What to do with clothes?

dustyhockeymom
dustyhockeymom Posts: 537 Member
edited September 26 in Health and Weight Loss
I cleaned out my closet today and have several boxes of clothes that are too big. Yay! But now I am conflicted about what to do with them. I have some that I am going to donate. I also have some really nice ones that I am trying to decide what to do with. I have thought about selling them on ebay or at a consignment store. I could use the money to buy new smaller clothes. The problem is that I am tempted to just box them up and hold onto them because this isn't the first time I have lost weight and then gained it back. In fact, I am thrilled that I saved clothes in a size smaller because I don't need to buy a lot to still have a nice wardrobe for a few months while I continue to loose. So what should I do, sell the clothes as a statement that I won't ever wear that size again or save them so I don't have to buy new clothes just in case? What do you do?

Replies

  • Crystal817
    Crystal817 Posts: 2,021 Member
    Donate them! I'm sure someone out there could make use of them. :smile:
  • sarah307
    sarah307 Posts: 1,363 Member
    Donate them! I'm sure someone out there could make use of them. :smile:

    agree! DONATE!
  • quintter
    quintter Posts: 5
    I did the same thing today. I am getting rid of all of it. I will be harder for me to fall back to old habits if I don't have my bigger clothes to wear. I am done being the big girl. Today was my first ever thrift shopping and the clothes I found were amazing and so inexpensive!

    Good Luck going forward and congrats on your loss so far!
  • Xaspar
    Xaspar Posts: 726 Member
    I say sell or donate.

    Not keeping them gives you another incentive to want to continue losing and maintain when you reach your goal. If it hits you in the pocketbook, that is just one more motivational tool... (It sure would be for me :) )

    ~Namaste
  • BeautyFromPain
    BeautyFromPain Posts: 4,952 Member
    Get rid of them!!
  • ehilgeman
    ehilgeman Posts: 45
    This is a tough one. I used to be religiously in the "don't hold onto them" camp, while I was steadily losing weight. But, now I've put a few pounds back on and am wishing I'd kept more. But, you know what - having clothes that don't fit me comfortably is a big part of what drove me to MFP.

