Purging...

[JennSC]

Okay girls, on a recent thread I read about how many things we purged that we loved and now missed.

For those of you who have been through the "binges and purges" over the years, what is the value of all the clothes, shoes, etc. that you have tossed???

I guess conservatively around $8 - $10,000 over 25 years! WOW!

Think about it. Wouldn't it be worth it to just rent a storage locker and pay by the month to keep everything???

[heathr1]

Probably £100 to £150 UK.

[Sallee]

it's been a while since a purge but your right, back in the day I tossed a lot of stuff. My closet won't be big enough now for all of it, so maybe it wasn't so bad and some went to goodwill So some other CD may have it now Recycle and we all win :D

[sarahNZ]

well over the $1000 mark. not sure if it is worth a container for 1000 over 15 years.

[Karren H]

I havent purged more than a few bras and panties ever.... I was a prolific borrower... and since my hobby came back with a vengence... I keep my wardbore in check by giving away things I no longer wear to goodwill or sisters that can't afford nice things... but I don't consider that purging... more like feeding my shopping adiction!! lol

[KandisTX]

My second wife decided to purge for me just before she walked out on me the last time. I believe that one alone cost me close to $5,000.00 however over the years leading up to that one I personally purged to the tune of $3,000.00. I guess that puts my purges to a total estimated value of $8,000.00 over roughly 14 years.

Kandis:love::rose2:

[Teri Jean]

Like Karren, I have only gotten rid of a few things like panties and nylons. I wouldn't want to get rid of everything. Keli

[Ralph]

Haven't purged in over 20 years (see other thread about "are you comfortable where you are and for how long") but back in college I went through denial once or twice trying to "cure" myself. How funny it is now to look back and realize I thought I was going through something unique, only to find out years later that it's so commonplace there's even a term for it.

Didn't lose much financially; all my stuff came from secondhand stores at the time. But I do miss this old-fashioned pioneer/granny type dress - a brownish floral cotton print with puffed sleeves, a full skirt, and smocked bodice.

Of course, that was a size 10 and a bit snug on me; now I'm a size 24 and it would take two of those dresses to go around me! Once in a while I browse ebay looking for something similar or watch old "Little House on the Prairie" reruns and wistfully admire the Ingalls girls' dresses, wishing I had one like that. If nothing else I wish I had the sewing skills to just make one myself! But I can barely stick two pieces of cloth together and count on them staying together for any length of time.

I'm sorry, what was the question? I seem to have lost track (again)...

[Carole Cross]

I havent really purged anything because I didn't have that many clothes until now. By my nature I am a bit of a hoarder, I got that from my mother, and I tend not to throw things away. I am at the moment, however, having to purge some of my male clothes to make room for my femme clothes. :D

[StaceyJane]

I purged a really nice leather skirt and a silk nightgown that I bought in Korea. I did it just before I got married.
I did get to sleep in the nightie a few times while staying in a hotel on that Korea trip. The nice thing was I was on a training mission for the Army and I was spending my nights in a hotel wearing my new silk nightie.

[Daintre]

I have just recently finished a major purge, no I did not get rid of everything, but almost all. If I were to put a value to what was tossed, (and by being tossed I mean filling the committee charity bins) the value was over :o well lets say a small fortune. Much of what was tossed still had the tags on, I hope someone makes good use of the clothes.

[kristinacd55]

Purging is silly because all you'll do is regret it!! I just throw out the stuff that doesn't fit and won't ever, or "what was I thinking when I bought that!!" :)

[danielle_from_cal]

I guess I have been kind of lucky. Most of my purging was done in the days when I just bought makeup. But one time I felt that I needed to get rid of my things because we were moving and I did not have a good place to hide things. That probably resulted in disposal of about $1,000 worth of memories. So, overall in my life, I have probably not thrown out more than about $2,000 worth of things. A lot of my wife's things fit me (if I don't breathe very deeply) so I don't have to spend a lot on clothes.

[msginaadoll]

I would guess about $2000 to $3000 dollars worth. This over a span of 15 years. Its been awhile since my last one, so dont jinx me talking about it.

[Tasha McIntyre]

Not a great deal really because I have always been deep in the closet. Probably no more that say $400 over the years.

On a happy note....and I have to scream this out... thanks to recent developments with the wife.

