A practical guide to owning fewer clothes

Serzen · Apr 05, 2016 at 05:47 PM

A Practical Guide to Owning Fewer Clothes

Who doesn't have too much clothes? I sure do, I need to put this to practice.

Skeezyks · Apr 05, 2016 at 08:38 PM

The Skeezyks has shed SO many articles of clothing! A lot of it went because I lost weight & it no longer fit. But I still have much more than I actually need since I rarely go anywhere. Mostly I just wear overalls & crew neck cotton knit shirts or tee shirts during the summer . I could probably get along with... oh... three pairs of overalls & a similar number of shirts (just so I could wash 'em once in a while!)

The good thing is that most of what I do have, I've had literally for years... in some cases for decades. Some of it is probably older than a lot of the members here on PC!

gayleggg · Apr 06, 2016 at 08:24 AM

Thanks for the article. I know I need to pin it to the fridge and really get to work cleaning out my closet.

ScientiaOmnisEst · Apr 06, 2016 at 09:26 AM

I seem to be the only person with the opposite first-world problem of having too few clothes for my liking. And the ones I do have are mostly just practical: I literally live in jeans and t-shirts, unless I have an interview.

I can barely stop myself from browsing pretty clothes online: I want to dress nice, dammit! Laziness and lack of money keep me the way I am. It's embarrassing though, when everyone else has a closet full of nice stuff and my entire wardrobe fits in a single suitcase.... :/

Serzen · Apr 06, 2016 at 01:04 PM

Thanks for the answers! Glad it is of help!

Scientia, people who own more than you are not happier than you are. Minimalism is not against consumerism, but in favour of conscious consumerism. So it is good that you want to dress nice, the bad thing would be to have an exploding wardrove.

You can dress nice and have few clothes at the same time. For example, I only own two pairs of shoes: one for going out (I wear T-shirts, which I have too many, or shirts and jeans.) and one for sports (In this case of course I wear sport clothes.).

So that's basically my wardrove. I have to get rid of many t-shirts. I also own a lot of underwear and socks, but imo they are never enough.

I also realized that most of the clothes I own are the ones that were given to me as presents. That tells a lot about how consumerism affects all of us.

placebo effect · Apr 06, 2016 at 07:26 PM

I will definitely read this. My closet is bursting at the seams. I really need to trim it back a bit. Thank you.

Serzen · Apr 11, 2016 at 06:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by placebo effect

I will definitely read this. My closet is bursting at the seams. I really need to trim it back a bit. Thank you.

Glad it is of help! I need to trim back mine as well!

ScientiaOmnisEst · Apr 12, 2016 at 02:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Serzen

Thanks for the answers! Glad it is of help!

Scientia, people who own more than you are not happier than you are. Minimalism is not against consumerism, but in favour of conscious consumerism. So it is good that you want to dress nice, the bad thing would be to have an exploding wardrove.

You can dress nice and have few clothes at the same time. For example, I only own two pairs of shoes: one for going out (I wear T-shirts, which I have too many, or shirts and jeans.) and one for sports (In this case of course I wear sport clothes.).

So that's basically my wardrove. I have to get rid of many t-shirts. I also own a lot of underwear and socks, but imo they are never enough.

I also realized that most of the clothes I own are the ones that were given to me as presents. That tells a lot about how consumerism affects all of us.

Only two? Hell, I have more than that and it's not enough for me....could be a gender thing too, though. Most of the guys I know could happily own two changes of clothes and be done with it. Whereas, like I said, I've always envied girls with packed closets.

Appearance is probably part of it: if you want to experiment with looks, you need more stuff. If you're content to wear more or less the same thing all the time, mimimalism becomes easy.

I know liking clothes and fashion is bad. I kind of don't care, I'm just tired of living in jeans, t-shirts, and ugly sneakers.

placebo effect · Apr 13, 2016 at 06:40 PM

Update. Very helpful. A third of my closet is gone. Thanks again!

May 18, 2016 at 02:18 PM

I'm a believer but my spouse is not. That's why he uses 3/4s of our closet!

jemmi2016 · May 24, 2016 at 05:46 AM

Thank you! I think that excessive consumption is a way to feel satisfaction, even though pragmatically speaking it is not necessary. Reminds of Fromm, "To be or to have", if I remember the title correctly.

