She DOES have a point, a good one, and so do you! I think, especially with women, that clothes enter into that gray area where we equate the item of the time in our lives of when we wore it. That navy suit? The day we interviewed and aced a great job. The white summer dress? The night at the great seafood restaurant on the pier, etc.

I'm really trying and I AM better than my friend and my DD. Does that help!? LOL

You know, I have that trouble as well with clothing. I think my problem is that I don't buy clothes as often as food/fuel so I don't tend to use them up or out as quickly either. Also, because I think it's hard to find clothes that fit, I tend to keep them if they do, whether or not they've gone out of style.

Parting with clothes should be a regular exercise, and when the closet gets flabby with too many items, it's time for a lifestyle change! Since cleaning the closet is an occasional exercise instead of a daily one, I think it gets much harder to purge those items than it should be.

I just put back way too many summer clothes in my closet, and tomorrow I'm making a serious effort to let go of some. I'll let you know how it turns out!

Love your thought process, Lily!

I rarely go to fancy functions, and my new routine is to get rid of a fancy dress shortly after I wear it. For years I carried around a bunch of elegant dresses that I knew I would never wear again. I finally got rid of them.

Then I realized I was starting the process anew with cocktail dresses. So, after wearing a nice dress to a nephew's wedding, within two months, out the door it went. It has been three years, and so far I have not needed such a dress.

If you use it good, if you don't, it'll go off, so give it away before it's no use to anyone else either.

oh, wow, this is wonderful!

I had that realization w/shoes. The glue had dried out under all the linings, so they were curling up, which made the shoes look worn out and unattractive, even though they were classic styles; I hesitated even to donate them. (Of course, not that hard to fix, but why hadn't I given them away 3 years before? I certainly hadn't WORN them in those 3 years)

I have been pointing out to my kids that clothes wear out. Literally, of course, which is easy to see (but hard to convince them of, when it's their favorite PJs).

But they wear out stylistically as well. And if you're not to "eat them up," best to move them somewhere before all they're fit for is the compost pile.

My DH calls the leftovers in the fridge too long "science projects"--maybe out-of-date clothes (evidence of a previous fashion era) moldering in our closets should be called "social science projects"?

Now that is a very interesting way to look at it, Lily.

It's easier to part with clothing when you know you can replace it with something better. It's easier to replace them with something better if you already know what styles and colors flatter you, and which stores have the clothing you like.

I have a bad habit of leaving my clothes on the bedroom floor, sometimes in corners so they don't get stepped on. DH hates my piles, so he'll grab a trash bag and throw them all out. I find I don't miss them that much. I treated them basdly, leaving them on the floor. But when they "disappear" I feel allowed to go shopping and replace them.

Jannie, What if there was a favourite special piece of clothing in the pile? Or do you just accidentally-on-purpose leave out only the ones you hope will "disappear"? LOL.
My DH is just the opposite. When I throw something out, because it's even past donating, I have to put it in a bag at the very bottom of the bin, and even then sometimes he brings it back in and asks me what was wrong with it. He'd still like me to be wearing the puffed-sleeve-shirred-waisted-frilly cheesecloth dresses I was wearing at 17 when I met him, so he just doesn't *see* out of date. Before I send old clothing over to his shed for him to use as oil rags, I make sure I cut them up, or else he'll bring them back with a sad longing look on his face, "I used to like this on you." I guess it's sweet that he just doesn't get that I can't wear pigtails and pompoms at 52 LOL.
Talley_Sue, I like your description of "social science projects" :)

Part of the problem for me is the money I put into them. I have finally figured out, especially with summer clothes, that I will only wear some things a season or two, so I buy them as inexpensively as possible. Our culture stresses, however subliminally, that everything is "disposable," and is made that way. How else do manufacturers make money?

I have some summer things now in their third season. I am hanging onto many of them because I haven't found anything that I really like. I am 56 years old, and although I am pretty trim, I simply will NOT go sleeveless or wear the sun dresses with the built in bra! I am just not comfortable in them like I was 40 years ago, lol!

I has been somewhat helpful for me to try to get more into the "perishable" clothing mode, but not in a rapid revolving door way.

I know I still like to buy new clothes, though I don't like wild-goose shopping trips. And one of the things I feel bad about is buying something new when I have a lot of things in my closet--it just isn't as good-feeling as buying something more "necessary" (I don't mean just buying socks, but necessary meaning you don't have 5 other things that serve the same purpose, and the closet or drawers aren't full to bursting).

So I'm trying to focus on having much fewer items in some categories that I've realized I simply don't need much of--like yard work clothes, or something I might jog in--for those, I really NEED some, but only just about enough to have one clean and one in the wash; and special-event outfits--one or 2. Then, to get better about thinking of some of my "ladies' event" clothes as perishable, if not always immediately replaceable. It's easy for me to keep something and then notice in the rush of dressing that, oops, this went out 4 years ago, and I admit I want to have things I don't feel like that in, so, these I should shop almost yearly for maybe one outfit, or dress, that really looks good, and notice when the other(s) are past their prime. If I don't keep too many such clothes at once, it's much more satisfying to buy a piece or outfit that really looks good.

