Why We Keep Clothes We Don't Wear and How to Get Past It

Have you ever opened your closet to find it full of clothes that you just don’t wear?

You may even find yourself asking what is the point of having all these clothes? Or even saying to yourself “I have a ton of clothes but none that I actually wear”.

We hang on to clothes we no longer need for a variety of reasons, and in this post, I’m going to walk you through how to get past each pitfall and what may be holding you back from saying goodbye to an article of clothing once and for all.

It’s new or may even still have the tags on

We all have that outfit in our closet that never sees the light of day. Maybe you wore it once for a party, or perhaps it’s never even been worn at all!

One reason we hang on to clothes is that it’s new or hasn’t been worn so we need to hold on to it and wear it. Keeping these articles of clothing in your closet isn’t going to change the fact that you still bought that item.

If it still has the tags on it and you bought it recently, see if you can still return the item. You may not get your money back, but you can still get store credit!

You spent a lot of money on it

The average family will spend about $1,800 on clothing each year. This number might even sound generous to those who have brand loyalty with expensive clothing brands.

It’s easy to justify hanging on to clothes that cost a lot of money. You may feel like you need to get your money’s worth or that you are supposed to have this item in your closet. Hanging on to this item isn’t going to magically make your money come back.

It’s better to try and sell it if it’s valuable or pass it along to someone who is going to get their use out of it instead.

You’re hanging on to it in hopes of wearing it someday

I am willing to bet that out of all the reasons you are hanging on to your clothes, this is the reason for many of the outfits you own.

Whether you’ve gained or lost weight, can’t find a place to wear it, or have dreams of wearing it somewhere, we all hang on to clothes hoping to wear them when the right occasion strikes. The reality is that for many of us when that time actually comes around, we are looking for a new outfit anyway!

If you don’t plan on having more kids, let go of maternity clothes.

Let go of the clothes that are too small for you, and treat yourself to new clothes if you find yourself back at that size again in the future.

Letting go of clothes can be tricky, but it doesn’t have to be! If you follow these tips you can let go of the clothes you don’t wear to make room for the ones you will.