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Tell me how and when you purge items

Sylvie

Veteran

I know that Angie (and maybe some others) follow a one-in-one-out strategy. We always post when we acquire new items but we never mention when they get purged or tossed aside. I'm very curious as to how long people keep their items, how many wears they get out of them and what pushes you to purge.

Here are some items that you've seen me post when I first acquired them that have now been purged.

1) Red ATL top. Bought 9/2011. Purged at $3.85 CPW because it just seemed baggy and unflattering on me. It was wide and short.

2) Teal ATL cardigan. Bought 9/2011. Donated at $5.4 CPW because it was in perfectly good shape but it just made me feel frumpy. There wasn't a single outfit where I wouldn't rather have worn a different cardigan.

3) Teal dress from Macy's. Bought 5/2011. Purged at $3 CPW because the seams were literally coming undone.

4) Green Jcrew outlet cardigan. Bought 10/2010. Ready to be purged at $0.97 CPW since I have a replacement. I just need to move it out of my drawer. The pink dress has been relegated to loungewear.

5&6) Diagonal long sleeved tops. Bought 1/2012. Purged at $4.34 CPW because I had never owned a rayon top before and I washed them in the machine. If I had handwashed them, I'd still be wearing them.

Not shown:
Gap L&L: Purged at $0.50 CPW because I decided they were sufficiently worn out.
Gap Bootcut Jeans: Purged at $0.87 CPW because the zipper broke

Don't read too much into the low CPW numbers. There are some higher CPW items that I am doggedly holding onto in the hope that I'll wear them.

I'd love to hear the "story" of some of your post-YLF clothing items, with as much detail as you feel comfortable sharing.

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Dressing

30 replies

Latest reply was from MNsara

qfbrenda

Veteran

I tend to purge as the inclination randomly arises, but I happen to have taken a few things out of my closet today....

I just purged a couple of pairs of sandals. One pair was Mephistos and labeled as "gear" by the YLF crowd a year ago. I kept them in case I needed them for camping but they were never worn, so out they go.

The other pair is dark wedge sandals. If they were nude, I would keep and wear them.

I also downgraded a couple of striped tees to lounge/sleepwear since I have better options now for regular wear.

I have 2 striped Gap dresses that I plan to Ebay soon. I made the mistake of buying 100% cotton knit. You know where this is going, right? Sag, city. They look horrible after wearing them for a couple of hours and aren't comfy to wear since they have no spandex for some give. I love their stripes, but that's all I love. I won't make that mistake again.

Any chance the dress in 3 could be repaired? It's very pretty and seams usually aren't hard to resew.

deb

Veteran

I purge at the end of a season. I turn the hangers so the open side is facing me on items from last season and place the hanger corectly when an item is worn. For instance, currently my fall/winter clothes have their hangers placed backwards but when the weather turns cool enough to start wearing them, they are moved to the front of the closet. The summer items are moved to the back with their hangers turned backwards. Then as I wear the cool weather items, their hangers are hung correctly. Once spring arrives, I know which winter items I have worn. Those that have not been worn go into a purge/wait bag then halfway through next fall, the bag is donated. I do not use this method for formal clothes, shoes. or belts. This method has worked well for me for years.

Sylvie

Veteran

Brenda, when did you buy the items you just purged? Are they several years old or a year old? Are the Gap dresses post-YLF? I could have resewed up the seams of the dress but to tell the truth it was looking a little shabby and worn - the lace at the top had stretched out and I felt I had gotten my wear out of it.

Deb, your process sounds very efficient. I know I have things I didn't wear this summer (but haven't purged). Do you find that things will only last you one season or do they last 2-3 seasons?

As you can tell, I'm very curious as to how long (ex: 3 summers, 2 years, 6 months) clothing items stick around in people's wardrobes.

qfbrenda

Veteran

The Mephisto's and wedges were both hand-me-downs that were pre-YLF. The tees and Gap dresses I have bought within the last year after joining YLF.

