As I’ve been giving family and friends tours of the new house I keep getting the same comments “Are those the only clothes you own?”
Why, yes, yes they are!
In comparison to the people I know my clothing collection looks quite tiny. But there’s a very smart reason for this.
Why Is My Closet is Bare?
I wear the same few outfits over and over and over. But I’ve noticed, I’m not the only one. However, I must be the only who only keeps the clothes that I actually wear.
I don’t like clutter. And I don’t feel bad throwing things away. I know a lot of people get attached to material items for sentimental reasons but I’m not one of them.
If I don’t like it, use it, or wear it I throw it away – regardless of who gave it to me. And since I only keep the clothes and shoes I actually wear I’ve got a pretty bare closet. (With the exception of one dress Ava bought me for my birthday, which you’ll see below. It would crush her if I threw it away.)
You ready to take a tour?
Inside My Closet
Here’s what the inside of my frugal closet looks like:
At first glance it looks like I have more shoes than I do tops!
As far as clothing goes I have:
- One Work Coat (for painting/staining projects in the cold winter months)
- One Good Coat (My Camo coat)
- 1 Casual Jacket
- 1 Belt
- 1 Dress
- 2 Sweatshirts
- 5 Sweaters
- 9 Fall/Winter Tops
- 10 Summer Tops/T-Shirts
Listing it out makes it sound like a lot more than what it looks like!
When it comes to shoes I have:
- 4 Pairs of Fall/Winter Boots
- 2 Pairs of Work Boots
- 3 Pairs of Flip Flops
- 2 Pairs of Flats
- 1 Pair of Running Shoes
- 1 Pair of Slippers
Inside My Dresser
On top of my dresser is a little basket for my most frequently worn tops. In this I put in the four cami’s I own plus the four plain fitted t-shirts I’ve currently been wearing on rotation. This makes it easy for me to grab my outfit when I’m headed to the shower in the morning.
Inside my dresser includes some underwear (of course!), seven pairs of socks (two dress pair all the other are crazy theme ones the girls have bought me, which are the ones I wear) four pairs of sweatpants that are also worn as pajamas. (And are also all covered in paint.)
As far as summer clothing I have 2 pairs of capris, 3 pairs of athletic shorts, and 2 pairs of regular shorts.
Then we get to the pants section and a deeper explanation is needed. I have two drawers holding my jeans. The top drawer is the size I wear now and the bottom drawer is the next size up.
You see, I have always bounced around in weight 5-10 pounds. Which means right now I might wear a size 5 jean and then in two months I’ll wear a 7 and then two months later I’ll be back in a 5. Seriously. My body has always done this going from 125-135 pounds.
So I’ve just separated those two sizes and I can conveniently switch them around as needed.
For jeans/pants I have:
- 1 pair of dress pants
- 1 pair of very casual dress pants
- 7 pairs of size 5 jeans
- 5 pairs of size 7 jeans
- 2 pairs of paint covered, holey work jeans
That is a look at my clothes. Every single piece of clothing I have (aside from the dress pants only kept for special occasions) gets worn – often! It’s taken me a long time to find the right brands that fit my body perfectly but once I find those key pieces of clothing I know to keep buying them when something needs replaced!
As a side note, I’ve found that out of ALL the brands of jeans I’ve tried that no brand fits me better than K-mart’s Junior’s Route 66 jeans. I know that sounds weird but women’s sizes don’t fit my body. I don’t have enough butt to hold them up! TMI? 😉 Route 66 actually fit me and they last much longer than you’d think, too!
In fact, my favorite pair of jeans are K-Mart brand. I’ve had them for more than 3 years and they are still holding up great.
My Clothing Must-Haves
Camis – I wear a cami underneath everything. I have four nice ones in (mostly) neutral colors that I bought from K-mart and they get worn over and over. (These ones. They have held up EXTREMELY well.)When one of them starts fading, gets stained, or tears then I’ll go replace it.
Fitted Plain T-Shirts – Next on the list is plain t-shirts. Put on a good pair of jeans, a nice cami with a fitted t-shirt over top, and either a pair of flip flops or boots and I’m good to go.
Good Fitting Jeans – I don’t wear dresses. (Except when Ava forces me to wear the red dress pictured below that she bought me for my birthday a couple years ago. It makes me look nine months preggo but I wear it for her occasionally.) I don’t wear skirts. I wear jeans. That’s what I like.
Boots & Flip Flops- I have one pair of tennis shoes that I’ve owned for years. Besides that I’m content with one comfy pair of flip flops, one nice pair of flip flops, and a good selection of boots for the fall and winter time.
If You Don’t Wear It, Don’t Keep It
If you want to keep your things organized and save money in the process then start throwing out the stuff you don’t wear! By doing this you’ll be able to accurately take stock of what you have. Then when you are sure of the type of things you’re repeatedly wearing, and the types of things you bought but still have the tags on, you’ll know what to buy and what NOT to buy.
Also, buy good quality boots. I’ve had most of my boots for years. Some are more than five years old and are still holding up very, very well.
I tell you what – having an organized clothing system makes getting ready in the morning much easier. To top it off it feels good to look in a nice neat closet rather than having to constantly look at a hundred things you don’t wear or love.
Thank God Jamie and I now have separate closets 😉
Do you find yourself wearing the same things over and over like I do?
