Like these other posts, I have the same overfull closet issue. I could take a photo, post, and you would all instantly feel better. 🙂
Doesn’t help closet to lead multiple lives. College professor requires one wardrobe, equestrian another, martial arts… not just clothes but also weapons, and I could go on, but it would take a while. It also takes a lot of space. I bet many of you can relate.
Be strong, BDH! You got this!
Portland Oregon indeed the weather is … bracing. I’m maybe at the other end of the spectrum from most.
I keep things forever but after three years of working at home I have changed shape somewhat, worn out or ruined my comfy clothes, and I have few good office wear pieces that go together. As for the tees and sweats I want 100% cotton which is getting harder and harder to find (which is why I wear the older stuff way past its rag bag date) but synthetics make me sweat.
yes! i refuse to buy polyester clothing so i can sweat my ass off in it! i don’t care if it costs more, i want only 100% cotton clothing! but finding 100% cotton clothing, especially plus size clothing, has become an impossible challenge lately.
I’m very happy with my Woman Within cotton clothes. I hand wash everything, so I know the dyes bleed, but they fit, are comfy, and cotton available. I have a closet behind my reading chair that I haven’t been able to safely reach for three years due to the pile of favorite books blocking access. My mom never threw away good clothes because she said every style comes back and she could sew and alter anything. Me? I’ve started wearing the same thing over and over until it dies.
t-shits? hahaha. I “save” because they are so many from favorite books. Sigh.
That’s partly why I sew a lot.
I love you and you’re my favorite person of the day.
I have questions about the sacrifice, so many questions.
Do the priests chant to the melody of the Frozen-soundtrack? Is it even possible to utter these words in another way? (Should it be ‘those words’?) Will the grant of the Right To Buy A New Shirt be necessary because one is a size smaller after executing The Climbing Of The Ziggurat?
Maybe to the “Let It Go” from “The Full Monty” (stage version)???
(I could not figure out why parents would let their kids sing that particular song, until someone pointed out that it was the one from “Frozen” that kids enjoyed as sing-along in the car. It all comes down to your point of reference….)
I’ve been eyeing my clothes closet too! Too many bright colors that I never chose to wear! What was I thinking? But I am keeping the t-shirt from my daughter’s elementary school field day, I got one and she got one. Memories win on that one, that was from 1993!
lol I have a coat that a year older than my son and he’s 40 years old now ???? ???? ????
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I feel you!
I try to declutter my clothes every six months, getting ride of discoloured or stretch, the “why in the hell and name of the goddess” did I let a friend talk me into buying that and the way too large.
Now before you all scream at me. I also have 3 large size storage crates sitting in bottom of my wardrobe in which lives, my size below what I am now, the size below that, and the size I wish I could be again but haven’t been for 20 years.
Yes I own clothes that I first got when I finally had the freedom of owning my own place, all carefully cleaned and stacked away.
I have managed a few years back to get in the size below and the two below. This year my mission is to get to at least that by beginning of July as my sister is getting married.
Why do I keep these clothes, some are for the wonderful memories looking at them brings back (my memory is dreadful and photo’s dont prompt the same way), some are things I cant currently afford to buy and some in the blind hope I will wear them again.
But my new mantra this year is minimum 2 items out before a single new thing can be bought
I’m with you on the pile that “I might fit into someday” lol
It’s a little bit hard to let those go lol
????
But well done you for tackling that job!
Once I stop laughing I’m NOT going up to look in my closet???? Thanks for a great start to the week.
Dump the leggings. I realized that while “getting my money’s worth” is a noble idea, it simply meant that I wore clothes that I did not like and did feel attractive in. Life is too short. So dump the leggings and wear things that make you feel strong and like yourself. Changing my mind set from that of a girl growing up in a house with limited income to a woman in charge of her own wardrobe was strangely empowering.
Wise words. I need to work on this more myself. Plus, getting rid of things that “might fit someday” (in my dreams).
I do not want to consider the closet/chest of drawers space that could be reclaimed by my doing the equivalent.
Does anyone else now have the Frozen soundtrack running through their head because of that last line, which I will not repeat lest my toddlers hear me saying it and fans the movie, and subsequent singing, be turned on?
