NMM related: Weekend purge

hoffse · October 2015

Yesterday I finished reading the book "Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up" by Marie Kondo. She's a rock star in Japan for her decluttering and organization methods. Gotta say, I'm liking the results.

She says to start with clothes, so that's what I did today. I ended up with 7 garbage bags of clothes to donate and SPACE in my closet and dresser drawers. She also has this folding method that I wish I had learned years ago. It's so much more efficient. I can literally see every single piece of clothing I own, and I have a bunch of dresser drawers that are partially empty.

Her one criteria for whether to keep or toss is to ask yourself, "Does this item spark joy?" If it sparks joy, you keep it (whatever it is). If it doesn't spark joy, then off it goes. It sounds kind of silly, but I swear it actually works.

I really liked that the book addresses a lot of things that provide mental blocks for decluttering - guilt because somebody gave it to you, guilt because you associate it with a place or event (travel, wedding) even though you don't really like it, guilt because it's barely (or never) been worn or used, guilt because it's an expensive brand, a hope that it might fit again someday or eventually match the decor of your house... I have had a block about getting rid of stuff for all of these reasons, and today I finally just went with the "spark joy" criteria and offed everything that I honestly didn't like or was no longer flattering on me. I decided that if I ever do lose those last 15 pounds, I'll celebrate with a shopping spree. Having a closet full of clothes that don't fit is just depressing.

Next weekend: accessories and shoes. If you follow the entire plan you eventually go through the whole house, starting with the things that are emotionally the easiest to get rid of and ending with mementos and keepsakes.

Has anybody else read the book and tried this? This was my first weekend, and I'm already a huge fan of the direction this is going.

bmo88 · October 2015

Thanks for sharing! I might have to check this out. We purged about half our stuff last summer when we moved, but we still have a lot of stuff. We have lots of clothes and then a basement that is half full of item we do not use regularly. It can be so hard to get rid of stuff initially, but the peace of mind of having a decluttered space and home is worth it.

BlueBirdMB · October 2015

I think my closets are stuffed because my mom was the queen of de-cluttering. She made me go through all my things- clothes, shoes, toys, papers, etc- twice a year to clean out. I've avoided doing too much of that as an adult, but my wardrobe is out of freaking control. I've been starting to clean out my wardrobe slowly, but I love the "does this item spark joy" as a benchmark! I'm going to use that!

Xstatic3333 · October 2015

I will have to check this out! I have all of the mental blocks you described, though I've never let it get too out of control. I'd definitely love to do better.

AprilZ81 · October 2015

I'm usually pretty good at decluttering (my mom says I'm too ruthless) "stuff". I usually do my closet twice a year as I switch seasonal clothes. If I *really* like an item that doesn't fit I will keep it for awhile and then if I don't fit into it again it eventually gets donated.

I've done pretty serious purging before every move (twice in my adult life) and after the wedding (making space for wedding gifts). DH purged before he moved in with me...

We still have a lot of stuff, especially in the momento category. DH and I each have 2-3 medium sized boxes of high school and college memorabilia and I have a bunch of old photo albums from middle and high school. We have plenty of space now so I don't feel the need to get rid of it, but I hate that it all sits in boxes in various closets.

hoffse · October 2015

It's an interesting book. She practices Shintoism pretty seriously, so there is quite a lot of personification of objects because she believes that energy exists in things. To create good energy, she tells you to thank your items as you donate them, etc. (She also tells you to greet your home when you arrive and thank your shoes, clothes, purse, etc. for getting you through the day successfully). Sounds odd, but I tried thanking a few items that I found hard to get rid of, and it was a bit like breaking up. I definitely get emotionally attached to some stuff, and her methods gave me a little closure so I could finally bring myself to get rid of them.

She is kind of OCD about the whole thing, but I enjoyed reading her perspective. And I have to admit that my brain and eyes can settle when I'm in a space that's uncluttered.

als1982 · October 2015

I love this. We live an intentionally minimalist lifestyle and I maintain a very basic capsule work wardrobe. Not only does it help with savings and space but it also makes getting ready faster and it's one less thing to stress about in the morning.

