Anybody doing a ruthless New Year's closet cleanout? - YouLookFab Forum

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Anybody doing a ruthless New Year's closet cleanout?

MsMary

Veteran

I am two years into retirement and still figuring out what to wear. I did a huge closet cleanout when I retired in October 2023, and then another fairly big cleanout this fall. And then it was December, and I felt the urge to do one more round before the end of the year. I am becoming more ruthless about de-accessioning things that no longer serve me. For example, I had this AT Loft summer top for YEARS and took it on more vacations than I can count, but... it was time for it to go. The quality wasn't that great to begin with, and after all this time... I can do better. I DO have better items in my wardrobe. So adios, AT Loft summer top! (Fortunately I have a friend who is my size and has a daughter the same size, and she happily takes all my castoffs!)

In slightly related news, my husband and I have a shelf in our kitchen for cookbooks and it had expanded to fill most of the adjacent countertop. We pared down to what would actually fit on the shelf, and put the rejects up for grabs at our New Year's Day party -- and lo and behold they almost all found homes and the people who took them were thrilled!!

So... anybody else paring down in the new year?

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Latest reply was from Lisa

LJP

Veteran

Yup . I had 2 weeks off over the holidays and did a closet clean out the other day . Less to pass on than I expected , even with my usual ruthless eye . One green garb bag full that will be donated . I’m looking to reduce my colour options in my closet - it’s too disconnected . Feels great though , doesn’t it ? I did a HUGE cookbook cull when we moved from our house into a condo . I put them outside in a box on the boulevard with a “ free “ sign and they were gone in 1/2 hr .

Suz

(website)

Veteran

Way to go, Mary!

Closet cleanouts are the best! I did a really big one in the fall...several large bags worth of donations and also a bag of -- oops, no one will ever wear this again! stuff. Utterly worn out. (Mostly footwear for that....)

I'm not doing any more clearing out now but will do another in the spring for sure!

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

*applause*

Good job Mary, LJP and Suz! Feels great to be organized. It's awfully satisfying to pass on items that no longer work for us, yet can work for others. Win-win

When you live in a loft like we do - going on 7 years now - ruthless edits are a way of life! You have to watch what comes in too. There is not much we can store, so we are extra thoughtful.

My wardrobe - and our home - is well edited!

JAileen

Veteran

I definitely need to go through my clothes closet. I haven’t done a big clean out in several years. But our living room and office have had a higher priority. During the pandemic, when everyone else cleaned out their closets, we were lazing around on the couch, watching murder mysteries and drinking French cocktails. We have paid for it, with a living room and office that looked like a hoarder’s. We have tidied up the living room and it looks pretty nice, actually. We were able to donate several pieces of furniture, and put in a wall of bookcases, increasing our storage of books, games, etc. The office, however, still looks like it’s from the Collyer Brothers’ home.

LJP

Veteran

Haha - JAileen - now *that* is funny.

Cookie

Veteran

JAileen, you sound like my kind of people!

Janet

(website)

Veteran

Ohhhh, I love a good closet cleanout story. I did a little bit over the past year, but yeah, I added probably almost as much as I let go, LOL. I also had some things altered to fit, which helped them stay in my closet.

I have some really nice things that are just waiting -- some for years -- for me to regain the mood to wear again. I'm not sure if I'm just kidding myself, but I know that a few times I've let go of some things that felt not-so-current anymore (a burgundy pair of square-toe booties comes to mind), and a couple of seasons later I wish I had them back. Truth be told, I have too much. There simply are not enough days that I get *dressed* to leave the house to justify all the stuff I have. But some things are not frequently worn but they make me happy when I do wear them, and I feel it's wasteful to let go of those things just to reach an arbitrary number of items in my closet.

That said, there are some things I need to get real about. I've been undergoing a subtle shift -- simpler tops and more interesting bottoms (how did that happen??), more solid colors and fewer patterns, simpler bags.

MsMaven

Veteran

I began unpacking after our 2 1/2 week trip to New Zealand and Australia, walked into my closet, and possibly because I was worn out after the long trip home, I started piling up clothes that I had yearned to get rid of but felt too guilty to do so. My closet is crowded. After all, some were good items that just didn't work for me--color off, style not quite what I'd hoped for. I was exasperated with myself. I put them in the guest room, but still haven't put them into the donation bags.