BWAHAHAHA! I have not gone through my closet since we moved a year and a half ago and just sort of dumped everything in there. I “think” my sewing machine may be hinding in there SOME where. Possibly next to the Holy Grail and Jesus’s kindergarten yearbook…..
Ferrero Roche chocolate….????
Sweatshirt with Austin on it…did I forget where I live?
Funny stuff. Oh so relatable as I’m about a month out from my closet clean out.
2 repetitive questions during my clean out:
1. WHAT was I thinking? And….
2. WHY was this in here?
I feel this post so much ???????????? Ah the joy and pain of it! Thank you for making me smile after a day of feeling very low.
I made my pandemic working from home situation official last year, and now only go into the office once a month. I very much need to go through my closet to get rid of all the office clothes I will likely never need again.
Plus side for me to be tackling my closet shortly is that I’m hosting a Spring Cleaning fundraiser for my daughter’s preschool. All of my clothes that I want to get rid of, household items, etc get collected up and go to Savers (where I’m at, I think it’s also Value Village and something else here in the US, definitely Value Village in Canada). I love that they work with the Epilepsy Foundation where as others are For Profit instead.
I feel you on TeeFury was a short addiction for me but then none of them fit right. Even men’s. But I’m keeping them for now I don’t know if my local charity would want them. They have an issue with “dark things” like witches. Mine are prints of Wednesday, NBC, Ursla, etc.
Never heard of TeeFury, but now I’m curious.
+1
+1
I have been making quilts out of my Too Many Tshirts. It is very satisfying.
Pennsic!! LOVE!
I think that’s a great idea for Ilona’s funny t-shirts.
Rowena, you are so awesome. And our friend Aleea has been making memory quilts for friends’ widows out of their old t-shirts similarly to what you have been doing, though your embroidery is sublime.
That is so cool!
Made Pillows-but your quilt is muuuch cooler????
Wow! awesome, Rowena!
note to self: do NOT buy t-shirts for future quilts
I cleaned out my closet 2 weeks ago. So many pairs of black pants. So many. How many do you really need? I mean, shoes are one thing but pants? At then end, I only kept 3 pairs and ended up giving away 4 huge bags of clothes to charity – I’ll never be a size 4 again so goodbye to clothes that are too small. And 2 bags of coats and 1 bag of purses. My sister took a look at my closet yesterday and said I have a lot of empty space now. I will not shop…I will not shop…
To avoid the sacrificial T-shirt ritual, you could cut off the neck and arms, stuff the t-shirt to make pillows. If you don’t want to sew the holes just use velcro. Or if you are really ambitious cut the fronts off and sew them all together to make a quilt. Cuteness saved and you avoid the label “horder” in place of “crafty”. Problem solved.
When one comes in one must leave. Works for everything. Also I think you must tell your family your sizes so they stop buying you clothes that are not your size or style!!!
When, not if, you buy more tees, I suggest Teeturtle. Also, I bought bins to store my leggings.
I have so many of those tees. Now we need to get through this surprisingly cold and rainy CA winter so I can wear them.
I dunno. I’m not sure you can have too many sweatpants! When I moved from Texas to NM, I was in GREAT NEED of long sleeved shirts and sweatshirts. I owned ONE sweatshirt before the move. I have added some long-sleeved shirts, but in NM, it would be difficult to have too many. I feel that way right now because we live at 6500 feet above sea level and are coming off some night temps that ranged from 16 to 27. For the first time ever, I own goose down and I wear a goose down vest around the house.
I do however own gunnysack-shaped dresses that would only look good on … well, no one really. Maybe they had flour in them, and as you said, I bought them during the pandemic for the flour?
Maria – I’m in NM too! Thrilled to “find” another member of the BDH in my state. I have no one I can actually TALK to about my Ilona Andrews addiction.
I am moving a lot, so I am well practised in decluttering. I now sort most of my clothes in clear boxes, so I just have to sweep them into Ikea bags when we do the next move. It also helps as a marker if I have too many things, becaus at one point the boxes are full ????!