Xstatic3333 · October 2015

hoffse said:
It's an interesting book. She practices Shintoism pretty seriously, so there is quite a lot of personification of objects because she believes that energy exists in things. To create good energy, she tells you to thank your items as you donate them, etc. (She also tells you to greet your home when you arrive and thank your shoes, clothes, purse, etc. for getting you through the day successfully). Sounds odd, but I tried thanking a few items that I found hard to get rid of, and it was a bit like breaking up. I definitely get emotionally attached to some stuff, and her methods gave me a little closure so I could finally bring myself to get rid of them.

She is kind of OCD about the whole thing, but I enjoyed reading her perspective. And I have to admit that my brain and eyes can settle when I'm in a space that's uncluttered.

Is this the author that says you shouldn't bunch socks because it is asking them to work too hard? I think I've heard of her. I'll still give it a shot though, no judgement :-)

hoffse · October 2015

Xstatic3333 said:

It's an interesting book. She practices Shintoism pretty seriously, so there is quite a lot of personification of objects because she believes that energy exists in things. To create good energy, she tells you to thank your items as you donate them, etc. (She also tells you to greet your home when you arrive and thank your shoes, clothes, purse, etc. for getting you through the day successfully). Sounds odd, but I tried thanking a few items that I found hard to get rid of, and it was a bit like breaking up. I definitely get emotionally attached to some stuff, and her methods gave me a little closure so I could finally bring myself to get rid of them.

She is kind of OCD about the whole thing, but I enjoyed reading her perspective. And I have to admit that my brain and eyes can settle when I'm in a space that's uncluttered.
Is this the author that says you shouldn't bunch socks because it is asking them to work too hard? I think I've heard of her. I'll still give it a shot though, no judgement :-)

Yep - she says to let your socks rest

Though she does make a practical point that bunching them keeps the elastic permanently stretched and so they don't last as long. I tried folding them the way she recommended and my sock drawer is half the size it originally was. I only got rid of a few pairs of those, so the folding is definitely what accounts for the saved space.

If nothing else, her recommendations for folding are spot on. Wish I had learned those techniques years ago.

hoffse · October 2015

I'm also thinking of consigning a few things. I got rid of some leather jackets, some brooks bros. tops that were on clearance but never did fit quite right, etc. I've never tried consigning clothes before, but I'm getting rid of a handful of items that are practically new. I haven't taken those bags to the good will yet, so I might visit a consignment store next weekend and see if they will take some of the better pieces.

Has anybody done that before? Which items have been the most successful for you?

Erikan73 · October 2015

I've been working on purging too. We've been in our house now for 3 years, so that's 3 years after combining two households. So now it's time to evaluate what we've used and haven't used and will probably never use & clear out space. It feels so great to go through drawers and cabinets and get rid of things and being able to actually find the things you use on a regular basis.

simplyelise · October 2015

I should write a book called, "Want to Purge? Move 6 times in 5 years" That has been my secret to not hanging on to things.

But yeah, I think it's a really helpful thing to reassess why you are keeping things. I will say that if I threw out all the clothes that didn't bring me joy, I wouldn't have much left. I don't really have that many clothes and my work wardrobe is mostly very blah. But I have never been able to afford clothes on a regular basis, so it is what it is.

I think the sentimental objects are probably the biggest sticking point for my husband. I am like PP kind of ruthless. So I've got a photo box filled with cards/notes, but I haven't kept much else. DH was a big debater in HS and college, so he has a trophy of some kind for every tournament. We worked really hard to narrow them down when we brought them from his mom's house. And then after sitting in our guest closet for a couple months, DH ended up tossing even more as he realized how odd it was to just hang on to a trophy from 10 years ago. Like, what are you ever going to do with it? We have some of the more memorable or higher esteemed trophies, but it's been really good for him to work through it.

Definitely sounds like an interesting read! It might be dangerous for me considering I'm pretty ruthless as it is!

