Does anyone else feel like closet editing is a constant thing – what to get rid of, what to keep? Well, I ESPECIALLY feel the urge to purge after; 1) moving less than two months ago (the weekend preceding finals week, a mistake I will never again make) and 2) traveling for the third time abroad. When moving after almost three years of marriage the hubs and I could not believe how much stuff we accumulated in our little, two-bedroom apartment! We’ve been pitching stuff ever since. Travel always makes me realize that I can not only survive, but, indeed, thrive fashionably on less. Also, I’m a bit of a thrift-natic; if it’s on sale I somehow rationalize why I need/want the item. So, I’m attempting to apply a cliché theory to my wardrobe; less is more. Less doesn’t mean I have to be cheap about it. With fewer items, I can invest more on each item and have fewer items that I like more than the bazillion eh items that are pushing against the seams of my closet.
So, first step: purge. But, wait, no, we need to back up a step. Or two. Before purging, I have to decide WHAT to purge. Oiy, what to keep and what to ditch. So, I’ve divided my clothes into two categories to start: warm weather and cold weather clothes. Cold and hot are pretty much the only two seasons we have in Colorado. Which, I guess, makes seasonal clothing a bit easier! I then use the following process to decide what clothes to get rid of: items I didn’t wear last season; items that every time I reached for I ended up putting back; nwt items – obviously I’m not wearing them; those wee-too-tight-but-ya-know-I-NEED-to-lose-that-ten-pounds-and-THEN-these’ll-fit pieces; duplicates; things I’ve had long enough I just don’t want to wear anymore; then the easiest – stained, torn, worn, etc. pieces which I usually just pitch. I’ve moved multiple items between the ‘ditch’ and ‘keep’ piles too many times to count in the past week two weeks prompted by thoughts like, “I’ll wear that THIS summer,” “I really will lose that 10 pounds THIS summer,” “I know I can make awkward, but cheap, piece X work,” “I can manage to wear these 4.5 in heels up, down, and across campus,” “this was sooo cheap I HAVE to wear it!” and other shop-a-holic justifications.
So, now that I have removed clothes to get rid of, I put the out-of-season items in a tub and store until I can begin consigning them when in season – we’ll see how long before I get sick of staring at these items and just take ’em to Goodwill.
Then, comes deciding how to get rid of the in-season items: donate? e-bay? Instagram closet? consignment? I decided to start an Instagram closet and sell stuff on there. I’ve sold two items in three weeks. I could probably try to promote the account more, but, I was a bit too occupied with summer activities like camping, hiking, and swimming. Besides, I don’t want selling my unwanted clothes to be a second job. So, then I took almost everything to Plato’s Closet, let them decide what to keep and which to ditch. 🙂 I got rid of a total of 13 items for almost $50. My next step is to send clothes to ThredUp (check them out here http://www.thredup.com). I ordered a dress from the site – Antonia Melanie, for $14.95 (75% off original price) in like new condition. The dress was exactly as the website described, and, obviously a great price. The order came with a “Clean Out Bag.” According to the bag, I fill it up with like new, brand name clothes, send it off, and I get an email when they receive the item. I’m a little skeptical since if I want items back that they don’t buy I have to pay $12.99 for the items to be shipped back. I don’t want to pay for MY clothes to come back to me (though I do get why they’d charge me), and, if I do get them back, then what? Well, I guess I could take them to a local consignment store. But, I REALLY don’t want them back. So, I’ve opted for ThredUp to donate – I’m not using them anyway and someone else can get some use out of them. But, now, I’m contemplating, “Do I just send a few items and see how many are accepted and how much they pay me and then send more if I’m satisfied? Or, do I just go for it and get these clothes out of my closet and out of my sight?” I really want to get these clothes off my hands and my own attempts at selling my items have not been too successful which is discouraging. So, I’ve decided to, again, go for it and just send what will fit in the bag! I have a Coach purse and wallet I want to sell, but, I’ll wait until I see how this transaction goes and then I’ll decide if I’ll send those.
Just a side note: ThredUp apparently tracks your shipment by registering the bag to you when you request a bag or they send with an order you placed. To ensure they track the bag correctly, I’m taking a picture of the return label so, if I don’t hear back within the 5 day period they claim it takes for them to get back to me, I can contact them and see where my bag/clothes are.
Back to the clean out! ThredUp has some really nifty tools on their website that really takes a lot of the guessing out of deciding which items to ship. The website has a great function that allows a potential seller to see under what conditions items won’t be accepted and a function to search what brands they do and do not accept.
I now have my first ThredUp bag filled and ready to ship tomorrow, fingers crossed! I am sending one dress I’ve only worn once, Antonio Melani dress NWT, Merona jean jacket I’ve never worn, two Mountain Hardware skirts each worn once, one Mountain Hardware skirt NWT, MNG by Mango skirt that doesn’t fit anymore, GAP 3/4 sleeve striped top never worn, a cute MNG by Mango tee that just doesn’t fit me well, two London Times dresses I’ve never worn, and a black Coach keychain card holder.
I have several pairs of shoes I will take to a local consignment store along with a few tops that, due to brands – Target and JcPenney – ThredUp won’t accept.
My closet feels so much more spacious! I plan to open a ‘Clothes’ savings account to deposit the funds in I receive from this and other purges and then get a few pieces I’ve been eyeing!
How do my fellow clothes, crazed bloggers edit their closets? I’d love to hear new ideas and methods – both for cleaning out and for selling.
Ciao!
Tweedy Couture 