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How many clothes to keep?

post #1 of 10
Thread Starter 

I started doing Flylady again at the beginning of this year/month ... and I can't stop getting rid of stuff! It is amazing how many hotspots I have found in our home (which was pretty well kept -- but just had a lot of extra clutter hanging out in spots).  I then went through my closet and got rid of clothes, went through our garage bins and found more clothes that were stored and realized now that I have tons and tons of clothes -- a lot were gifted to me from other people (used), some were gifted new, some I bought on a whim on clearance...anyway, I gave a way bags and bags full and I still feel I have too much for my dresser and my closet.  I can't fit all of this stuff. How do you decide how much to keep?  I'm about to keep only clothes I LOVE ... which wouldn't leave me with much but would be easier to deal with.  Also, how many pajamas do you keep? My husband thinks I have too many.  I do have more than will fit into one dresser drawer.  It is not that I have a lot of "nice" things it is that if people give me stuff -- I can't say no and then I feel bad getting rid of it ... and in the back of my mind I think I "might" need it.  I do wear most of what I've kept -- it is just that I don't need to wear it -- because I could wash more often.  Is there a set number of pants, shirts, dresses, pjs that I should go by because I'm having a difficult time parting with things.

post #2 of 10

As for pajamas, how many nights worth do you have? Less clothes will mean less laundry can potentially pile up.  I can't really see why anyone would need more than a weeks worth of PJs, because most people do laundry more often than that, unless you have to go to a laundry mat.


Maybe aim for that? 7 pairs of pajamas?

post #3 of 10
Thread Starter 

My husband told me to keep only 5 sets of pjs.  I have way more than a weeks worth because they are different weights, etc.  Some are thick fleece/fluffy, some are thin, some are for nursing, some aren't, some are more like lingerie, etc.  I guess I just need to be realistic about what I really need.

post #4 of 10

Ok, I think you are right, it makes more sense to decide based on function.  How about a couple pairs of each kind/function? 


3 winter pjs 

3 summer pjs


3 seems like a good number to me, because then you can have 1 pair clean, 1 pair in the wash, 1 pair you are wearing currently.  That gives you about 2 days to wash them if you only wear them for 1 night.  Also though, I don't know how often you find yourself having some kind of spill or accident where you need to change. 


maybe your top 2 favorite lingerie ones?


Are you nursing now?  I'd probably go with what you need now.  I.E. if you are nursing just keep nursing friendly ones.  If you aren't and don't plan to be anytime soon, then go with your favorites.


You can also try baby steps if that's too much too soon.  Maybe take the number you have and get rid of half? I don't know how many pajamas were are talking here! lol

post #5 of 10
Thread Starter 

Ok ... I will  get this done today ... I'm going to count them up and sort them.  Still wondering about pants and shirts...

post #6 of 10

I guess a lot of it just depends on your needs.  I don't go out that much, so I am ok with 2 pairs of jeans and 2 skirts for the summer.  I kinda like having just 2 pair that I really like and that fit me well.  Plus with jeans you can usually wear them a couple times.  Then I mostly wear lounge pants/sweat pants/pjs at home, I probably have 6 pair.  I have more shirts than that, I'd have to count.  Maybe 20, but I don't even wear them all. 


What if you did like you said, and took everything out of your dresser/closet except what you really love.  Box everything else up, and put it somewhere out of the way.  Try to live with just what you love for a month.  If you make it through the month fine, you can probably safely donate/sell the rest.  kinda like your own version of this:  http://www.bemorewithless.com/2010/minimalist-fashion-projects/


or look at this guy:  http://exilelifestyle.com/51/    I kinda wish I only had that many clothes.  I need to go through mine too :)


post #7 of 10

I like the idea the PP had about packing up everything you don't love and seeing what it's like to live without it. 




Is there a way you can figure out if something is "worth" adding to your laundry?  Like the amount of time, or work you have to do to take care of it, is it worth what you get out of having it or wearing it?