My social life has changed dramatically in the last 5 years. Covid, Mr. M's (final) retirement, and body changes due to aging. It's not 2020 anymore baby! I'm still hanging on to a couple of nice blazers from "before" and some cashmere cardigans that I wore a lot--and they look worn! (They are still in my closet for now.)

Completely unorganized. I'm still tired from traveling. I'm also setting aside fashion jewelry to donate to the I Have Wings Breast Cancer Foundation that I learned about on YLF a couple of years ago.

I have too much stuff! And life is so much more casual now.

That didn't keep me from ordering a few end of year sale items.

Carla

Veteran

My mother relocated to retirement/assisted living in my town, brought too much, and then started filtering her ‘stuff’ through me as she made over her apartment. The local Mission Thrift and Habitat for Humanity absorbed quite a bit, but in the end we rented a dumpster to deal with it, and did a yard, garage, and house edit of our own stuff as well.

In the past few months, DH has been going through our tech, and now there is a small pile of e-waste to donate.

I have two garbage bags of clothing and other ‘stuff’ but it is mostly mom’s. Not a week goes by that she doesn’t pass something on to me. This week it was holiday decor she has decided to jettison, and some clothes she says she hasn’t worn in 2 years. I added a few things of my own before the calendar turned over to 2026.

Carol

(website)

Veteran

I doubt I will do a ruthless closet clean out, but I do want to work on my ability to let things go. I love your description of that shirt being not quite
right...I always end up keeping things I should let go of.

unfrumped

Veteran

I don’t do that well with ruthless, but I’ve been finally culling this year some things that were just big mistakes and yet I hated to admit it all ghd sunk cost guilt, or, “maybe I could make it work. “

I know I’m more likely to hone a better style by peeling away this and that and not adding more until I can see more clearly what it is that is working really well. But sometimes I wish there were a detailed guide to what to cull, what to get instead. I know it’s not found in those YouTuber lists, though!

Need more aha moments!

Thinking of doing some Pinterest board editing and updating to collect “ free” outfits/ styles that better represent something about where I think I want to
go.

Jaime

(website)

Veteran

Well I am moving clothes from my active closet to storage and getting rid of some things that will never work again. Does that count ?

cat2

Veteran

No. Jettisoning pre-tariff goods for post-tariff goods makes no sense. Jettisoning pre-private equity goods for post-private equity goods makes no sense. Your next round of shopping is going to be more expensive and more of the brands you are familiar with will have perfectly dreadful quality.

kellygirl

Veteran

Not ruthless but I think it’s time again to thin out some things I haven’t been wearing. It’s easier for me to do it gradually—usually by deciding the item isn’t working when I get dressed in the morning. Good luck!

Jenni NZ

Veteran

I can never do a ruthless clean out Mary. I am too sentimental for that. I do it gradually and feel better that way. But retirement is only just starting now for me and I have not yet let go of my work identity after 40 years. I may still do a little work this year but yay not this month. I will be scrutinising the many forum posts about retirement style including yours, they will help. As my preferred style is a wee bit dressier than many women I hope much of my work clothes may still be worn- I was not a pumps person like you were. Not a blazer person either, and I find that I often would wear clothes happily in the weekend that I had worn to work.

Sal

Veteran

I edit gradually mostly. When I wear something and suddenly it is too shabby or fit issues are evident. Every couple of years I am a bit more extreme.

My office is my main source of house clutter. Work magazines, notebooks, electronics etc. And my son that is overseas has a fair bit of clutter in his room that I don’t know whether to clear up or not.

Janet

(website)

Veteran

Not ruthless, but today a had a couple of quiet hours to spend at home, and I pulled out all my handbags. Two of them are getting donated, and I have four set aside to sell. A couple that I like but never use are getting rotated into a spot where I will see them, to see if I gravitate towards them when I get dressed in the near future. I have three in my holding zone. I’m getting pickier about bags lately. I also realized that I no longer have bags that require those guitar straps that were so popular a few years ago, so my strap collection is going away too.

karen23

Not at the moment, even though much of the clothing in my closet is one size too small (the too-small items are at the back.) Other more visible areas are more in need of a good cleanup and organizing.

Lisa

Veteran

No ruthless edit for me, but it's a lovely way to start the year and I have done big edits in prior years. I'm sure my graphic tee collection could use an edit, it's the one area I don't 1 in/1 out and it shows. But I just adore my graphic tees and I have plenty of storage for them. Something to consider editing in the future though.

How wonderful that you have someone to take your beloved shirt, it's always nice when something that was well loved goes to a new home for a second life.