I never have to hide or purge anything again.....happy days :D

Cheers

Tash :)

[beenherelongtime]

toward $10,000. I mentioned in another post how i bought clothes that really didn't fit me and i would have been better off having clothes custom made.

[Beth785]

I've weeded out some ill fitting or some other items that I didn't like anymore, but I have not ever purged anything. In the past, I had bought somethings without trying them on and when they didn't fit right didn't have the courage to take them back. That may have been a couple hundred bucks. I don't do that anymore as I LOVE trying things on!

[Daintre]

I do not feel that purging is silly at all. It happens at a time when we feel that we can overcome this vice...this compulsion.

We find that it works for a while and then an inner force builds until we are compelled to re-buy all we have disposed of. After a few purges we learn to put the clothes in storage because we know the feeling will return.

[Lisa Golightly]

Oh, I don't know how much money I lost... That doesn't seem important. Purging for me was a desperate attempt to try and control my transsexuality... I just couldn't admit I was so I'd get moody, bin everything, try and be a man, get moody and then eventually stop fighting myself once more... I find my purges quite heartbreaking looking back on them... I really didn't cope with things very well back then.

[immike]

Oh, I don't know how much money I lost... That doesn't seem important. Purging for me was a desperate attempt to try and control my transsexuality... I just couldn't admit I was so I'd get moody, bin everything, try and be a man, get moody and then eventually stop fighting myself once more... I find my purges quite heartbreaking looking back on them... I really didn't cope with things very well back then.
I keep my femme clothes,pantyhose,heels,undies&lingerie under lock&key,in my house,
especially when I get visitors,mainly my 2 sisters,whom have no idea their sibling spent
years raiding mothers closet&thier closets,dressing in their good outfits

[jillleanne]

back in the days when I did purge, I would relate todays value of those items equivalent to Obama's rescue bill.

[CD Susan]

In my 50+ years of cd'ing I have purged three times and remember them all very distinctly. My reasoning at the time was that if I did not have the clothing then the urge to do this "strange thing" would go away. This was during a period in my life when I was not willing to accept this part of me and wanted to rid myself of this "odd behavior". Of course I know better now and will never purge again. My last full purge was about 25 years ago and I know that I will never do this again. As for the dollar value of the things I threw away it must be in the thousands of dollars. The sad part is a lot of these things were what is now considered vintage and is now impossible to replace. At least I have learned from my mistakes.

[ErikaLeigh]

I would say between $700 & $1000 for me, I havnt purged in about 8 years now and will never do it again. I have way too much invested now and it would be a lot cheaper for me to just lock it away and keep it for the rainy day we all KNOW will come. :)

[Jess_cd32]

After reading these posts I'm truley amazed that some of these purges are running into the thousands of dollars range, that has to hurt afterwards when you realize you made a huge expensive mistake:doh:

As for me it wasn't very much, probably under $50.00. I know now if that desire ever arises, just box up everything and store it in a closet because the pink fog will eventually return. My past 6 month purchases are getting up over the $500. range so far and climbing fast.

[Kitty Sue]

I hate purging. I had not purged in more than 8 years and then when I got dumped I purged it all. I had pretty much all that I wanted and really love my clothes.

I would say I have purged at least 5,000 dollars since I was bout 14. I am now mid 30s. It really sucks and is quite depressing looking back on it. Just started buying again the other day and now have a bra and so it starts anew. Hopefully I will not feel the need to purge again.

[KristinSkye]

Wow...I didn't even realize this had a name to it...I'm already learning haha.

I thought my estimate of $400 was bad until I saw some of y'alls.

[JoAnne Wheeler]

I PURGED away a small fortune in clothing, gowns, shoes, jewelry, lingerie, makeup, etc in my "GREAT PURGE of 1995" - it had taken me 25 years to accumulate that wardrobe and I can no longer replace the classic clothing and lingerie and nightgowns - that makes me very forelorn

My advice to all my sisters - no matter how much you think you need to purge, -> PLEASE DO NOT DO IT ! Otherwise you will be sorry that you did, like me.

JoAnne Wheeler

[Briana Blonde]

I just throw out the stuff that doesn't fit
I just threw out 2 pairs of shoes for that reason.

[Kate Simmons]

Probably a small fortune. No use crying over spilt makeup though.;):battingeyelashes::)

[Carly D.]