I don’t buy too many clothes because I hate shopping and being quarantined at home I didn’t see the need to buy new clothes so my shopping habits have changed radically. Wearing leggings in the house all the time (thank you covid!) means the amount of clothes I have bought since lock down rules were eased is very, very low. I have bought most of my clothes from REI in the past 3 years than anywhere else (their leggings are so effing comfortable but not at all fashionable). I pretty much live in my Patagonia rompers in the summer as they feel like PJs, I wear almost nothing else. I almost buy exclusively from Everlane and REI now. I have 2 bags in my trunk I keep meaning to donate to Goodwill but I feel okay about the amount of clothes I have (meaning not too many and not too little). The amount of books on the other hand… that is a different story.
I’m slowly building a pile of sentimental t-shirts that will eventually be transmogrified into a quilt. All of my knitting buddies who also quilt have warned me that it will be my first and final t-shirt quilt, so I’m fine having several (read “almost all”) other fiber-related projects in the queue ahead of it. But culling that stack freed up most of a drawer.
Out loud laughter on terracotta, nay on terracotta horizontal striped clothing. Oh my, perhaps save one of those Ferrero Roche shirts for Halloween costume?
I had purchased, eons ago, a lovely (in the store) cinnamon coloured vest & matching long skirt that most certainly didn’t do much to my complexion other than turn it a startling yellow tone. The earth colours must have been a trend decades ago ????
I’m doing a happy dance that you’ve found glorious closet space.
I do not consider myself to be a hoarder, but I discovered I find it really hard to part with some things. When it comes to clothes I made a resolution: at the end of the season I put away in a separate box all the clothes I didn’t wear that season. The next year I do not open that box. If the entire season passed without opening that box, I donate all of it, as is. It really helped me.
Good idea. My most painless way to clean the closet is to turn ALL hangers backwards in January. As you wear an item and launder it, it is returned to the closet with hanger facing proper direction. The following January any items still hanging backwards have not been worn for an entire year and should be purged. After the purge start the process again.
Love that hint. I have used it, need to do it again!
Find a friend who quilts. Send them the T-shirts. Have the T-shirt fronts made into a throw quilt for your couch so you never lose the fun things on them! Voila. You have “thrown” out the t-shirts and can now purchase another!
We do not talk about the closet in this house.
I am firmly convinced that too many things in an enclosed space warp reality. They start to mutate and migrate, in the same manner that all audio tapes left in a car for too long change into „Best of Queen“ compilations.*
You never bought those hideous pieces of clothing. Instead, some other poor human being with an unattended closet is wondering where all the terracotta went and where these other items came from.
If you had waited any longer, you might have found a Cloaker in your closet.**
* refer to Gaiman/Pratchett Good Omens
** refer to D&D Monster Manual; I am sure Gordon has a copy
I laughed so hard~
According to my closet the correct number of I’ll fitting bras is seven. These bras were suppose to make my under sized yet somehow still droopy chest look like it did when I was twenty years old. I therefore, paid too much money for the darn things to just throw them away, but won’t wear them because I am too mature to put up with the discomfort of actually wearing the stupid things. ????????
*I’ll not I’ll
Try donating them to Goodwill or another local charity. I’m doing that with the square necked horizontally striped shirts I bought on sale 2 years ago. Oh yes, and when I carry my heavy shoulder strap purse it pulls the shirt down my arm and exposes my bra strap. I discovered this in the parking lot after visiting my spouse’s workplace. No one mentioned a thing but I’m pretty sure it didn’t just happen when I got to the parking lot. I can chuckle about it now.
You’re probably a boomer, because our kids don’t care whether their bra straps show. All the agonizing we went through over whether the tank straps were wide enough to cover the bra straps is incomprehensible to them. *And* they don’t care whether the bra coordinates with the outerwear. Lime-green bra under orange tank – what’s the problem? I need to figure out what species of dinosaur I’d like to be.
Yep! Early 1950’s. Don’t let your slip show. Don’t talk too loud. Your bra strap is showing dear. Also many many other tips on life as a female. Most of which thankfully have gone the way of the dinosaur.
Yep, very little about that I miss, but it’s still engraved on my brain.
I’m an Xer – and I’ll have to admit I was hard pressed not to raise my eyebrows the first time students showed up in class wearing shorts and halter tops. But hey, one has to survive southern heat somehow.
