How to cull for space reasons? - YouLookFab Forum

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How to cull for space reasons?

Laura (rhubarbgirl)

(website)

Veteran

I am facing another interstate move, and need to cull ahead of it. I am not a capsule dresser or minimalist by nature. For those of you that are like me, how do you make decisions about what stays and what goes? I feel like 90%+ of what I have fits well and suits me, so I’ve already done the easy culling. I’m trying not to get stuck in the sunk cost fallacy, but it’s also true that my clothing budget is lower than it used to be, so I honestly can’t expect to rebuy on the same level that I currently own.

General

27 replies

Latest reply was from elpgal

The Cat

Veteran

A couple of things to consider: (1) Will the climate be different from where you live now? (2) Will your lifestyle change? New job? New activities?

Aim to cull items that will get little or no use at your new place. If they are in good condition, perhaps you could sell them?

cheryl

Veteran

I have a hard time letting go of clothing so I feel for you. If you have already gotten rid of the easy stuff maybe group like items together and get rid of duplicates or items that are very similar.

Roberta

Veteran

I feel you. When I moved two years ago, clothes were the hardest thing. No change in climate or job, though I knew I would have less closet space in the new place. Bulky items were first to go; boot, coats. Then duplicates, as Cheryl says. I picked my favorite of the two (or three). I weeded a third of my underwear easily, ditto socks and hosiery.

But in the end, I didn't get rid of that much. Clothes are easy to pack without crushing, and you know . . . I loved them.The first thing I did (after eating ice cream for dinner) was hang things up in my closets and figure out what I was going to wear the next day.

nemosmom

Veteran

Nodding with others on purging duplicates and paring down unnecessary basics. Also, if everything works and you feel like you've edited as much as you can, look for creative storage solutions at your new place. Consider what gets hung v. folded, available space in other rooms - under the bed, in an ottoman, behind doors, in a dresser placed in a hallway. Even unexpected places like a deep linen closet can be used for off-season pieces stored in baskets behind the towels.

SarahD8

Veteran

I think the first step is to get clear on how much you need to cull. Is it 10% space-wise? 20%? Then you can be strategic about letting go of bulky things and duplicates in less important categories in order to get down to the required volume.

Gretchen

Veteran

I agree this is the hardest part - when everything fits, and it's not worn, how do you cull?

I'm taking the 'spark joy' approach and looking at if I really wear it, or if I just like having it. This is also a great time to bring in a friend - throw 3 shirts on a rack and tell her you can only pick one... which? Often she'll see something about fit or detail that you don't.

And 100% agree with looking at other storage solutions. If your wardrobe makes you happy, find someplace else to cut!

Suz

(website)

Veteran

Nodding along with the previous advice. I would consider climate, dominant activities in your new home, and what "sparks joy." As well as considering that you might be able to store more in the new place than you imagine.

Gigi

Veteran

I like the idea of really assessing how much you need to cull. A well-thought-out wardrobe is such an emotional booster, IMO, that I really would hate for you to have to give a lot of pieces up--especially when you're not going to have the same budget in your new surroundings. Are there some creative storage solutions that you can think of? Maybe look at some "apartment therapy" blogs to see what people do who live in small apartments. Or check out storage for extremely small homes. You might get some ideas.

rachylou

Veteran

I got rid of my books and kept the clothes...

(Ok, I’m not a complete plebe, I went digital on media.)

Heathearnshaw

Tuning into this. My problem is my weight fluctuates, sometimes a couple sizes depending on what time of the month it is. I always feel like I have to keep a full wardrobe for each size.

Anonymous

I moved from a house into a condo two weeks ago. It’s been a nightmare . I thought I had no space in my 4 bedroom house , until I moved and have about 1/4 of the storage I was used to . And I purged in a big way before we moved . Im still working on a plan for my clothes , and it means being creative with storage ( I’m installing two huge armoires side by side in my new dining room to act as storage for entertaining dishes , wine glasses et .....and my out of season clothes) . I’m going through my clothes piece by piece and getting rid of anything older than a couple of years , and anything I don’t love .

JAileen

Veteran

I think you shouldn’t cull anymore. Instead figure out better storage at your new place.

DonnaF

Veteran

Stacking hangers. Fit more into the same amount of space.

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Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

What Suz said.

Joy

Veteran

Been there, and am an eclectic dresser with 4 seasons. When we downsized, I decided that a third of my clothes ( all of which fit and I liked, would not be moved due to smaller space.
My method was to get all similar items on the bed ( like all winter wool skirts or black jackets) consider seasons and if the piece was part of an outfit. If I had 6 I got rid of 2 or more etc. This method worked well for me and I have missed very little. My worst mistakes were not being careful enough about an item that might be part of a favorite outfit and banishing a few colors completely I should also have considered that my. new climate still had 4 seasons, but less hot summer and longer transitional seasons. I sound have kept more things with sleeves.
I also swear by those stacking hangers. They save space but also make things easier to find. If I need a long sleeved white shirt, they are hanging one below the other. My closet is arranged by color and then by item...tops from sleeveless to heavy long sleeves and jackets, then skirts, then pants. Some day I hope to be able to use the shelf under the clothes for shoes in the colors hanging above them. Right now the shelves store clear plastic shoe boxes of scarves in the colors above,

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Once you're in your new place, we can help you find storage solutions. There are always solutions!

Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

I agree with holding off on major culling (beyond the obvious) if you can afford to transport the clothes. Moving always brings a bit of a change in lifestyle that you can't always predict--that's part of the fun. Maybe families will go out together after T-ball games, maybe you'll walk a lot more or notice that when it's chilly out, people in your new place wear blazers/jackets more than you're accustomed to. Once you've gotten into the swing of those kinds of things, then you can start removing what doesn't work.

Good luck with the move!

Vix

Veteran

Hi Laura --

You've gotten great ideas upthread for getting even more ruthless with culling.

I hear you on not wanting to donate / consign the nicer pieces because the budget isn't there to replace them, but if you can do any more consolidating obviously that helps. If you have any time while packing to think along the lines of "XYZ could stand in for wearing A," then perhaps A gets donated.

Totally want to echo Angie on YLF members being great resources for storage ideas!

I don't know if you've been all up in the world of storage solutions / "hacks" -- personally I was very very late to the game despite needing to be in it and pretty much had only underbed and off-season storage checked off...and there are better (rolling) solutions for those, too.

But: you actually can get far with inexpensive, fast, easy, and totally removable changes. And of course you can go even further with more money, labor, and permanence.

The results of YLF help below -- and here's the full Tiny Master Closet After thread that has links to what I bought as well as a link to the original brainstorm thread.

Two quick design comments related to storage:

if you paint the dresser etc the same color of your walls it helps it blend in
using nightstands that have deeper drawers vs one small drawer + open shelving can squeeze in storage (I put baskets in the guest room filing cabs to help corral further)

These were both quick-change projects. I found a lot of ideas or systems locked one in too much to an ideal -- now matter how much money you spend, it's better to think about HOW you live your life and your preferences.

Photo 1: Tiny Master Bedroom (back of door is great for more storage than this, long story)

Photo 2: Tiny Guest Room closet, formerly had my overflow; baskets are more for fun/form than function

original high-up back-to-front bar now bisected by new side-to-side one that runs underneath. No one under 6" can reach high bar using "conventional" hangers; stackable hangers let me reach the lowest items (infrequently worn) while out-of-season clothes are at the top.
for "folders," a dresser or more elaborate shelving system could go in...people who prefer to hang (hand up!) could take out the wire tower and do the 2nd, bar-hanging-from-bar thing I did in my own

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Anonymous

Agreeing with The Cat! If you're not expecting any big changes otherwise though, I'd wait since you're happy with what you have. Storage options cost less than clothes

Anonymous

Shout out to Vix. Those rooms are beautifully designed.

The Cat

Veteran

Having very limited space, living in a 4-season climate, and needing clothes and footwear for a number of different activities is a lifestyle that certainly has its challenges and force you to be creative when it comes to closet solutions. In the years when I was sharing a one-room flat, a considerable part of my wardrobe (especially out-of-season items) was neatly organized in closed transparent boxes under my bed.

BrieN

Veteran

I went from a walk-in closet that held everything to a smaller double door closet that has room for fall/winter or spring/summer. The off season goes into storage.

Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

Vix's rooms are beautiful--they look spacious, even though they aren't large. I might take that shelves/storage bins idea for overnight guests.

But for Laura, a couple illustrations of ways to work in storage when you think you don't have any more--storage boxes under the bed have already been mentioned. The benches at the end of the beds also offer storage potential, either with pretty baskets under them or by replacing them with storage benches (by not going all the way down to the ground, the benches would keep the room from feeling heavy/full). There is room on the side of the blue bed that doesn't have a nightstand for some sort of storage. Again, no shade on Vix--it's exciting to see how those room came together! Just trying to illustrate the point that others have made about "finding" storage.

Anonymous

Still following here with interest, as I still wrestle my clothes into submission after a recent downsizing /move. Joy's simple-yet-brilliant suggestion for using linking hangers to group like pieces is nothing short of, well, brilliant . My 57 black tops can all hang together instead of being randomly stuck under blazers and other jackets .

Sal

Veteran

I am late to the thread - I do empathise with your position.

It sounds like you have done the easy culling. I think I would move and put up with a suitcase or box or two in the short term until I knew what my new life was like.

I would probably also put myself on an "almost shopping ban" until after the move. Not a total one as you may need the odd piece but definitely new purchases must lead to one or more items exiting.

Once settled in you may find it easy to remove pieces that don't work in the new location, or once on the ground find a storage solution.

If you have to cull now I liked Joy's approach - you need to downsize by a third, so looking at approximately the worst third in each category. Of course most of us buy unevenly - I could downsize in jackets and scarves and evening wear and still have enough....but if I got rid of any jeans or sweaters I would struggle as I only have minimal numbers (5 jeans and 5 sweaters). I think most of us have easy categories that attract us and ones we find harder. I also know some people that only have 3 pairs of jeans and do fine so I could do it.

Cee

Veteran

When I saw the post title, I thought you were being accepted by NASA !!

elpgal

Veteran

When I was desperate, I bought two of those 5 foot Rubbermaid containers, stacked them one on top of another, draped a pretty tablecloth over it and called it done. Shopping for new stuff is a major hassle so I’d be inclined to hold on to clothing especially if it fits well and you like it.