CuriousKiddosMama · October 2015

Nice! I may have to check this out. I marked 2 boxes of garage sale stuff their weekend and felt accomplished with that, but know there is so much more that needs to be gone through.

formerlyGDaisy09 · October 2015

I've not read the book, sounds interesting.

I did do a major purge of my closet last year, I think I sent 4-5 garbage bags of stuff to good will. Most my wardrobe is currently packed up, but after baby is here I'm planning another purge as I unpack non-maternity items.

We've also recently purged the basement, donated a lot of stuff, and sold some thing. Things we didn't have energy to sort through got move to the garage for the basement construction, I'm planning to purge a bunch of stuff as we bring things back into the house. I have a problem with holding on to the boxes that things came in...no need for that.

I am crafty, I do have several piles of things that are sitting around waiting to be "crafted"; I have all my t-shirts from various things in college I'm planning to turn into a quilt, I also have all the cards from our wedding I've got to turn into a little booklet. I'm also trying to come up with some way to organize all the quilting/knitting supplies I have so they're more accessable (most currently stored in stacked tupperware).

blondie42107 · October 2015

We've been trying to purge over the past several months with the plan of moving next summer. When we bought our first house we had a rule that only the things we wanted went to the house. We plan to do the same thing when we buy our next house.

jessica490 · October 2015

Nice! I'm pretty good about not hoarding junk anyway. We go through our clothes every season and consign clothes we don't wear anymore. We also go through stuff around the house and decide to keep/sell/toss. We are still doing that since we've moved into our new house...that's the best time to do it. I have learned to keep less and spend more money on memories/vacations/fun experiences.

julieanne912 · October 2015

I'm a big purger as I've moved SO many times, including 2 cross-country moves. I actually did a closet purge this weekend too! Not to the extent Kondo writes about though. I haven't read her book but a few friends have, and they literally took everything out of their closets and spread all over their living rooms to go through.

I did a big purge about a year ago, but I was still holding onto a lot of clothes because I liked them, but the reality is I never wear them, and/or, they're starting to look shabby as some of them were 7-10 years old. I also have way too many "comfy" clothes which I don't wear. I started a new career in December and am wanting to start moving up in it, and my look needs to improve for that. I went from a jeans every day sort of job to a place that's halfway between business casual and business formal (ie suits are overkill for most situations, but khakis and a sweater are a bit underdone most days). I've signed up for Stitch Fix to help me get some new looks for work, but I needed to free up some closet space for it. I also finally pulled down all the clothes that don't fit. I used to be over 200lbs, lost 60lbs, but have gained about 25 of it back. I got rid of most of the bigger clothes but the smaller ones... I'm still holding onto them as they're pretty new and I MAY fit into them again. But I put them back in a corner on a shelf where I can't really store anything else since it's not very accessible.

As for consigning, I've never consigned, but I have done resale at places like Plato's closet or Crossroads (not sure if that's a national company, did it in Chicago). Anyway, the resale shops don't give you much (I still inwardly cry about the almost never worn Benetton wool toggle coat that I sold to one for like $20, because it was too small at the time, but would fit now). But, it's better than nothing if you're just going to get rid of them anyway. I noticed places like Plato's Closet only wanted trendy stuff like women in their early 20s might wear on weekends... not higher quality business attire... or non-skinny jeans even if they're name brand.

Another option I've done for business wear is donating to a non-profit similar to Dress for Success.... that way you can at least get the tax benefits of it. I have 2 suits I need to donate because they're too big.

hoffse · October 2015

Thanks, that's helpful to know about consigning. If we donate it I'll write it off our taxes. Our rate is high enough that it can be pretty valuable. I'm just wondering if I could get more for those items if I sent them to a consignment shop. It sounds like I might just about break even, and it would be less hassle to just donate those items some place.

I have a lot of Brooks Brothers, White & Black, J Crew, etc. Also a Lilly Pulitzer dress that I love but haven't fit into since college (sad face). I bought a lot of stuff in law school before understanding what kind of work wardrobe I actually need and would be willing to wear on a daily basis. At this point I know I'm not going to wear the 5 or 6 BB oxfords I own... they don't fit anymore anyway, but I hate clothes that wrinkle easily and I never wore them even when they did fit. Even with suits I just wear shells underneath, otherwise I feel overstuffed. Off they go and lesson learned.

