I would throw out almost everything in the house if I was allowed ... my husband would keep everything from when he was 4 if he was allowed ... my son is pretty clingy to stuff but in the way of clothes he's about like your son, and my daughter is just like yours.

what a fun question - what would be interesting is to see how this lines up with people's styles - for example, are the purgers more mnimalist in how they dress, the curators more classic and refined, the collectors more aritist or maximalist?

for my part, i treat each outfit like i treat my closet - put it together with pretty much basics to begin with, and then still find something to get rid of!

I love me a good purge! I purge my closet at least twice and maybe up to four times a year. I love an efficient, easy-to-use closet so I don't want anything getting in the way that's not being used. I purge my daughter's clothes at least four times a year (she's four so she's growing out of things all the time). I purge her toys at least once (about a month before Christmas. December is her birthday month too) a year, sometimes twice. She's quite good about giving up her toys/clothes for someone who needs them.

My husband does not like to purge. His clothes are OK. I would call him hoarder-lite, especially with things like tools. Oh how I would love to get my hands on the garage but I leave it as his domain. At least he stores the stuff

I purge a few times a year, usually around times of seasonal transition. That's when I go through my closet to see what doesn't fit (size or style) and start pulling anything I'm no longer feeling. I don't do a holding zone, typically, and I don't think I've ever had any major regrets after letting things go.

My husband is the exact opposite! He would keep everything forever, if he could. Every few years I try to get him to get rid of the really ratty things, but it's not always successful.

I'm definitely the slow holding zone type! I only rarely bring things back once I've decided to get rid of them, but it's still somehow easier if I know it's just going to a pile in the spare bedroom, and not straight to Goodwill.

I also do a lot of incremental purging. Once in a while, I'll go through a whole bunch of stuff at once, but I'm more likely to just get rid of a few things that I keep trying to wear, then putting back, or notice something that I used to love that's been sitting there unworn for a long time.

Carter, it sounds like you have a lot more patience than my mom did when she wanted teenage me to get rid of stuff. I'd always get sidetracked and she'd try to keep me focused by taking a whole bunch of stuff, one by one, and forcing me to make a super-quick decision on every.single.thing. I still like staring at things and taking a loooooong time to decide whether to keep them or not. Which probably isn't the most effective way, but I tell myself it at least cuts down on regrets.

My son is exactly like your son.

I think:
1. Can I resell it for a reasonable price? or;
2. Would my sister/niece/friend love it? or;
3. Is it easy to replace if I regret it?

So I basically have a lot of odd fancy or designer pieces in storage boxes and a regular churning of fast fashion (mostly thrifted in the first place).

Wow, some of you are brutal! So wish I just just be done with things and let them go in a flash.

Very interesting question, TG! I think it certainly holds for me. If I don't like the first outfit, I start over. When that doesn't work, I pick up one of the pieces I just discarded and try another combo.

Oh, Aubergine, that would make me a little nuts!

I'm like your daughter. No problem going through and saying "it's time to let it go". The only thing is that when I purge I tend to want the stuff gone right away so I have to do this when I know I will have time to take it somewhere or a pickup is scheduled.

I'm a relatively frequent mini-purger, like Janet. I tend to put stuff in a holding zone too. If I wear something one day and I don't feel right in it, I usually give it a second chance a month or so later. If still no, then out it goes.

Lol! I love your in house purge personas! Such an interesting question!

Well ... I am in the process of purging right now. Anything that doesn't fit well or anything that makes me unhappy and/or guilty is getting the chop. I have items that I haven't worn in 3 years ... Bought at the start of my wardrobe revolution. These are being finally mercilessly culled! The guilt feeling is overwhelming ... But it would only get worse if I let them hang in there! Lessons learnt! I am not buying anything that doesn't make me feel awesome henceforth!

I don't like "churn". I have a fairly small wardrobe, a small budget and don't buy many items.
So with all that in mind I am pretty careful about purging! My aim is not to get rid of anything unless it is worn out (which is why I limit the number of pieces I have) but of course I do make some mistakes that I get rid of. Or some items that I get sick of after 5 years or so even though they aren't worn out yet..

So I go slow, and go for the holding zone. Like Gigi I am particularly careful not to avoid getting rid of things that I might need, even if I don't love them! On my budget, there is no guarantee they will be replaced.