There's a thread on here... maybe it's "messy moms" that the user Crayfish has posted on that was SO HELPFUL for me when thinking about the emotional/guilt connection to stuff.  Maybe I'll see if I can find it.


Do you feel guilty for passing on stuff that you "might be" able to use someday?  Like you're being wasteful or ungrateful?  I think that's a really common feeling.  I've definitely had that feeling.  I've just been reminding myself that I want to pass stuff on so someone else can use it, instead of keeping it in the"might use" limbo in a pile on my kitchen table.  I have really been working on not bringing more stuff into the house since that is the hardest part.  I have a few canned lines that I use constantly, either, "No thanks, I don't need it" or "Oh gosh, that's so kind of you to think of us, but we really don't need it and I would hate to keep it from someone else who might" depending on how offended I think the person might be.


Or are you talking about gifts?  That is harder, but it's a gift and it's the same thing, about limbo.  Someone out there might LOVE the thing that you are kind of dreading having to take care of.




Since I had DD, I really cut down my clothing.  I like to have 9 days worth of this season's clothing.  For me, that means two pairs of jeans in decent condition, one to two skirts, two pairs of tights and two pairs of leggings (in the winter I wear these up to two pairs at a time as underlayers beneath my jeans) and around 9 tops, plus 2-3 tops I might wear as undershirts or pajamas.  I also currently have two pairs of pajama/sweat pants and one sweater dress.


I used to do laundry once a week - now I do it every couple of days bc we have a laundry downstairs, but honestly, I preferred taking one big load to the laundrymat once a week.  LOL.


Basically, I expect to wear out most my clothes (usually not pajamas, I've had these for two years) by the end of the season/year & replace it using the thrift store (and maybe one or two brand new things) the next year.  I usually completely wear out my jeans within a year (unpatchable holes in the crotch??) and buy them used as needed.


This keeps me from getting too frumpy too.  I try to only have stuff I really love, and only buy something if it's perfect for me, even if it is $2, or free.  I like fashion, so this lets me stay fashionable cheaply and really keeps the laundry under control.


I don't redonate the items that are worn out - I turn them into rags.  If there's something I don't love at the end of the season, but is in wearable condition, I will donate it.


post #8 of 10

I think it totally depends on you and your lifestyle.. I have

3 nursing nightgowns

2 nursing accessible night pant sets

1 non nursing (but I can still nurse in) thermal set

1 non nursing non thermal set.


When I'm nursing I go through at least 1 set of PJs a night since I have a massive oversupply and soak my PJs. Sometimes I end up changing in the middle of the night because my PJs end up uncomfortable to wear. Right now I'm not nursing so I go through a pair every few days. Id get rid of some of them BUT I'm due in 2 weeks with our third little one so Ill need them again..


Skirts/pants/shirts.. how often do you go through them? Do you end up changing during the day? I have two very active children and I end up dirty ALOT because of it. Day before yesterday the girls decided they wanted to go outside, fine, then they got into the mud which meant I got mud all over me.. This is a typical occurrence in our house. I currently maybe have 4-5 skirts that fit and 10 or so tops. I extend my wardrobe by wearing aprons when I do things like cleaning, cooking or painting inside. Since I don't wear the apron outside of the house (and thus it doesn't have to be the cleanest) it means I don't end up having to change my shirt every time I cook.. unless the kids help and dump flour on top of me again. Ideally Id like to have 14 changes of clothing (so I could do laundry once a week and be late doing it without going through whats clean enough to wear days), however its not going to happen anytime soon.

post #9 of 10
post #10 of 10

Hah, I don't think I have 33 pieces of clothing/shoes in my closet right now!


OP, I feel your pain - kind of. I have been without a washer/dryer for a couple of weeks. I only take the laundry from the kitchen and bathroom to the laundramat. My kids have PILES of laundry in their rooms waiting for the repairman (coming Monday - WOOT!). I have found that we generally wear the same things. The piles are half clean clothes that they don't put away properly, half clothes that don't fit. Anyway, when the W/D are fixed I am washing those piles and bagging them up for donation while they are at school. They have not asked about anything in those piles!

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