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#718643 10/09/11 01:33 AM
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I've been reading some downsizing websites and in a few they talk about capsule wardrobes. One talks about having only ten regular items in a wardrobe (not including winter gear, hiking gear, etc).

it got me thinking. I have a ton of clothes that I don't even like very much. That can't be a good thing. What if i just had a dozen things i really liked to wear, and i washed them a lot and wore them out?

They'd have to be stuff i could mix and match, that don't wrinkle, that are comfortable and not ugly...

So i pulled all my clothes out today. I made piles of things i like and piles of things I don't wear/are worn out/or ugly.

I made a stack of things I might like to keep and put them aside. Those will become my new, personal 'reality show' contestants. We will see who gets kicked out of the closet.

I filled six grocery bags full of clothes for the donation bins. And I still have a lot more culling to do.

I doubt i will get to ten pieces of clothes only, but i am curious to see how far i can take this.

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Jilly Offline OP
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OK, so today i will go through the contestants, and see what I like enough to wear today. smile

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Hmmm, i am wearing an outfit that fits and is comfortable, but i am not sure looks good on. frown

This is tough.

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How much of one thing does someone who works at home need? I hardly ever go out.

Looking at:

10 tees i want to keep for sure with 3 more that i have not decided on yet

7 pairs of workout type shorts - is that too many?

3 pullover anoraks

ziphoodies - ? Need to round them up.

5 prs sweatpants

loose yoga type pants - too many

long sleeved teeshirts- need to count

2 sweaters and i might get rid of those

buttondown shirts:
3 hawaiian
1 white oxford
2 striped old navy (one pink, one blue)
1 light green silk short sleeve
1 dark forest green in nubby silk
1 navy st tropez style
5 tunic shirts in misc colors
3 skirts
2 pr scrubs
4 pullover nice non-tunic tops
2 leisurewear cotton outfits
1 nice tank
plenty of cozy or silky pjs
1 sweatshirt

Keep in mind this is the already weeded pile. I now have ten grocery bags full of clothes in the bottom of the closet.


I will not count my jackets yet as i have a jacket fetish and that will be hard to tackle.

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Jilly Offline OP
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okay, after more weeding:

TOPS -
4 tunics (I seem to be missing my 2 favorites)
1 black cardigan
7 nice shirts
1 tank
8 button downs
3 zipped hoodies
3 anoraks
2 sweatshirts
3 sweaters
7 long sleeved tees (is that too many?)
Tee shirts:
5 black
5 greys
2 brown
1 teal
1 khaki
2 white

that is 16 tee shirts. I would like to work it down to a dozen.

BOTTOMS -
3 pr jeans - one black, 1 brown, 1 blue
3 cargo pants
5 yoga pants
4 sweatpants
2 skirts
2 leisure outfits
2 scrubs sets

MISC -
no dresses
lots of scarves/pashminas/shawls/scharfes
lots of PJs
too many bras
socks i am happy with

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love your weeding process! We have a huge closet - filled with my husband's clothes! He needs your inspiration.

I'm a simplist when it comes to clothes. I don't shop much. I don't have much. I wear the same things over and over (usually washed and cleaned) smile


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Thanks, Lisa. I am going through more clothes today.

I know I have a lot of black and grey teeshirts, for example, but i live in tees mostly, and i consider those two shades as nuetrals that go with everything. I might get rid of the 2 browns and the teal one though. I might also have too many button downs and tunics. One of the sweatshirts might go, and maybe one or two of the nice shirts.

What items are in your closet? I'd love to know.

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Jilly Offline OP
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I just got rid of several teeshirts, a few tops and a jacket.

Working on nice jackets now. Keeping:

WARM -
black with fuzzy hood
black wool duster, vintage
Navy velvet duster, vintage, lined
camel trench

LIGHTWEIGHT -
Wool plaid
jean jacket with faux animal fur panels
crop grey canvas
brown mandarin collar
Eddie Bauer beige canvas
Periwinkle Rainjacket
Sonoma dark brown crop with hood
faux dark brown suede buttonup overshirt
Gloria Vanderbuilt camel crop
cotton soft grey duster

OTHER -
Assorted fleeces and outdoor outerwear

I realize i have way too many light jackets. The caots are good, but i have a lot of brown/beige/camel light jackets. Not sure how to handle these. they all have different looks.

