I have run into a Dilemma in my bedroom and I need your help/suggestions. I am hoping to get some great advice from my bloggy organizer friends (Organizer Sandy?). I wonder if they ever ran into this problem before.
Well, as most of my readers know, I am on a weight loss quest. A journey to lose weight and keep it off completely. It has been really hard. When I had started this journey, I decided that I was NOT going to buy any new clothing until I had to. Like when clothes were so baggy they would be falling off my body. I have, however gotten some great clothing to review on my blog, but I wasn’t counting those, and they are out of season now anyways, mostly.
Well, here is my dilemma. I have clothing that I bought last year, summer, that no longer fits (is too small), plus a ton of winter clothing that is now too small. I also have the clothing that fits me. I am planning on losing much more weight this Spring & Summer and do not really want to get rid of a ton of clothing because when I DO lose the weight, I will need those. However, my bedroom and house is small as it is for a family of 6, and there is hardly any storage space. I am beginning to feel clostrophobic in my own bedroom because of all of these clothes taking over. There is no more room in my closet, so now they are stacked up in piles on my side of the room. I have been spring cleaning this week, and dreading what to do???
Part of me, says, throw out everything I cannot wear (well, not really throw out, but I donate it), and buy new after I lose the weight. The other 1/2 of me says, these clothes are pretty new and I will need them as I lose weight. Also, do I want to re-spend money for clothing later ?
Part of me is saying there are woman who need these clothes somewhere and they aren’t doing nothing but sitting in my room cluttering up the place and making for a great fire hazard. And that I can buy back the clothes a little at a time and use the new clothes as rewards as I lose weight.
The other part comes in and says, I just spent a lot of money on clothes last time I lost weight and I could use that future money on something else.
UGHHHHH !!!! HELP !!! lol
I talked to my husband about it, because he is quite sick of it too. After all he is also in our bedroom and has to look at it everyday and he is also not a clutter bug, and is always seeking safety. But on the other hand, he also doesn’t want me to spend anymore money on clothes unless I must!
He did suggest I could stick some in totes and stick them in the basement storage. Which I too thought of. But then I think of the bugs and sometimes critters that sometimes get into totes, and don’t want that in my clothes either. And God forbid a mouse get into it, and chew them up, then donating them IS a better option. I also worry that they will get lost in the abyss down there. That is where we store all of our decorations and stuff like that too. So then I would probably forget about them and go buy new anyways. and again, there is NOT a lot of room left down there.
This feels like the same dilemma to me that I go through when my hair color is growing out, or when I am trying to grow back from a short haircut. It is at the point where I don’t know if I should cut it or let it be!!!!
What would you do? Have you ever been through this?
Please leave me your advice and comments and tips. Any idea’s I will love to hear them.
And I may pick a random draw of anyone who leaves me a comment that is worthy, and you just may get a prize of some sort. Also, if I use your idea, I may reward you with a prize. So comment away.
THANK YOU in advance !!!
The Plus Size Mommy
*Photo used is courtesy of ehow.com
This is often a dilemma I face. I am not organized at all. It drives my unhusband insane… I also have a really weird body, I have a very long body and short legs- at five ten, normal shirts are half tops on me. So I just always wore sweaters. Finally I just purged everything that I had that was too short. Man, did that feel awesome!
I think, putting things away in rubbermaid containers is the best plan, I think.
And maybe, if you don’t have much to wear for your size now, it will motivate you to work at that goal.
You could also try your hand at eBay. Make some money on them so you have a bit towards a new wardrobe.
good luck!!!
Keep the items you REALLY like and buy whatever else you need new as you need it. It will serve as a reward and you’ll be in style! Plus, you’ll be helping those less fortunate put clothes that would be sitting in storage to good use now. Win-Win-Win!
