organizing help

[Setsunaela]

OK so my fiance and i have finally unpacked all of our clothes, and washed a lot of them so they can go in dressers. We still have several loads of laundry left to do, but feel we cannot do them.. because we're pretty much totally out of room.
I am such a pack-rat. I have so many t-shirts I cannot bear to throw out, because they fit. I'm a big girl, and shirts that fit can be hard to come by.
What I need is some hard-bound criteria for tossing some of the older, crap shirts, so I can free up room for the things I actually wear often. I tried the old "toss it if you haven't worn it in the past 12 months" but I can't remember that far, and I wear t-shirts to bed and such that I'd never wear out, so I'm pretty sure that I've worn them all!
Also while we're at it, I'll be needing some nicer tops to wear job-hunting and I'm planning on getting a more formal setting job, receptionist, secretary, that sort, and I need a place to shop at, not expensive, and that will fit my sizeable bust.
advice on either bit is greatly appreciated!

[Kiwi]

one way you can do this is to put all of your shirts in a box with an empty box beside it.

When you wear a shirt, it is put in the empty box

after 30 days all of the shirts you havent worn go out, to chairty or cut up into dust rags.

[One-Fang]

Take a box of whatever shirts are left after the laundry you have already done, and go put them somewhere else. Garage, a storage shed, a friend's house.

If, in a month or two, you haven't asked for them - you don't need them.

Also, go through and throw out:

- anything faded
- anything now out of date ("elect Obama" tees etc)
- anything with any defect, eg loose stitching, small hole
- anything you know you've had for more than two years or so
- anything you struggle to wear because you've got nothing that goes with it

[BookstoreEscapee]

Another trick for the closet - turn all the hangers backwards, then when you wear something put it back with the hanger facing the normal way. After X time period, whatever is still hanging backwards goes.

[RetailWorkhorse]

I have the same problem, actually. Can't stand to get rid of my t-shirts because they all are a certain cut and I like it (Slim fit but long enough to hit the bottom of my pelvic bone).

I have about 20 shirts, though, and I have to narrow it down to 7. :-\ I want to keep my shirt with the pirate emblem on it, and the gold dragon, but I also need to keep the bright coloured plain tees I have.

It's gonna be hard.

At least my pants was easy to pick through. Only wear cargos.

[Sarlon]

one compromise to keep shirts that you don't wear any more but want to keep around...

Make them into a quilt. Mom and I did that with old t shirts I wore growing up but grew out of. I'll have to find a camera to take a picture of it but it was a good idea,

[BookstoreEscapee]

one compromise to keep shirts that you don't wear any more but want to keep around...

Make them into a quilt. Mom and I did that with old t shirts I wore growing up but grew out of. I'll have to find a camera to take a picture of it but it was a good idea,

My mom had one of my shirts from college made into a throw pillow a couple years ago (someone at her church did it). It was a white, long-sleeved t-shirt, and it had a cartoon that one of my classmates drew (he drew a cartoon for the school's paper for 4 years and he did one for the Homecoming t-shirt one year). It was old and the collar and cuffs were all yellowed so I never wore it, but I couldn't bring myself to toss it, either. So my mom gave it to her friend, who cut off the sleeves and collar, turned it into a square pillow (nice and squishy ) and added black piping around the seams. If you have a sewing machine it'd be pretty easy.

Edit: just had to look...it's from Homecoming 1995!

[ArcticChicken]

Get rid of the ones you only wear to bed. You can wear the other ones to bed, too.

[BookstoreEscapee]

Get rid of the ones you only wear to bed. You can wear the other ones to bed, too.

Or make your fiance happy and don't wear any shirt to bed

[Seshat]

GENERAL ORGANISING ADVICE

A classic line for organising is this: "Keep only what you know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful."

I add to that, with things which hold valuable memories. I have a couple of things which I, personally, wouldn't choose to decorate with, but which are precious to me for the memories they bring back.

Anything which you are keeping because of 'know to be useful', check that it's in good condition. If it isn't, repair or replace it.

Anything which you are keeping because of 'know to be useful', check how many you have. If you have more than you need, discard the least useful. (If in good condition, sell or donate to charity.)

Anything which you want to keep because 'it might be useful later', ask yourself how hard it would be to get a thing of its type later. Be aware that by the time 'later' comes, the item may not be in working condition anyway! Or it might be cheaper to sell it now, not have it cluttering your home/shed, and then buy or rent one 'later'.

For 'believe to be beautiful', designate a certain amount of ornament storage space. Set out the ones you want to display now in your home, store your favourites of the rest in the ornament storage space, and get rid of any which don't fit.