I’m going to do a new decluttering into my closet, but since a couple odf year I have some clothes for cold months and other for beautiful season, I wear a sor of weekly uniform but I keep into my closet only clothes that I really wear, now I did some shopping in the past months that means my closet needs a reorganization:P…rule is keep clothes that you wear and if you need to buy something new it must to be combo with items you already have…
I think that’s a good rule!
Well this post is perfect for me because I love clothes. Clothes are my weakness (it’s the one thing that I spend or am tempted to spend too much on). And your closet is a fresh reminder that it doesn’t have to be that way. For now, I do need work clothes, so that do add to my normal clothes, but otherwise, I don’t need as much as I have.
Yes, when I had the insurance job I also had specific clothes for that which I’ve now gotten rid of. I totally get the needing more clothes for work, especially when you’re in a professional position. Now that I work from home I admit I do have a slight advantage in not needing as many clothes.
Home decor is my major weakness. Especially area rugs and mirrors 🙂
We have a large walk in closet in our house and it is pretty bare. I’m pretty sure my husband owns more clothes than I do because he never throws anything out (unless I make him sit down and go through his stuff). After I quit my teaching job I kept a few of my professional clothes for substitute teaching, but I didn’t need a closet full of that stuff. Plus, as a stay at home mom, my wardrobe mostly consists of flip flops, shorts, and tank tops.
Yes, Jamie is the same way. I really hated sharing a closet with him because he keeps EVERYTHING. I’m so happy to have my own closet again 🙂
I realized recently that all the clothes that I actually wear fit in one laundry basket. So, what the heck is in the closet and the dresser ?
~ C
🙂
I’ve aggressively downsized and haven’t really shopped for two years…and I think I have 5 times the amount of clothes that you do LOL! As long as you have jeans and cute shoes-all is good. I have to have outfits for every season. I am really focusing on wearing everything for as long as possible and only keeping items that make me feel good when I wear them.
I am pretty simple when it comes to clothes. It’s hard for me to find things that fit really well and when I do find them I stick with them and throw out the rest 🙂
It looks like my current closet right now! The only difference is that it looks like my US home closet, because I wasn’t able to bring much clothes from my Europe home. I could on the other hand buy lots of new clothes here as well, but I have only got few new things, because I needed those. But I do have to admit that I love clothes and outfits, and I just have to stay away from the Malls 🙂 Thanks for the insight!
There was a short period of time when I first got my insurance job that I really enjoyed shopping. Now I dread it lol
I am always rewearing the same things. And I have clothes in three different closets in our current house. Since we are moving in less than three weeks, it’s my job to go through those things and pare it down to just what I really need. For me, it’s been difficult to let go. I have diastasis recti, so I still look pregnant. I dream of one day fitting into my old size 8’s, so I have kept a small size 8 wardrobe – clothes I truly love. I also have an extensive running wardrobe, back from my marathoning days (um, 6 years ago). And then the clothes I currently wear. You can tell I have some sentimental / emotional attachment, but I am motivated to get rid of clothes. I don’t want a storage facility on the other side!!
Jamie has the sentimental attachment to clothes too. He still has stuff from high school so I totally get that. Hopefully you can get everything pared down before the big move. I got a rid of a TON of stuff (especially toys) before we moved and it feels pretty good 🙂
I’ve been on a shopping ban for the past 6 months and while I haven’t bought anything new, I still haven’t got rid of all the clothes I don’t wear. I feel like I’ve been wearing certain clothes over and over again and really need to get rid of the stuff I no longer wear.
That’s what I do. I wear the same exact things over and over and over. Pretty much until they are no longer wearable!
Impressive! I wish I had a clean wardrobe like this. I have way too many clothes! Even with all my clothing. I do still find myself wearing the same things over and over. I’ve thought of doing a capsule wardrobe to see if I could do with less for a few months.
That sounds like a good idea. The other trick I always heard people talking about is to take everything hanging in your closets and hang it backwards (With the hanger going the wrong way.) Then you’ll be able to see what you never worn. If in six months you still have a ton of backwards hangers you can then get rid of those clothes. It might be worth a try 🙂
Let’s hear it for single parents! The originators of the super trendy “capsule wardrobe!”
You’re motivating me to get rid of clothes. Thank you!!
My daughter just came back from Uganda and brought me several pairs of colorful harem pants. They are so comfortable and fun. I wish I’d sent her with enough money to buy several complete outfits and I would make those my warm weather wardrobe.
I do admit, though, that I worked in a women’s clothing store in high school and I really like clothes. I’m even one of the crazy people who enjoys doing laundry. So. . . I’m not sure clothes is really the area where I’ll embrace the minimalist lifestyle the most. 😉
I am a huge fan of camis too, although I buy mine from Target, and I think they’re more like professional undershirts than camis. I find Target’s brand holds up really, really well and they look great under my work blouses! I would definitely have a smaller wardrobe if I worked from home, but unfortunately I have 2 closets… one for work stuff and one for regular stuff. Don’t worry, they’re small closets! 🙂
You have more clothes than I do! I only own one pair of jeans right now, but I’m losing weight and do not want to buy some until I reach the next size down. We live in a small space so my closet holds less. I try to keep items that can be used during most seasons so I can get more use out of them. I love this post because you show that you don’t need a walk in closet full of clothes!