Getting Rid of Clothes That Don't Fit Anymore

This past weekend, I did something I never thought I was ever going to do:  I donated a bunch of work clothes to Dress For Success because they were TOO BIG.  (I'm currently in between jobs, so my wardrobe over the last few months has been capris and t-shirts.  :-)  Last week, I tried on the everything I donated, and I was amazed that nothing fit and nothing could be taken in easily.  Before I left the house on Saturday, I tried them on again, just in case I was mistaken.  Nope, still too big.  Also, all my old t-shirts and casual tops are currently being re-purposed into dog toys for shelter dogs.   

I still have a way to go, but it felt great shopping for a new interview outfit at stores I wasn't able to shop at before.  Sure, I'm at the top of Talbot's "women size" offerings, but I can still shop at Talbot's.  

But, it's weird how good AND how sad it felt letting go of these clothes. The next purge will probably be tougher when my size range really shifts.  I can't imagine what it will be like to shop in the "normal sized" section!

Congrats!!!   It's a wonderful feeling!  I had to give away a LOT of pricey clothes, but I was very happy to do so!  LOL!  Now that I'm able to shop in just about any store I want I have to really keep myself under control. 

That's great. It is strange how we become attached to "our" stuff. I have sent a bunch of my
too large clothes to a Mens shelter but still suffer an emotional twang when I give up one of my old favorite
shirts. Thrilled to be in a smaller size though.

About 4 years post op, I finally had a friend come help me purge my clothes - I had them in about 10 sizes!!!  I kept the largest item to remember how far I had come (a pair of size 28 pants) and just a few other things, but the rest went away.  It was bittersweet and freeing at the same time. And it felt really good to get rid of them. 

I really need to do another purge again, but my clothes range is only in 2 or 3 sizes!  Life does change...

I'd like to personally thank you for donating to your local DFS. I've had to use them once when I was homeless and it was nearly impossible to find something in my size (at least at my local location). Your donation of larger clothes will really help someone in need. I will donate some things there myself once I can actually drop a size.

I had some emotional moments over letting go of clothes.  I remembered how hard it was to find something I "liked" or that fit and when I did I was so scared to ruin it or stain it because there was so little available in size 30 when you are 5'2" tall.  Some of those clothes were my lifeline to leaving the house and now they were going away.  I was so scared I would need them again and they would be gone.

On the other hand I was sooooo happy to be giving them to a good cause.  I also donated to an organization for women getting back into the workforce after tough times or abuse.  I knew that they would also struggle to find clothes that fit and I pictured them being excited to have something nice to wear to an interview or work.  I also felt like I was purging my horrible hell from my closets.  I kept one signature outfit to remind me of where I came from.  

I had kept some of those clothes so long waiting until I could fit into them again that they had gone out of style and then back in style again.  They moved all over the country with me and many of them I either blew past the size or only wore once.  How ironic is that?  I guess I was glad to have the opportunity to wear them again.  In my mind I really never thought I'd see the day.   Funny how my skinny jeans ended up being my fat jeans after the DS!

Cheers,

Cathy

Congratulations!  I re-wardrobed five times on my way down., so keep that clothing fund full! 

Goodwill, St. Vincent de Paul and a local consignment shop became my best friends.

The consignment shop had some pretty good stuff,  and instead of spending  all cash, I accumulated credits from the things I sold to put toward new-to-me items!

I also donated to Goodwill, Salvation Army, St. Vince and a local women's day shelter, St. Margaret's House.  Many women there are escaping abusive marriages and relationships, and leave home with only the clothes on their backs, and there is always a great need for plus sizes at shelters.

I have more clothing to purge this fall, even at 4.5 years out!  

I remember a phase where I was replacing my wardrobe every two months.  I accomplished this by utilizing a few consignment stores.  They would take in the nicer clothes I had and re-sell them, and I took those proceeds to buy my next size.  It was a wonderful cycle.  Also, don't under-estimate what people discard to thrift stores.