What do you do with your old clothes?

Chili777

Chili777

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I just bought my first pair of 34" jeans today, for the first time since I was in my 20's, 40 years ago. I'm 12 lbs from my original goal (and 20 lbs from my doctor's). I'm thrilled but this also means I have clothes, mostly jeans, pants and shorts, that are sized 34", 36", 38", 40", 42" and 44". That's 86-114cm for the rest of the world. 😮

So what did you do, or what are you going to do with a wardrobe like that? I'm pretty sure I don't want to keep the largest sizes because I never want to go back. Do I leave a couple sizes larger in the closet "just in case"? I've been here before with yo-yo weight gain. Do I have a bonfire for everything over my current size and walk the plank? I thought about Goodwill first, but the two in my town now want "lightly used" which these are not, they were lived in. I'm not sure what to keep or what to toss. What are your thoughts or what did you do?
 
Congratulations on your success!
I have the same dilemma! I have lost this much weight before, and kept the clothes in my closet. As I slowly gained weight back, I had clothes so I didnt have the pain or expense of buying them. It was a good thing. However, maybe if I didnt have the clothes, I would have been more careful about my lifestyle?? IDK.
This time I am thinking of donating all to a shelter. Houseless people need clothes, and cant afford them.
If you have Nice clothes in good condition, you can sell them on many websites..help fund your peps!
 
Contact a women's shelter or homeless shelter, most will take clothes no matter what shape they are in. Whie I was losing and buying clothes, I would by stretchy waist bands so that I could wear them throughout longer periods of time. I wore a lot of sweaters that at first fit, then became a litle loose, then were oversized sweaters. I think I wore that same look daily for months at a time - stretch jeans or trousers paired with an oversized sweater. I now wear cothes that fit, and have kept a some of the stretch waisted jeans and oversized sweaters "just in case." I don't plan to ever gain back any, but I also know that I could break a leg, become immobile for a few months and gain a few.
 
desinr-gal said:
Congratulations on your success!
I have the same dilemma! I have lost this much weight before, and kept the clothes in my closet. As I slowly gained weight back, I had clothes so I didnt have the pain or expense of buying them. It was a good thing. However, maybe if I didnt have the clothes, I would have been more careful about my lifestyle?? IDK.
This time I am thinking of donating all to a shelter. Houseless people need clothes, and cant afford them.
If you have Nice clothes in good condition, you can sell them on many websites..help fund your peps!
Click to expand...
That's where my head is at right now. To keep, or not to keep because I never want to go back there, but I've also been here before. I'm talking a large heap of clothing with that many sizes.
 
pavlovs said:
Contact a women's shelter or homeless shelter, most will take clothes no matter what shape they are in. Whie I was losing and buying clothes, I would by stretchy waist bands so that I could wear them throughout longer periods of time. I wore a lot of sweaters that at first fit, then became a litle loose, then were oversized sweaters. I think I wore that same look daily for months at a time - stretch jeans or trousers paired with an oversized sweater. I now wear cothes that fit, and have kept a some of the stretch waisted jeans and oversized sweaters "just in case." I don't plan to ever gain back any, but I also know that I could break a leg, become immobile for a few months and gain a few.
Click to expand...
Hmm. I'm a guy, but maybe the men's shelters are also looking for used clothes. I see their requests for mostly socks and underwear for them at different times of the years, and I've donated those before, just never a variety of what I have. It's probably 2-3 large hefty bags of stuff.
 
As I was reducing sizes I took my too large , well bleached, tidily folded under garments( as well as white crew socks) in a brown paper bag marked " clean " and "free" to the local soup kitchen line doorway. These items are really needed and crazy expensive for those on a low to non existent budget.
 
conzopiriani said:
As I was reducing sizes I took my too large , well bleached, tidily folded under garments( as well as white crew socks) in a brown paper bag marked " clean " and "free" to the local soup kitchen line doorway. These items are really needed and crazy expensive for those on a low to non existent budget.
Click to expand...
Great idea!
 