I think adding clothing that wears out such as pantyhose and tights.. good question.. I hate the thought of what my answer would be.. but here it goes.. I'm a cheap cross dresser.. most of the shoes I have or had were bought at payless (get less) Walmart, Target, K-mart or I do have one pair of shoes from Sears.. I thought about the shoes alone and that comes out to about 100 pairs that I had plus the sixteen pair I still currently have (100 all together or better than 100 pairs.. either way how embarrassing)... and my clothes (early skirt attempts as well as other clothing disaster ideas) and that would equal(??) don't know.. I think around a thousand dollars only.. because I am so cheap.. I hate to think that I spent that much doing this...

[Debbie801]

I have two great friends who store my clothes for me at their homes. Used to purge completely; now purges are only for clothes I no longer want.

Divorce, however is imminent...the bright side is then the sky's the limit!

[Kate Lynn]

In the early days I would by second hand clothes and shoes at thrift stores,wear them until they were wore out and completely unuseable,since my divorce in 1983,well thats different.
I would estimate my purges were equal to Americas defense expenditures since the revolutionary war,+ or - a few cents,just kidding.
I very seldom purge any more,my shoe collection is equal to Emelda Marcos's shoe collection,as for clothes,I toss them when they no longer fit,they become too large and no longer fit like they did when I bought them.

[JoannaCaroline]

I don't think I've ever purged, I do remember the days when i thought I would quit doing this, but I think that was before I really owned anything.

I have gotten rid of stuff in a few different moves. I can't think of anything I've gotten rid of that I might want again. I'd call those gifts to thrift stores good riddance. I think I need to do it again. My closets are filling up with stuff I haven't even looked at in 5 years

[inquisitiv]

Probably $400-$500 worth of shoes. Not so much the money, but I miss a particular pair of killer leather pumps that really fit well.

[AliceJaneInNewcastle]

I've written about this on other forums before. My suggestion is that if you feel the need to purge, pack it all up in bags or boxes and ask someone else to store it for 6 months for you. If after 6 months you haven't asked for it back, they get to keep it or dispose of it for you. If they're a CD or GG who knows about the CDing, they get to go through it, share it with their friends, etc. If the person storing it wouldn't be interested, they are simply to donate the whole lot.

In about 9 years, I haven't heard of a single person who hasn't reclaimed their stuff in under 3 months.

[kathrynjanos]

Okay girls, on a recent thread I read about how many things we purged that we loved and now missed.

For those of you who have been through the "binges and purges" over the years, what is the value of all the clothes, shoes, etc. that you have tossed???

I guess conservatively around $8 - $10,000 over 25 years! WOW!

Think about it. Wouldn't it be worth it to just rent a storage locker and pay by the month to keep everything???

Yeah, but think about how quickly that stuff goes out of fashion!!! :bonk:

Seriously though, I have not really purged anything. Once I realized what I was and accepted enough to buy clothing, there was no going back.

[AKAMichelle]

I guess many thousands of dollars as well. It possibly would be cheaper to rent a space to store everything, but in the end we all thought it would end when we purged. Therefore, there would have been no point to keep anything. We were done with Crossdressing. :D

Hindsight is 20/20 so next time I renting a space.

[AZKathy]

First off I am glad to find out that I am not the only one who throws out my things! I recently had a change of situation and got rid of all my wonderfully pretty things. Dresses,heels, lingerie everything it was quite a bit over $1000.oo. Now I have nothing but a pair of silk panties, my shaved legs and underarms, and my pretty nails. I am very, very sad.

[Sweet Jane]

i only ever regret purging my photos....clothes and the rest i could replace, but i do regret not having photos of me as a teen

[Amanda Shaft]

I don't like to think of the money I've wasted but I do regret throwing some prized clothes away: my little black anckle boots and a satin pencil skirt spring to mind!
Amanda x

[Highland Anne]

I have purged three times over the years and after each time I have thought right I will never crossdress again but a few months later I was buying outfits. The last time I purged was two years ago and after that I said I would never do it again as I got rid of some really nice dresses that cost a lot.