I tend to purge as I go. If I know an item no longer works after a wear or wash I get rid of it. I love the idea of storing my toss pile in the guest room or other space where it's out of my closet but I still have the option to reconsider.

There are two kinds of items up for consideration:

• Those I've worn a lot and loved, but are getting a bit tired looking or downright worn, or dated
• Those I haven't perhaps worn as much as I might have imagined when I bought them.

It's the second category that gives me pause. But when I say "pause" i mean only a fraction of a second, because my natural tendencies are like your daughter's. If I'm not loving it, someone else might, so why hang onto it? And I regularly edit my closet. Two big edits with my two big seasonal changes, as well as smaller ones mid-season as I discover I'm not wearing this former favourite or that one as often as I might have expected, or as I notice signs of excess wear.

Still, I do what Gaylene suggests and ask myself WHY I haven't worn each item. It pretty much always boils down to:

• A fit issue I hadn't recognized at the time of purchase or within the return window! (So purge, already. Let someone else fall in love with it!!).
• Discomfort with the fabrication. (I am much better at guessing what fabrics will drive me nutty these days, so this is not a problem as often as in the past.)
• Lifestyle/ weather does not turn out to make as much room for this item as I might reasonably have expected. It happens. The extra long snowy spring that calls for wool instead of cotton. The hot, hot summer that prevents me from wearing denim at all. This is part of my "cost of living" in a four season climate, I figure. I do my best.

I'm very purge happy, with everything. I don't have a problem with letting things go. Sometimes that creates problems though - right now I feel like I don't have the right options in my wardrobe. Maybe it would be easier if I hadn't purged so quickly in the past.

I tend to do the most purging at change of seasons. Do I want to wear this again in 6-9 months? For the things being brought out, does it still fit, still my style, do I want to wear it?
I also regularly pass along a few things I decide are not working to a friend's daughter who is a young mom with a family struggling to make ends meet. She needs some nice business casual to wear to meet clients for a home business.

I am a frequent purger, bit by bit. I don't have an actual holding zone, but I have a virtual holding zone. I've had a wardrobe worksheet for about, umm I don't know 4-5 years now. I use it to keep track of cost per wear and other things. So I go through it frequently to see if what is not getting a lot of wear, what is getting too old and needs replacement, what is not my style anymore, etc, and I mark those items in red. If the cpw is not as low as I want, I will sometimes make an effort to style and wear the item a few more times before I let it go. Then every few months, I will purge those items from my closet. This includes everything, not just clothes but shoes, jewelry, scarves, etc. as well.

ETA: I reflected a bit more about this.

The things I purge are usually of 3 types:

1) Well-loved, well-worn, time to let go: Nowadays, most of my purges fall under this category. I've been on YLF for a long time and I have a pretty functional, well-curated wardrobe, so pretty much everything I own gets a lot of love and use.

2) Too tight, too small: I've put on a bit of weight in the last year, not too much, just a bit, but enough to make some of fitted clothes I owned feel too tight - besides with the fluid, oversize fits, they are not quite trendy anymore. I might have held unto them but I don't know where I will land shape and weight-wise in a year, so I am letting them go.

3) Things I've been gifted: This is the category that I have the hardest time with. My parents and sister will always include the gift card, so I can exchange the items they purchased for me. Occasionally, but still too frequently for my taste, I will receive something from hubby's side that I cannot exchange. My mother-in-law is getting much much better at buying fewer, but better quality and more to-my-taste clothes, but there are still some misses. Trying to adopt them to my style, or letting them go if I can't is what I find really difficult.

That said, everything my husband and I purge goes to our cleaning lady. She lives in a relatively impoverished neighborhood, where there is actual demand for all kinds of clothing, houseware, etc., so it makes me feel better that instead of going to landfill, these items are actually finding new homes.

I'm so slow to purge that it verges on hoarding. In the past couple of years I've become much better at letting things go, but I still have a ton of stuff that I don't ever wear. Part of it is not wanting to let go of my work-appropriate stuff, and part of it is my struggle with the "sunk costs" of things I either regret buying in the first place or that I regret not being able to fit into.