CLOTHING-SPECIFIC ADVICE

For clothing, decide how often you want to do laundry. Then think about what you normally use clothing for. For someone who washes once a week, there's a list below. If you wash twice a week, reduce the amount of clothing accordingly.

EVERYDAY CLOTHING
9 pairs of undies (two extras, for when laundry day gets delayed).
4 to 9 bras (4 if you rinse then and hang them on the shower rail).
sleep-undies and sleep-bras as needed, again up to 9.
5 or 6 pairs work stockings (how many days a week do you work?).
2 or 3 pairs work shoes
2 or 3 pairs general purpose shoes
socks or stockings for general purpose shoes
2 or 3 pyjamas/sleep outfits. (more if you change them daily)

5 or 6 work outfits (how many days a week do you work?)
2 or 3 all-day non-work outfits
5 or 6 after-work/before-work clothes
(2-3 if you re-use ones you only wore for a few hours)

Clothing for dealing with special weather - sun-covering stuff, winter clothes, long underwear, etc. How many do you wear in a week during the type of weather they're for?

You may want to add one more work outfit, in case laundry day gets delayed.

SPECIAL CLOTHING

1 or 2 pairs going-somewhere-fancy shoes
1 or 2 going-somewhere-fancy outfits
Small collection of accessories to make going-somewhere-fancy outfits look a bit different each time.

Sports clothes as needed (remember: you wash once a week)

Protective clothing for gardening, hobbies, as needed.

2 sets clothing to wear when you're doing something REALLY grubby.

Other special purpose clothing as needed.

[One-Fang]

You rinse and re-use bra's? You have sleep undies? You have sleep bras? Is this normal? I don't mean that in a bad way, but just ... the things you find out about how others live.

If I wear a bra once - it's in the wash. Proper wash. It's gone so close to my arm-pits I'm not wearing that sucker again till chemicals have done their job.

I wear nothing to bed, but on the rare occasions I do wear knickers, it's just whatever I wore that day. I don't have special sleep undies. I never even thought of wearing a bra to bed. The girls just go free.

Am I normal ... or are you?

[Wingates_Hellsing]

I have the same problem, actually. Can't stand to get rid of my t-shirts because they all are a certain cut and I like it (Slim fit but long enough to hit the bottom of my pelvic bone).

I have about 20 shirts, though, and I have to narrow it down to 7. :-\ I want to keep my shirt with the pirate emblem on it, and the gold dragon, but I also need to keep the bright coloured plain tees I have.

It's gonna be hard.

At least my pants was easy to pick through. Only wear cargos.

Just to start, high five!.
Can't get me enough cargoes, down with the bluejeans empire

I have a short memory as well, when it comes to everyday things. However, I perscribe by the following method:

If I find a shirt that I have tottally forgotten that I own, and at that moment I don't see any reason why I would war that instead of one of my solid black T-shirts, it goes on in the basket.

Every month or so I weed out anything I also believe could go, and it all goes to the salvation army.

Heres to something here helping you in the end

[BookstoreEscapee]

I don't have special sleep undies. I never even thought of wearing a bra to bed. The girls just go free.

Am I normal ... or are you?

Yes.

I usually sleep in a tank top and undies (sometimes shorts, never long pants unless I'm really cold). Don't wear a bra to bed but I could see how someone with a, um, larger chest, than I might want to. (One of my college roommates was rather large up top and needed the extra support. Something I really can't fathom..)

[Evil Queen]

I tend to go by the "If you forgot about it, you can live without it" adage.

As for clothes, if I haven't worn that item anytime within the last 6 months, it's time to add it to the charity box.

[RetailWorkhorse]

That list seems really long, Seshat. But then, I'm in a much smaller area than most people here so...

Here's what I got planned, while I mourn the loss of all my t-shirts....where's that list...ah, here it is.

CLOTHES
1.Cargos (6)
2.Dress Pants (2)
3.Shorts (2)
4.T-Shirts (6)
5.Tank top (1)
6.Dress Shirts (1)
7.Vest (2)
8.Jacket (1)
9.Sneakers (1)
10.Flipflops (2)
11.Dress shoes (2)
12.Underwear! And Socks. (7 pairs each)

The rest, including any and all clubbing wear, gets tossed (blue jeans with holes in crotch) and given to charity (the rest of my massive collection).

ETA:

I tend to go by the "If you forgot about it, you can live without it" adage.

You left some stuff here, does that mean I can give it to The Puppy Place?