how many clothes do we actually need?

[ButterpieBride]

I am going to be ruthless and sort out mine and the DDs wardrobes. There are too many clothes taking up space and not enough of the basics, leaving me scrabbling around to put outfits together.

OK, I am a SAHM who has a part time job from home that occaisionally needs me to dress in a kind of smart casual way (maybe twice a week, but often with the same people so need to vary my outfit). I am hoping to start going out in the evening a bit more, but really don't need my huge collection of goth/glam/punk/grunge clubbing clothes. EG I could lose at least 10 pairs of ripped and safteypinned fishnets, and those two bags of boas could probably go too. I possibly need less than 50 floaty scarves.

DD1 is 3.5, goes to nursery part time and is still potty training.

DD2 is 9m, also goes to nursery part time and is your usual mucky pup mobile blw baby.

We live in the frozen north east and I resent central heating being on, so we need layers. The girls have quite a few handmade clothes, and we dress in a kind of old fashioned retro style, lots of purple and black long skirts for me and lots of bright coloured dungarees on the girls.

We have a washing machine but no dryer, but we do have drying space outside and on top of the oven.

So- what do you think we actually need, clothes wise?

OK, I have done half of my wardrobe, chucking out everything that I don't absolutely love. I have three bin bags full already.

Well done!

We really do not need as many clothes as we all have!

I have just done a clearout of clothes and trained DH to do the same so I now have a bag for the charity shop and a bag for a friend.

I think we need hardly anything really. Think about when you go on holiday and how you can manage easily with so few clothes and things for 2 weeks

I was just wondering this, while contemplating the 3 baskets of laundry on my bed.

I have 2 pairs of trousers, 4 long sleeve tops, 4 t shirts, 3 jumpers and two dresses (dresses for work). plus trakkie bottoms and a quick dry top for putting off going running in.

I am clean but hardly stylish.

Dd (4) has 3 trousers 3 skirts and 5 tops, ds (1) has lots of clothes because he gets covered in mud/food several times a day.

So all the washing must be dh's stuff!

and have a tumble dryer?

Riven, you are a paragon of Minimalism.

I can't stand to get rid of stuff I might well use (if I kept it long enough), but I think the rule is to get rid of everything you haven't worn in the last year.

We often have three full landry baskets, which IMO is silly. I think this has happened because I will wear all the crap clothes rather than get off my arse and put a wash on- we must only use one load worth a day, if that. One load of washing in the machine each morning, on to the line or the oven and radiators in the afternoon and put it away the next morning. An extra load for the bedding etc at the weekend. Sorted. Hopefully.

I hate shopping too, which I think is why nothing I own fits. I tend to get dragged out with a sister or something and see something that I like, find it in whatever size I feel like and buy it if there isn't a queue.

Tbh, most of my clothes are ones that DHs work were chucking out so he brought them home for me instead if they looked a bit like what I wear. I dress like a madwoman, so nobody who actually works there wanted them :)

keep the clothes and buy this

i dont have one but my friends thinks its great

i don't have a drying problem though. I have a laziness problem. And a "my arse is bigger than I think it is" problem.

Riven- I might look into converting, just for that! :D

DS2 recently complained that my clothes occupy space in every bedroom. It's true..I have so many clothes they take up some or all the wardrobe space in all 4 bedrooms.
Partly it's because I am ancient and my weight hasn't altered much in 30 odd years so very old stuff still fits. But I suppose really I just like buying clothes. Nothing expensive or fashionable. Just stuff. I do send bags to the charity shop a couple of times a year but there's so much that I might wear.......

TBF, today I picked the kids up from nursery wearing an ankle length dark purple skirt, thick black tights and combat boots, a dark purple buttoned up mac, dark gloves and a grey scarfy thing on my head to keep the wind off, so I probably wasn't too far off...

I also own a Salwar Kameez (not sure if that is spelled right) with the matching scarfy bit, but I only wear it in the house as I worry that asian/muslim women will think I'm being patronising if I wear it out. It is just so comfy and pretty though!

i have a small IKEA rack which i share with DH (as well as a chest of drawers each, i hasten to add). our rule is, we cannot own more clothes than will fit into the drawers/onto the rack. so when i buy something new, which is not often, i have to give something away to charity. i also frequently raid our clothes to do an oxfam run just for the pleasure of decluttering. so i guess it depends in part on how much space you have. the kids have a small-ish chest of drawers each and the same rule applies to them.

We have loads of storage, which is a bit bad for us as we just fill it with junk.

3 of each??? I have one DD, (17 months), and she has a wide chest of drawers, one average chest of drawers and a wardrobe full of clothes, and I have two wardrobes full. DH has one and a halfish wardrobe, with one chest of drawer full.

I honestly thought that was about average!

Isnt it ??

Well, I think we have far too much, and I have two wardrobes full (although one is mainly shelves and drawers), the girls have a wardrobe between them, and two wide drawers each, as well as DD1 having three storage boxes in her wardrobe.

Kids really don't need many clothes at all.
I think most peopel wash too much as well.If you shower every day ,yuor clothes are clean.