Ask:
Not sure how much clothing I should have. How much is too much. How many pairs of pants, shirts etc. What is the rule of getting rid of stuff when it comes to your own clothes? I don't need business clothes for work(I am an ER nurse and wear scrubs) but, should I still keep some around? How many casual outfits should one have? I tend to find myself wearing 5-6 favorites as staples and the rest just once in a blue moon. Should I par down to just my favorites? Maybe, I need to get adventurous and start wearing more of a variety? I don't know... I am tired of having all these clothes and feel I could par down, but unsure of just how many I should part with. Any suggestions?
Answer:
I own only 2 pairs of jeans. When one wears out, I get another pair.
I have 5 shirts. If I want a new one, another goes to charity. I have one nice black dress for weddings / funerals that I accessorize depending on the event.
DD has 3 pants, 3 dresses, 5 shirts.
Ds has 5 pants, 5 shirts and a few sweaters.
Summer:
DD 5 skorts, 5 t-shirts, 3 dresses, 2 swimsuits
DS 5 shorts, 5 t-shirts, 2 swimsuits
That's it and I love it that way.
I only keep what I love.
Answer:
I think that most people have too many clothes, but how much you get rid of kind of depends on how much of your clothing you're actually using.
I think most of us wear 20% of our wardrobe 80% of the time.
Here are some guidelines that have worked for me:
1. Timeliness. If you haven't worn it in a year, get rid of it. If you hang your hangers facing inside the closet instead of outside, you can tell within a certain time frame (such as a year) which items haven't been worn.
2. Feng Shui Your Closet. If it doesn't make you feel good, it's gotta go. I think of it as adding Feng Shui to your closet! If things remind you of a time when you were thinner, it may make you feel guilty. If it was an expensive item you barely wore, it may make you feel bad that you haven't gotten your money's worth. Get rid of things that aren't comfortable or are out of style. In other words, If you don't like the vibe you get when you look at something, get rid of it!
In our Pay it Forward contest we had someone suggest donating clothing to a Women's Shelter. If you know someone is benefiting from your castoffs, sometimes it is easier to part with them.