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julie_mi_z5

Shoveling Out Winter Clothing

Julie_MI_Z5
17 years ago

After I dropped a size I had trouble getting rid of favorites--thinking I could wear them on weekends or whatever even though they're baggy. Well THAT'S not happening! I refuse to wear clothes that make me feel frumpy.

Wave goodbye to:

1 pair jeans

1 pair yoga pants

3 yoga type tops

2 wool suits (sigh... I loved those suits...)

2 blouses

5 turtlenecks

Who's next to shovel out their winter clothes?? I *challenge* you to beat my 14 items! LOL

Julie

Comments (18)

  • Miss EFF
    17 years ago

    Too late!

    Having dropped from a size 14 relaxed fit jean to a size 6 slim fit jean -- I have absolutely nothing left!!! A few brand new things from late last season to go to the consignment shop.

    Current wardrobe consists of 4 sweaters, 3 skirts, 2 prs of jeans, 9 jackets/blazers and 7 blouses.

    Actually -- its very liberating -- its easy to find something to wear. I still have 16 lbs to lose so I'm not shopping too crazy ---- Everything I have, has come from a consignment shop or Goodwill. And that's incredible feeling to know that I have spent little or nothing on clothes --- and look better than I have in years!

    Cathy

  • quiltglo
    17 years ago

    Congratulations, Cathy! At a size 6, you'll be able to pick up lots of fun stuff at the thrift stores. But if you still have 16 pounds to go, you must be all of 4'11" or something.

    I'm actually off to buy clothing today. I didn't buy any clothes for the kids before school started. Now, that it's finally cool enough to wear long sleeves, it's pretty obvious my dd can't wear last year's tops. I made her change this morning since you could see 4" of her back when she sat down. Can't expect the kid to wear the same shirt all week!

    Gloria

  • Julie_MI_Z5
    Original Author
    17 years ago

    Cathy,

    Congratulations! I went from an 8 to a 4 (thank you Weight Watchers!) so I also learned the joy of thrift store shopping once everything was too big. I'm 5'6" so size 4 is where I'll stay.

    Two more items added to the list Sunday:
    1 blazer (the one I wore to church that was too baggy and boxy and frumpy)
    1 Christmas vest (shhh... my mother sent it to me LOL)

    Julie

  • Miss EFF
    17 years ago

    Gloria -- you are right! 4'11" I am! I'm less than 6 lbs to go to goal --- 16 to where I want to be. And like Julie -- thank you WW!

    The big problem now is finding things small enough! Who would have thunk??? I've been pretty physical for the last few years -- so my legs were toned --- and these relaxed fit jeans are huge thru the legs!!!

    But I love thrift store shopping --- I'm very picky about what I buy -- colors, fabrics, and I don't buy things that I could afford new (no discount brands etc)

    So now I have more money to spend on decorating projects!!!

    Cathy

  • Julie_MI_Z5
    Original Author
    17 years ago

    Cathy--you might be able to fit in juniors 5 or 7 jeans--after 2 babies my hips are still too wide.

    UPDATE: Two more wool blazers and two turtlenecks in the to-go bag this week. I'm definitely not wanting that boxy no-shape look this winter!

  • Miss EFF
    17 years ago

    Julie --- I just bought jeans the other day at Maurice's --size 3/4. And I still have 13 lbs to go or so.

    My daughter has suggested going to the Limited 2 to buy girls sizes --- The length might work.

    I got rid of 7 or 8 turtlenecks last week --- I've got to get the nerve to go thru the sweaters. I have a lot of nice wool and alpaca and cashmere sweaters and the thought of throwing them into a Goodwill bag --kills me!

    Advice or ideas of what to do with them?

    Cathy

  • des_arc_ya_ya
    17 years ago

    How about taking them to a consignment shop, Cathy? Especially if they're name brand, they ought to sell quickly this time of year. Just a thought...

  • jenathegreat
    17 years ago

    Julie -

    Since you're only down 1 size and you seem to have a lot of wool suits nd blazers that you love, why not look into having them altered? If they are good quality clothes, it might be worth it price-wise - and nothing off the rack looks as flattering as something custom tailored for your body!

  • talley_sue_nyc
    17 years ago

    what about some specifically targeted charities?

    Like Dress for Success, which gives work clothes to women who are getting back into the job force, off of welfare, and other situations?

    Or maybe some other local charity that does something similar?

    I always feel better about letting go of stuff if I can send it "to a good home." Somehow, sending stuff to the Salvation Army or the Good Will makes me feel that I'm discarding it.

    A consignment shop might be nice, if you've got one--then you can do something w/ the money.

    Here is a link that might be useful: DressForSuccess.org

  • Julie_MI_Z5
    Original Author
    17 years ago

    Jena--Nope, dropped 2 sizes, 3 in some things. I waited a year and never found a tailor, so out they went!

    Cathy--You can also try a community college in your area. Some have special classes for displaced homemakers (divorced women who are entering the workplace for the first time) and offer them no-cost clothing. Or, do as I do--and just hope the shopper at the thrift store gets a BIG SMILE on her face when she finds your treasures!

  • quiltglo
    17 years ago

    Is it regional that places like Salvation Army are not seen in a positive light? What I'm reading (other boards than here, also) is people having a hard time giving away items which had a higher retail cost to begin with. Used clothing is still used clothing. Sure, I love to find a good brand at a thrift store, but if I'm not wearing the item, it really doesn't have any value.