(BTW, if you decide you can, Duluth Trading co not only makes women’s pants with serious pockets, but many of their tanks have little snap things to hold your bra strap in place under them. Which I don’t use, but I appreciate all the same.)
If you live in the continental U.S., Ann, Nordstom’s bra fitters are really well trained, and will find you bras that accomplish your goal. I don’t remember the exact statistic, but as I recall the majority of American women are in a bra size too big around the chest and too small in the cup. Also, every ten pound weight gain or loss means a matching gain/loss of one cup size. 🙁 I hate buying bras, but for me it hurts less to spend more to find something on the first try that actually fits and is comfortable.
..”signing session in our closet”… this was a hilarious post, thank you for the laughs, I so much needed that.
OMG!!! I’ve been planning to go thru my clothes and this is exactly what I expect to find. I need a good place to donate. Anyone know a good company to donate that won’t just sell crap to line their pockets or only give people in need clothes if they “find Christ”?
Also, I have 4 boxes of clothes under the bed, two chest of drawers and a full closet but I actually live in the two laundry baskets on the floor of my room.
If you have business clothing, there is a charity called “Dress for Success” that helps lower income people get clothes for interviews and work. If there isn’t one in your town, there might be something similar.
I am so impressed it only took you 5 hrs, congrats….
Lol now I want all the tee turtle shirts you are getting rid of. I’m obsessed with that place and they make about 85% of my non work wardrobe.
Edit out the words sweats, shirts, closet, and substitute dishes, glasses, cookware and cabinets. Same puzzled How? WHAT?
I fear this will be us in the next few years, because hubby has retired from Active Duty. I used to use our frequent moves to get rid of things. Hubby and kid 2 have hoarder tendencies. They get it from his mom who can have her own episode. I’m not kidding the sister in law and I have tried to go in and organise to help her but she refills the space with in a week and refuses professional help.
I think Im going to make a schedule so we dont end up with these questions or stack of shoes taller than my 9 yr old.
We are into year four and I need to either move again or somehow convince myself movers are coming next month. I did the closet sort and filled two large bags, finally accepting the fact that my favorite dress from my 20s was 50 pounds ago and not likely to fit ever again.
Good luck–but keep the shoeboxes. After all, you know how important they become when you do move–and you might do just that someday:)
I never knew one was supposed to:
A) clean ones closet
B) be able to answer any of those when, where, why about things in your closet
Put it on the list: clean my closet
The answer to all your questions is Costco. Costco sells all these great deals. And they’re only $8, $10, $12, $15. So I get all this… stuff… I don’t *really* need (or sometimes like that much, especially when I get it home) But it’s such a great deal! And I won’t have to spend real money in other places to be clothed. ????
Kudos to you for clearing it out. I’m not yet that brave. ????
Being a guy is so much easier. my credo is “When in doubt, throw it out”. My wife worries over everything, wonders why I still wear cloths that are years old, then tells me the cloths I just threw out have to be donated. If it wasn’t for women, nothing would ever get donated. Please don’t get me wrong, I admire your determination and tenacity ( same thing?), and at times wish I had that drive, but it is so much easier to buy a new whatever it was I threw out by mistake.
Answer for terakota stripes shirt mystery. You’ve got terracotta daddy and stripe mummy closed doors and some privacy……
Hehehe ????
That’s a good one. ????????????
This sounds entirely too much like my closet.
You know stuff is like tribbles! And closets in particular seem to act as incubators. A little stuff becomes STUUUUUFFFFF over time. When I moved from my home of 33 years into a 400 square-feet-smaller house, I purged a great deal, including much (but not all) of my collection of 140+ scarves. Still salty at my sister for making me do that, too. Who needs 140+ scarves? Clearly, I did. ????
As Im recovering from my first cold in 3 years, i look at my apartment and closet and i feel like that. Just dont know how to start.
You got this, Anna! Start with out of season clothes or that one spot in your place that always fills with clutter. I set a timer for something easy – 5 or 15 minutes – so I can stay motivated.
If the clothes are half as old as your daughters, the answer to how is this in your closet might be “mother’s day gifts.”
If you have so many t-shirts you need to get rid of one to get one, chant “charitable tax deduction” instead of “let it go.”