There are a couple of too-small items I have kept because they would be extremely expensive to replace, and I would actually wear them professionally if they fit. I'm still thinking it's possible I might lose the weight, so I will keep those few things. Otherwise, I'm getting rid of them.

formerlyGDaisy09 · October 2015

WWMMD related to this. My H has dropped about 15-20 lbs this year (looks like more), we're now in a situation where he basically has no clothes that fit him properly, pants are his main issue, he does have some shirts he can get away with wearing. my plan is to buy him a pair or two of pants each month for the next couple months (we grabbed him a nice pair of khakis and a fitted dress shirt last week, so when we have some nice-ish things to go to in the next few months he isn't swimming in his clothes).

Do we hang on to the bigger clothes for a while, I hope he keeps the weight off, but if he doesn't I don't want to be in this situation where he has nothing to wear again. how long do we hold onto them?

He also has 2 suits that are absolutely ginormous on him now (seriously he wore one to a wedding a few weeks ago and he was absolutely swimming in it). as of right now there is nothing on our 2016 calendar that he NEEDs a suit for (and nothing the rest of this year). So I'm planning holding off on buying anything until we've got something he needs a suit for. The only time I'm thinking this might bite us is if there is a funeral we have to go to, we might be able to pick-up a navy jacket that he could wear with khakis to get buy in that kind of situation. again, how long should we hold onto these giant suits for?

vlagrl29 · October 2015

Ive heard of it - I usually go for a really good purge every few years. I'm just afraid if I followed her book I would get rid of too much. I feel there is a happy medium between too much and not enough if that makes sense.

formerlyGDaisy09 · October 2015

hoffse said:

Thanks, that's helpful to know about consigning. If we donate it I'll write it off our taxes. Our rate is high enough that it can be pretty valuable. I'm just wondering if I could get more for those items if I sent them to a consignment shop. It sounds like I might just about break even, and it would be less hassle to just donate those items some place.

I have a lot of Brooks Brothers, White & Black, J Crew, etc. Also a Lilly Pulitzer dress that I love but haven't fit into since college (sad face). I bought a lot of stuff in law school before understanding what kind of work wardrobe I actually need and would be willing to wear on a daily basis. At this point I know I'm not going to wear the 5 or 6 BB oxfords I own... they don't fit anymore anyway, but I hate clothes that wrinkle easily and I never wore them even when they did fit. Even with suits I just wear shells underneath, otherwise I feel overstuffed. Off they go and lesson learned.

There are a couple of too-small items I have kept because they would be extremely expensive to replace, and I would actually wear them professionally if they fit. I'm still thinking it's possible I might lose the weight, so I will keep those few things. Otherwise, I'm getting rid of them.

In my area there are a lot of FB groups to sell this kind of stuff for cash (many of them are Mom-swaps). I have an aunt who is big into selling things on ebay, she would probably say those brands would sell for some decent cash. consignement might not be the only way to go.

for me with clothes, I generally just go the tax-write off route.

julieanne912 · October 2015

formerlyGDaisy09 said:

WWMMD related to this. My H has dropped about 15-20 lbs this year (looks like more), we're now in a situation where he basically has no clothes that fit him properly, pants are his main issue, he does have some shirts he can get away with wearing. my plan is to buy him a pair or two of pants each month for the next couple months (we grabbed him a nice pair of khakis and a fitted dress shirt last week, so when we have some nice-ish things to go to in the next few months he isn't swimming in his clothes).

Do we hang on to the bigger clothes for a while, I hope he keeps the weight off, but if he doesn't I don't want to be in this situation where he has nothing to wear again. how long do we hold onto them?
He also has 2 suits that are absolutely ginormous on him now (seriously he wore one to a wedding a few weeks ago and he was absolutely swimming in it). as of right now there is nothing on our 2016 calendar that he NEEDs a suit for (and nothing the rest of this year). So I'm planning holding off on buying anything until we've got something he needs a suit for. The only time I'm thinking this might bite us is if there is a funeral we have to go to, we might be able to pick-up a navy jacket that he could wear with khakis to get buy in that kind of situation. again, how long should we hold onto these giant suits for?