For me, clothes are really bound up in my self-esteem and body image issues. When I am purging my closet I am often overwhelmed by the negative thoughts that accompany the reasons why I don't wear a particular item. It seems to take a long time for "OMGYOUARESOFATANDUGLY" to transform into "actually, you've had this jacket for 15 years. Do you even like it anymore?".

I enjoyed reading about your families purging personalities, Carter!
I am definitely slow to purge. If I haven't worn it for five years I will (probably..... giggle, giggle) let it go! Or realise why I loved it and re-work it into rotation.....!
I think I tend to purge fragrances more readily. They have a shelf life and I like them to be used and enjoyed as they were intended!

I need one, I am a saver... I have donated some items but I have more to go.

Purge - Baby - Purge!! - I purge quickly and often!! - gotta make room in case I find something wonderful. There is only so much room in the closet ya know!! - DH well he does mind if I purge for him but he's a definite holder!! DD well she just has WAY too many clothes wish I could get her to adopt my style!! Not sure why she hangs on to stuff that should go - but she does

I'm like Janet: lots of mini purges. I have a great local consignment shop that I like to visit, maybe once a month, and I never walk in without bringing something to drop off. So once a month I walk through my closet and see if I have anything in the "holding zone" and also look at everything with fresh eyes to see what needs to go. Then, a couple of times a year at seasonal wardrobe shifts I look at what's been boxed away (just one Tupperware tub of truly winter or summer items) I do a deeper purge -- I don't keep anything from that box that I don't absolutely love.

My wardrobe is pretty small with a strong central core, and a fluctuating layer that experiences a lot of turnover. I've never done the math, but it's probably 75% stable (pieces that are a couple of years old or more, and some much more) and 25% fluctuating / trendy. I really like to maintain a small wardrobe. Since coming to YLF, I seem to be adding more to the stable part and buying fewer trendy pieces, which is a very interesting shift. I'm definitely becoming more thoughtful. I predict I will have less to consign next year.

The hardest purging thing for me is what bella mentioned: things I have been gifted. Even if I know I will never use them, I feel very guilty consigning or donating those things. I should probably get over that but it is hard to imagine a friend or relative seeing an item in a consignment store or Goodwill (which could happen) or a friend or relative hoping to see me where/use an item they gave me.

My purging regrets tend to be pieces that I love but aren't necessarily current. I got rid of a silk western-style shirt a couple of years ago after I lost weight and it was just slightly big, and no one was wearing or showing that style. Lo and behold, in the following months, a very similar Isabel Marant shirt started showing up, at many times the price I paid for mine. And with more fluid fits lately, the looser fit would probably be just fine to my eye now.

So now I have a couple of fitted, printed tops that are in my holding zone. I love them but they're not current. I'll give them a little time before I let go.

I move anything I'm not wearing frequently to a holding zone (provided I don't love the item). As quickly as possible, it goes out of the house.

I am a mix of both a bit of purger and a bit of holder. Since last year, I have purged my wardrobe twice but still every season I find items that I just don't love anymore. Like many other fabbers, I found that keeping a holding zone helped me tremendously. I do it on seasonal basis though. I keep an item in the holding zone and if I haven't used it until the end of that season, it gets donated.

I am very decisive and am quite quick to purge and donate 2x per year. My sis gets first crack and sometimes, if it's something current, I will post on Style Board.

My biggest challenge is trying not to fret about money spent on mistakes now that I am purchasing higher ticket items. This was really on my mind yesterday when I completed my Spring purge.

Case in point? I bought this cool Erin Fetherston jacket w/ magnetic closure a while ago from Gilt.

http://www.lyst.com/clothing/e.....nd-blazer/

Final sale. The bust was sooooooo tight. Designer size 10 not what I am used to. Next time I will read the size chart. It pained me to donate it with tags on but I hope some shopper at Goodwill will be delighted with their treasure.

I had to sing the kid movie song "Let it Go" as I placed it in the bag.

i'm a serial purger. i keep, keep, keep (ok, some would say hoard), then one day, i'll get the urge to clean it out....and the i'll do what you did. load up the SUV and its gone. then the cycle starts again.

I am another one on team slow purge. However, I do evaluate my closet often. It just takes me a long time to get the items out of the house. They usually spend quite some time in the donation bag.