My problem is that my mother used to go through my wardrobe with me every couple of years to get rid of the clothes that needed to go. With her gone since 2019, I don’t have a second opinion any more.
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That’s all I can say. I read this to the hus-beast who only could say “it sounds like my closet.” Oh, the clothes he owns and refuses to release from their torture.
I’m losing weight. That’s the good news, and for sure it outweighs (heh) the bad news by a lot. Nonetheless, there is bad news: clothes no longer fit. I’ve been donating clothes for well over a year now. I finished the summer with only one pair of shorts that still fit: dark tangerine that I bought for $7 more than a decade ago. What I’ve learned is that pants stop fitting long before tops do. Tops can be loose, drapey, tucked in, etc. while only yoga pants survive being too big. Jeans that are too big are the worst: they feel like baggy diapers. I’m not done with the weight loss, so I’m trying hard to squeak along with what I’ve got. I recently dragged out all my exercise bras which amazingly I now need for actual exercise. When all the tunic tops are too big, I will be very sad. They’re pretty.
Tunic top plus a pretty belt can take you a long way before they start to look entirely too large instead of “OMG, look how small your waist got!”
After Thanksgiving I finally admitted I’m not going to able to return to my pre-Chronic Fatigue Syndrome tinyness until there are a few scientific breakthroughs. I cleaned out my closet, the bins under my bed, and my stuff in trailing daughter #2’s closet — she’s the one who left home for all the wonderful adult stuff. Trailing daughter #1 has major health issues, so until she has a few scientific breakthroughs of her own…
But I’ve now got current size winter stuff in the closet and in the dresser, and current size summer and the best loved of the previous two sizes in bins under the bed — should I actually lose the weight I can fill in with things I need then, but at least I’ll start with only things I love — and a pule of size 6 turtlenecks, sweaters, and jeans for td #2 to decide on when we see her after she moves from Dallas to Chicago in two months.
The rest was offered to my favourite resale shops, with whatever they didn’t want being picked up by the veterans aometime tomorrow. Once you call them up and get on their list, they’ll call every few months to see if you have more for them — and they pick up the stuff from the front porch. I figure either they’ll hand things out to those in need or they’ll sell them to help veterans in need — either way it will do some good for those who earnt my support the hardest way.
I lost weight too. None of the colors work for me so I went to the thrift stores. Drop off a bag and then look for a smaller size. The price is low and I can find the colors I look good in. Cleaning out my closet was still a chore.
I feel this! 3 jobs and a farm means 4 sets of clothing (dressy to disgusting). But really? Do I need all those hoodies??? Yesssssss!
I could never get rid of a hoodie ????. I have an addiction. I wear them until they’re just hoods hehe. They get better the older they are!
ohhhhh… they’re so soft then! I’ll actually wash my favourite one even if there are (and there are) clean ones in the closet, just for the soft, warm, fuzzy ????
You absolutely need those hoodies. I could do a whole essay, or maybe even a poem, on the virtues of hoodies. And I don’t do poetry lightly. I’ve done exactly one since graduating HS 45 years ago, and that was about heated buckets and tubs. It takes a lot to move me to poetry, and hoodies would be a worthy subject. For next year. This year I have to sell the house and move closer to family. There will be further cleaning of closets.
Heated buckets and tubs are definitely worthy subjects. It’s going to be -20 here by the end of the week so I’ll be hauling hot water from the house to the barn. There will be poetry and it won’t be repeatable.
BTDT. On a sled. Thank God the barn is downhill from the house. You have my total sympathy.
OTOH hay bales on the sled can be kind of fun, at least relative to other loads. Yeehah! (Also as long as nobody’s watching.)
Wishing you warm wool socks.
Um, I don’t know how this happened, but I think you may have somehow ended up in MY closet……and I have all of the same questions that you do. ????
(Thanks for the chuckles though, and for making me feel it’s not just me that has closet issues!)
My comment on Tee Fury is to pay more for the nicer shirt material. Makes all the difference in how much you wear them.
Are we sisters from different misters? I feel like we are living parallel lives!
I need to go through my clothes. I’m pretty sure I wear exactly the same 10 outfits over and over again. I’m also pretty sure 50 percent of my clothes have holes or stains on them from the 5 children.