I would ditch the giant suits. If you needed one for an unexpected event, JC Penney has decent ones and they're always on sale.

julieanne912 · October 2015

hoffse said:

Thanks, that's helpful to know about consigning. If we donate it I'll write it off our taxes. Our rate is high enough that it can be pretty valuable. I'm just wondering if I could get more for those items if I sent them to a consignment shop. It sounds like I might just about break even, and it would be less hassle to just donate those items some place.

I have a lot of Brooks Brothers, White & Black, J Crew, etc. Also a Lilly Pulitzer dress that I love but haven't fit into since college (sad face). I bought a lot of stuff in law school before understanding what kind of work wardrobe I actually need and would be willing to wear on a daily basis. At this point I know I'm not going to wear the 5 or 6 BB oxfords I own... they don't fit anymore anyway, but I hate clothes that wrinkle easily and I never wore them even when they did fit. Even with suits I just wear shells underneath, otherwise I feel overstuffed. Off they go and lesson learned.

There are a couple of too-small items I have kept because they would be extremely expensive to replace, and I would actually wear them professionally if they fit. I'm still thinking it's possible I might lose the weight, so I will keep those few things. Otherwise, I'm getting rid of them.

Yeah in your case I would just donate them to Dress for Success or similar and take the write-off... especially since the value of the items isn't what you'd get for consigning, since the consignment shop would take a cut. So like say they sell your shirt for $50, but you only get $25 of it. You could write off the entire $50 if you donated.

hoffse · October 2015

formerlyGDaisy09 said:

WWMMD related to this. My H has dropped about 15-20 lbs this year (looks like more), we're now in a situation where he basically has no clothes that fit him properly, pants are his main issue, he does have some shirts he can get away with wearing. my plan is to buy him a pair or two of pants each month for the next couple months (we grabbed him a nice pair of khakis and a fitted dress shirt last week, so when we have some nice-ish things to go to in the next few months he isn't swimming in his clothes).

Do we hang on to the bigger clothes for a while, I hope he keeps the weight off, but if he doesn't I don't want to be in this situation where he has nothing to wear again. how long do we hold onto them?
He also has 2 suits that are absolutely ginormous on him now (seriously he wore one to a wedding a few weeks ago and he was absolutely swimming in it). as of right now there is nothing on our 2016 calendar that he NEEDs a suit for (and nothing the rest of this year). So I'm planning holding off on buying anything until we've got something he needs a suit for. The only time I'm thinking this might bite us is if there is a funeral we have to go to, we might be able to pick-up a navy jacket that he could wear with khakis to get buy in that kind of situation. again, how long should we hold onto these giant suits for?

I would pack them in a box and keep them for a year. Maybe reassess next December if he's kept the weight off. My mistake was keeping these too-small clothes in my closet for YEARS and not being able to see what I do have that actually fits. I re-discovered some of my clothes this weekend.

I will say that I'm coming around to the notion that it's better to spend a little more on fewer items that fit and make you feel good than scouring the clearance rack every time you are near a store. I offed a lot of stuff that made me feel frumpy or that didn't fit quite right but that I bought anyway because it was on a great sale.

hoffse · October 2015

Are the suits good enough quality to make it worth tailoring? We intentionally buy H's nice suits a size up so that they can be tailored down and he has room to gain weight.

julieanne912 · October 2015

hoffse said:

formerlyGDaisy09 said:

WWMMD related to this. My H has dropped about 15-20 lbs this year (looks like more), we're now in a situation where he basically has no clothes that fit him properly, pants are his main issue, he does have some shirts he can get away with wearing. my plan is to buy him a pair or two of pants each month for the next couple months (we grabbed him a nice pair of khakis and a fitted dress shirt last week, so when we have some nice-ish things to go to in the next few months he isn't swimming in his clothes).

