The annual tax purge

[MissTee]

With Christmas barely out of the way, and the closets and panty drawer much denser since the Holiday shopping season started, I have begun to think of my annual purge. Not a total purge, just an out with the old and in with the new process. I started doing this a few years back when I realized I could not retain everything I bought lest I run out of room. I make it a habit to start the day after Christmas and finish before the New Year.

FLASHBACK - Before reaching this annual purge conclusion, I had rented a climate controlled storage unit. I made room in my closets for the new stuff and transported the "I'll wear it later" stuff to storage. After three years of that I realized once it went to storage it never came back. Also, I usually never wore it again. Letting go was almost emotionally painful as it felt like purging, but I grew to accept it as a normal part of maintaining a wardrobe and not becoming a hoarder. I find the hardest to let go of is the shoes, dress, blouse or whatever that looked so incredibly cute in the store or in the catalog; yet, in the end they did not quite fit right or meet my expectations once I put them on. Many I may have only worn once or twice.

Anyway, I've identified some charities that will benefit from my purge. A battered women's shelter in one state, and a homeless shelter in another (since I maintain two residences.) I have some really nice stuff -- gently worn and well cared for -- that should be a treat for someone. Does anyone else do something similar and structured, or am I just weird that way?

[charlenesomeone]

Miss Tee, same here. Make sure to use Its deductible. Great program for max tax effect.
Hugs

[Jaylyn]

I try and keep just a few things and have purged completely a few times that I thought I would be thru with dressing forever. I now keep just the things I really enjoy. The hardest purges I have has been my makeup that I thought I would use. I almost will not an old lipstick or foundation. I keep thinking I can squeeze one more time out of it. Wife and I can wear some of the same tops and hosiery so we share a lot on that end. I still love it when she says I'm out of white eye shadow do you have some I can borrow for today? I get a tingle when she wants to borrow my leopard top. Ummm guess it's just a gal thing.

[Lynn Marie]

Rather than an annual culling of the wardrobe closet, I simply have limited closet space. This forces me to only shop for clothes that will upgrade what I already have. Something new and pretty comes home and something old and dowdy goes into the recycle bag. Eventually everything in my wardrobe will be a timeless classic. Then I'll start a new hobby! Yeah, sure, LOL.

[tammie]

I do "catch and release" that is if I want something new I have to discard or give away something .

I hate it when I read about someone (a CD) with 25thousand pairs of panties or 6000 bras etc. It kind of proves that some CDing is in the realm of mental illness, only for those folks its not really about "dressing up"

[Maria 60]

I don't know why I just can't move anything out, my wife tells me out with the old in with the new. I don't think it's an illness, but believe it's more I don't know when the train is going to stop. I don't think I could ever buy anything fem without my wife, so my mind tells me if something happens between us I would never be able to replace it, or buy more of something. It is funny but there are time when I get a craving to wear something and knowing I have it, I will dig to find the weirdest thing. I believe us women need selection.