Community Chat

[Burnsite]

I buy everything on sale, but sometimes confuse a great _sale_ with a great _buy_ and acquire something I never use enough to justify keeping.

I've been downsizing and reoganizing as my summer project and just doing my clothes and jewelry took so much longer than I thought it would. Though my kitchen re-org will be even worse!

I have two small coat-type closets, one for work clothes and one for sleep/exercise/at home clothes, with shoes divided the same way.  (Well, I don't sleep in my shoes, but I collect sneakers and also have a lot of sandals).  There was space left after my removal of six large bags of underused clothing and shoes to dig out purses from an under the bed unit and place them in visible storage.  There is now also space to store some extra towels (don't have a linen closet).  Best of all, there is space around the clothes, so they are not all jammed together and I can really see what I have.

Kitchen and books are the big categories left, wish me luck!

ETA:  The hospital thrift shop got about half the discards; my sister got the stuff I know she'd like.  All this stuff was in great condition; I just wasn't using these garments.

My sister is so happy about my downsizing kick!  And her daughter has my shoe size and similar taste, so everything has found a good secomd home.

I do think it's a life stage thing to want to simplify--but I doubt I will ever stop shopping entirely.

[Sooner]

Gee OP, it is a familiar story for me.  In recent years, I've started buying at full price (I always have a Talbots coupon or sale day) when the clothing comes in at the very first of spring/summer and fall winter.  I try to buy what I NEED, then ignore the sales mostly later--unless there is something I LOVE and wear all the time and need ANOTHER one!  LOL!!!  I have spent less money this way than doing a lot of sale shopping and, as you said, impulse buying!

You are a wise woman and thanks for you and the other "good eggs" who posted ideas and experiences!

[colliegirls]

 Proud of you!

[SunValley]

Thanks ladies for the nice replies and good suggestions. 

[Bird mama]

SunValley - I started taking a critical look at my house in general beginning in May.  I rid myself of a few pieces of furniture via local freecycle and it felt so good to give things to people who really needed it and appreciated it.

I've jumped on the KonMari method of decluttering and am currently in the process of surrounding myself with things that bring me joy versus just surround me (lol).

I hear what you are saying and all I can say is don't look back - just think of the money you will be saving from now and into the future.

Congratulations on the progress you are making :-)

[CANDLEQUEEN]

I too did this about two months ago, and I donated it to a Women's shelter here in town, I felt so good about it. I am not a shopaholic either, but I do love to shop. I tend to be very sensible and not buy on an impulse any longer-I used to do that years ago......But I also think that as time goes on, you get sick of things that you have had for years, but they are still in good condition, so it is a good thing to donate and give away!!!!!!! My husband did it with his closet as well...... 

[SunValley]

I find it interesting that I never went into debt or other horror stories of purchasing. It's that I took a critical look at my closet and saw such waste of resources. I don't need that much and now I'd rather buy fewer pieces that I love and will use then multiples of things that just take up space. Those with mountains of debt, I cannot even imagine how horrible that must be. We all have spending habits that could be improved, debt or no debt, rich or poor or in between.

[hckynutjohn]

To the OP. Done what?  Ya lost me in your closet full of??

[SunValley]

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@hckynutjohn wrote:

To the OP. Done what?  Ya lost me in your closet full of??

Purged my closet sooner and reaped the benefits of some lessons learned.

[hckynutjohn]

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@SunValley wrote:

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@hckynutjohn wrote:

To the OP. Done what?  Ya lost me in your closet full of??

Purged my closet sooner and reaped the benefits of some lessons learned.

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  Not real sure what that means.

I got lots of "stuff" in our closets that I rarely use, but since we have tons of room? Don't consider myself to be a hoarder, but I do like things that I have been awarded to still be part of my life. Keep mostly things that have some value to me one way or the other, and also many old things that are still functional and I use them.

Never been one that even made an attempt to keep up with what everyone else was wearing when it came to mens clothes. I wore/wear what is comfortable to me and if it ain't in?  Like my wife says on occasion, "you look like a homeless man", but I think she exaggerates just a soch on that one.

Thank you for replying.