My Clothing Cycle

Many bloggers have pledged to go retail-free, buying only second-hand or wearing me-made in order to make use of all the wonderful clothes already out there, cut down on waste, and generally reduce our environmental footprint. While I have not formally made this pledge, I do try to avoid going clothes shopping in general - not just because it's easy on the environment, but also because it's easier on the wallet! With the amount I spend on fabric and the number of new me-mades I try to cram in my closet every month, I can't afford the money or the space to hit up department stores! 

To help facilitate this process, I have my own little clothing cycle routine. About 2-3 times a year I go through my closet and try to get rid of as much as I can. This is usually when I'm fed up with all the clutter, and in the mindset that everything. must. go. After a cooling off period I usually place a few of the discarded items back in my closet (hey, I'm only human) and then take the rest to a consignment store like Crossroads Trading Co. They usually take a few items and pass on the rest, which I donate to a charity shop like Goodwill or my local Urban Furniture.

Now, here's where the cycle part comes in. While I wait for them to go through my things at Crossroads, I have the habit of perusing the store for a few new-to-me things to take home with my earnings from selling my clothes. Usually I try to concentrate on things I can't make, like shoes and finely knit sweaters. Of course, because I'm using  store credit, I have sometimes also used this as an opportunity to try out something new and different, though I have noticed that these purchases end up back at the store in the next round...

This time, the store picked up only a few things ($18 worth), but I took home two new pairs of shoes. With the store credit, I basically got one pair for free! And while I have a ton of shoes, they tend to wear out fast, and what's a girl to do at a store with so many great options?!

This time I was also proud to note that fewer things I got rid of were me-made castoffs and more were old store purchases, meaning I am increasingly integrating my handmade wardrobe into my everyday outfits.

Of course, I still can't believe how many clothes I can accumulate and need to sort through every few months! It's hardly environmentally or cost efficient. I wish I were one of those girls with 10 perfect wardrobe pieces, but for now this is the next best thing I can do...