Do we hang on to the bigger clothes for a while, I hope he keeps the weight off, but if he doesn't I don't want to be in this situation where he has nothing to wear again. how long do we hold onto them?
He also has 2 suits that are absolutely ginormous on him now (seriously he wore one to a wedding a few weeks ago and he was absolutely swimming in it). as of right now there is nothing on our 2016 calendar that he NEEDs a suit for (and nothing the rest of this year). So I'm planning holding off on buying anything until we've got something he needs a suit for. The only time I'm thinking this might bite us is if there is a funeral we have to go to, we might be able to pick-up a navy jacket that he could wear with khakis to get buy in that kind of situation. again, how long should we hold onto these giant suits for?

I would pack them in a box and keep them for a year. Maybe reassess next December if he's kept the weight off. My mistake was keeping these too-small clothes in my closet for YEARS and not being able to see what I do have that actually fits. I re-discovered some of my clothes this weekend.

I will say that I'm coming around to the notion that it's better to spend a little more on fewer items that fit and make you feel good than scouring the clearance rack every time you are near a store. I offed a lot of stuff that made me feel frumpy or that didn't fit quite right but that I bought anyway because it was on a great sale.

Totally this! So back during the real estate boom I would buy expensive stuff... that's some of the stuff I was keeping all this time, not only because I paid a lot for it, but it still actually looked pretty good for a decent amount of time... just now starting to look worn out after 7-10 years. But then the crash hit, and my income dropped, and I became super-frugal. After my purge yesterday I looked through to see what was left, and it a lot of it was the more recent splurge items (by splurge I mean like $40-50 off the sale rack at Nordstrom for a top instead of $10 off the clearance rack at Target LOL). I also had things I had bought on clearance 2 years ago that still had the tags on it... I bought stuff because it was cheap and was "OK"... not necessarily because it fit great or I had anywhere to wear it. The philosophy of only having things that bring you joy is a great one.

That's why I'm doing Stitch Fix, I'm hoping the stuff they send will be nice quality, since the price points are a bit higher than I normally like.

hoffse · October 2015

julieanne912 said:

hoffse said:

formerlyGDaisy09 said:

WWMMD related to this. My H has dropped about 15-20 lbs this year (looks like more), we're now in a situation where he basically has no clothes that fit him properly, pants are his main issue, he does have some shirts he can get away with wearing. my plan is to buy him a pair or two of pants each month for the next couple months (we grabbed him a nice pair of khakis and a fitted dress shirt last week, so when we have some nice-ish things to go to in the next few months he isn't swimming in his clothes).

Do we hang on to the bigger clothes for a while, I hope he keeps the weight off, but if he doesn't I don't want to be in this situation where he has nothing to wear again. how long do we hold onto them?
He also has 2 suits that are absolutely ginormous on him now (seriously he wore one to a wedding a few weeks ago and he was absolutely swimming in it). as of right now there is nothing on our 2016 calendar that he NEEDs a suit for (and nothing the rest of this year). So I'm planning holding off on buying anything until we've got something he needs a suit for. The only time I'm thinking this might bite us is if there is a funeral we have to go to, we might be able to pick-up a navy jacket that he could wear with khakis to get buy in that kind of situation. again, how long should we hold onto these giant suits for?

I would pack them in a box and keep them for a year. Maybe reassess next December if he's kept the weight off. My mistake was keeping these too-small clothes in my closet for YEARS and not being able to see what I do have that actually fits. I re-discovered some of my clothes this weekend.

I will say that I'm coming around to the notion that it's better to spend a little more on fewer items that fit and make you feel good than scouring the clearance rack every time you are near a store. I offed a lot of stuff that made me feel frumpy or that didn't fit quite right but that I bought anyway because it was on a great sale.