ManOfConstantSorrow · May 25, 2016 at 02:07 AM

I am allergic to shopping and have little apparel - my kit is all falling apart so a late night visit to M&S is now unavoidable.

Mrs MOCS has much clobber - I threaten to bin everything less than size 16 - she starts shouting. Why?

strive356 · Feb 05, 2017 at 06:56 PM

I have five or six huge bags of clothes to unpack. They probably won't fit in my closets. So I'm waiting to order my dresser. Then my aunt will come over and help me unpack. She has low blood pressure. She wasn't feeling well last time. So we are going to give away half the clothes. I won't be a real minimalist, but it suffices.

strive356 · Feb 05, 2017 at 06:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Serzen

Glad it is of help! I need to trim back mine as well!

I'm afraid after I unpack my closet will be bursting at the seams too

RainyDay107 · Mar 18, 2017 at 10:43 AM

Thanks! By general rule, I donate any clothes that are too large. It's the opposite of typical advice to get rid of your thin clothes, but it works for me.

I have a huge handbag collection. Those are keepers. =]

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A practical guide to owning fewer clothes

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Serzen Grand Poohbah Member Since Sep 2014 Location: Buenos Aires Posts: 1,703 9 391 hugs given	Apr 05, 2016 at 05:47 PM #1 A Practical Guide to Owning Fewer Clothes Who doesn't have too much clothes? I sure do, I need to put this to practice. __________________ Only that day dawns to which we are awake. — Henry David Thoreau
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gayleggg Legendary Wise Elder Community Liaison Member Since Apr 2013 Location: Texas Posts: 26,619 (SuperPoster!) 11 10.4k hugs given	Apr 06, 2016 at 08:24 AM #3 Thanks for the article. I know I need to pin it to the fridge and really get to work cleaning out my closet. __________________ Bipolar I, Depression, GAD Meds: Zoloft, Zyprexa, Ritalin "Each morning we are born again. What we do today is what matters most." -Buddha zaicy1@gmail.com
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placebo effect Junior Member Member Since Apr 2016 Location: somewhere Posts: 12 8	Apr 06, 2016 at 07:26 PM #6 I will definitely read this. My closet is bursting at the seams. I really need to trim it back a bit. Thank you.
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placebo effect Junior Member Member Since Apr 2016 Location: somewhere Posts: 12 8	Apr 13, 2016 at 06:40 PM #9 Update. Very helpful. A third of my closet is gone. Thanks again!
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anon12516 Guest Posts: n/a	May 18, 2016 at 02:18 PM #10 I'm a believer but my spouse is not. That's why he uses 3/4s of our closet!
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jemmi2016 Junior Member Member Since May 2016 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 12 7	May 24, 2016 at 05:46 AM #11 Thank you! I think that excessive consumption is a way to feel satisfaction, even though pragmatically speaking it is not necessary. Reminds of Fromm, "To be or to have", if I remember the title correctly.
	Reply With Quote

ManOfConstantSorrow Grand Poohbah Member Since Jul 2014 Location: United Kingdom Posts: 1,954 9 4 hugs given	May 25, 2016 at 02:07 AM #12 I am allergic to shopping and have little apparel - my kit is all falling apart so a late night visit to M&S is now unavoidable. Mrs MOCS has much clobber - I threaten to bin everything less than size 16 - she starts shouting. Why?
	Reply With Quote

strive356 Member Member Since Feb 2017 Posts: 74 7	Feb 05, 2017 at 06:56 PM #13 I have five or six huge bags of clothes to unpack. They probably won't fit in my closets. So I'm waiting to order my dresser. Then my aunt will come over and help me unpack. She has low blood pressure. She wasn't feeling well last time. So we are going to give away half the clothes. I won't be a real minimalist, but it suffices.
	Reply With Quote

RainyDay107 Grand Member Member Since Feb 2017 Location: M Posts: 989 7 2,452 hugs given	Mar 18, 2017 at 10:43 AM #15 Thanks! By general rule, I donate any clothes that are too large. It's the opposite of typical advice to get rid of your thin clothes, but it works for me. I have a huge handbag collection. Those are keepers. =]
	Reply With Quote