What to do with my Clothes???

I donated all my clothes to our local community charity. It's a small town (2 stoplights only) and they give some of the clothes to their needy clients, the rest is sold to get money so they can buy what the charity needs. I am good with that! plus in a tiny town like this they are often overlooked by larger charity groups

I donated a lot of mine but I have a couple pairs of “goal” pants that I have hanging next to my treadmill for motivation

I donate to a thrift store that donates to churches

I echo the suggestion of donating your clothes, though Goodwill isn't a for-profit organization, they're a 501(c)(3). That said, if you choose donate to something like a shelter, please ask them what they need before going to drop off your clothes. Don't be surprised if you find organizations that don't accept used clothes.

When I was my heaviest, I held on to a few pieces that were too small for me, but donated most of it. The items I kept I really really loved, even if I never fit into them again. When I lost weight and finally fit into my favorite blouse, it was a surreal moment. Otherwise, holding onto clothes that were too small and probably wouldn’t be in fashion in the future made me feel more depressed than motivated. Having too small of clothes cluttering up my closet space reminded me more of the failure of gaining, so it was a relief to donate them.

You can list your own clothes and sell them on Poshmark.com! Take photos and set the price and people can put in offers etc. The nice part is they won’t all sell at once so you would still have your smaller clothes so if they do fit again down the road you can decide if you want to keep them and wear them and then take them off your Poshmark page. I’ve sold a lot of clothes on there and also bought some great new stuff still with the tags on there!

If something doesn’t sell after a period of time, I’ll donate it. But it’s nice to get a few $$ off it!

Just chiming in that I could understand wanting to just start fresh, if one can afford it, rather than keeping the smaller items.

I never liked keeping clothes when I put on weight, because it made me feel that I had failed. When I joined MFP and was steadily losing weight, I started buying a few smaller "goal" items but it never really seemed to work out for me when I did that. Either I would skip a size (i.e., went from size 16 jeans to size 12 and the 14s never worked) or I'd lose in a different way so the "goal item" did not fit properly. This especially happened for me as I went from being more of a pear to hourglass shape. I had to find different cuts in dresses that would flatter my body, but realized a lot of dresses did not provide the right fit for my bust when I wore smaller sizes at the waist, or they sagged in some areas. Same with tops, at times.

I love the idea of donating or selling clothes and just starting over. In my "journey" (hate that term because it seems overdramatic), I have done a lot of both. At one point, I had a garage sale at my home and advertised it online with specific sizes and brands I was selling. I made a few hundred bucks in a couple of hours and it was all to about a dozen ladies who showed up that morning. I do think my situation was a bit unique in that my town is large enough for that sort of turnout but it's not a big city where I would be overwhelmed by customers.

Good luck!

asochable wrote: »

You can list your own clothes and sell them on Poshmark.com! Take photos and set the price and people can put in offers etc. The nice part is they won’t all sell at once so you would still have your smaller clothes so if they do fit again down the road you can decide if you want to keep them and wear them and then take them off your Poshmark page. I’ve sold a lot of clothes on there and also bought some great new stuff still with the tags on there!

If something doesn’t sell after a period of time, I’ll donate it. But it’s nice to get a few $$ off it!

I love Poshmark! Also a great place to buy clothes inexpensively to tide you over in those halfway sizes.

karenvandam wrote: »

I am going to offer a different point of view. After losing some weight, I packed up my "fat clothes" into a bin and stored it in my closet. I only kept the clothes that were not worn out and would be rather classic styles. When my life circumstances changed and I gained the weight back, I was relieved to still have those clothes. I felt like I could wear them until I was able to lose again and not waste a lot of money buying a new wardrobe for my heavier figure. That would have been depressing! Likewise, I saved most of my "skinny clothes" and was able to use them again as I lost the weight.

I know we are all supposed to change our eating habits for life and never regain the weight, but it seems that many of us cycle back and forth depending on life and health situations. I advocate for keeping some of the off-size clothes in storage (out of sight so they aren't on your mind all the time, and assuming you have space to do this) for those fluctuations. It could save you lots of money in the long run.

As for buying clothes in smaller sizes for "inspiration," I would say skip it. I agree with the previous poster who said you'd shape can change in ways you don't expect. Save yourself the money and frustration!

Thank you for this. As someone who donated 7 bags of clothes after hitting a long enough plateau, I ended up gaining 30 lbs back.

Even if you do sell or donate the clothes that don't fit anymore, at least keep some things you wouldn't part with if they still fit. *kitten* happens. You might need them.

Overcomer2019 wrote: »

I'm hoping to find someone I can give them to directly. If not, they will go to a local secondhand store where mentally handicapped people work and the proceeds benefit a woman's shelter.

I've used freecycle.org to give to people directly.

I've taken better items to consignment shops and when I just wanted to get the whole process over with donated to thrift stores.