Totally this! So back during the real estate boom I would buy expensive stuff... that's some of the stuff I was keeping all this time, not only because I paid a lot for it, but it still actually looked pretty good for a decent amount of time... just now starting to look worn out after 7-10 years. But then the crash hit, and my income dropped, and I became super-frugal. After my purge yesterday I looked through to see what was left, and it a lot of it was the more recent splurge items (by splurge I mean like $40-50 off the sale rack at Nordstrom for a top instead of $10 off the clearance rack at Target LOL). I also had things I had bought on clearance 2 years ago that still had the tags on it... I bought stuff because it was cheap and was "OK"... not necessarily because it fit great or I had anywhere to wear it. The philosophy of only having things that bring you joy is a great one.

That's why I'm doing Stitch Fix, I'm hoping the stuff they send will be nice quality, since the price points are a bit higher than I normally like.

I should probably try Stitch Fix. I'm still learning what I tend to be attracted to for office wear, but I'm getting closer to figuring it out. I kept almost everything I had from Banana Republic and Nordstroms. I kept most of the BB stuff, except for the oxfords and some old lady cardigans that were a really poor choice from law school. I really like knit shells to wear under jackets, silky tops to wear alone, pencil skirts, and cigarette pants that I can wear with cute heels. I kept almost all of those items, and the ones I tossed I had worn out. I will know in the future that those are the things I should be looking for in terms of what I'm likely to actually wear.

A couple weeks ago I bought a BB pencil skirt that was 80% off... and still cost over $50, lol. But it's probably the most beautiful article of clothing I have. It's this grey Italian silk that is absolutely to die for. I'm saving it for a big client meeting I have coming up, because I know it will make me feel confident.

julieanne912 · October 2015

hoffse said:

julieanne912 said:

hoffse said:

formerlyGDaisy09 said:

WWMMD related to this. My H has dropped about 15-20 lbs this year (looks like more), we're now in a situation where he basically has no clothes that fit him properly, pants are his main issue, he does have some shirts he can get away with wearing. my plan is to buy him a pair or two of pants each month for the next couple months (we grabbed him a nice pair of khakis and a fitted dress shirt last week, so when we have some nice-ish things to go to in the next few months he isn't swimming in his clothes).

Do we hang on to the bigger clothes for a while, I hope he keeps the weight off, but if he doesn't I don't want to be in this situation where he has nothing to wear again. how long do we hold onto them?
He also has 2 suits that are absolutely ginormous on him now (seriously he wore one to a wedding a few weeks ago and he was absolutely swimming in it). as of right now there is nothing on our 2016 calendar that he NEEDs a suit for (and nothing the rest of this year). So I'm planning holding off on buying anything until we've got something he needs a suit for. The only time I'm thinking this might bite us is if there is a funeral we have to go to, we might be able to pick-up a navy jacket that he could wear with khakis to get buy in that kind of situation. again, how long should we hold onto these giant suits for?

I would pack them in a box and keep them for a year. Maybe reassess next December if he's kept the weight off. My mistake was keeping these too-small clothes in my closet for YEARS and not being able to see what I do have that actually fits. I re-discovered some of my clothes this weekend.

I will say that I'm coming around to the notion that it's better to spend a little more on fewer items that fit and make you feel good than scouring the clearance rack every time you are near a store. I offed a lot of stuff that made me feel frumpy or that didn't fit quite right but that I bought anyway because it was on a great sale.

Totally this! So back during the real estate boom I would buy expensive stuff... that's some of the stuff I was keeping all this time, not only because I paid a lot for it, but it still actually looked pretty good for a decent amount of time... just now starting to look worn out after 7-10 years. But then the crash hit, and my income dropped, and I became super-frugal. After my purge yesterday I looked through to see what was left, and it a lot of it was the more recent splurge items (by splurge I mean like $40-50 off the sale rack at Nordstrom for a top instead of $10 off the clearance rack at Target LOL). I also had things I had bought on clearance 2 years ago that still had the tags on it... I bought stuff because it was cheap and was "OK"... not necessarily because it fit great or I had anywhere to wear it. The philosophy of only having things that bring you joy is a great one.

That's why I'm doing Stitch Fix, I'm hoping the stuff they send will be nice quality, since the price points are a bit higher than I normally like.