    When I was doing my first three years of purging, I gave away chrystal, china, good clothing, etc. It was sitting in closets never being used. I like to think someone was happy to find the stuff by the real truth is, it didn't matter to me. It was just stuff I kept shuffling around.

    I've focused more on what the thrift stores support with their funds. When I donate a "good" item, I hope they get a decent price. Our Salvation Army stores pay for the program for alcohol and drug abuse for women. SPCA store supports that organization. Even our for profit stores like Value Village buy the stuff from the pick up services run by Big Brothers Big Sisters and ARC. People who work for Salvation Army and Value Village actually have benefit programs which include health insurance. I'm pleased about that. Money for the items goes to good causes, all of them.

    Gloria

  • Julie_MI_Z5
    Original Author
    17 years ago

    Gloria,

    I'm focused more on just getting the clutter out of my house. Surprisingly, our Value Village (I love that store) won't take direct donations (they buy from Purple Heart). Purple Heart only takes donations via pick-up (they're coming next week) so in between times I just drop off stuff at the Salvation Army.

    One way to look at giving things away is Current Value. If you paid $100 for a blazer and you don't wear it, the Current Value to you is $0. Doesn't matter that you spent $100 of your hard earned money, the Current Value is still $0. Same with, for example, the silver serving dishes I gave away. I hated polishing them and never used them. Regardless of how much they cost when new (they were wedding gifts, no doubt from people who didn't like me much! LOL) the value to me was $0.

  • kittiemom
    17 years ago

    I've lost some, but not enough to get rid of any of my clothes yet. I actually went shopping a couple of weeks ago & bought several jackets & blouses. They may need to be altered some when I get to my goal, but probably not much. My bust doesn't change sizes much when I lose or gain weight. Basically all of mine goes to my hips. Right now I'm making do with the pants & skirts I have & not buying any new ones.

  • mitchdesj
    17 years ago

    julie, good way of thinking for clothes; for the silver, I'm not sure I agree.

    My friend needs to read this, she is very frugal so has closets packed with expensive clothes she bought 10 years ago; she can't understand the fact that the 300$ heavy wool pleated tartan skirt no one wants to wear is worth 0$.

    She waited so long that even donating this stuff is not going to accomplish much.

  • quiltglo
    17 years ago

    Nah, I'm with Julie on the silver. It's just silver plate stuff. Give it a few years and even that little bit of silver is gone. I have a set of stuff from my paternal grandmother. She was dead before I was born. My father was dead before my two youngest kids were born. The stuff needs silverplating again and it's not something I will ever use. Sugar and creamer with one of the dishes to keep ice under the butter. I'm just not interested in putting any money into it to make it silver again and the woman it belonged to isn't even "real" to me. Value? Only $PITA.

    But I get tail waggin' happy when I find those skirts at the thrift store. Especially if they have gold or yellow in them. But don't tell the friends that I use them to make wool braided rugs. Lots of work and they are of value when I'm finished. Our thrift stores take everything since we are geographically isolated. No grandmother's attics to empty out here.

    Julie, our Value Village didn't originally have any drop offs. But that really became inconvenient for people to only connect with the pick-up service. We have such wet weather that people frequently don't want to leave stuff out all day. They've worked out agreements with the charity groups and we now drop off items. They pay the charity group per pound or box size.

    Gloria

  • talley_sue_nyc
    17 years ago

    mitchdesj--important point there: donate those great sweaters, etc., NOW, before they're out of date!

    Ditto shoes, donate before their lining starts to dry out and curl. And before the heel weight goes out of style.

  • bethohio3
    17 years ago

    I've dropped 35 lbs (lots yet to go). About a year ago, I gave away almost everything that didn't fit. At that point I was a "large" size 20 and gave away everything but the 18s. I went up to a 22 :-(. I'm now down to an 18 again--and have already given away all the 22s and almost all of the 20s. (Julie, I gave away at least 14 pairs of pants, twice that many tops :-)

    I haven't given away the dresses yet, but only because I haven't had time to try them all on to see which ones fit and which ones don't. Most of them will be going, too.

    After packing several large garbage bags, I only rescued *1* item before Vietnam Vets picked it up. And I wore that one item and since I've lost weight, it looks great on me again.

    BTW, the jeans I'm wearing are a pair of 18s that I'd held on to--and I wish I hadn't. The styles have changed and it sits too far up on my waist and isn't comfortable. They "fit" but they aren't comfortable. As soon as they're washed, they're going in the give-away pile, too.

    I'm looking forward to giving away the 18s :-)

    --Beth

  • Julie_MI_Z5
    Original Author
    17 years ago

    Beth,

    Congratulations on the weight loss AND getting rid of the too-big clothes! One incentive not to gain the weight back is truly having nothing to wear if you do! My sister decided that fussing over pounds wasn't worth it for her, so her goal is to stay in a size 10. If the 10's get too tight, she knows it's time to really watch what she's eating.

    Going through the dresses will be easier than you think; you'll probably figure out that many of them you don't like enough to bother trying on.

    You're on your way to a beautiful closet! I must admit that I'm quite proud of knowing that everything in my closet fits, and it's still a surprise to pull something out this winter and find out it's too big!

    Julie

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