How many dresses should i own

It also depends on where you are moving too and from. For example I brought all my cute sandals and shoes to Idaho when I moved but I ended up living in a pair of short mud shoes because I lived on a gravel road across from Tawra and we rarely went to town.

It was almost always muddy. The same thing happened when I moved to Eastern Colorado but this time it was cowboy boots. I guess I said all of that to say cut back and only take the basics. Also I once talked to a moving company and the mistake most people make in moving is moving books.

They are very heavy and because most moving companies go by weight they are expensive to move. Just a heads up. Your lists have been soooooo helpful. Especially when people are constantly giving us clothes. I have had to start saying NO! I am ready to deal with the bare minimum. Most of the older children do their own laundry but it can still be too much.

It can be equally overwhelming to them as well. These lists are a great guideline and I plan to start weeding out. Thank you!! I finally had to get ruthless and grow a back bone, toss out the excess and start setting my foot down on what I allow people to bring into my tiny house.

Yeah we get a ton of hand me downs. I have been hurting for 50 years but 15 years ago we got into politics. I bought a couple nice outfits so we could travel to the conventions and things. Over the 15 years I have lost a lot of weight and gained a lot as the meds took effect. Now this next week we have been invited to meet our Prime Minister. Great reward for all our hard work.

One problem I have nothing to wear. Things are too big too much out of date. No stores in town to try and find something. My husband has also lost a lot of weight and this weekend he will try on his suits to see what will do. We will be in the city next friday and will have about an hour to try and find something for him. Possibly a new suit but at least dress pants to go with a shirt. I will try and find a nice blouse to go with grey dress pants.

So when you purchase a wardrobe item include something you can mix and match with what you already have. Maybe a simple dress that you can fancy up with a scarf or shawl or some jewelry. For those once in a life time outing. How excited you must be grandma in spite of your clothes problem. That is too cool. Hope you have fun and can find something. You are right about the clothes.

I keep a black sleeveless shift dress which I can dress up or down with jewelry etc. The cut is such it never goes out of date either even if I am tired of it.

I am so glad I left my death bed and went out with my husband to wander. We stopped at the only true clothing store in town. I like to shop there once in a long while since the owner is a school mate of my son and I think she needs more business. Long story short I found two dress with jackets combined and they both fit me and my husband likes them both.

One is a chocolate brown to almost my ankles and the other is a rich burgundy with a paisley type jacket. He said get them both. Was I ever glad I look at the price first. They were both on sale from over a hundred to twenty five. I can get skirts of different colours or different jackets or wear them with a shawl or plain. They are also easy to size down the dress part at least as I plan on losing another 30 lbs in the next while.

So good to go for another couple years. And I will look good to meet the prime minister. I love getting a deal. Basically that should be it. If you have summer and winter you need to buy for then add a couple of pairs of sweats, long sleeve shirts etc. I love your basic list, but will change it to meet our needs. The rest of what they receive is given to them, and they sort out what they want and send the rest to goodwill along with stuff they have outgrown.

This past year we had to pair it down to one outfit for school and a few jeans for home and church use, and a nice shirt to go with them. Oh, sorry, but I do buy all socks and undergarments new at walmart or someplace where i can get them pretty cheap.

I can hardly believe I am shopping almost exclusively at Good Will now. Like you both, Tawra and Jill, I have decided to sell my home. I need a few things to make it show well to buyers, so I have bought a couple of furniture pieces for just a few dollars.

I know in this tough market a house has to stand out from the competition. I took your tip, Tawra, and I go to Home Depot and Lowes to look for paint on sale-stuff that other people have returned. Question…what do you all think about buying underwear, pajamas, robes, socks, etc. I see many purses, shoes, etc. Can personal wear be worse or not?

Personally I buy just about everything at Goodwill. Socks and kids underwear, not a big deal, just bleach before washing. Barb things like purses or shoes I wipe with disinfectant or spray with Lysol. Our thrift shop uses disinfectant on most of their things like that before they put them on the shelves but I still take it home and disinfectant.

I can get such cute and expensive things for nothing which I normally would never be able to afford. She then broke down and started buying at Walmart and after swearing she would never buy used she ended up having a passion for garage sales. My point being you just start slowing and before you know it you will be comfortable with it all. I am not making little of your question because I too thought just like you for a long time and it took me quite awhile to get over my squeamishness and felt the same way.

