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I ask because I still sleep in shirts that I’ve had since I was barely in double digits, and only recently purged a bunch of clothes that I just couldn’t get away with wearing anymore. Tops that were a little too short, but were in every other way perfect (grrr – waste irritates me to no end! Part of it was me growing taller, part a trend for longer tops coming in).
I can’t really say I update my wardrobe from season to season. I just don’t shop for clothing that often. This month I bought a pair of canvas sneakers, two tops and one skirt – a veritable shopping spree! They were all pretty cheerful and cheap, so I’ll be happy if they last me two or three years.
Prior to that, my clothing purchases for the year amounted to: one dress, two cardigans, one top, a jacket, a pair of shoes and a pair of boots. If my memory serves me correctly, that is. For some reason, that sounds like a lot, and yet I feel like my wardrobe still has a lot of holes in it. I think it’s time to get cracking with that item-by-item show-and-tell…
Do you get rid of clothes once you’re bored of them? Once they’re too worn to pass muster? How much life would you expect from a $10 item? A $20 item?
I think it just depends. I live in Old Navy jeans and at 30 bucks a pop when not on sale ( 14.99 on sale) I expect them to last at least a year, partly because I live in them. If I didn’t maybe longer. I expect some lasting out of my clothes! Lol. I just did a huge closet purge though, mainly items I’ve had for awhile and etiehr didn’t fit me, collected dust or were itchy.
I was just thinking tonight about how I VERY rarely clothes shop! I’ve had the same work wardrobe for 1.5 years and some of my jeans I’ve had since high school!! I LOVE shopping but don’t permit myself to do it very often because I can’t afford it.
Reading this made me very sad. Aside from a $30 set of denim cut-off pants/capris that I could LIVE in if weather/my job permitted, I’m not fond of most of my clothes. I do shop clearance racks for cheap finds to add to my shrinking wardrobe (due to a slightly-expanded waistline!), but I often bring home items that don’t last very long. I’m talking pants that are slightly too tight or sweaters that pill or shirts that lose their shape after a few washes! I’m thinking I should start saving money to buy items of higher quality over quantity. I should clean out my closet. Or I could just keep working out to fit into some of the quality items I still have from high school …
I have clothes I’ve worn since high school still in my closet and still on rotation.
Even if they get all beat up and ratty or if my sweaters start pilling, I use them as sleeping shirts, or I just can’t bear to let them go.
That being said, I do like to shop and I love clothes. I am just glad I am on this one year experiment to help me learn how to shop my own closet (which is wide and varied)…
I don’t keep what I can’t fit into either, even if I paid good money for it. If it’s too big, too low cut or uncomfortable, I get rid of it.
I have clothes from highschool, but I never wear them. Every six months or so, I purge my wardrobe. The rule is supposed to be “anything in season that I haven’t worn in the past few months is out” but that never really works…
Maybe I’ll add something constructive here! Ahah.
Honestly, I wash my clothes as infrequently as possible. When I do wash them, it’s in cold water. I use as little detergent as possible. Anything I actually value gets hung to dry.
Most of the wear and tear on our clothes comes from washing them in machines. Laundry products are tailored to remove stains and dirt, not preserve the quality of clothes.
Also, I strongly believe you get what you pay for.
I’ve pretty much stopped buying clothes, with the exception of 4-5? items a year, for frugal and environmental reasons. That said — I also work from home. And take care of a baby full-time. No one expects me to look attractive. If I had an office job? I’m not sure. I suspect I’d be buying a lot more.