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Just did this same thing. Why does anyone need 15 pair of black yoga pants? ????????♀️
I should really clean my closet…. I’ll narrate the process to myself and hope to be as entertained as I am by this post.
Ilona,
Are you sure some of the leggings, sweats, and t-shirts aren’t Kid 1 and Kid 2s? Just checking, because maybe terracotta (color) was something to do with where they went to school? You know Pep-colors? Also, good luck with not buying t-shirts . 🙂 My obsession is Halloween themed t-shirts. I have a closet full and don’t intend to stop collecting. Also, Also, maybe some of those shirts were meant to be signed and given out, I mean there were sharpies nearby. 🙂 🙂 🙂
Hah! Just wait till you downsize. Everything goes in the can’t have more without jettisoning something else. That is books, kitchen gizmos, decor, furniture, exercise equipment of any kind, garden pots…..anything.
It does keep you out of stores and off line????♂️
E-books don’t take up any space at all… 😉
Going almost entirely eformat was a big deal for me, and it took four moves to get to where I am now. (One full size, and two very short bookcases, none of them especially wide.)
Now if I can just get my closet in order… (I “solved” the question of where to keep fleeces for spinning by buying two cabinets in which to store them.)
I tried making pet beds out of old sweatshirts & sweaters with mixed success. I already had everything & barncats aren’t fussy. Its easy & rewarding. Sew up the neck, stuff with whatever you have old bed pillows, ugly old clothes (!) whatever. Pull the stuffed & sewn sleeves around to the front of the body sew them together at the cuffs. Finally sew or tack the whole thing so it looks like a hug.
The less successful ones weren’t stuffed enough or the fabric stretched out of shape too easily. But the critters didn’t care.
Well done! Also, thank you for the giggles!
My cat is obsessed with my closet. He can get lost in there (and has). A friend gave me leggings for Christmas. They are made for someone 6’4” and I am 5’2” on a dry day. ????
With the weather forecast for Texas this week you may need to ‘rescue’ a couple of the sweatshirts. Hope all of HA stays safe and warm.
I think I need to see a pic of the Ferrero Rocher shirt!
I also discovered a pile of leggings that I didn’t know I had when I cleaned out my cupboards a couple of years ago, when moving house. I’ve since found they work perfectly under maxi dresses instead of tights.
The most weird thing I found when helping a friend was a suit jacket with another woman’s name badge pinned to it. Took ages for us to remember she’d accidentally worn it home one New Years!
Leggings under maxi skirts and dresses is my go to winter wear, so much warmer than trousers.
yep….I hear you. my question (to myself) is why do I cling to the (clearly batshit) notion that I will fit into dresses I last wore in my 20s?? I am now into my 40s and have carted these dresses with us on 5 house moves……
My kids climb through my closet to find “retro wear” for their parties where everyone comes dressed in 70s/80s – now I can’t get rid of anything because it may be needed! Ugh
Ha.
My friend and I have discussed the amassing of bras we never wear. We suspect an ancient (male) sorcerer has cast a spell on the middle aged women of the world to buy useless I’ll fitting bras. He owns the company that manufactures the millions of uncomfortable hooks in the back. And possibly the stretchy elastic that “fits” around the chest.
Laughing-at-us-gazillionaire.
I repurpose t-shirts with cute sayings into tote bags. They are easy to wash, make great gift bags and I get to keep smiling everytime I see the cute saying. You can either sew across the bottom hems or cut a fringe to knot. Cut off the sleeves to make handles and the collar too if the opening is too small to easily insert items. The cut off sleeves can be repurposed into caps for babies-adults depending on the size.
Reading quietly, occasionally chuckling to myself as I go through the trials and relating to your pain. Screeching to a halt! Wait, what!! A collector’s edition of Small Magics found? Can I go through your closet now? That would be worth the archeological dig. Lol
T-shirts can be sent out to services that will turn them into quilts if any are souvenirs you want to keep as memorial.
I commiserate with you on the bras. I’m still finding brand new bras that I got on sale when was a smaller — hard to find — size. No way will they fit but at least since new with tags they are in a condition I can donate without guilt. The bras I can wear and that are comfortable to wear, I wear until unbearable and in no shape to donate.