How funny you say about squeamishes. My husband broke his arm and was home 6 monthes with surgery etc, I had cervical cancer at29 with 2 young kids. We had NO money for anything and Christmas was around the corner. I asked my friend, the owner of a kids 2nd hand store to let me in on some hot finds. One Christmas I bought all 14 of our nieces and nephews 2nd hand clothin for Christmas, washed and starched it. My brother found out and refused to allow his kids to wear it.

He said it was disgusting. Anyway, about 10 years later, I found him and my sister in law in Goodwill and I asked the what in the world they were doing there.

They said they had been going their for quite some time since they ran into some medical issues. Then it was ok, but a few years earlier, no way. I wash everything in warm or hot and rinse in vinegar. It is a disinfectant as well. Thanks for your post! I got all my jeans at thrift stores except for one pair that I got at walmart,and all of my shirts,my 2 windbreakers,and 4 pairs of Nike tennis shoes. I do buy my socks, and underware at walmart but I am sure if something looks clean and you wash it first it would be totally safe to buy those too at the thrift shop.

What you say makes such good common sense. Even when I think about brand new clothes, who knows how many people have handled them before they wind up hanging on a rack in a dept. Glammor and glitz does not equal clean!! Good Will washes linens-you can tell because they smell so nice.

Maybe the inside, too?? Got any good tricks for this?? After Christmas or other times I try to find gift boxes or bags on clearance or for very little. I even get these at the thrift store but do find a lot just on clearance.

It had a ton of bags and boxes. I am a container hoarder. I admit it. If I get jewelry I save the boxes and then if I find jewelry for my granddaughters at the thrift store I will put them in my boxes. I also will also use cute containers I find at the thrift store. He gets a two for one gift that way and it makes what I put in the container look special. I found a set a of 10 stackable boxes like my granddaughter wanted and I will put a gift in the smallest box for her.

The white tissue paper makes everything look really nice. Some times I spray a little scent or Christmas scent on a corner of the paper so they get an immediate pleasure from the smell before they even open the box.

Another thing I do is for example I found a scarf for someone at the thrift store. I will lay the two side by side in a box with tissue paper and because the gloves have the original tags on it is looks like they both are new.

Once you start looking around for containers and boxes or bags you will be surprised at what you find. We will be posting more articles on gift wrapping soon so keep your eyes peeled and hope this helps some.

I worked for Nordstrom for several years and know the clothing business pretty well. Many people try on clothes before they buy them…. We were pretty cautious about putting clothing that was returned back on the selling floor that we felt was worn but things slip through the cracks.

I got over the stigma pretty quickly when I saw the condition of the clothes and the prices at re-sell shops or thrift stores. We often share clothes among family and friends so why not at a thrift store?

I draw the line on underwear too…except I once bought a slip that I have worn for years and it is the best quality I had ever found. So you never know. Every well-run thrift store I have shopped in had clean items for sale. I also like buying used because I can tell the quality of the item. I was so frustrated. I broke down and bought 4 brand new shirts last summer. After 2 wearings they all had faded and stretched and just looked bad. Not again!

I really love your clever ideas. Putting a sweater in white tissue paper and in a box would sure make it look beautiful and new! The scented spray is a terrific tip,too. I just thought about blocking sweaters…I remember my mom doing that. It sure made them look new again. I know when they were done and folded they looked fabulous and like right from a dept.

Any tips on how to block things like sweaters? I bet it would make a Good Will item look pretty spiffy! Barb usually you block natural fiber sweaters — cotton, wool etc. You normally do it on a damp sweater by laying it on a surface you can poke pins in. You lay if down and gently shape and stretch it to the shape you want. Here is a video on blocking I found for you to watch which explains in detail.

Well, five months later, I finally accomplished weeding through and donating all the bins of clothing I was storing for our youngest daughter. Better late than never,huh? Anyway, now that the clothes are out of the way, I can concentrate on organizing other areas of our home :- Hope you all have a wonderful day! Jill, Thanks so much! The video on blocking was terrific. It is amazing how an extra touch with an iron makes a garment look brand new. I found your comment very interesting Barb.

I love to iron. I even did it for years to earn money for the kids and I and at one point was doing ironing for 5 families besides my own. That was a lot of ironing. I do pillow cases, t shirts everything. I have also made sure that not only do my grandkids know what an iron is but they know how to use it.

Oddly enough they all seem to like using it. We even put a whole chapter in our laundry e book about how to iron, ironing boards, irons, the difference between starch, sizing and much more. It is one of many skills I think everyone should at least know how to do.

