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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

How many bin bags-worth of clothes do you have?

109 replies

Baglady44 · 23/08/2024 20:12

I’m trying to massively declutter so we can move house.

I would love Stacey Solomon to hire a warehouse for us and do things that way but at the moment it’s just me!

I’ve realised that the big problem for everyone in the family is clothes. There are clothes EVERYWHERE

I’ve lost track of reality and I’m trying to gauge what is on the lower side of reasonable for us each to aim for.

If you put all the clothes you own (excluding coats and jackets) into bin bags how many do you think you would fill?

OP posts:
ImNotTheMatix · 24/08/2024 08:56

Me probably 10
DP probably 20

BabstheBounder · 24/08/2024 09:33

I've got one bin bag in the boot of the car waiting to arrive at the charity shop.

I have at least two bin bags worth I still need to declutter.
Another of clothes beyond repair that I need to get rid of.

And then... five? And a bin bag worth of fabric for new clothes.

ViciousCurrentBun · 24/08/2024 09:45

I sent a bin bag to the charity shop recently, at a guess I would say I have 6 to 7.I have a double wardrobe and a chest of drawers with four drawers.

EveryDayisFriday · 24/08/2024 09:49

Just me, clothes only? I suspect around 10. I do have a regular clear out but I'm between sizes so do have far too much than I actually wear.
Summer clothes were a complete waste of time this year :(.

Chocolateorange22 · 24/08/2024 09:59

Probably about 3

I'm a one in and one out kind of girl
DH about 4
Kids probably 2/3 each

Giggorata · 24/08/2024 10:05

I would guess around 30, including coats. Far too much.
i have 4 currently sitting on the landing and am about to start number 5, which will go to charity after the clothes swap party with friends.

I have a dressing room, which has encouraged bad habits of just buying stuff over the working years, when I was too busy to have a good clear out.

Now I have jettisoned all the formal work and court clothes.
But I have clothes that many people wouldn't have, like a number of cloaks and robes, steampunk stuff and so forth, as well as countryside wear.
I am going through everything ruthlessly.

WhoInvitedHer · 24/08/2024 10:24

Probably 1 but definitely less than 2 full bin bags

Partylikeits1985 · 24/08/2024 10:51

I think about 6

drunken · 24/08/2024 12:35

InandOutlander · 23/08/2024 22:39

I suspect the 1-2 people don't realise how little. Fits into a binge bag. You'd not get more than maybe 5 outfits in one!

I have
1 wedding dress
1 funeral dress
3 vest tops
5 T-shirts/tunics
2 pairs of Jeggings
1 pair of joggers
2 pairs of shorts
2 jumpers
Pants socks and (2 bra as I don't wear them very often).
A thin dressing gown
An oodie
Bed T-shirts x 3
And a cagoule.

Gingerisgoodforyou · 24/08/2024 20:11

Not that much fits into a normal bin bag. I helped dm clear her house recently, and she had a double wardrobe, single wardrobe, small chest of drawers. It took weeks and massive amounts of bags! Plus all the coats and outdoor wear. Probably 25 bags at least.

Made me determined to downsize myself. I'm hanging onto too much that is not too young for me - big double wardrobe plus large 4 drawer chest, plus old stuff in the loft and coats etc downstairs. I don't buy much at all, except some stuff from vinted, but have never changed size over the years so it's just accumulated over 30 years...

Thistooshallpass24 · 25/08/2024 00:26

My clothes 2 with space
Accessories...,..I'd need hire a van!

Raincloud32 · 25/08/2024 00:39

all the clothes I own 40-50
the clothes that I currently use that fit me 10-15
yo-yo dieter so I have lots of different sizes

Time40 · 25/08/2024 00:52

does anyone need more than 8 pairs of trousers, 8 dresses, 20 tops, 10 pairs of shoes?

Yes. Yes, definitely. I need it all, I tell you. Mine would fill 30-plus bin bags, and I don't care. I just want more ...

DelphiniumBlue · 25/08/2024 00:58

They'd need to be very sturdy bin bags!
I reckon 12+ for me, maybe more if I include everything under the bed that currently doesn't fit!
I seem to be constantly decluttering, I've got 2 full bags waiting to go to the charity shop, but the wardrobe isn't suddenly more spacious, it doesn't look any different!

Mysinglepringle · 25/08/2024 01:46

I'll tell you something funny, when my mum was moving house she had 30! Bin bags of jeans. Just jeans! Not other clothing!

