GG clothing life

[Merinda]

Hi ,

As a CDer there are 3 basic reasons to purge clothing
(1) giving up (a fruitless excersise)
(2) unsuitable or doesn't fit anymore
(3) item has had its life

My questions are relating to reason 3

As a GG how long do you hold on to clothing that you commonly wear around the house ?

How long do you hold onto clothing that is suitable for going out shopping or visiting the neighbours ?

And finally , how long do you keep party , nightclub or resteraunt clothing ?
My DRAB home/shopping clothing has a life of around 2 years before replacement , how does this compare to GG's clothing?
My good quality DRAB clothing can last over a decade if it still fits.

[Curly(SO)]

I usually wear to death my favourite items so whether indoor or outdoor wear the life of my clothes would be a couple of years. They either look too washed out, or I'm bored of them or they are no longer fashionable enough to wear out.

I do however, have a few really nice dresses that only get worn occasionally and are not the sort to go out of style, so they will stay in my wardrobe for a lot longer! I find them a lot harder to part with even if they don't fit any more or never get worn...a kind of emotional attachment

I definitely don't have anything that is a decade old! My wedding dress that is seven years old this year has got to be the oldest thing in my wardrobe

Love,
Curly

[Merinda]

Thanks for your reply Curly,

My reason for asking is that a lot of EXPERIENCED CDers state that they dont purge at all , Genetic Girls seem to have a turnover of clothing over a period of time.

In my case I tend to hold onto CD items that have been worn to death and dont fit anymore , my wife would never hold onto such items that dont fit or are too old so why do I ?? "sentiment" ??

I am getting cluttered with items up to 4 1/2 years old and running out of room in this rented shoebox size house.

[DonnaT]

Well, there's a difference between cleaning out one's closet, and purging.

Purging means getting rid of everything because (any # of reasons), e.g., feeling guilt.

Both my wife and I are pack rats, and hold on to things far longer than we should. A couple of weekends ago she did a closet clean-out, of her clothes, and we took several bags of things to the church. She still has a lot of clothes she doesn't wear. I don't need to ask why, because I'm sure it's for the same reason I have a lot of things I don't wear.

I reckon this weekend may be a clean-out day for me. Both of my closets (one fem, one guy stuff) are stuffed to maximum capacity.

[Merinda]

Well, there's a difference between cleaning out one's closet, and purging.
Purging means getting rid of everything because (any # of reasons), e.g., feeling guilt.
.

Hi Donna,

My interest here is in clothing items that have had their day , nothing to do with a full purge from a quitting CDer. Perhaps I didn't explain it very well in my original post.

I am trying to work out what is considered a reasonable lifespan for each clothing item based on the average turnover of GG's clothing , I can then plot a chart with a date of review for each item and decide if it should be kept , put into the charity recycle bin or sentimental storage container.

Eg: After 2 years from purchase item shall be considered for removal if:
--- no plans to wear it again
--- not used within the last 12 months
--- no sentimental value

Immediate removal if :
--- item severly damaged
--- item no longer fits + no sentimental value
--- not suitable immediatly after purchase & return it to store

This way continual upgrading of clothing will keep up my interest and I should have enough available storage space , this will be my guide only & not a hard and fast rule.

[Virginia]

I have found that not only does my taste change, but (and no trips to the wood shed are warranted) I have become a bit more conservative in my appearance. I still have a few mini-skirts, and I still have the legs for them and, well, anyway, I just have less desire to garner the attention I use to get! Not that a girl does not want a few eyes on her, I would just rather it be because I look nice and not shall I say, "slutty?" Not that wearing a mini is slutty, mind you!

As for keeping clothing, I go through "my stuff" about once every month or so ----- see I have this "thing" with Goodwill The clothing is cheap and sometimes it is a spur of the moment thing and I take several items home and like a lot of girls, Goodwill being the result of spur of the moment purchases. You try them on and immediately ask yourself, "what was I thinking?" They are either returned or end up in what I call my "Goodwill Bag" and are re-donated and with the receipt they become a tax write off ------- I did not say that! I have at least five ankle length, gray pencil skirts, at least twice I forgot how many I had and the newer ones are nice, lined, and fit and all of a sudden I have several. For $3.00 each it just is no big deal. Guess it is the thrill of the hunt to some degree. I have several suits, one in particular, green print jacket and solid green lined pencil skirt, very very nice outfit!! Never worn it!!! Too dressy for shopping, or eating out, or clubbing, more of, dare I say church or semi-formal event, but no opportunity! And so it goes!!!!

Guess we all have our closet habits!!!!

Love,

Virginia

[Absaroka]

My wife goes through her closet with the change of season, i.e. twice a year.

Nicer dresses sometimes get held on to for decades. Everyday stuff like jeans until it wears out. Ever 6 months there is a bag for goodwill.

And then there is the weight change issue. Like many she has a size change every few years, vacilating back and forth between medium and large.

Absaroka

[Merinda]

My wife goes through her closet with the change of season, i.e. twice a year.

Absaroka

Hi Absaroka ,

Best I dont have a seasonal cleanout , Melbourne Australia is renouned for having weather of 4 seasons in one day

[Stephanie W]

Clothes can be a very personal thing, so how long one may hold onto something will vary, depending on what that item means to them. Now, if you're a fashion forward gal, then trends will dictate what you keep and what needs to be tossed away and when. For me though, I don't have the opportunity of wearing my femme clothes as often as I would like, so few of my clothes ever get to the 'worn out' stage, which eliminates that as a closet reduction solution. As a result, I tend to keep my clothes much longer. Never being able to grow one of those l'il ole money trees in my backyard, I generally opt for more 'classic styles' which never go out of fashion, although I do have a weakness for some trends which I'll give in to more than occasionally.

As far as getting rid of stuff, that's always been hard for me, except when I run across one of those "What was I thinking?" items. (Thanks V) I do have a few sentimental things I'll never get rid of, but a general clean out happens only when I'm almost out of closet space. Even though I may occasionally glance at all my guy stuff seemingly taking up valuable real estate, reality has thusfar prevented any action on that front as being an easy solution. So to answer your question, I would suggest just getting rid of what you know you'll probably never wear again, regardless of season. Just do it when you feel like it, rather than plotting a chart. That takes the fun out of playtime.

Stephanie