I plan to donate the largest sizes 40, 42, 44 to a local mission when I get back home. They do good work and serve a lot of the increasing homeless community. They always have a need for clothes. Right now I am 38 but hope to get down to 34 also. I haven't been a 34 in a long time so I will have to get new clothes at that point.
 
First off, huge congrats on the 34s, that’s a massive win. Happy for you.

Best thing is to donate them and don’t look back. Try charity shops, shelters near you. Clothing bank drop-off bins (the metal ones in parking lots) are an easy solution. Wack ‘em in.

It’ll feel good, not only helping other but I guess it’s symbolic too. Closing a chapter and reinforcing new habits, a new mindset, and forward motion.

This is how I see it, if weight ever fluctuates, that can be handled then — no need for a closet full of permission slips to go backward.
 
redbullwings said:
First off, huge congrats on the 34s, that’s a massive win. Happy for you.

Best thing is to donate them and don’t look back. Try charity shops, shelters near you. Clothing bank drop-off bins (the metal ones in parking lots) are an easy solution. Wack ‘em in.

It’ll feel good, not only helping other but I guess it’s symbolic too. Closing a chapter and reinforcing new habits, a new mindset, and forward motion.

This is how I see it, if weight ever fluctuates, that can be handled then — no need for a closet full of permission slips to go backward.
Click to expand...
Thanks. That's what I'm leaning towards, it's just that I've probably rebought two wardrobes over the years thinking the same thing. I was thinking I wouldn't be on Reta for the rest of my life when I started this, but I may need to be.
 
CMA Pooky said:
I plan to donate the largest sizes 40, 42, 44 to a local mission when I get back home. They do good work and serve a lot of the increasing homeless community. They always have a need for clothes. Right now I am 38 but hope to get down to 34 also. I haven't been a 34 in a long time so I will have to get new clothes at that point.
Click to expand...
Best of luck to you! If I can do it, you can!
 
redbullwings said:
First off, huge congrats on the 34s, that’s a massive win. Happy for you.

Best thing is to donate them and don’t look back. Try charity shops, shelters near you. Clothing bank drop-off bins (the metal ones in parking lots) are an easy solution. Wack ‘em in.

It’ll feel good, not only helping other but I guess it’s symbolic too. Closing a chapter and reinforcing new habits, a new mindset, and forward motion.

This is how I see it, if weight ever fluctuates, that can be handled then — no need for a closet full of permission slips to go backward.
Click to expand...
This!
I don't need any help excusing gaining weight lol. Best the big clothes go for good! May not be for everyone but I know I am self-enabling sometimes, as well as a cheap ass. if gaining weight will cost me by having to buy more new clothes, I will think about it harder and try to prevent it more once in maintenance.
 
Congratulations on the 34" jeans. That's freaking awesome.

A couple of months ago I did a very large donation to a men's drug rehab program of my 3X-4X shirts and 42, 44, 46, and 48 pants/short. I wanted to donate the items to a veterans organization, but I couldn't find one near me.

I threw away underwear because that's just gross to donate those. Those struggling with housing insecurity probably would prefer new uponened packages of underwear and socks. I also made sure what I was donating wasn't stained, ripped, or overly worn.

I'm collecting (in huge piles) the next donation of 2X shirts and pants/shorts size 40. I've come to recognize that I have a hording problem with my clothes.
 
I get almost all of my clothes on thredup and Poshmark. I'm entering my "skinny bitch era" and went to the mall today to try on lots of different brands to see how I size in what brand now, and buy a shirt or two to support keeping brick-and-mortar open, because I don't know what brands there are or how they fit this particular body. I went to Aeropostale (they seem to be the only modern store doing low-rise pants), Dillards, Macy's, and a few other places. Then I came home, ordered two hundred dollars' worth of blouses and pants, and added a bag. I'll fill it up with my old clothes and send it off. It'll offset my re-wardrobing to a point.
 
