Why You Should Throw Out Your Clothes + Tips to Do It

Admit it. Hanging in your closet you have one nice dress, in black, that you pull out for weddings and funerals. The rest of the time you’re wearing leggings around the house only throwing on jeans when you have to leave. The rest of your clothes sit there waiting to be loved. When you’re on a journey to rediscovery you’re ditching the old. That’s why you should throw out your clothes.

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Moms are terrible about updating their wardrobe, myself included. I have a bra that the strap broke on while I was out one day. I rigged it with a hair tie with the full intention of sewing it when I got home. That was 6 months ago and I’m still wearing that bra and it’s still held together with a hair tie.

It often feels like that is just the status quo of being a stay-at-home mom. Of course, that’s exactly what we’re trying to change. At this point, you’ve set the foundation and started conscientiously taking care of yourself. (If you haven’t, go back and read those first.) Now it’s time to start representing your core self outwardly.

What’s that mean? It means ditching the leggings with holes in them. It means loving yourself enough to buy actual pajamas instead of wearing your husband’s boxers and an old t-shirt. To accomplish this I’m recommending something totally drastic:

Throw out all of your clothes!

I know, that sounds crazy. If it sounds too crazy, let’s simplify the process with some easy rules. These will help you ruthlessly chop down your clothes to make room for items you absolutely love and feel good in.

[bctt tweet=”You deserve to love all of the items in your life! That’s why you should throw out your clothes and make room for the ones that represent who you are now.” username=”diyadulation”]

The Guilty Items of Your Wardrobe

We all have those pieces that we keep out of guilt. These are the items that we got as gifts (pack on extra guilt if they’re pieces you asked for but then hated on your body). They are also the articles of clothing we bought but have never worn. We feel guilty because we paid good money for it so we feel obligated to wear it.

Guess what. You’re not wearing it. Instead, these items are taking up your time, energy, and space because of an emotional reaction. They need to go.

Clothing that Does Not Fit

These are your skinny clothes. The clothes that you keep around because you’re going to get down to your dream weight one day. They fit you 10 years ago and dangit, they’re going to fit you again.

Here’s my question to you: Why are you dressing a future you that you don’t even know yet? That future you is going to get vintage hand-me-downs as the reward for all of that hard work? No. Future you deserves new clothes that fit her body and make her feel beautiful.

Furthermore, current you deserves a closet full of clothing you love and feel good in as you are right now. That’s who deserves your love and attention right now, not some amorphous future of who you will be. Toss all of the clothes that don’t fit right now and make space for the present.

Accessories

I love jewelry. I love finding quirky pieces to add to my outfits. Of course, when it comes to getting dressed for the day-to-day, I literally never wear any of. When I do, it’s the same 3 pieces with every outfit. That’s insane and they needed to go. I pared down my jewelry drastically to a few pieces I absolutely love and now it all fits in one jewelry box.

The same goes for those accessories you have taking up space. Maybe your thing is high heels that you never wear. Do you have 50 purses only to use the same one every day? How many scarves do you actually wear regularly?

Ask yourself these questions and get rid of the excess. There is no right or wrong number of items to keep. It is about being honest with yourself about what you truly love and wear consistently.

Intimates

Remember that bra from above? Yeah, it needs to go (or get sewn). In fact, most of my bras need to go. The same for my underwear. I can promise you right now that I definitely don’t want to die in any of them. They’re not cute and most of them are in worse shape than I care to admit.

It’s time to let them go. Love yourself enough to get some bras that fit you properly and comfortably. Skip the 6 packs of Hanes and invest in some underwear that you don’t mind dying in a car crash with. If you’d be embarrassed for your husband to see your current undergarments back when you were dating then you need new ones.

Items You Are Crazy in Love With

These are the only items that should be left when your are done. If you don’t get crazy excited about a piece of clothing, it has to go. Why? Because that’s all you have room for in your life from here on out. You are getting rid of the dead weight in your life and that includes your stuff.

If you can’t honestly say that you love everything in your wardrobe then you have more to get rid of. If you truly, crazy love a piece then keep it even if you don’t wear it often. For example, I have a faux leather vest that I absolutely, hardcore love. I don’t wear it often but when I do I feel like a bada**. I’m not getting rid of it. Those are the items that should be left when you’re done with this process.

When you’ve put in all of the hard work that has gotten you here in rediscovering yourself after marriage and motherhood, you deserve to love all of the items in your life. That’s why you should throw out your clothes and make room for the ones that represent who you are now. Find clothes that fit your body as it is today so that you can show it the love it needs.

This is an ongoing process. As your tastes and style change, so should your wardrobe. One day, I may not love that faux leather vest in the crazy way I do now. When that happens, I’ll clear it away to make room for a piece I do love. That’s the joy of living in the present, not for some future self down the road.

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