A dilemma indeed. Well, I go through this from time-to-time also. It helps us to only keep the clothes for the amount of hangers and drawer space we have. Everything else must go…somewhere! Donation is usually the route we take. If all of our hangers are taken up and we buy something new, something old has got to go! Harder than it sounds but works well for us. Hope it helps
PS Do not allow yourself to get around this by simply buying new hangers!
I like the basement idea. If you’re worried about creepy crawlies in your things, maybe you could get a galvanized trash can to keep them in. My mother always stored our old baby clothes in the shed in clean galvanized trash cans.
I haven’t had this issue but you will have to tell mr what organizer sandy says. I will be interested in it so keep me posted.
good point, about not buying new hangers, already did that once before, and now not 1 more can fit!!!, lol
much appreciated.
Thanks for the great feedback
-PSM
Thank you corrin for the great advice, I appreciate all the help I can get
-PSM
hmmm, now there is a tip I never heard of before… thanks, will keep it in mind
- PSM
I am interested in knowing what she says too!!! I hope she reads this and responds.
Thanks for stopping by Elizabeth
-PSM
I’ve left clothes in my basement before. In the rubbermaid totes. I would consider using moth balls or cedar blocks to help keep critters/bugs out.
But if you decided to purge your closet, consider keeping a few select smaller items for each season so that when you do lose all the weight, you will at least have a few outfits to hold you over until you can get some shopping done.
I hope that helps!
.-= Get Plus Size Love =-.
My first suggestion would be to take everything out of your closet & sort it.
When we look at our closet we think we use everything, but once you evaluate it you realize that is something you haven’t worn all winter.
Get black & white trashbags.
Black = trash
white = donate
Take each piece & ask yourself:
1) Do I LOVE it?
2) Do I WEAR it?
3) Is it Torn or need repair (so I don’t wear)
4) Does it fit?
To keep an item you should be able to answer YES to all these questions. If not the general rule is to donate (trash it if torn or stained & you won’t wear b/c of that – because the donation places go through and they just have to pitch it)
Now in your case since you are on a weight loss mission – If you have made enough room in your closet by doing step 1 (and I bet you will get rid of more than you expect) then I bet you will have room for some of your smaller clothes. BUT…like others have said, keep the ones you LOVE. Don’t keep them all. Keep a couple pair of jean and a couple tops that will work to get you through a week.
Because hopefully on your weigh loss mission you won’t be stopping there…where you have a bunch of clothes that fit. You will want to keep losing…so that size will be a “pass through size”.
Another thought – I can’t see all the way in your closet – but on the sides above the hanging clothes – do you have room to install another wire shelf? So often there is one shelf and then a bunch of lost space that goes up to the ceiling. Put in 2 more wire shelfs on either side and you have some extra space for out of season clothes to go on the top wire shelf in bins.
You can also get extender hangers that you can put a 2nd row of hanging clothes – like your blouses. Here is a picture of it. You can get them for about $10 at Target.
http://www.organizewithsandy.com/2009/07/02/kids-closet-organzing/
Hope that helps!
.-= Get Plus Size Love =-.
ollll good idea, about keeping a little bit for each season
ty
Thank you so much Sandy for the tips, I KNEW I could count on you for some good ones. I love the idea of the garbage bags. and the 4 questions to ask myself.
I also like how you explained the “pass through size” great tip on keeping just a few items to get me through to the next lower sizes
The closet in the pic isn’t mine. I did hop over to your site to see the extender hangers. I wouldn’t be able to fit these into my closet, I don’t think, but when I goto Target, I will check out them out to be sure.
All I have in my closet is 1 LONG bar that goes across for hanging clothes. 1 shelf above that bar, and then an odd shelf under it (which I think was originally put there for shoes) we use it for our suitcases and stuff like that. on the sidewalls of my closet there are some built in shelves, but you cannot get to them because the closet doors don’t open enough! I told my hubby we need a whole closet/organizing system redo
Thanks for ALL of your tips.
-PSM
Balance diet is so important if you want a healthy lifestyle and a longer life.,;*