Wardrobe bursting with clothes that don’t fit

[TickledOnion]

Does anyone else have a wardrobe of clothes that don’t fit but struggle to get rid of them. I’ve gone up a dress size in the last couple of years and some of them I probably wouldn’t wear even if they fitted. There’s nothing expensive or particularly nice in there, lots of it was looking worn out and tired when it fitted. Why can’t I get rid? I’m not like this in any other area of my life. I hate shopping so I think it’s the thought of having to re-buy stuff that I’ve got rid of puts me off. Anyone else?

I have a rule that if I haven't worn it for 3 years it goes off to a charity shop.
I haven't ever changed size but if something is hanging in my wardrobe and I just keep putting it back.. it goes. I don't have a lot of clothes and tend to wear the same things til they fall apart, but if it's not being worn.. it goes.
It's quite freeing mentally to have fewer items!

That’s a good rule. I have stuff I haven’t worn for at least 5 years.

It sounds quite depressing to open your wardrobe and have nothing that fits. The first thing I would do is take out everything that doesn't fit.
Anything worn in the last year, box up and keep.
If you haven't worn it for years your choice is charity shops or sell it. It's a lot of effort to sell on Ebay, FB or Vinted but if you have the time you can get something back. Otherwise charity shop.

I'm exactly the same OP. Every time I try to declutter the wardrobe I end up putting loads of stuff back in 'just in case'. Not helped by Covid which massively changed our social life so lots of stuff in there I keep saying I will probably wear again at some point but events just haven't got back to normal yet! Also holiday clothes which I would only wear in hotter climates - only we haven't been abroad since 2018 but intend to go in September so can't get rid of anything I might possibly wear for that. I live in jeans, cropped trousers or shorts most of the time at home.

I've just gone through my wardrobe and taken out everything that doesn't fit. So far it's only in a suitcase under the bed, but it's easier to find something to wear in the morning. I'm optimistic that when I look through the suitcase in 6 months it'll either fit or I'll be less attached to it so it can go to a charity shop

I boxed up the stuff that doesn't fit, and it's under the bed. It does at least mean when I open the wardrobe I see clothes I can wear. I should probably take the box to the charity shop, but like many, I live in hope of losing the weight one day...

Anything that does dip, fold up and store it somewhere then buy yourself some items that fit and that you can mix and match.
When you fold it up you may be able to get rid of a few really dodgy pieces.
Honestly you’ll feel so much better and ‘lighter’ for doing this.

Sorry that should say doesn’t fit.

Yes, I do. I need to take a day off work and go through it ruthlessly. I don't actually have enough space to hang up the new clothes I've bought that I do wear, so they sit in piles on the bedroom floor while my unworn clothes are in the wardrobe - ridiculous!

In my case it's partly having a baby, partly Covid. I was pregnant in 2018, on mat leave in 2019, and then of course Covid happened and I started wfh every day, and now unlikely to ever be back in the office full time. So I have some clothes that I bought in 2017/2018 that have barely been worn... but to be honest, they're all a bit out of fashion now. I've gone up a size thanks to pregnancy and lockdown, and working at home and having a young child means I want more loose, comfy clothes rather than casual office and going out clothes.

I have so many other things I need to do more urgently though, it's never a priority!

Op I'd empty the wardrobe.

Go through every item, hang at one side stuff that fits, hang at the other side stuff that's good that you plan to fit into, ditch stuff that's worn out or dated. Even if you could wear it you probably wouldn't.

I recently got rid of practically all of my clothes and bought 'new to me' ones on vinted. I couldn't afford to replace them all brand new. I have spent around £60‐70 and got a whole new wardrobe of clothes that I love.
Once you start buying new ones getting rid of the old ones is easier, there's no way you would wear that old bobbly top when you've got your fancy new one, chuck it!

The clothes in my wardrobe range from a size 10 to a size 20. I'm currently a size 18. I can't get rid of them because I'm your classic yo-yo dieter. I was a size 12 just 14 months ago. I've bought some underbed storage boxes and my plan is to take out all the clothes that don't currently fit which will make things much easier.

My "hack" for beloved items that don't fit is to zip them into old cushions to plump them up. You can recover them if you lose the weight but if not they serve a purpose. Also goes for items that wouldn't be saleable for the charity shops.

I decided to be totally ruthless with my wardrobe. Took absolutely everything out and put it in piles on my bed, grouping clothes together by type. I then worked out how much storage I had.

Each pile of clothes was then methodically worked through and all my favourites were put away in the space allocated to them. If there was space left over I took a second look but if not then any excess went to the charity shop/textile bank.

Now all I have are clothes that fit and I really like. It was quite drastic but very cathartic.

Yeah, I'm also reluctant to get rid of stuff as so many of my favourite high street stores don't exist anymore, so even if I had the money, I'd really struggle to buy new.