Deb, I really like the idea of turning the hangers backwards. I might have to try that.

deb

Veteran

Sylvie, I find things usually last several seasons. Of coarse there are the items that look worn and these I purge when I find they are no longer in the best shape. Of these, tee's and jeans make it to the yardwork area first and after,100% cotton items, especially panties and jammies, go to the shoe/bag polishing box. If I have enough polishing rags, they go to the garbage.

ramya

Veteran

When I stop loving something, I immediately try and find faults with it....That's how I am. So when I don't like something I used to wear it to office(when I worked) and by the end of the day I had reasons not to like them or reasons I like them. So depending on it , it either stayed or went out
No particular time... But usually when I brought something within a week or two something went off. Except when I went on vacation or back to my native. I ended up with lot more than I can purge

I lived in India , so obviously there are only 2 seasons summer and rains So seasonal purge isn't exactly what I could do.

Thinking about it. There was method to my madness.... I kind of kept about say 20 items of clothes that I would wear in a month. So , I would know if they have a place or not in my wardrobe.

Anonymous

As far as purging, I just go rummaging thru my closets like the Tasmanian devil. My biggest after YLF purge was all of the BF cardis and V necks I bought from LOFT in 2010. They were purged last year, at once. The quality was not really there. I purged lots of GAP jeans and skinnies. The rise is too long on me.

I still have lots of the K/R purchases I've posted. Many items were returned, however. I have a holding zone for new purchases. If something does not get worn before the return period is over, it generally goes back.

Krista

Veteran

In addition to seasonal purges because I have limited closet and storage space, I also purge based on my level of annoyance with an item. Eventually some items become too small or I realize that I can't make the proportions work, no matter how hard I try. So these items usually end up thrown in a purge pile in a fit of rage and frustration.
I posted some dresses earlier in the week that I've had at least 5 years, maybe more. They have stood the test of time, so they will not be purged until I absolutely have to get rid of them. Also, I rarely purge expensive items after just one season. I like to see if I can get a little more wear out of them. However, if they just don't cut it, they go in the pile. I don't like to look at my closet and feel frustration around what I'm not wearing - life is too short!

April

Veteran

I envy those of you who have more systematic ways of doing this, but I am mostly an emotional purger. I see it, I realize I don't love it, I banish it.

Sometimes what pushes me to purge something I've been on the fence about is my consignment shop, which requires a minimum of ten pieces. If I have eight pieces to consign, I'll suddenly become ruthless about what's allowed to remain.

Glory

Veteran

I recently did a huge purge of my closet but the majority of items were very dated or did not fit. I use the hanger turn as well and have my clothing grouped: tops by colour/season etc. At the end of the season I can see what I have not used and I decide to toss of keep. Also the hangers force me to look at what I don't reach for and gets me to wear what I often won't

Suz

(website)

Veteran

LOL, you're asking ME? Honestly, I think Claire and I could hire ourselves out to do interventions for the hoarders-who-want-to-break-the-habit on YLF.

I purge ALL. THE. TIME.

And this is funny, because remember, I have a pretty small wardrobe to start. No wonder I feel like my wardrobe doesn't have a core.

How do I purge thee? Let me count the ways.

1. End of season (fall/winter or spring/summer) as I am transferring from main closet to storage closet. Things that go then are those that are showing their age or that just haven't worked out very well, despite my attempts to love them.

2. Mid-season (as spring changes to summer...etc. ) - as above.

3. Beginning of season. This is when I generally get rid of things that had all the problems named above, but still held my love in a big way. My sentimentals.

4. Whenever something gives me the poison eye. That is, emotionally. I just don't feel right about an item, so out it goes.