    Here's what I would do. Donate or sell most of it, but box up a few pieces that you love as a record of where you've been, rather than as a fallback position. That way, when you're fabulously skinny, you can pull that piece out and say, "wow, I used to wear THIS - unbelievable!" So, you can keep your positive mental attitude rather than thinking of it as giving yourself permission to put the weight back on.
  • jayneenaa
    jayneenaa Posts: 3
    I'd say get rid of most of them, but if you have some that you can take to a tailor and get hemmed or fit to your new size I'd do that.
  • rodafer
    rodafer Posts: 63
    Yay for you! That is a great feeling! I am not sure if someone has mentioned this yet or not. But I work at a victims of crimes center where we see mostly victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. Call your local program and see if they accept donations. Much better then trying to sell them on ebay. Unless you are a great seller, it can be a hassle.
    And celebrate!
  • sara_m83
    sara_m83 Posts: 545 Member
    Have the nice ones that are still in fashion tailored to suit your new body. This should be much cheaper than investing in a new wardrobe and the best part is that your clothes will fit you perfectly, unlike most off-the-rack purchases.
  • angp7711
    angp7711 Posts: 324 Member
    I was in a weightloss support community when I was my biggest so I offered them up to anyone there that was in that size. It felt good knowing my clothes went to a good home. I had some awesome stuff,lol. I also didn't get rid of stuff until I was two sizes away. So when I hit a 16 the 20s went and so on. Then once I held a weight for 6 months steady I got rid of everything except what looked great on me. I still have some pretty huge pj pants and workout shirts. For around the house. For some reason those were just as hard to get rid of as my formal dresses,lol
    Ang
  • mommacool
    mommacool Posts: 138 Member
    Get rid of them... FAST!! If you think you might need them, you probably will. If you tell yourself you will not ever need them, you are more likely to stay on track... and if your smaller clothes get tight, take the step right then to lose the extra few. I think if you have big clothes to put on if you gain, it is just easier to make excuses and keep gaining. I have packed away ONE pair of jeans in the biggest size I wore, and those will be the only thing I save. And I have ONE pair of my favorite small jeans I saved from years ago that I hope to get back into someday.
  • 4lafz
    4lafz Posts: 1,078 Member
    While I was losing, I took some of the clothes that I really liked to the tailor at the dry cleaner. That way I did not have to continually buy and donate through the loss. It's cheaper than buying new - and I got to wear the clothes that I really loved. I did donate A LOT and gave some to my sister too.
  • LiL_MisS_C
    LiL_MisS_C Posts: 332 Member
    Currently, I'm keeping my old clothes and wearing them until I'm completely at my goal. Which reminds me...I should invest in a good belt tomorrow until that time comes! lol. Rolling the waist band of your jeans and pants can only stay put for so long! lmao :laugh:
  • Kelleinna
    Kelleinna Posts: 160
    Whatever you do, don't keep them! Get rid of them, it doesn't matter how.... lol. Keeping them is like giving yourself permission to fail and gain the weight back. Don't do it. You won't be needing them.
  • SimplyDeLish
    SimplyDeLish Posts: 539
    donate or sell NOW!!! Have some faith in yourself. If you think you'll gain the weight back you will. If you have clothes that you can wear if you do it will be easier. If you don't....you'll be forced to stay smaller!
  • TaneeisFitforLife
    TaneeisFitforLife Posts: 433
    Get rid of them or have them tailored :)
  • bmw_bloch
    bmw_bloch Posts: 24 Member
    Selling clothes on eBay is a hassle and disappointment because you only get small change for it. Donate them and enjoy shopping for smaller sizes. If you ever need bigger ones again, you don't want to go back to the old - by then outdated - clothes anyway.
  • peacehawk
    peacehawk Posts: 421 Member
    Women's shelters are a good place to donate. Also, there is a program (the name escapes me) where women can go to get an outfit or two suitable for job interviews. I would imagine that larger sizes are harder to come by. You can take tax deductions for donating to non profits, plus it feels good to do something good for someone else. Great job on your weight loss!:bigsmile:
  • tamanella
    tamanella Posts: 500 Member
    Someone had suggested doing a clothing swap on here. In other words, when I lose weight and grow out of my clothes then I'll see if there is anyone on here that could use them and send them to them and they can do the same when they lose their weight. Paying it forward. :0)
  • a_stronger_steph
    a_stronger_steph Posts: 434 Member
    Like Tamanella mentioned, I'm going to have a clothing swap party when I'm a bit lighter - though I'm going to do so before my goal weight so that I have some clothes to "tide me over" before then. Basically the idea is you set a date and invite a whole bunch of friends - give them enough advance notice to clean out their closets - and make a night of it! Put the clothes in a big pile in the middle of the floor and you can hold up piece by piece, if someone likes it, they try it on, if not, it goes in a "donate" bag. You might come out with some neat new things, or not, but it should be fun either way (hopefully you have fun friends, hehe).
  • l3xii
    l3xii Posts: 160
    Like Tamanella mentioned, I'm going to have a clothing swap party when I'm a bit lighter - though I'm going to do so before my goal weight so that I have some clothes to "tide me over" before then. Basically the idea is you set a date and invite a whole bunch of friends - give them enough advance notice to clean out their closets - and make a night of it! Put the clothes in a big pile in the middle of the floor and you can hold up piece by piece, if someone likes it, they try it on, if not, it goes in a "donate" bag. You might come out with some neat new things, or not, but it should be fun either way (hopefully you have fun friends, hehe).
    sounds like fun i need to try this
  • curvygirl512
    curvygirl512 Posts: 423 Member
    I'd recommend that you donate or sell most of what no longer fits. I looked into tailoring my better pants, and it was disappointing to find that it costs nearly as must to have the pants tailored as it does to buy them new. I will be saving one pair of big pants as a reminder of my former size. Putting them on and seeing how big I used to be is enough motivation to stay on track.

