that's quite a task. especially because i've been in the same "size range" since i was in high school and i also have this unhealthy attachment to clothes that have sentimental memories. hence the creation of my first t-shirt quilt a little while back, and now i have a whole new pile of shirts to start a new one.
but we did have some fun going through and finding things we had forgetten about--like justin's high school wrestling warm-up shorts...
yes, my husband wrestled, as did most of the guys in his family. whereas many wrestlers are worried about losing water weight to make their weight class, my hubby would have to load up before matches so he could make his weight class. we could do a whole post about fun stories from my husband's wrestling days, but maybe another time.i have also have a random collection of pajama shorts and t-shirts that i just can't get rid of. these are both pair of shorts that i'll wear for pj's. my estimated age for them? the dr. seuss pair is from the 7th grade. the cat pair is from... 5th grade? maybe 4th grade. back in my "i heart cats" stage.
that's been the other thing. my various stages that i went through and explaining them to my husband who only met me at the mature age of 21. as i sorted through my overflowing basket of socks (that i never wear), i shared that yes, i had this thing for novelty socks in high school. in fact, for my sweet sixteen birthday party, that's what everyone gave me. and we spent yesterday afternoon going through my aging, amusing collection. every animal, holiday and cartoon character-themed pair i could find.this was also around the same time that i collected bouncy balls for my car. the late 90s were a weird time. what can i say?
in the end, we filled 3 huge trash bags full and a couple of extra shopping bags, too.
and my closet and dresser drawers are breathing a sigh of relief.after we purged, then it was time to go out and buy new stuff, right? granted, i love shopping and do so on a regular basis. we have a monthly amount set aside in our budget for my shopping habits, and i enjoy finding a good deal. i'm one of those people who can go through a clearance rack or browse at tj maxx and rugged wearhouse and come out with some great stuff. (i'm also one of those people who will just buy things because "look at this price! it's such a good deal! 80% off the original price!" which is why my closet was overflowing. i'm working on it...)
our shopping was focused on justin this weekend, though. he shops about every 2-3 years and (like me) has been the same size since high school. we're entertaining when we shop together... usually we're on the same page about what he should buy, but we speak different languages in the process. for instance, comparing the colors of his newly-purchased dark wash jeans to his faded, worn-in relaxed blue jeans--i'll try and explain that the new jeans are really better for wearing out to dinner or with nicer shirts, and definitely with his better pair of shoes... he'll say, "so i don't wear these to mow the lawn." and i'll confirm that and we're good.
(shoes are worse. oh, shoe shopping together is like a remake of "who's on first?" hence, the reason we do it infrequently.)
i do love shopping with him (and for him) and i LOVE some of the stuff we got this weekend. i have a very well-dressed, handsome husband and it's fun to see him try some of the things that he adamantly refused to wear a couple of years ago.
my one "must have" item of the weekend? this shawl-collared sweatshirt from target. it's like a hoodie, but not one. and i love that, cause sometimes i want the warmth and comfort of a hoodie but need it to be a little bit nicer. this one even has pockets and comes in several different colors. i see it becoming my new favorite fall/winter item...
how do you approach maintaining your wardrobe? are you a hoarder or can you easily part with the older stuff?
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