I don't have a clue about CPW for most items because I never have worked that out. I'm not sure it would be all that helpful to me. Because of thrifting, consignment, and the way I live, I sometimes have a very, very low (negative balance) CPW on some items, but a very high CPW on items that are just as necessary (but worn a lot less often). E.g. I have a skirt that was the most expensive piece I've ever bought, and the CPW is probably still very high - I have owned it 5 years and worn it about 10 times total. So I think it is probably still around $30 CPW - a lot! Yet I don't regret its purchase a bit.

Vildy

Veteran

Purging is continual with me. I'm a Lumper (big picture and similarities vs details and uniqueness a Splitter sees). So I can often decide that items in a category are not working for me and I will get rid of them all.

I don't have rules like one in, one out. Though I don't want to be overrun by clothing and, since I like to hang things, when I see I'm running short of hangers, I am mindful to be purging, since I would rarely be willing to buy more hangers (my sign of being overrun by clothes)

ETA: I try to shop as little as possible out of season because I'm weather sensitive. And I try not to purge too much out of season. For one thing, the light conditions change! Winter season here is extremely overcast. Summer is mostly bright and hazy.

I purge a lot by color. I want the item, if a top piece, to light up my complexion. However, recently have become aware that light conditions matter and some colors work well on me in overcast weather and others in sunnier weather. If an item needs something else to run interference for it - different color nearer the face - then I'd rather get rid of the item.

Usually, whatever newer items are added can be a signal of a newer direction and I will then be looking to purge what I am moving away from.

I'm very experimental and open-minded about clothing. I shop thrift mostly, because that allows me to do that without running up against a budget. Lighting is thrift stores, and stores in general, tends to be poor or distorting. Result may be that after I get something home, it just won't work. Or, because I do my own alterations/remodeling, and can't picture how something will feel on *after* the alterations, I will go ahead with them and if it isn't fitting comfortably the way I want, it will go. So some things go without being worn or more than once or twice experimentally and other things I wore all the time but am sick of.

Lisa

Veteran

I spent two years doing a slow clost purge, I did not know about CPW at the time, so I would purge items based on if I still "liked them" or if I thought they fit "my style" at the time. These purges were at the beginning and end of the season. Eventually I started a tracking sheet and decided I wanted a small wardrobe where items are worn often, so the purging became about reducing the numbers each month. At the end of every month I'd get rid of at least a handful of items. Right now I'm at ~150 items for my four season wardrobe. It helps that my workwear and weekend wear can be the same as my office has a casual dress code. My goal is a 120 item wardrobe (30 items/season) by end of the year. The 30 items came from my tracking, that's pretty much how much I regularly wear in a given season. Once I have the wardrobe numbers down the goal will be to not get rid of items until the CPW is at least under a $1. And I'll have to start a one in one out system to keep my numbers at 120.

texstyle

(website)

Veteran

I think I've been purging ever since I joined YLF but I guess I do it more when the seasons are starting to change and I've bought a few new items. I am planning to photo some of those purges very soon to put in the Style Exchange area. I have almost new or new tops, some handbags, a jacket or two, and more that I either never wore, doesn't me properly or just didn't make it to my lifestyle style.

Jamie

Veteran

I evaluate, re-evaluate, and purge on an ongoing basis. I have a small closet and, therefore, have a small wardrobe. So, if I want something new, something else usually has to be purged.

Transcona Shannon

Veteran

I don't have any sort of set rules or "purge schedule" per se - but I do purge items regularly. As soon as I notice that something isn't getting worn or that I've fallen out of love with, I put it into a holding spot. If I don't pull it back out of that spot within a couple of weeks it usually gets donated.

I recently went through all the summer items I ended up not wearing or wearing only once or twice this summer and ended up purging all of those items.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Editing is a continuous thing for me too.

I can pass something on after a season, AND keep something for 10 years. My wardrobe is a mixture of high and low end. Generally, it's my expensive pieces that I am never sick of. And my essentials often need replacing because I wear them out.