OneLoyalGreyFish · 25/08/2024 01:50

No idea how many bin bags worth, but my daughter set up a Vinted account for me 6 months ago and I’ve sold over 200 items (and made over £800) since then! And I still have lots of clothes!

exprecis · 25/08/2024 06:46

Time40 · 25/08/2024 00:52

does anyone need more than 8 pairs of trousers, 8 dresses, 20 tops, 10 pairs of shoes?

Yes. Yes, definitely. I need it all, I tell you. Mine would fill 30-plus bin bags, and I don't care. I just want more ...

Haha me too.

I probably don't have more than 10 pairs of shoes but I definitely have more than 8 dresses and I do feel like I need more than that.

I have something like:

3 options for weddings
4 summer dresses for casual/holiday wear
5 non summer casual dresses for weekends and WFH days
10 for workwear - range of formality depending on whether I have big meetings and also different for warmer weather

redtrain123 · 25/08/2024 07:03

10

Do a winter-summer swop in late a September/October, and vice versa in the Spring, and can fill several bin bags then (clothes go in loft).

WakingUpInBlood · 25/08/2024 08:05

For me personally, excluding coats, maybe 3 or 4?

BertieBotts · 25/08/2024 08:22

Depends on the size of the bin bag Grin

I have found it helpful to go around and collect all the items by person + type.

Marie Kondo has a suggested order for whatever reason which I have found useful:

Tops (if too many, divide by subcategory: t-shirts, blouses, jumpers,cardigans)
Bottoms (again can divide into shorts, trousers, skirts)
Dresses/full body items
Socks
Underwear
Nightwear
Accessories (scarves, hats, belts)
Clothes with a specific purpose (uniform, sports clothing, swimsuit)

The reason for doing it this way is that you don't have to do it all in one go. So if you're doing your own tops for example, you first sort through every laundry pile and find any tops belonging to you and stick them all in the wash with a colour catcher if necessary. (Or, you can sort them dirty if you need to - in this scenario, I would look ahead to the next category and wash all of those).

Then take all tops from your drawers/wardrobe. Then go around the house checking to find any lost or forgotten tops. Now you'll have every single top that you own and you can lay them out on your bed or on a clear section of floor, a la the warehouse.

It's helpful because you can then see - OK I have enough tops that I could wear a new one every day and not do any washing for 3 weeks (or whatever). Do you really need/want/wear that many? It should be fairly easy to identify the items that you know you gravitate to and tend to wear as soon as they are clean, and the items that you tend to avoid wearing. So you'll have some easy keeps, some easy donates, and then you're left with everything in the middle.

If you have enough easy keeps you might just declutter everything in that blah middle space. If you don't, then you could look at items which are similar e.g. do you have four black t-shirts? Do you NEED four black t-shirts? OTOH do you have four black ones which you wear, and then three coloured ones which you rarely wear because it's too hard to match them to things?

I have also found it helpful to basically pick a colour palette and try to stick within that, as I like wearing colours but find it hard to match them.

Once you have sorted through all tops, you know tops are done. Which means you can put them back away and not worry about them. When you next go to sort through bottoms, you are not looking for tops.

For kids' clothing I also like sorting by type of item, because it means you can instantly assess which clothes are too small. I mostly ignore label sizes and tend to pile up t-shirts, trousers, LS tops etc according to size - then I get them to try on one of each pile and sometimes I can discard an entire pile at once because I can see it's all too small.

Viviennemary · 25/08/2024 08:27

About 15. I don't wear at least half. Intending to have a clear out soon.

Chillimuma · 25/08/2024 08:38

Me personally? Probably between 4-5.

husband 3 and kids 3 each

Chillimuma · 25/08/2024 08:39

Time40 · 25/08/2024 00:52

does anyone need more than 8 pairs of trousers, 8 dresses, 20 tops, 10 pairs of shoes?

Yes. Yes, definitely. I need it all, I tell you. Mine would fill 30-plus bin bags, and I don't care. I just want more ...

Wow!!!

I would feel so stressed having that much stuff

sleepyscientist · 25/08/2024 08:45

3 double wardrobes and a chest of draws (not including bags and shoes). (15)

DH and DS both have 2 double wardrobes plus draws (10)

Member984815 · 25/08/2024 08:49

Me 4
Dh 8
Dd 8
Ds4
Dd4

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