I have an addiction to long sleeve t shirts and will never get rid of those even though I only live probably 30 miles from Ilona and Gordon because where I volunteer at church is always too cold.
P.S. I had to empty my sister’s house out when she passed 5 years ago and memories of that mess help keep stuff organized.
This happened to me with my parents’ house. Best inoculation against hoarding ever.
OMGOSH the BRAS!
it seems that I also buy new bras and never throw out the old ones.
A few weeks ago I cleaned out my bra and panty drawer and threw out an entire kitchen trash bag of old bras and panties
I love this one because I am going through my closet the last couple days too. Why did I buy things in THAT color or that style? How many sweaters and Tshirts does one person need? Why keep old tennis shoes and other shoes that don’t fit well? All those questions we have about our closets when we really look at them. LOL
I feel you. My Sister-in-law and I are selling our house and plan on full-time RV-ing for at least a year. We have been going through our joint possessions since October. We make multiple trips to the junk yard weekly in a pickup truck. We fill our recycling and trash cans weekly. And we’re STILL doing it! Where did all this stuff come from! (To be fair, the last big clean out was 1988.)
May the satisfaction of the clean closet last longer than a week.
I’m coming out of a several years depression, where I also gained a lot of weight.
Was going through my clothes and was asking myself why I had so many shirts in unflattering colors. Like did I figure it didn’t matter anymore because it was a size or two larger?
I now have a very small wardrobe, but it all fits and looks good.
Good for you. That’s a hard road you’ve traveled.
Woot!!
I’ve been cleaning the office closet. After more than 30 years I am no longer a business that fixes computers. I have 2 55 gallon garbage bags full of old computer parts in the back of my truck. There are 3 printers and a dozen old laptops waiting to go into the truck. The closet is 4’x3′. And has a new light, new shelves and will have a curtain as soon as I figure out where I set the drill down. It’s now full of stuff that is not old computer parts.
At some point this year, I’m cleaning the attic. that’s going to require renting a dumpster and hiring a kid to haul stuff down.
So good on you for cleaning the closet. I’m not doing the bedroom closet until I settle on a weight/size.
We have to do this with golf shirts. One in, one out.
I needed that laugh! And I need to know where to find the Temple of LetItGo!
I sew, like a lot. With the exception of jeans and bra nearly every thing in my closet and dresser was made by me. I made one pair of leggings and I’ve worn them exactly 3 times over the last year. I am not a leggings person and hoodies I have a hoodie for every day of the week and I keep making them. I mean they are amazing but how many do I think I need? and if I’m going to keep adding to my closet perhaps I should consider getting rid of the clothes I’ve had for 15 years and wouldn’t fit this post 4 kids body in my wildest dreams.
Explain hoodies to me, please. I’ve never understood the appeal and I have none.
I tried some cheap leggings, but the black dye rubbed off on my white sheepskin. But under dresses is a good idea.
Hoodies, the substantial ones anyway, are for people who have to spend a lot of time outside. They’re cheaper than real jackets, and if you put the hood up they protect your neck and head. They generally have handwarmer pockets that will hold gloves, energy bars, sunglasses, dog treats etc.
You can put a hoodie over other layers. You go out in the morning, and as the day and/or your muscles warm up, you can tie the hoodie around your waist. They come in all kinds of colors, depending upon the vendor, and you can get them with all kinds of decoration.
The bad news is that they won’t keep you warm in the rain or snow; once they’re soaked, it’s hypothermia time. However a good-quality one will keep light rain or snow from soaking through long enough to get a couple hundred yards from one building to the next.
I hadn’t worn a hoodie since I was a white suburban kid, back in the 60s/70s, until Trayvon Martin was killed. The next day I went out and bought three – one each white, grey, and black. It didn’t take long to rediscover their virtues. By a month later I had one for every day of the week. They’re super practical for the money, especially for in-between weather.
Reminder: don’t read this blog in a work meeting (on zoom or on person) – my snickering and snorting was disconcerting to those around me. The ritual sacrifice of a T-shirt sealed the deal and I just started laughing so hard I shared the blog, everyone starting giggling because this is so relatable and we decided it was the best “safety”moment ever.