Anonymous

I try to stay on top of my closet, my donate pile is always active. Because 90% of my wardrobe is purchased second-hand, I can be liberal about tossing when needed without feeling guilty. I am very particular and ask a lot of my clothing! 1.) It has to fit right, if I'm always having to fuss and tug at something it's gotta go. 2.) It has to look great, not necessarily brand new, but nearly new. I don't tolerate pilling. 3.) It has to make me feel beautiful. If something makes me feel or look frumpy I toss it. I have done this with things that were otherwise beautiful and might have looked great on someone else, just not me. If I find something hanging in my closet that I am never inspired to reach for I will toss it. As far as how many seasons I will wear something, I'm not someone who has to have only the latest this-and-that. I keep things for years if they continue to meet my requirements. I have a classic, timeless style which makes it easy to do so.

Mo

(website)

Veteran

I've purged a few post YLF items, but mainly they were bought online and the purge was based on poor fit (because I could not try them on first). Other things shrink in the wash. My beloved ink blue cold shoulder dress is now 2 or 3 inches shorter From dress to tunic in one washing - sigh. I won't purge it but I know it will get less wear than if it had not shrunk.
Other post YLF purge items are swap items.

As far as frequency goes, I move a lot, so that's a good purge moment, when you are deciding what is worth packing up. Also done the reverse hanger trick, but never purged on basis of frequency of wear alone. Sometimes I just won't love something one year, but it comes back in favor the next. Mainly when I wear something and it just doesn't feel great or particularly like me anymore, is when it goes. Sometimes just trying it on is enough to know I'm over it. Also, getting worn out - holes in knit tops, fading. Out it goes once it's replacement has arrived.

Sona

Veteran

I have a very radical yet simple to me approach: if I wear it and it makes me 'feel unhappy' out it goes, if it is coming apart out it goes, if it has been unworn more than 12 months out it goes.

cheryl

Veteran

I never do a big clean out. I edit as I go. If I try something on and I am not loving it anymore for whatever reason then its time to let it go. I will say I have too many clothes and have been trying to get rid of more. My CPW is usually very low because I buy clearance/sale and because I usually love what I buy and so it stays around for a long long time.

JAileen

Veteran

I'm new here, but I've mentioned how I'm a thrifter for non-staples. For example, jeans, slacks, t shirts, turtlenecks ( and of course underwear!) I buy new, as well as shoes, and boots. What do I thrift then? Jackets, purses, sweaters, scarves. Just yesterday I bought a leather bomber style jacket (from Nordstrom) for $15. It's in great shape and fits me well. But we'll have to see if I can fit it into my life. Sometimes I think I can pull off a look, when it turns out I was wrong. Then that item's gotta go!

So purging comes in big spurts. I NEED to get rid of stuff that doesn't quite work. I, too, get manic about it, running around, looking for another thing to get rid of. Honestly, most of my thrifted items were so inexpensive that my CPW is negligible. In the case of the jacket, I thought I need to give it a try and if it doesn't work out, oh well, I'll redonate it. I thrift at Assistance League, Savers, and Goodwill. I donate back to Assistance League, which does great things with the money they raise. I admit that most of my purging involves thrifted items.

My style is traditional/preppie/western and so many things I like don't go out of style because they were never really IN style. That's why I'm here - to be dragged into this century!

ironkurtin

Veteran

I continuously purge. Unfortunately I also continuously add. I have closet churn!

shiny

Veteran

If something is badly worn, I throw it away -- in the trash. I don't bother to donate because if it's worn out why would anyone else want it?

Otherwise, I am more of a seasonal purger and I employ the holding method. When rotating my closet, I will toss a bunch of things into a donate bag. If I'm unsure, it goes into holding. A lot of times I do end up pulling things out of holding. Or, items stay in holding for a long, long time... but then surprise, surprise, come out again! In fact, I have a dress I've owned now for over a decade, that I've debated on and off about donating. I am glad I did not. I am going to wear it later today when I go out and I'll post a WiW with more explanation.

