When we were expecting Emily, I went through a period that Patti called ‘nesting’. I basically wanted to get rid of a ton of stuff we never use. To some, doing this might be a chore, but I find it a little relaxing. Getting rid of stuff in storage or hidden in drawers is a way of moving on in life. Or something. Anyway, last weekend I decided to go through this exercise again and focused on my closet and dresser. After deciding to get rid of about 100 articles of clothing, I realized old clothes fall into one of a number of categories of old stuff.
1) <b>Dead</b>. These are articles of clothing that are outdated, worn, torn and otherwise un-wearable, even for the yard work department. These articles of clothing get thrown into my rag pile or just thrown out. Not even suitable for a homeless shelter. Representative articles include old underwear and t-shirts that my spouse wanted to throw out years ago.
2) <b>Richard Simmons</b>. This includes clothes that are still good but don’t fit anymore. These are hard to get rid of because it forces you to admit that you will never return to your old size. I have been holding on to khakis, dress pants and dress shirts in hopes of returning to my glory days of lean and trim. Not happening. I might get back to my old weight and size, but by then, these clothes will be out of style. I have suits that are in the category. Plus belts.
3) <b>The bench</b>. This refers to clothes that are fine, fit well, not worn out, but for some reason or another, never find themselves being worn. I have a few select members of my wardrobe that I like and seem to wear a lot and other articles waiting in the wings for a chance to shine. I can’t get rid of the bench members because I might need them someday. And there is nothing technically wrong with them. They stay.
4) <b>Never gunna happen</b>. These articles of clothes were given to me as gifts and I held onto for sentimental reasons. A perfect example is a robe. I will never wear a robe but got one as a gift once. I can’t throw them out because I never know when I will have to bring it out. I look at these things every time I go through this exercise and wonder why the h**l I don’t just get rid of these things. Also includes light jackets, sweaters and ties. And getting back to the robe. I don’t run through the house au natural. I just prefer using a towel or wearing shorts and a t-shirt when walking from the shower.
5) <b>Safety Dance</b>. This category is simple. Clothes that are out of style. They might be in fine shape but have moved passed their prime. I tend to dress a little conservatively so I don’t have many pieces of clothes in this category, but ties, dress shirts and shorts seem to show up a lot. Plus shoes. This might also apply to things that might be ok but are just not ‘you’ anymore. I have a pair of cool black dress shoes with buckles, but my days of wearing black and going out to clubs has long been over. I always have a tear in my eye when I throw out something like this. Goodbye ‘party Dave, ‘parent’ Dave needs the space in the bottom drawer.
6) <b>Keepers</b>. Anything that you wear a lot or has overwhelming sentimental value. For some reason I have a ton of socks. And I love long sleeve t-shirts, have a bunch of them but only rotate a few that I wear. But I just can’t get rid of them. This category is either very easy (we all have our money outfit for something important) or very hard (something that is borderline. For me, it is turtle necks to wear under sweaters. I also have a coverall for working on the car that I can’t part with even though I always wear a pair of jeans and t-shirt). The key to going through old clothes is to make the criteria for this category very strict, and stick to it. We have all heard of the filter that if you haven’t worn it in a year, then throw it out. I don’t like this. I might have worn something last week but it should go, and because I didn’t wear my ski jacket last year doesn’t mean I should chuck it.
Thought I would share.