    The aforementioned site to donate business clothing is http://www.dressforsuccess.org/

    Good luck.
  • mom23nuts
    mom23nuts Posts: 636 Member
    try to make some cash off them by bringing them to a consignemnt store....some of my stuff sold and I was glad to have the few buck from them...other wise you can do a tax write off by donating them....just don't keep them as having fat clothes just in case is dangerous to fall back to.

    maybe if you belong to a gym you put up a posting or I have sold a lot of things on Craigslist and clothes might go for people transitioning to that size.

    try it all and then after a few weeks just donate them outright so they are not cluttering up your space and time and mind thinking about them
  • RiaLucia
    RiaLucia Posts: 121
    I agree w/pretty much everyone else--donate most of it, tailor the exceptional pieces (I plan to do this to my all time favorite pair of slacks that I've had for 10 years and have to wear safety-pins in the waist to keep up), and keep, like, ONE pair of pants just so you can do one of those pictures where you hold them up and say, "Can you believe I used to fit into THIS?"
  • mrstessbowen
    mrstessbowen Posts: 19
    I was able to find people at the gym and friends that needed the clothes i shrunk out of. The pay it forward works and you may find some people that are able to give you clothing for your new size that are not outdated. Definatley dont keep them its too easy to put them back on =( . If you need a reference for the size you were at use a picture. Its a better reminder of the journey.
  • MyNameIsNotBob
    MyNameIsNotBob Posts: 565 Member
    Check out the brands you usually buy & see what their resale value is on eBay. I have a lot of clothes from J. Crew and their resale value is typically pretty high (and the stuff sells almost immediately!). The nice part about this is that I can take the $$ I earn and buy new stuff in smaller sizes on eBay without actually having to shell out $$ from my own pocket. The stuff that wouldn't sell, I'm giving to a friend or donating. Sounds mean, but I don't have $$ to buy a whole new wardrobe.
  • healthyjen342
    healthyjen342 Posts: 1,435 Member
    Yay for you! That is a great feeling! I am not sure if someone has mentioned this yet or not. But I work at a victims of crimes center where we see mostly victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. Call your local program and see if they accept donations. Much better then trying to sell them on ebay. Unless you are a great seller, it can be a hassle.
    And celebrate!

    agreed! Or somewhere that takes in people from natural disasters, etc..or the mission...homeless people would be very grateful...
  • I_Got_This_23
    I_Got_This_23 Posts: 27 Member
    I too went shopping at the thrift store today for the first time. Agreed, it was a fun and inexpensive way to bridge over your wardrobe as you're shrinking. I also say donate, or sell to a consignment shop. Keeping those clothes is a subconscious way of telling yourself you might fail. No room for that kind of mentality in this battle!
  • curvygirl512
    curvygirl512 Posts: 423 Member
    Last weekend I gave a huge bag of clothes away to someone I love dearly. They fit the recipient perfectly except for the length. It is so nice to know that I never, ever have to see those clothes again in my closet. The bare closet space feels as liberating a losing a pound or two.

    Whatever your method, I'd recommend getting rid of the clothes.
  • MinnieInMaine
    MinnieInMaine Posts: 6,400 Member
    Get rid of them!! If you were within 10 pounds of goal, I'd agree with the woman who was hesitant but you've got a ways to go and not having those clothes around "just in case" may help you stay motivated. I get where you're coming from - I've done this weight loss journey several times too but I refuse to keep my bigger clothes. Once they're too loose, they're gone! The only thing I have kept is one pair of "before" pants just so I can take one of those pictures where my whole body fits in one side. LOL!

    You can do it!! Don't let fear and past experiences hold you back!
This discussion has been closed.

Categories