I, too, live in an area where there are stipulations on what donations can be made. I bagged up all my too large items in a black trash bag and set it aside. Told myself if I didn't need anything in there for 3 full months, it was going to the dump. And that's what I did.

And fwiw, a very smart coach once told me any time you are 'yeah, but... ' as a response you are arguing to keep your problem.
 
I am kind or a hoarder. I found a pair of size 30 Levi 501 jeans in the closet from 40 years ago. They fit now!!! Ok so my weight problem is now under control maybe it's time to work on the hoarding problem!!!
 
If you intend to bulk: keep a small portion of them, the tightest of the bunch.

If you don't: donate them all. No reason they should go to the landfill.
 
Chili777 said:
I just bought my first pair of 34" jeans today, for the first time since I was in my 20's, 40 years ago. I'm 12 lbs from my original goal (and 20 lbs from my doctor's). I'm thrilled but this also means I have clothes, mostly jeans, pants and shorts, that are sized 34", 36", 38", 40", 42" and 44". That's 86-114cm for the rest of the world. 😮

So what did you do, or what are you going to do with a wardrobe like that? I'm pretty sure I don't want to keep the largest sizes because I never want to go back. Do I leave a couple sizes larger in the closet "just in case"? I've been here before with yo-yo weight gain. Do I have a bonfire for everything over my current size and walk the plank? I thought about Goodwill first, but the two in my town now want "lightly used" which these are not, they were lived in. I'm not sure what to keep or what to toss. What are your thoughts or what did you do?
Click to expand...
Goodwill’s practices aren’t the best these days. If you want to serve your community call a shelter(s) or church and see if they are in need.
 
swimmer said:
I am kind or a hoarder. I found a pair of size 30 Levi 501 jeans in the closet from 40 years ago. They fit now!!! Ok so my weight problem is now under control maybe it's time to work on the hoarding problem!!!
Click to expand...
Same!! I just went through my closet yesterday and took out 3 large bags of tops that look like a tent on me now. I was urged to get some new clothes when my husband told me that my jeans were too baggy because he couldn't see my butt anymore. 😆
Good news is that I don't need to invest in a whole new wardrobe because of my hoarding tendencies and I still have all of my clothes before I gained all of my weight.
The clothes that are too big will be going to a shelter for battered women here in my hometown.
 
chelsea daggerz said:
Goodwill’s practices aren’t the best these days. If you want to serve your community call a shelter(s) or church and see if they are in need.
Click to expand...
I was amazed. 12 years ago, when I went through this exact same process, they were more than happy to take bags of clean used clothes. There were no tears, holes, stains, etc. This time, they told me to keep them unless they were new or worn once! They didn't even want to look at them. I was thinking they must have changed their policy because so many people are on GLP1s that they can afford to be choosy. Not sure, but good luck with that.
 
Chili777 said:
I was amazed. 12 years ago, when I went through this exact same process, they were more than happy to take bags of clean used clothes. There were no tears, holes, stains, etc. This time, they told me to keep them unless they were new or worn once! They didn't even want to look at them. I was thinking they must have changed their policy because so many people are on GLP1s that they can afford to be choosy. Not sure, but good luck with that.
Click to expand...
It’s because Goodwill now runs an online auction where they let their items go to the highest bidder. That’s why I donate to shelters and churches, and if they’re not in need I take them to a rescue mission. Goodwill is no longer about serving the community-only themselves, their CEOs and boards of directors.
 
chelsea daggerz said:
It’s because Goodwill now runs an online auction where they let their items go to the highest bidder. That’s why I donate to shelters and churches, and if they’re not in need I take them to a rescue mission. Goodwill is no longer about serving the community-only themselves, their CEOs and boards of directors.
Click to expand...
Well, that was my other guess. They are now really a for-profit organization. Sad.
 
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