I’ve been reading the recent bout of purging posts with great interest. Unfortunately it’s been a really busy time for me, so my ability to comment has been limited… lying in bed with an ipad, I’d rather keep reading than fight with the keyboard! So this is a global thank you to all those that have shared their journey.

I actually recently did a bit of a purge myself, although the timing was coincidental. I’d gone to a friend’s house to show her my June haul, and we got into a great discussion about purging. At this point I had decided that I was done for a while, doing a no-buy July for sure, and maybe even August as
well. Let’s just say that June was really painful on my budget. But fun though :). She told me I need to go onto a “5 out 1 in” plan. And she’s right. See, thing is, I can’t purge. I’m TERRIBLE at it. And I don’t know why. So I’m going to put it to paper, and see if that helps, and to see if any of the rest of you have the same struggles, or if anyone has a way to overcome it.

I feel like I was brought up in the wartime or something. Maybe some of my mother’s attitudes are ingrained in me. I dunno. But when I put something on that is the right colour, and fits, I put it back in my closet – regardless of if I’ve
worn it, or if it fits my style aesthetic, or if it goes well with anything in my closet. It seems silly of me to get rid of something that is “perfectly fine” just for the sake of getting rid of it. And if I spent a lot of money on it,
well….!! Sometimes this is a good thing – for example a not worn white button up shirt that was just a titch snug was perfect to layer under the sparkly vest (Angie suggestion last fall) or under my sheath dresses – something that would have been purged in the more fluid era of now, however fluid doesn’t layer well…

I know all the logical arguments – let somebody else enjoy it, the money is already spent, yada yada. Those don’t help.

I’m obsessed with “the 10 item (cough cough) wardrobe”, 333, 30 for 30, the things the Vivienne files do, etc. I love hearing about your small wardrobes, and the process behind it. I play with creating these for myself. But I don’t follow through.

I love variety, yet I hate knowing I have fabulous clothes that I just don’t have enough days in the season to wear them “enough”.

All this being said, I DID finally put together two bags to donate over the last few days. 40 items… I had to count so I’d know how many new things I can get once I’m out of “no buy” mode J. But that is not as good as it sounds, many of those 40 items have not been worn in a decade – they were just out of site in a spare room closet. But I guess it’s a great start. I will have some time in the next week that I intend to keep going, while I’m in the mode. And I guess I hope this thread will help keep me in that mode!

I should add that since I went through the Energy Profiling/Dressing your Truth program, I did get rid of a TON of things that I finally understood why they weren’t right for me – either colour, design lines, type of pattern, etc. And because they never will be right, I can let them go. It’s when it’s “right” but
just not quite my style that I seem to struggle. Another reason I've been trying to figure that out, although the latest trend seem to be to change style!!

When I “do the numbers” I can’t possibly justify all this. I know things are at a high right now because I really am in an evolution, but still. I WANT to get rid of the older/less loved things. I WANT to love everything in my wardrobe. I just have SUCH. A. HARD. TIME. doing it.

OK, if you read all that, you are to be commended. Or committed. J

Thoughts? Suggestions? Commiseration?