How many clothes do you have in your closet…right now?
Come on, be honest here…a few, a lot, a ton?
My question is this: If you value something so much…then don’t you think you should be wearing it, let’s cast-off the old and make room for the new!
The reality is we are a society who likes to accumulate and accumulate! Dating back to the Great Depression, we tend to keep everything we believe has monetary value when, in reality, it really doesn’t. We keep items that we may need…someday, for some unforseen purpose, but we are just sure we had better keep that sweater.
For example, a pretty dress or a nice suit you bought ten years ago, could have been a wise investment…10 years ago. Does it even fit anymore? Have you worn it lately? Is it even in style or functional?? Could it come back in style someday? Maybe. Styles do often return. But this is not a reason to hold onto things you don’t use…”just in case.”
You may feel like, because you spent “good” money on it, you are throwing money away. But ask yourself this… is it putting money in your pocket sitting there in the back of your closet with dust on the shoulders? Is it giving you anything? Do you benefit at all from keeping outdated outfits? Let’s get busy then and cast-off the old clothes, accesories, shoes, purses, scarves and make room for NEW.
Now ask yourself one more question… will you gain anything by getting rid of it and donating it to charity?
Of course you will!
The benefits?
More space to be able to keep the clothes you are going to wear (we only wear 50% of the clothes we own, by the way.) I might even suggest buying a new outfit for every three to five you get rid of.
The purpose?
Because new clothes make people feel good. I don’t recommend buying new clothes for the sake of buying new clothes and throwing away your money. But you’ve got to admit putting on a new pair of pants that make us look better is a nice, uplifting feeling.
Also…clothes that fit, that you like, are in good condition can serve us very well in our daily lives. But by keeping something you no longer wear or use you are not getting anything in return but more clutter and a lack of storage space you could be using for something else.
Here is something you can do right now with items (they don’t have to be clothes) you are holding onto because you paid good money for them.
1. Go find ten items you own for one reason and one reason only… because you paid for it.
2. Grab a piece of paper and make three columns.
3. Write the items you are having trouble getting rid of in the left column. In the middle column, write “why I am keeping this item” and in the third column write “what will I gain by getting rid of this item.”
My guess is you will have a lot more in the right column than you will in the middle. Be specific with both. If you can honestly fill up the middle column with more reasons of why you should keep it, and they are good, legitimate reasons, then maybe you shouldn’t get rid of it.
But I’m willing to bet that won’t be the case. What will you do with all your free closet space?
This article may be hopping around the following Blog Hops: (mis)Adventures Mondays Blog Hop, The HomeAcre Hop, Wildcrafting Wednesday, Homestead Blog Hop, From the Farm Fridays, Simple Saturdays Blog Hop, Simple Life Sunday Blog Hop.
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