You may not do it all the time but it is needed once in awhile. My son just recently was telling how when he went to an employment service how over dressed he felt in his neatly ironed dress shirt and slacks compared to everyone else who had old t shirts and cut offs on.

Oh dear. Sorry will get down off of my soap box. Anyway my son is now employed. I wonder if that means anything? About 30 years ago my chiropractor forbid me to iron even for short amounts of time. About 15 years later I got rid of my big heavy iron. Then we started traveling out of town and had to have dress clothes so my son bought me a light weight travel iron. Never used it because motel rooms supply irons and ironing boards. He took it for 4 years at university.

Just recently my husband has started putting pictures onto pillow cases and a few T shirts. Took me a day to find where I had stashed the travel iron. But they do come in handy once in a while I guess. Still love my chiro after all these years. I think it says a lot, Jill. Clothes DO make the man! Even inexpensive clothing looks so much sharper ironed. Those that iron jeans and slacks always make a great impression-just like your son found out. He stood out from the crowd.

I think it says something about a person when their clothing is pressed. Btw-I blocked a cotton sweater I got a Good Will today following your link. It was from Talbots so it is lovely quality. It looks beautiful now:. The thing I find scary about identifying tools for things we do is when you walk into a museum and find something there that you learned on. Tredle machines, the toaster with the sides that flip down, a wringer washer. Sure makes you feel old. They were also fun to use, real hands on type things.

It depends on the job you are trying to get what type of clothes you should wear. My husband and one son are welders by trade. If they showed up at an interview in good clothes they would be laughed out of the shop. They have to wear grubbies since they will have to show how well they weld. Interviewers do that kindly to being told they will have to wait until the interviewee goes home to get clothes or he needs a place to change into the appropriate clothes.

Clean but work clothes are the best bet. My other son never wanted to work in dirty places so he went in dress shirts and jeans or dress pants. It of course depends on your own personal life style so you may have to sit down and just do some figuring. I have gotten along with only a black skirt for years and dresses. Of course if your color palette is different from mine you may want to add a navy instead of brown etc.

If you work and have to wear dresses every day or you attend an extra amount of church services where dresses need to be worn then you may have to add extra. It depends on when they wear them. I would say no more than tops. Like Tawra said I would say 4 if they have to wear a dress once or twice a week. I might let them have a few more tops like 5 everyday tops and 3 nicer dressier tops. Most people do laundry every day or at least twice a week so you can usually keep things washed up.

Now the reality is you have little girls. They love their clothes but you still may have to put the brakes on and the older they get if you make them pay for things other then the basics and do their own laundry this will help some. Also one thing which really helps and may seem like a pain but in the long run pays and that is twice a year when the season changes from cold to hot, go through their clothes with them. Get rid of too small, worn, ugly and they never wear etc.

People tend not to sort through their clothes in a big way a couple of times a year so things start taking over. Mark, If your girls really like a lot of variety and money is tight, be sure and take them to Good Will, or any thrift store. Changing life style makes for changes in what is considered decently covered. Getting back into politics so meetings and travel are on the agenda. At least not at my age.

Young skinny figures can get away with more casual items. At my age my self confidence needs the boost of the clothes I wear. For Christmas my husband bought me a velour outfit. I bought a cream coloured tshirt that looks really nice so that is sort of my mix and match outfit. Different coloured shirts and a red velour top from another velour outfit so I can have about 4 from the one basic.

At least that will let me be dressed well for the winter. Already starting to look for something similar for spring and summer. So when you are getting new clothes think of the care of them. Ironing every time you want to wear something is inconvenient and for some downright painful so avoid them. Instead of dresses for girls try skirts blouses and sweaters so you get more outfits when you mix and match them. Rhea pretty much it means 7 cool weather and 7 warm weather shirts. I would sometimes do things like buy short sleeve shirts for summer and then just buy long sleeved cardigans for my daughter to wear over her short sleeve tops when it was cold.

We have all hit this issue at some point — in some form. He was is total distress — he wanted to keep this shirt — she was determined — the closet was too small for clothes he cannot get into. At last a happy compromise was reached. The shirt did not go in his closet, she used it to make a pillow sham for a small square pillow to toss on his bed. So — she got the closet cleaned out and he got to keep the cute logo that was what he really liked about the t-shirt.

