Since I hate to clothes shop, you’d think it would be pretty easy to keep my closet and dressers clutter-free because I wouldn’t have much stuff. Think again.
My mission, when I do look for clothes, is to find the most comfortable pieces imaginable. So when I do, I buy oh…two or three of the same thing, saving me from having to hunt again for clothes I can wear without feeling like there’s shards of glass scraping my skin off. Yes, I am picky about what touches my sensitive skin.
I do love shopping for shoes and purses, partly because you can do it online and at the store and not have to take your clothes off. You don’t have to bend, crunch, gasp and get frustrated in tiny dressing rooms and scowl at that muffin top that seems to laugh back at you. I swear they look like they are smiling…
So, when I get a craving to buy something new, it’s generally running shoes or purses. And plain black tshirts or jeans. Since my clothes pallet is pretty simple (my uniform is generally jeans and a t shirt/sweatshirt when I’m home), I have to keep washing these few things until they are nearly thread bare, at which point there comes a time when it’s time to get rid of them.
And I have a hard time doing that. You too?
A favorite pair of jeans that’s been in my life for 5 year becomes part of me. Same with those shoes that I’ll wear all summer.
Purses, too. To me, my purses and shoes are my identity and like another limb. A piece of Terry. I simply over-identify with my clothes until they become part of me. And that’s not good.
I realized things were getting out of hand when I spotted a very old pair of slippers in my closet that I simply could not throw away 3 years ago after I had replaced them with new ones. Same style, different color, of course.
I’m not a hoarder, but I find it fascinating that letting go of certain things is very very hard to do. And the result of that behavior is collecting clutter. And more clutter.
I finally got the courage to go through my stack of white t-shirts (I have to wear them under most tops so I don’t freak out from fabric hypersensitivities) and tossed a bunch out. It felt great but sad. “Bye bye, Terry”, I thought to myself. Then on to the black t’s.
I forced myself to go through the jeans and realized that I had about 15 pair but only wore about four consistently. Boy, this was hard. To help ease the pain, I donated some and sold the others. I found a great website – Like Twice- that will pay you to send them your clothes (they must be in good shape and not outdated) and they send you the bag and pay your postage! It’s at https://www.liketwice.com . It was much easier dumping my clothes in a bag knowing in the end I’d get a little pocket money for my de-cluttering freak-out.
Still, I have a long way to go. When you collect four of everything that fits and feels right, it can get out of hand. So this weekend, I’m going to tackle my shoe collection. <lump in throat>
What about you? Can you get rid of ONE pair of shoes? Or one pair of slacks? Are you up for the challenge? Whatever you choose, post your progress in the comment selection below and then we’ll give each other a high five. You can do it!
This challenge came just in time for me. I too have too many shoes, purses, T-shirts and jeans. But I also have a ton of books and magazines. I am up to the challenge this weekend of getting rid of shoes. It will be hard but I am going to do it.
Thanks for the encouragement.
This is a great time for me, too, Yvette! I’ve been clearing my tiny closets so I can make them more efficient, and have filled a rack with items I’m not wearing, don’t fit right, etc. And, since I’m also moving out of season things around right now, I’m looking twice at what got worn this past summer. Speaking of shoes, I found shoes at the back of both closets that I forgot I had, wore only once, never really liked, etc. They are going! I’m really happy to learn about Like Twice, too! Thanks so much, Terry. Joining the “Queens” just isn’t affordable for me right now, but challenges like this are very motivating and do-able!
Hi friends – I’ve always found it hard to get rid of stuff, too, and have reached an arrangement with my husband. I find that it’s the actual *act* of parting with it, into a recycling or Goodwill or trash bag – but if I hand it to him and say, “If I never see this again, I won’t miss it”, he will immediately take it away (so that my eyes cannot fall upon it again, giving me a chance to change my mind) and dispose of it appropriately. I also think a lot of the connection to things is emotional, and have found that if I take a picture of the things – whether clothing, or an old gift, or even (physical) photos, and keep them filed in the computer, then I can still go back and look at them, and it’s as satisfying as if I still had the item in my hand. Now staying organized with paper stuff – THAT is a different story. :-}