Clothes, clothes, clothes! #SavingMadeSimple #PGmom

Once upon a time (aka 7 years ago) I still lived with my Mom while I was paying off college and saving for a place. One night I came home with Lululemon pants. $90 Lululemon yoga pants. If my Mom knew how much these pants cost, she would have flipped - even if I was a 20-something working woman. But guess what? I wore those pants last weekend. $12 a year doesn't seem so bad for a pair of amazing pants that look brand new when they come out of the dryer - and they are still in fashion!

Clothes are something we all have to wear (unless we want to be charged with indecent exposure in public). I'm not very trendy (my wardrobe is filled with dark jeans, sweaters and tees in various shades & prints and about four dresses). As I get older I know what looks good on me and what I feel comfortable in. But sometimes I'm still bitten by the sale bug. The allure of online shopping (especially boxing day sales!) sometimes has my Credit Card getting quite the workout (don't worry Gail - I pay my bill in full EACH and EVERY month).

Every fall and every spring I go through my wardrobe. If I didn't wear it and someone else could - it gets donated. I wear my shoes to the ground (quite literally, most of them have holes in them after years of continuous daily use - walking and driving). I try to buy only items I know I can take care of (i.e. no ironing for me).

I also make sure to use Tide and Gain on my clothes, and those that get thrown in the dryer always have a party with a Bounce sheet.  Not all laundry detergents are equal. Tide Simply Fresh & Clean has 2x the baking soda cleaning power of the leading competitor. It gets deep down into the fibers of your garments to remove the particles that cause the odours. Which is the best news ever when your clothes come in close, daily contact with an adventurous toddler.

Some tips from P&G to keep your wardrobe in your closet and looking (and smelling!) great:

• Take inventory of your current closets. Make a list of every shirt, every shoe, every purse. Then make a commitment not to buy another “whatever” until you’re down to the last wear. 
• If you’re done with the item and it still has value, you’ve got to sell it to make room for another. If you can’t sell it, you’ve got to give it away and wait until you’re without a single extra before you go shopping again. 
• Do not buy new hangers! You can only replace the item on the hanger once you’ve sold it or donated it. 
• Fix your stuff. Are you not wearing those heels because they need a good buff or perhaps a new heel? With regular maintenance, your clothes and accessories will last longer with a little attention.

This challenge really made me purge my closet - and Hannah's. I was saving everything of hers and we were running out of space. As much as I'd love to keep all the clothes if we have another girl...even if we do, I'm sure Grandma will stalk the Carter's sales rack for that grandchild too. I had to get over my emotional attachment to my first born's outgrown wardrobe. I did keep a few special items - the outfit she wore in our Pampers YouTube video, the outfit she wore on her first birthday, her first pair of skinny jeans.

At the end of the purge I had six bags that I donated to the Canadian Diabetes Clothesline. And two closets that were much better organized.

How do you deal with all the clothes in your closet?

Disclosure: I am a P&Gmom. As part of my affiliation with this group I receive products and special access to P&G events. The opinions on this blog are my own. 

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