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It's often easy to get rid of 20% of your clothes, and then a month or two later get rid of another 20%. Some people think getting rid of too much stuff in one go is a bit too drastic.

Personally I have one coat and one sweater. But I do live in California and hardly ever wear either.

I also have exactly two sets of linens for each bed. The spare set is stored under each bed in a zipped bag. Bedsheets seem to grow and multiply as much as clothes.

In my closet I have something that hangs and in it is stored all the Christmas wrapping paper. I put it at the front of my closet every Christmas, so I can easily see what I haven't worn since December.

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I recently weeded my closet - got rid of about ten bags worth - including the closets of my children. I don't have much excess in my closet though. I wear most of the things in it. The items I have excess are the 'fancy' clothes. I hate them all but don't want to spend money on buying new stuff - so I hold on to what I have so that I have choices should I need something 'fancy'. smile


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Jilly Offline OP
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LOL, Lisa, on the fancy clothes you don't even like. Sometimes I wonder about my fancy clothes. I never have a reason to wear them. Sometimes they go with me to the Bellaonline gatherings, or to a holiday party. But i usually still wear teeshirts for just about everything else.

I wonder how many fancy outfits one needs?

You know, I realized I don't even own one dress! I do have two or three skirts that I don't wear. smile

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Jilly Offline OP
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Tina, i do like the 20% and then 20% again idea. I think that way is less painful.

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This is probably too complex a thought, it was just something that popped into my head while I was sitting here. But, I work from home too and I'll bet there are a lot of clothes I could mix and match from people's closets.

I know editors have specialty shops here, but what if we had a group shop and each month we could say download a photo of something we no longer have a use for, put it into this group shop and earn a few extra dollars a month like a limit of 5 items a month so people don't get crazy selling the kitchen sink or anything.

If they sell great. If they don't, there's no loss and can be donated elsewhere. But, if they do, say at $3.oo - $10.00 for larger items, there's a little extra cash and our handbags, shoes and sentimental sweaters, went to someone we know.

We do a lot of charity work, but this could be for the "starving artists" we have a growing family of smile

Like I said, just a thought.


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Elleise - you'll have to talk to Lisa if you want something like that set up. As for me, if there's any resale value at all, I list my stuff on ebay.

If you want to see what I'm selling, I'm sydney457 on ebay.

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That a great idea. I probably don't wear over a dozen pieces of clothing even though I have a closet and armoire full of them.

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I also don't wear skirts often, I just wear such when needed hehe Don't forget to check out LIFO. It's an online home for information and comment on girls' interests whether it be the latest Hollywood gossip or tips on the trendiest fashions.

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Originally Posted By: Tina - Living Simply
Elleise - you'll have to talk to Lisa if you want something like that set up. As for me, if there's any resale value at all, I list my stuff on ebay.

If you want to see what I'm selling, I'm sydney457 on ebay.


Hi, what do you gals think about listia.com ? I really, really need to know because after a great family battle lasting 12 years... There is such a mixture of hodge podge of ' stuff ' I feel like I'm living in a warehouse and things need to be thinned out and sent to people who will use them and appreciate them... I never used e-bay and this very forum is only my second foray into ' social networking ' I don't do facebook -- I only go to bipolarorwakingup.ning.com and here. Please Help Me... mkay ? smile

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I'm at home all the time and wear jeans all year - summertime, too. So I have several jeans I alternate till they wear out, one pair of cargo pants and 2 denim skirts, one brown cordoroy skirt with matching jacket, black funeral clothes, one wedding dress I wore to several of my kids weddings. Outer wear - 2 winter coats, several sweaters, 2 jackets, wool hats, wool scarves, wool gloves, wool socks, night clothes. Cotton blouses; short sleeve for summer, long sleeve for winter. A couple of LLBean thermal longjohn sets I can wear under my jeans for below freezing weather. That's it. My hubby's clothes are just as boring ...

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This is a great end of year project.

While I'll never be able to get down to just 10 items, I'm trying to do some major downsizing. I'd be happy if I could get my clothing down to half a closet for each season. I have a small closet.

Have made a start, but still have a ways to go. Today I dropped off three bags of clothes at the Mission Store.