I have a somewhat similar situation, but everything does fit. I should probably donate what’s in my closet, since I have no idea when the last time I wore some of it was.
Otherwise, if I time my laundry to when I’m getting close to running out of underwear, I can do it once a month.
Yes! Unfortunately I never have enough shorts, but I can manage 2 weeks anyway. Will have to work on the shorts shortage lol
This scares me – mostly because it sounds like having to do a lot of laundry! I’m pretty good at doing laundry once a week, though every few weeks I need to do extra bedding, towels the cats have been using, etc. (But it’s not about not being able to get away with doing laundry less often… just, I’ve done it, and it’s not the best plan for me!)
Heehee been there done that. Congrats on cleaning out the closet. For me it’s dressy shoes or sandals I bought 30 years ago that I love but will never wear again ever. I had a lab job and rarely went out, what was I thinking? All the boots went too. Can’t stand to put them on in the TX heat, so why keep them for the 2 weeks a year I might wear them. And all the interview/convention suits are gone!! Yea!!
Now I want a Ferrero Roche impersonator shirt, it’s my favourite chocolate ????
I used the Konmari method on my clothes and it was the best thing I ever did. If it didn’t spark joy (or was actually necessary), I donated/dumped it. It’s so nice to wear clothes that I actually like and am comfortable in!
I find it so hard to let go of too small clothes. I lie to myself ‘you’ll lose weight, they will fit again one day’ …I whisper this to myself around the piece of chocolate in my mouth…
???? But sometimes it happens… Shrinking size … It’s not an urban legend ????
They breed. Personally, I own six white shirts in various configurations. I can’t remember the last time I wore one of these white shirts, but I have them. Ditto for jeans and black slacks. Literally my friends are to the point where they’re refusing to allow me to buy more black slacks or jeans since it is apparent that I never wear the ones I currently possess… And all of this AFTER I have cleaned out the closet twice in the last 18 months. One of my friends shops in my closet before she goes out and buys anything new.It’s an addiction, only slightly smaller than my shoe addiction. But, it’s a relatively innocent addiction and periodically throughout the year there are several women’s focused charities they get some really nice clothing.
lol, I clean out my closet and drawers at the onset of fall and summer(I’m in Georgia, and we only have two seasons, sometimes only one) I don’t know why I have more winter than summer clothes, and I always buy more winter clothes. Weird.
Mine is the only clean and organized closet in the house. I live with 2 cheerfully open hoarders, and 1 secret hoarder. I need a flame thrower.
Did the same. Lost a lot of weight and I was just swimming in my clothes. Did you know when you lose weight your shoes can become too big? Socks get bigger too. I now have no shorts, new jeans and new tops and a lot of empty hangers.
Like most women I have probably 25 to 30 pairs of jeans in various sizes, inseams, rises, etc. Never could throw any of them out “just in case” I needed, oh, ripped and paint-smeared mom jeans or I woke one morning and was suddenly 25 pounds lighter and needed low rise skinny jeans.
So I winnowed it down to what I wear and what I aspire to wear. I call the latter collection the “land of size 8”. Realistically I probably won’t ever live there again but now I can at least visit. And dream.
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me too I have to do a sort. 33 years and my wedding gress is in my closet along with dress one I don’t wear and two don’t fit. but I do a seasonal switch summer to winter. tee shirts out Merino in.
I feel your pain! I’m under the same regimen. If I get a t-shirt, I have to give one up.
On a different note. I think I’ve read Magic Tides at least 5 or 6 times now. New characters are kinda neat. It will be interesting to see how they fit into future tales.
Is that why Kate has so many sweatpants? Because you do?
I am in the process of doing my closet and I run across something hideous and ask WHY. Why did I buy this? Why do I still have this? Why did I think this was cute?
I was also doing the 20 year thing, but think I need to reduce it to at the most 5 years.LOL. If I haven’t touched it in 5 years, get rid of it. I am finding it exceedingly difficult.
I did my shoes last summer. It was so rewarding to have more organized floor space in my closet. I have been better at really buying clothing and shoes as needed. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t o whole lot clothes for me to still get rid of ????.