Yes, often I will hold on to something until I find the perfect replacement/upgrade, then donate the old one. The "one in/one out" method. But I don't subscribe this loosely, as in, I bought new booties so I need to purge a blouse. I bought two new booties so two pairs of booties are being purged. Likewise I recently bought two new purses, so two older purses are getting purged. This is more due to space constraints.

Sylvie, I notice you have a lot of ATL on that list? And is the Macy's dress the Inc brand? I buy a lot from ATL and Macy's Inc, because, well... Petites!! I will confess that these are often the items that get purged. Because they fall apart, look worn too quickly, or never fit quite right. I do like ATL for trying on a trend for size -- if I like it, then I upgrade.

Suz

(website)

Veteran

Closet churn. C'est moi.

I didn't mention it but yes, I have purged post-YLF items. For sure! Some were dumb thrift purchases. Others were good-for-the-price but more or less wore out in a season.

I don't think I have purged a post-YLF item that was actually Angie or member-recommended yet. But I have only been here a little over a year.

Doro

I'm sorry, I hardly read what the others commented, because I immediately had to express my awe at "purged at *value* CPW". Hats off, seriously! I am now contemplating an Excel sheet for my clothes in order to actually COUNT the CPW on my clothes. Amazing :o)

I usually purge when I have the feeling that "I have nothing to wear", and it is my experience that I in fact actually do have enough/a lot to wear -- it's just crammed to tightly into my wardrobe. After some stuff is gone - worn out items or stuff I admit I don't love or will wear again - and the remaining stuff is sorted neatly, I feel liberated, and the cycle continues anew ;o) (Now I'm going to read the other comments, maybe there are enlightening strategies there!)

Sylvie

Veteran

Wow, such a variety of approaches. Thank you so much for sharing your purge strategies ladies. To summarize, we have the:

Hanger Turners: Deb, Glory
Ongoing purgers: Brenda, Vildy, Jamie, Shannon, Angie, Ironkurtin
Seasonal or many items at a time purgers: Deb, Zapotee, Krista, Glory, Lisa, Texstyle, JAileen, Shiny, Doro
Falling out of love purgers: Ramya, April
Misbehaving item purgers: Krista, Sona, Cheryl
By the numbers purgers: Lisa
All of the above: Suz, Shabbychick, Mo

Shiny, I used to buy a lot from Macys, ATL and AT for the petite sizes as well. I have sworn off ATL and AT knits and tops based on the poor wear I've gotten from them. I did just get a pair of grey jeans from ATL that I'm very happy with. I've also had good luck with pure silk tops and pure wool or higher end blend cardigans from AT, so I will continue to purchase those. The Macy's dress was not from INC - it was an inexpensive dress and I'm happy with how long it lasted. I do have a two year old INC dress which has held up fine but all the recent dresses are made of such flimsy material I've returned every one I've tried.

jayne

Veteran

I do like Suz and purge 3 ways, but always have a bag going for me or the kids to add to as I realize something is not working. I do track my purchases since 2009 when I lost weight and wanted to rebuild a wardrobe.

I do not track CPW as I find it counter productive to buying a higher price item.

Anyway, I analyze the trend for buying and purging and on average I purge items about 2 years after I buy them. I do not know if that will continue but since I tried lots of styles after the weight loss and dumped then lots of those experiments, I feel that my purge rate is higher than it will be in future.

Now summer is past. I felt I found a true style and whittled down my clothes to things I just cannot wait to wear again. So then I expect when I open that box next summer, hardly anything will go through the new season purge. And I will reuse this summer's clothes with much joy! Thus hopefully breaking my 2 year purge cycle. But until I do a couple years, I won't know.

Anonymous

I purge items that:

no longer fit
don't play well with other items in my wardrobe
are worn out
I've had for a while and am simply sick of looking at

The above being said, I do try to have things altered if the cost is not prohibitive, and I hang on to closet orphans for quite a while before giving up on them. I'm always optimistic that I'll be able to find things to make my closet orphans work.

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