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Interesting idea! My brother lives with only 100 items total. So, including his clothes, books, everything as far as I know. It is not something that I could do, but he loves it! Makes it hard to figure out what to get him for Christmas though, since something coming in means something else has to go out. Not sure if he has a special policy about gifts or not. He has two friends that adopted the 100 items lifestyle as well. It cleared up their space and saved them a ton of money, which they then used to travel Africa. It was a neat process to watch


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Megan, for someone like that, buy them a service, like a massage. smile

I have heard of the 100 Things movement. How did this save them money for traveling?

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That is a good idea. I am not 100% sure how they saved money doing this. I think it was a combination of selling off their things and then buying less stuff. No ordering books all the time. They weren't spending any time in store or in malls, so they were not enticed to spend. A lot of possessions come with extra expenses tied in, or fun extras that can accompany them. Like with a TV you are likely going to have a service provider for that or be renting movies or something that involves money. Books are typically going to be on bookshelves. Just little things that take up money here and there. He cleared out just about everything. His rent is lower because he fits comfortably into a smaller space now, prefers it in fact because it helps maintain that lifestyle. I think the biggest thing was simply the shift in mindset. I think a lot of people fall into the trap of wanting the latest, greatest thing. He pretty much wants nothing. The only thing he wants these days is a new pair of shoelaces :)


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Originally Posted By: MeganADifference
That is a good idea. I am not 100% sure how they saved money doing this. I think it was a combination of selling off their things and then buying less stuff. No ordering books all the time. They weren't spending any time in store or in malls, so they were not enticed to spend. A lot of possessions come with extra expenses tied in, or fun extras that can accompany them. Like with a TV you are likely going to have a service provider for that or be renting movies or something that involves money. Books are typically going to be on bookshelves. Just little things that take up money here and there. He cleared out just about everything. His rent is lower because he fits comfortably into a smaller space now, prefers it in fact because it helps maintain that lifestyle. I think the biggest thing was simply the shift in mindset. I think a lot of people fall into the trap of wanting the latest, greatest thing. He pretty much wants nothing. The only thing he wants these days is a new pair of shoelaces smile


WOW !!

God Love Him !!

Too Cool cool

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Jilly Offline OP
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Yeah, that is pretty awesome. It would be challenging to only have 100 things. I have a lot of things. frown

I wonder how I would do it. I would have to not include food items, or first aid supplies, or gardening tools, or work-related items...jeez. How is this possible?

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Okay I made a thread about the 100 Things movement in the organization forum.

As for my clothes, i just picked up three more nice used teeshirts and one tee-nightshirt. This means I should get rid of three other shirts and one nightie?

Last edited by Jilly; 12/20/11 10:31 PM.
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Okay, I packaged up six more small bags of clothes. Now to figure out which to turn into rags and which ones are donatable.

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I usually start weeding my closet when I can't manage all my clothes in there. But I donate most of them, while others go to rags.


I love music, movies!! I write at mag for women in free time.
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jodiemt, that's great. I find it funny that people get rid of clothes and linens all the time, but then go to home depot and buy rags. I try to make my own rags, thank you very much. smile

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Personally, I don't like to use clothing for rags. I don't care for the way they "clean". And I much prefer to pass them along for others to wear. As for old linens and bedding, I take them to the local animal shelter where they are always wanted and used. Sometimes, those old linens shed too much lint to be of use during cleaning.

Now, if you're feeling very resourceful, you can make paper or crafts out of old clothing. smile I like to snip off the buttons and cut the fabric into small squares or fashion them into usable pieces. You can make some really great small drawstring purses to hold crystals or healing stones or pot pourri, etc. They can cover headbands, get crocheted into all sorts of things.

Anyway, I hardly own any clothing. I wear things out before I shop again. About the 100 things, if you don't count communal items like dishes and flatware, I probably don't own 100 things. I really scaled down a lot with each move, and after my son died, things just don't matter much to me.

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When I say rags I mean clothing and linens that are full of holes or stains or ripped - things that thrift stores cannot resell. smile

These don't have to be house cleaning rags. They can be the rags you wipe your hands with after checking your car fluids, or using while house painting, or for cleaning tools - any use that will cake goop onto something absorbent.

Last edited by Jilly; 12/21/11 11:48 PM.
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I keep a stack of these types of rags in my workshop, in my car, on the potting bench and among the craft stuff.

The very best rags - cotton from teeshirts mainly - I do use for house and floor cleaning.

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