Waste Not, Want Not: Wardrobe Edition

While browsing through Pinterest last night, I came across this Waste Less in April challenge.  Check out the task for this weekend: "Donate what you don't want | Reduce waste!"

image by Jeff Sheldon via Unsplash

It hit me like a bucket of water.

Holding onto clothes I don't wear anymore or don't need, it doesn't just keep clutter in my house (which I care about).  It keeps others from having something they might need (which I should care about).

If we were to keep only what we really use, then even pare those possessions down to what we really need, donating the rest offers others a chance to have what they really need.

It's taken me a long time to whittle down my wardrobe, but I actually have a good pile of stuff I don't want anymore.  It's taken me a long time to get to that last step of getting it out of my house, though, and that's the step that could actually help others.  To muster motivation, I've decided that I'll be donating clothes to Covenant House, a nearby shelter for youth in the community.  I was able to visit Covenant House a few months ago, and I heard about how they take in clothing donations.  They sort through the donation to find what's wearable and appropriate, then set the clothing up like a store for the youth they care for.  Some of the items I'm purging won't fit into the shelter's guidelines (high nude platform heels, form-fitting red dress), so I'll take those to Plato's Closet to see if they're appropriate for consignment instead.

Hopefully, with the commitment to #1 donate and help others and #2 maybe make a little cash elsewhere, I'll get around to decluttering my closet soon.  Hopefully.

Have you gone through a wardrobe purge?  What was your motivation?

P.s. 3 totally legitimate struggles that come with purging your wardrobe and  Links you'll love if you care about people