Why don't I just wear the new clothes and stop saving them!

[dolphinsarentcommon]

This stems from a childhood when I had very few clothes.. basically one pair of shoes, school uniform and something to wear at the weekend. I had a wonderful childhood but money was tight.

I've recently bought pretty much a whole new wardrobe.. change in lifestyle and dropped 3 dress sizes. But I just don't wear most of it cos it's 'new'.

Someone tell me I'm not totally bonkers and to get a grip.

Get a grip, enjoy wearing your lovely clothes and feel fabulous every single day - what are you waiting for? If not now then when? Life’s not a rehearsal plus every other cliche. Seriously 🤗

I’m exactly the same

My one test of if I want to keep something is if I want to wear it straightaway. If something sits in my cupboard for more than a week, I return it because I know I don't really like it. So, you might be being inadvertently more wasteful by not wearing things straight away rather than less wasteful by saving them.

I used to be like this for the same reason. Eventually I saw how ridiculous this was and stopped doing it, and started wearing lots of new clothes. If I buy something super expensive I make sure its classic and can be worn many times, but the cheaper clothes I just wear and feel better for it. Still have a lingering 'just for best' attitude, but mostly not.

you are not bonkers i do the same but i am trying to not do this anymore after putting on weight and no longer being able to fit in the once new clothes, which are also no longer fashionable

I don’t properly remember but I think it’s Edith Wharton’s grand American characters who, taking delivery of ‘this’ year’s Paris couture, would have everything carefully stored for a future season, so as not to be seen swanning around in newly bought clothes.

So you’re in good company.

And actually, one branch of my family had similar habits. They weren’t poor, but did like to keep lovely things in reserve - presumably to ensure they could always be the best dressed person in the room at any important event.

You obviously don’t want your new clothes falling out of fashion before you wear them. Why not challenge yourself to debut two new items every week?

I do this with nice / more expensive toiletries than I think I deserve on a day to day basis then eventually it goes out of date or looses it's nice smell.

Leave yourself two scruffy outfits, ONLY to be worn for proper lounging/gardening etc and pack the rest of your old clothes away. Then you’ll have to wear the new things.

I think setting all my old tat aside in a separate pile is probably a good idea.

Like a PP I'm also guilty of this with toiletries, perfumes and make up, albeit to a lesser degree. I'm dreadful with underwear.

I worked so hard to lose weight, and feel better about myself and it's such a waste not to wear them.

Break the habit?
Start with enjoying wearing your nice underwear - it can be the perfect cotton set or a n expensive silk number.
You'd gradually upgrade to your nice clothes and skincare, perfume etc,
They are all yours to use.
Why wouldn't you deserve to use them.
Only keep 1 set of older clothes if very comfortable and wear when doing dirtier jobs like gardening.

I’m the same OP. I’m trying to break the habit of saving everything until it goes out of fashion or doesn’t fit.

Break the cycle and wear the stuff. This might sound dramatic but seems like you’re holding onto something unresolved from your childhood. Nothing bad will happen from you wearing the clothes you’ve already spent money on.

Please wear your lovely new clothes :) I've just spent the last month clearing out my grandmother's wardrobes after she passed and there were so many beautiful clothes she refused to wear as they were for best - still with the tags on all had to be donated to the charity shop (which I see as the silver lining as lots of people will be getting some good bargains!) Life is too short, wear the clothes and feel fantastic!

I agree with pp that if you’re not excited to wear new things straight away they might not be worn at all. Also it’s slowly dawning on me, now I don’t work in an office so much, that some of my nicer things would be better replaced with more casual things (just nice casual things). Also that I’ll always gravitate to the same key items over and over even if I have other options so effectively I just don’t need so many clothes.

I dont have work clothes, home clothes, going out clothes etc

I just have clothes.

Wear a fabulous dress at 8am on a Monday morning or when going supermarket shopping if you want,

I hear you OP and had a similar childhood.

I like to wear all my clothes, enjoy the variety and the looks I create. I love fashion, though I shop low end. I choose my outfit from the night before- even if just going to the park.

As some of the posters stated, fashion comes and goes. Unless you are buying classic wear, you really do need to utilise all of your wardrobe.

I guess it all stems from keeping things ‘for best’. I think we’ve all done this, but now I’m at the other extreme in that I wear everything I own.

I wear the same things to work, that I wear at the weekends or to go out in the evening, although these days that’s nothing more exciting than dinner with DP or friends!

Ok so today I'm wearing a new vest top and a new bra AND a spritz of my favourite perfume, and im only at home.

Go me

Yes, I do this too - also grew up poor - with many things, especially clothes.

I mostly wear the same clothes even though I've got newer/nicer ones which I am saving for... something! It hadn't clicked until I read your post but I only had a few clothes when I was a child/teenager so maybe that is part of my thinking too. I think I fear 'ruining' nice things if I wear them as everyday clothes. I do wear perfume every day though, you can't really ruin that!

Anyway great to hear you're giving your new clothes any outing today.

Well done OP. Small steps. I had a long-standing habit of saving things for “best” - and often those events didn’t come - or being scared of ruining nice things. Now I think why not look/feel fabulous popping to the shops/playground etc and wear lots of silk in summer and cashmere in winter because I enjoy wearing them, despite my 3 year old covering me in snot/sauce/mud at every opportunity - they can always be washed or cleaned.

For me it was just a case of breaking the habit.

I use a wardrobe app and found I didn’t want to bother photographing my grotty old stuff, and that seeing what I wear laid out visually encouraged me to vary my outfits more.

Well done in starting!

I'd suggest planning your outfit the previous evening- hang it outside the wardrobe and just put it on first thing. That way there's less thinking/ procrastination/ chance to change your mind and it's done.

Good luck with your lovely things!

Life is not a rehearsal, so wear your clothes like you are on stage and today is the performance. I am off to meet colleagues for a fish and chip lunch tomorrow and believe me, I will be dressing up, as any occasion now is one to do so! I too used to 'save' items for best and they dated before I had a chance to get some of them dirty even, so no longer do they hug a hanger waiting for their day in the sun.

Change your mindset into making sure you get your money's worth out of your precious new clothes instead of them being wasted sat in your wardrobe. You deserve them, so enjoy them! 🙂

I’m terrible for leaving for best shoes, clothes, accessories, make up, toiletries etc. I think a small part for me is self-esteem/confidence issues. Good for you for using your new things.