Rhonda, mom has done the same thing for my kids. It makes it so much more peaceful if you can do things like that to help them get rid of stuff. They say great minds think alike. Too creepy, my daughter is starting to think like me. Bet she loves that!!! Thanks for the tip Rhonda. I just did that with my granddaughters sweater and gave it to her for Christmas. The sweater had pockets on it so one side is to lay on and the side with the pockets she can use to put her treasures in.

When my grandkids discovered that Nan can make a pillow out of their favorite clothes they more then willing give them away. They also love the quilts I make for them so I tell them to give me their favorite things and I will some day make a quilt for them. One tip for quilters. I just saw on Fons and Porter to slide a small cutting mat inside the t shirt then lay your square cutting ruler on top of the logo or part you are cutting and cut.

Thought this was a great idea. Oh, how true. When my grandson was tiny, my daughter had about 30 pairs of trousers for him — the washing and ironing became just unmanageable, because she left it for ages because there were so many clothes, and then was faced with a mountain of laundry …. And here I thought I was the only one to make such lists! The point is really think it through and make a similar list for your family and their needs and to keep it to a minimum. It would be a rare thing indeed to find someone who would have an exact list to fit our needs!

Not many have to consider mudboots, chore tennies, and poultry processing clothing! Besides, I plan to show it to my children. What we did was to watch what we wore for a month. Once it was worn and washed, instead of putting it back in the closet or drawers, we left it folded and neat in a laundry basket.

At the end of the month, everything that was left in the closet and drawers was taken out and switched with the laundry basket of clean clothes! Then we just set the laundry basket of UNUSED clothes aside in the room and lo and behold, very little of it was wanted. I think we waited a couple weeks and then when it was clear that no one wanted to wear the left overs, we donated it all to Goodwill!

And no one had that panic feeling of having to choose right away in some big stressful cleanout. It was a really gentle way of cutting back. Hi,My husband and I have 4 children and I have homeschooled for 5 years. All of our children have a day of the week that is their laundry day. They all wash and dry their clothes. The older two fold and put away their own and the younger ones wash and dry and I still hang or fold for them.

The older two do theirs that way as well even though they dont have to now that they fold their own. Makes it alot easier on them to have all their outfits incliding pjs reay to go. Well, here in Florida spring is in the air! Drove past the bay this afternoon going to my daughters house, and people were laying out and the kids were in the water splashing around!.

I put on a cotton skirt and blouse and flip flops this morning. Anyway, I was looking at what I have for spring and summer wear, trying to decide what to buy. Do we really need to go out and spend a fortune every season on clothing? One thing I remember thinking that I wished I had to put on last summer was a pair of black capri pants. I have several tops that would match. So it looks like that will do me.

He hates for me to get rid of anything. He has a drawer full of nothing but socks. It is just Dh and my self at home now. Each Jan when others are making their resolutions for the year I make up a clothing replacement list for each of us. I have a note book back to that I have saved with each list and for that year each item we bought, where it was bought , price paid and how it stood up to wear. Over the years our cost for clothing has dropped each year.

Since I know most of what we will want for that year I watch the sales, and garage sales and Thrift store. This year still on my needs list is a new winter Jacket the one I have will become my chores jacket. I patch work clothes for the yard, for hubby and I too, and many other small sewing things to make clothing last longer, fit better and look better too.

Of course using the right method of cleaning works too! We moved to a smaller house recently and I am so happy. When we had a bigger home it was just an invitation to store more not needed stuff. There is a huge gap between the two. There are only seven days a week, so why would one person need shirts and pairs of shoes, etc.

I just did that yesterday! It looks so much neater! Now I just need to get rid of some of the outfits. It sounds like you are on a roll Angi. Good job. In our house, we each have a limited amount of space for clothing.

My husband and I have 12 ft of hanging and shoe space and a standard chest of drawers each. Our son has two chests of drawers, but only 3 ft of hanging space. Everything hangs or is in drawers all of the time. It is so much easier. I very quickly learned that my little one had difficulty with being stimulated by changing clothes at bedtime, so pajamas quickly dropped off our clothing list for her.

Hope My family and I can get even more help from our new found friends….. We often refer to the clothes situation and the Clothes Demon… Seems he always wins.. Hopefully my wife will read along with me and we and Fix this situation once and for all.

This article gives me so much encouragement! I have 4 children We just have way too much everything and it is so far past manageable. Erin you sound like many of us. I once read about a woman missionary who loved her clothes but when she went on the mission field realized she had to get control of them.