And, the higher I set my standards for fit and quality, plus a reasonable nod to current style (within my price range), the less I buy, or the more the new something will clearly surpass the old, and so out can go the old. So I am trying to use the concept, if I bought this, what do I have in my closet RIGHT NOW that becomes obsolete? If I can't think of anything, and if the item is not in some ground-breaking new category that I need (that's the trouble with women's clothing--there do seem to be too many different categories), then maybe I'd best not buy it. And the flip side is, when I put on a piece of clothing and it doesn't just really zing me, I am trying to think, what IS IT about this that bothers me, and if it's something I don't want to let go of without a replacement, is it something I might be able to upgrade if I tried, and then just get rid of the one that's not right?

It also helps not to have too many things in one category because if you don't, and you can get away with wearing the same thing to a lot of different events and places, then you'll be more likely to feel you got your money's worth and you really gave the clothes a work out. I'm lucky, or just oblivious, that if I put together something that works, I seem to be able wear it a lot and not feel it's over-exposed at any one time. Then if I just get tired of it myself, I can try something new, and it's hard to say that I would have been better served by keeping it in the closet more of the time!

At least, that's the way I want to live, rather than, my gosh, I just wore this to the play, or to church, I can't wear it again tonight, as teenage girls are wont to do.

So the trick for me seems to be cutting back enough so that I really need some new things from time to time and therefore get more enjoyment out of shopping for something really great, and not just randomly buying a new top that I don't need and will take up space, and using a more critical eye regarding fit and style to allow me to recognize which clothes have truly "perished" and being more accepting of that.

A kind of "mindful simplicity" ( as opposed to simple-mindedness !) that would help me keep a lean but useful and varied wardrobe that is always changing a bit without unnecessarily changing those things that are still working.

Regarding clothes. Many of us would recycle if when we took them to a thrift store etc, others would buy them even as cheap as they are. But many thrift stores just throw them away, or list them so high they sit there and then get tossed. They do this with so many other products, especially furniture. If they are stained (not bad)or need mending/buttons, put them on a special rack and mark them so. Good for painting and contruction. Even a quarter would be better than in the landfill. Or the shops could donated them to shelters etc, but they won't. They just toss, toss and toss. Many thrift shops NOW, are just too lazy to sort, and mark and sell, and donate.

Frankie, you said it just exactly how I'd like to be too...
In some ways it's harder as we get older because we're past the stage where anything that hangs on us looks good, because we become our own unique shape.
But on the other hand, it's easier, as we are more comfortable with our own style, rather than trends, and so we don't need to keep up as much.
And I did used to shop for clothes with simple mindedness, whereas now I use mindful simplicity more. I found that denim is something that I can seem to wear comfortably, either dressed up or down, it suits my shape, colouring and lifestyle for most occasions, so now I actually go searching for the "right" denim item. Amazingly it dates too, in style and look, but always seems to hang in there in some form or another. Just the other day I found the "perfect" new denim skirt.... it's not that much different to my older one, but suddenly the one I've worn for the last 2 years looks frumpy and dated. So, I actually did do the new one in, old one out thing. I only need one good denim skirt this season. I was tempted to get two, when I found the right one, but no doubt this one will be dated looking in a year or so, and I can replace it.
What's with that? Can anyone tell me why a decade ago, skirts that buttoned up the front looked trendy and now they suddenly don't? What is it?
I'm not a slave to trends or fads, but some transformation take place in our perception, and suddenly pointy shoes look passe, and chunky ones are ok again? Beats me. I just follow along a few months behind, and I'm thankful that as I get older, it takes a few years, not months, for those changes in style to take effect.

Have no problem whatsoever w/getting rid of clothes! I feel a responsibility to give away anything I'm not using/wearing to someone who needs it.
My current summer wardrobe consists of the same v-neck top in 3 different colors--blue, rose, lt.green,& 2 pr. of jeans. Have a few pair of black pants when I need something dressier than jeans. All year long on the bottom I either wear one of the 2 pair of jeans or black pants.
In Winter it's a V or turtleneck sweater in a flattering color. I may have 6-8 winter sweaters. Have black boots that I wear all winter w/everything. Have 1 pr. new sandals, a couple old, for summer.
We really don't need much! Obviously, I don't follow fashion, but I think I look pulled together. For someone who loves keeping up w/the trends, I know my pared down approach would be painful, but I've had a commitment to banishing clutter & excess from my life for over ten yrs. now. I still buy, but something goes out when something else comes in. More is not better! Stinky-Gardener

The biggest problem is the darned stores selling clothing a season ahead of what's happening. You are going to a wedding next week; you know it will be 95degrees and you need something light; maybe with a light jacket. Certainly a light color. So you go to the store--and they are featuring the Fall clothing already! I was in a Pendleton shop today in california hoping to get a lightweight suit for a business meeting--and they are suggesting wool, dark brown and a nice sweater to go with it.
when we were in Minneapolis last week--the summer stuff has moved on out and we are looking at winter clothing.Considering they didn't really have summer yet that's ridiculous. I don't get it. The only time I used to buy my summer clothing way in advance is when I used to vacation in Mexico in May.
So I think we hang on to stuff from previous years because it might be our only hope for something wearable that season.

marge, that's certainly true for me, in the sense that I never buy something actually just for "the season"--to me, cracking down and discarding according to the "perishable" theory means maybe tossing it out after only a couple of years rather than a decade! I'm never in the mood for summer in winter and vice versa. And I like to get some things on sale, so that's out of sync further. So whatever I buy has to have enough staying power to still be wearable next year, or at least that's how my "seasons" are running right now.