By Elizabeth Shay
Did you know that the average person only wears 20% of the clothes in their closet on a regular basis? I don’t know about you guys, but I have been wearing the same few t-shirts and pairs of sweatpants through these past months. So I decided to take action and sort through the mini department store in my house (aka my closet). Let me tell you, I found some things that haven’t seen the light of day since the dark ages of middle school and freshman year. My style has definitely changed since then, and, with college just around the corner, I was excited to take the opportunity to begin building an updated wardrobe that is both stylish and practical.
Here are the steps I took and some tips to help you get started:
- Start with two piles (keep, donate/sell) and do a quick sort-through of all your clothes. If there are any items that you are unsure of, put it in the keep pile for now.
- Look through the “donate/sell” pile and further split it up based on what you want to donate and what you want to sell. With the money made from selling items, think about donating to a charity of your choice!
Places to sell: Depop and Poshmark
Places to Donate: Goodwill, Angel View, local shelters
- Look through the “keep” pile; don’t worry if it’s really large. Look through it again, and you’ll likely be able to identify more items to donate or sell.
- Next steps to take include reorganizing your wardrobe and buying new pieces or revamping old ones. For example, consider using acrylic paints to transform your old jeans and shorts! Or, get out your scissors and sewing machines and get creative. And if you’re buying new items, make sure to shop smart and purchase pieces that you know you will wear and can be utilized in many different outfits so that all your hard work does not go to waste.
Learned-Something-New Editor: Hannah Hall
Source: https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424127887324240804578415002232186418%C2%A0
Elizabeth,
Great practical advice. I have been doing this, albeit, not as organized as you prescribed, and boy does it feel liberating. This is a great activity for anyone, whether or not college is just around the corner. I thank you, and the thrift stores thank you!
Ms Anders
Elizabeth,
I did the y same thing. In fact I put away some stuff I want to give to young ladies at PVS that are lightly used but designer clothes. Also, it made em realized I had so much of the same. The good thing with this isolation is it gave many people the time to reevaluate their material belongings. Our household got a purge and we got a lot of tax deductions. My husband even donate this 72 VW Bug that he had been trying to refurbish for the last 7 years when he realized he is just too busy. Also, the funs stuff for me at the age of 52 was to go through my 1980s, 1990s, 2000s and 2010s stuff. Okay, I am biased the 80s still rock! Thanks for the inspiration. You er a superstar!
Warmest wishes,
Kimberley Yang, PhD, LMFT
( 3rd Grader Wyatt Palmer’s Mother)
Sorry for any typos I a mutiltasking.
Great idea’s! Also, Revivals is another second hand store that takes donations of cloths.
Love this post! Excellent pointers. Now I must get the family to follow them!