She bought 7 dresses all the same style but in different colors. She said it changed her world. She never gave clothes a second thought and it saved her so much time. On Mon. She never had to worry over what to wear again. Of course that is the extreme for most of us but boy it would be nice to be able to do that and not think about clothes any more. My aunt was a manager at a large, well known corporation for years.

She actually retired from this corporation. She made a lot of money and felt like she had to spend a certain amount of money to dress the part. Apparently they had a lot of drama in the office with the women all competing to be the best dressed and constantly focusing on wardrobes. Corporate passed down a dress code for the ladies: Black, gray or navy skirts no shorter than knee length or slacks, white blouses, jackets optional, black, gray or navy flats or pumps, small, minimal jewelry.

At first my aunt was really disappointed because she had such a wide variety of work clothes to choose from and could no longer wear most of it to the office. Then she went shopping for the new dress code approved items and said her life was changed. Her clothing expense dropped to about a quarter of the amount she had been spending…she and her husband went on a week long vacation with the money she saved in one year!

She felt a freedom from getting up in the mornings and knowing what she was going to wear without really thinking about it.

Then, after about a year, she was able to start letting go. A few things she kept for special evenings out or church but since then she only needs one closet. Do you have that list too? My husband could use to cut down on his clothing. They eventually lose the weight again but it takes time, sometimes months. So if a person is in that situation I think it is fine to have extra put aside for when that happens. Also it gets pretty cold in Minnesota, at times negitive 20 degees with a negitive 30 degree windchill so we need extra winter clothes too.

Layering what you have can only go so far up here, then you need winter specific clothing. Thanks for what you do, I appreciate it. I had tons and tons of clothes from going up and down in sizes and having a baby recently and have a tiny, tiny closet.

I recently gave away several boxes of clothing by using the following test— if I could only do one load of laundry, what would I wash? I did this for three pretend loads of laundry. I have learned now that babies can grow really fast and not to spend too much money on the smaller sized of clothes. My husband is the King of simplicity. His jeans tend to rip at the pocket, and he will wear the ripped jeans around the house until I finally throw them away and buy him a new pair.

It only seems logical to me to put the sheets back on the bed immediately after drying them. Why bother folding and putting them away? This also brings some fresh smells into the house. It also elimates having to have an extra set for each bed. Maybe you only need one extra pair in twin and one in double. I like the idea of YOUR putting their clothes away. When I watched my sisters kids for four months finding the perfectly folded and clean laundry at the bottom of the dirty clothes filled laundry basket made me see red.

Also when I have company I let them use my bed. So it is does save to put them right back on but seems as if I so often have things happen to prevent that. Like I said I always put my kids clothes away myself. Smile more. Always be shaved, waxed or better yet, lasered. Seamless underwear. A black sheath dress. A structured blazer. A multiway shawl. A timeless and understated piece of jewelry.

A high-quality handbag. Plain white tee. One of the most versatile things you can own is a plain white tee with a relaxed fit. Chambray shirt. Black leggings. Cute sneakers. Simple flats. According to the American Cleaning Institute, you want to change your pajamas after three or four wears assuming you 're not wearing them all day. You 're probably already doing this, but if you stink, you ought to change your pajamas.

Here are 9 surprising pajama storage ideas, ranked from worst to best 1. No storage required — sleep naked. In the hamper. Tossed on the floor. Laying on the bed. Laying on top of the dresser. Have you stopped taking out the dresses hanging at the far end of your closet? Do you have to rummage through a mess to find what you need? Most of us hold on to things longer than we should and the excuses we give ourselves are endless. It has sentimental value. It is too expensive to throw out. I will repurpose it soon.

I will shed some pounds to fit into it again. And the list goes on. But asking myself these questions really helped me out:. If the answer to most of these question is no, there is no point in letting those clothes hog your closet space.

Your house is not a junkyard for unused and unwanted items. Deciding what to keep and what to discard is a hard decision but these tips will help you make it. Take all the clothes out of your closet. Each and everything including those tattered handbags you stopped using years ago. Make a list of what you own for each category.

Jeans, tops, blouses, jackets, sweaters, etc. Write the numbers down. Look at every item. Touch it, feel it, wear it, assess it. This will help you get a sense of all the useful items you own and the ones that need to go.

To make more responsible decisions, split these unwanted clothes into three piles. Depending upon the condition of the items, throw them in the relevant piles. And those tattered handbags from before? Onto the throw-away pile. A useful strategy to prevent your closet from becoming a mess is to set a limit to each clothing category.