[Kelsy]

Oh, I don't know how much money I lost... That doesn't seem important. Purging for me was a desperate attempt to try and control my transsexuality... I just couldn't admit I was so I'd get moody, bin everything, try and be a man, get moody and then eventually stop fighting myself once more... I find my purges quite heartbreaking looking back on them... I really didn't cope with things very well back then.

Purging for me was a desperate attempt to kill the girl inside. It never worked I am who I am. I am learning to cope!:sad:

Kelsy

[Trinity K]

Hello every one. I even hate the idea that i would have to purge my things. My wife knows i dress up. She is getting into it more and more, but i have taken it slow. She told me that i have to get rid of thing that dont fit me i told her that i will. So i did come up with a Yahoo group. It is for girls that have to purge or would like to post things they dont wear. It is for girls that would like to swap to. I do have the link in my profile if any one would like to join. I have not had time to post thing yet. My wife hs me working on the house lol. I hope to list a few this weekend.:) I hope this helps some of the girls out there.

Trinity K

[sometimes_miss]

Probably only a total of $2000 value over the years, but it wasn't the cash value, but the fact that there are so few truly beautiful sexy things in my size. Size 16 shoes anyone back in the day? Nope, didn't think so. I had one pair of size 15's though that I got out of a kinky mail order catalog a very long time ago (took about six months to get them, I thought they would never arrive!), that I purged, and didn't find another pair for years. All I could wear with my girl stuff was a pair of plain sneakers, and it's just, well, not the same. Not being well endowed, panties were always a somewhat easy find, but bras? Took quite a long time, of buying and tossing them into the donation bins, to find some that fit me. One very expensive dress that never fit quite right, but I kept it for several years because it just felt so pretty to put on.

[Cary]

I havn't purged in a while. I would say about 7 or 8 years. I think I still have my first shaper panty I bought when I moved out on myown in 95. I'm a pack rat and in the closet(bad combo). I give Goodwill a thing or two from time to time, but it's rare. I think a big purge would hurt too much. Eventhou doing so would give me a reason to shop for better clothes. Like I need a reason.LOL!

[Leslie Mary S]

I have never purged because it has been only 1.4 years that I have bought my own girl clothes. I do have a small wardrobe that I can't even deam of wearing but I keep them for visiting models. size 0 thru size 12 would be my guess. I am size 16 and up to say size 20 depending on maker and item. The only thing I presently get rid of are nylons and panty hose. I think I am a champion 'run' maker. Grin
Speaking of making I have never sewn anything for myself, always did it fo the wife and daughters. I have even taken a patteren making couse. Been sewing since I was 10. Mom was a Phaff instucto and to show the students how easy it was to sew she taught me.
One year I sew matching square dance outfits for the five of us, The wife, two daughters, the male me, and my son. These were then worn in a fashon show at a national square dance convention. I even made the pettycoats, vests, garters (13 of them), and male shirts and pants. took three weeks to make it.
Even made the bows used on the wifr and daughter's shoes.

[lingerieLiz]

I started to say that I had purged quite a bit, but the truth is that I got rid of things that I didn't look good in, that were out of date, or were worn out. With a wife and daughter that purge the above on a regular basis my wardrobe purges are minimal. If I only count the clothes that I threw out to avoid detection of guilt maybe $40.

[alexmusic]

I’ve purged quite a few times over the years last time was 2 ½ years ago when I was moving to Texas I was in a relationship with a GG and I thought that would silence the girl forever but as you can all guess……I was dead wrong…..6 months after the move we broke up and I could feel that girl in me looking all gorgeous and fem staring at me from the threshold of my closet asking “when are you going to let me out?”

I have had a few impulses in the past 6 months or so to purge but my therapist says that when I get the urge to purge I need to just pause and think about it and how purging will not solve anything and will only make me feel sad in the end.

I had a couple of really fabulous dresses that my sisters had discarded and a couple of pieces of jewelry that I really regret having purged.

And like Sweet Jane said I regret having purged my photos the most.

[Starling]

I've purged a few times, ladies, but the financial loss didn't amount to all that much...maybe a few hundred dollars altogether. I do really miss some of the things I tossed over the fence at Goodwill, however, like my pretty pink satin cami and my classic Candie's mules.

The biggest problem is that purging is like losing weight too fast: when all is said, and done, and danced around in, you wind up with significantly more than you started with.

Fortunately, that's not a totally awful problem.

Lallie