I should probably try Stitch Fix. I'm still learning what I tend to be attracted to for office wear, but I'm getting closer to figuring it out. I kept almost everything I had from Banana Republic and Nordstroms. I kept most of the BB stuff, except for the oxfords and some old lady cardigans that were a really poor choice from law school. I really like knit shells to wear under jackets, silky tops to wear alone, pencil skirts, and cigarette pants that I can wear with cute heels. I kept almost all of those items, and the ones I tossed I had worn out. I will know in the future that those are the things I should be looking for in terms of what I'm likely to actually wear.

A couple weeks ago I bought a BB pencil skirt that was 80% off... and still cost over $50, lol. But it's probably the most beautiful article of clothing I have. It's this grey Italian silk that is absolutely to die for. I'm saving it for a big client meeting I have coming up, because I know it will make me feel confident.

And that's what clothing, especially business attire, should do... inspire confidence.

simplyelise · October 2015

formerlyGDaisy09 said:

WWMMD related to this. My H has dropped about 15-20 lbs this year (looks like more), we're now in a situation where he basically has no clothes that fit him properly, pants are his main issue, he does have some shirts he can get away with wearing. my plan is to buy him a pair or two of pants each month for the next couple months (we grabbed him a nice pair of khakis and a fitted dress shirt last week, so when we have some nice-ish things to go to in the next few months he isn't swimming in his clothes).

Do we hang on to the bigger clothes for a while, I hope he keeps the weight off, but if he doesn't I don't want to be in this situation where he has nothing to wear again. how long do we hold onto them?
He also has 2 suits that are absolutely ginormous on him now (seriously he wore one to a wedding a few weeks ago and he was absolutely swimming in it). as of right now there is nothing on our 2016 calendar that he NEEDs a suit for (and nothing the rest of this year). So I'm planning holding off on buying anything until we've got something he needs a suit for. The only time I'm thinking this might bite us is if there is a funeral we have to go to, we might be able to pick-up a navy jacket that he could wear with khakis to get buy in that kind of situation. again, how long should we hold onto these giant suits for?

So similar to our situation! DH has been on a weight loss kick since before we got together. He's down about 60 from his heaviest and has lost about 20 in the last year. He is still hoping to lose another 20. He had a couple very large suits from his heaviest days, but good quality Brooks Brothers suits. He was going to try to sell them to a consignment shop but was only offered like $10. Instead he donated to our local dress for success type program. So I'd say for gumbo suits, go ahead and get rid of them.

DH also has two suits he got a month or two before our wedding. He was in job back then that required suits 50% of the time. These were not super high quality suits from men's warehouse. They're definitely a bit big for him now, but we're going to hang on to them. His job now does not require suits and he could get by with them for a funeral. If he gets down to his goal weight and manages to maintain, we will probably get them altered.

So I am not sure what the line is, but I think thinks that he is "swimming" in should get tossed sooner. And things that are big but workable I would keep indefinitely.

strickland8052 · October 2015

That sounds like a great book! I think I'll use the "joy" criteria next time I de-clutter.

formerlyGDaisy09 · October 2015

hoffse said:

Are the suits good enough quality to make it worth tailoring? We intentionally buy H's nice suits a size up so that they can be tailored down and he has room to gain weight.

the issue would be finding a decent tailor near us. we went to the one everyone recommends to have the pants hemmed and I'm not thrilled with the results, don't know I'd trust them to do anything more complicated. the suits are in good shape (both were bought just before our wedding 3.5 years ago (one of those buy-one-get-one sales at Jos A. Bank) he wore one for our wedding (tan colored tropical weight suit) and the other the same suit in a heavier fabric and charcoal. he's worn each of them maybe 3-4 times total. the jackets also look quite big on him.

seriously, I wish I could lose weight like men do. he dropped 2 pants sizes, went from wearing size L t-shirts that fit snuggly to size M shirts that fit nicely. for dress shirts he was wearing a standard 34-16.5 now I'm buying him slim-fit 34-15.5.

NMM related: Weekend purge

Re: NMM related: Weekend purge

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