wherein Liz sorts shirts

[edenfalling]

I think I really like this decluttering project. :D

I decided that sorting through all my clothes sounded like way too big a task to be manageable (and was probably why I'd been putting it off for a couple weeks), but dividing "all my clothes" into subsets should probably work. So today I sorted through my short-sleeved blouses and nice t-shirts. (These are things that more or less count as business semi-formal, at least when paired with appropriate pants or skirts.)

I pulled them out one by one and tried them on -- with the exception of things I wear every other week and therefore knew I was keeping -- and ended up deciding to get rid of thirteen shirts. I don't even know why I still had most of them! I'd only worn maybe two of the discards within the past year, and I already knew most of them were too short, or were too tight in the sleeves, or were made of uncomfortable fabric, or had some other combination of flaws.

While I had momentum on my side, I tossed a few other things into my discard basket as well: two skirts that never fit right, a fancy dress I have no occasion to wear and didn't much like in the first place, three spaghetti-strap tank-tops (which I used to use for summer pajama tops -- they are so soft, and expose more skin to fans than t-shirts do -- but I haven't worn them since I got air conditioning); and a red t-shirt-with-logo that's sized weird and made of nasty harsh fabric to boot but which was free and so I just kind of hung onto it for way too long.

Tomorrow I may try on the rest of my dresses. It's good to have a couple for the rare occasions when one needs a nice dress, but I don't think I need more than two, max. And then on the weekend I can tackle my other closet with my long-sleeved shirts... and maybe even look through my bags of "clothes I should repair someday" on the theory that if I haven't repaired an item for, like, five years, I probably don't really want it anyway. *eyes closet meaningfully*

Comments

[branchandroot]

Oh man, the "repair" stack. I have one of those on top of my sewing machine, and I keep thinking "I should just toss most of these" but it's /so hard to do/.

[edenfalling]

Tossing out undone mending feels like admitting a moral defeat, which is ridiculous, but there you have it. *sigh*

[autumnia]

I am cheering you on! Cleaning and getting rid of stuff that you really don't need/wear is therapeutic. I do these cleanups in spurts, usually when I have a day or two off and then amass a pile of stuff that gets to be tossed, donated or recycled.

It's amazing how much more room you have once you get rid of it all.

[edenfalling]

*is cheered*

I have already created four entirely empty bookshelves, and a lot more space in one of my closets. (The other closet has not yet been sorted for clothes, but I did yank out the eight empty shoeboxes I'd been storing on its floor for who even knows what reason. *headdesk* Anyway, I figure it is best to get as far as I can with this project while I still have motivation and momentum on my side, because those are liable to run out unexpectedly.

[annearchy.livejournal.com]

I've done some of that (being retired gives me time). Got rid of some things that just don't fit any more. I've put a few things aside to try to sell at a flea market I'm organizing at my UU church next month (it's my kiddo's idea, as he and his spouse are moving to Colorado next February and they want to get rid of as much stuff as they can before hand). I'm glad we have several places in town to donate clothes (Goodwill, St. Vincent de Paul, Savers (Easter Seals) and the hospice thrift store are my favorites.

[edenfalling]

Church garage sales are awesome and congrats to you for organizing one! (I hope you have some help, since church garage sales are also daunting and complicated.)

I will be taking my better unwanted clothing to our local upscale(ish) consignment shop to see if they'll buy them, and if not, I'll probably donate them to the Salvation Army store or just drop them in one of the charity bins up by the mall. I mean, I could save them for my own church's garage sale next summer, but that seems like a long time to have stuff sitting around collecting dust, especially when I could conceivably get a little money for at least some of the items. *wry*

I hope Janne's move goes well!