What do you do with your old ("fat") clothes?

I just went through everything and have about 20 items to be altered (I'm down about 2 sizes - just needed to lose ~15 lbs) and dropped a TON of other clothes off at Goodwill. I can't imagine what my alterations bill is going to look lke, but all the clothes I'm taking in are for business (e.g., presumably a lot more expensive to replace vs. alter). What do you do?

Mon. Aug 6, 1:54pm

I lost 50 pounds and ended up with a lot of clothes that just wouldn't fit anymore, including some really nice suit jackets.

I sorted my clothes into 3 piles-

Pile 1- stuff that was way too big and just did not fit at all or was not something that got worn often.

Pile 2- stuff that was too big but would do until such time as it could be replaced with something of a more appropriate size, or was worn frequently enough that I couldn't get rid of it until a replacement could be found.

Pile 3- Stuff where fit wasn't as much of an issue- t-shirts, dress shirts, etc.

Pile one went straight to Goodwill and comprised about half of my wardrobe. Piles 2 and 3 went back into the closet, slowly getting replaced as I had the time/money/desire to shop for new clothes.

It really sucked for about 3 months when it felt like I had no clothes at all, but it didn't take too long to replace the missing items.

My wife and I joked that as problems go, it's a heck of a lot better than having all my clothes be too tight...

Monday, August 6, 2007, 2:06 PM

I would try to alter as many of the business clothes as you can afford, becuase you are right, they would be more expensive to replace.
I take my clothes to the Goodwill too. I like to think that the clothes that are too big for me now, might be used by a woman who just needs a few articles of clothing to get her through a transtion time when she does not want to spend a ton of money, until she gets to her goal weight too!

Monday, August 6, 2007, 2:07 PM

Keep them, you will probably put the weight back on.

Monday, August 6, 2007, 2:53 PM

Every time I drop a size, I take those larger clothes to Goodwill and then go to a good used clothing store to buy the next smaller size. Such fun!

Monday, August 6, 2007, 3:01 PM

2:53 is a pissy pants

Monday, August 6, 2007, 3:07 PM

I'd like to say that man, 2:53 is sure being negative, but the realistic part of my mind says they're probably right sometimes! Unfortunately a lot of people do put weight back on but that's no reason to be pessimistic.

I got rid of all my bigger clothes the first time I lost weight, and now that I'm on the weight loss path again (due to pregnancy), it's good that I don't have any big clothes. My goal is to get into my pre-pregnancy clothes, and I'm not spending lots of good money on clothes when I have a closet full of great clothes! So don't be afraid of getting rid of your 'fat' clothes, it can be a good motivator! Although I did keep one pair of fat jeans just to remember how far I've come.

Monday, August 6, 2007, 5:03 PM

I get rid of them on freecycle. It's an internet comunity, every city has one, where people post if they have something to give away or want to keep things out of the dump that other people might need/can use. It's great. i got rid of some of my maternity clothes and picked up a like-new highchair that didn't even look like it had been used.

Monday, August 6, 2007, 6:45 PM

I sell mine on eBay. I buy mostly expensive brands, and it costs me a lot to replace them as I lose weight, so this lets me offset some of the expense while giving someone else a fantastic bargain on some great clothes.

Monday, August 6, 2007, 6:54 PM

Try to find a consignment store that trades clothes like Plato's Closet. Plato's Closet takes mostly "juniors" but I know there are a lot of privately owned similar places. I just traded a bunch of old clothes for cute "new" ones!

Tuesday, August 7, 2007, 12:01 AM

Dress for Success is a charity that benefits disadvantaged women by providing suitable clothing for interviews, new jobs, etc. They're not as all encompassing as Goodwill, Salvation Army, etc. - they have specific wants in each city and they try to only take items they need - but there is usually a crying need for plus size business attire, for example, something suitable for a receptionist in a professional office. So if you're willing to spend a little extra effort to find out whether there's a local affiliate that needs what you have (see their website at the link below), this might be your answer. They gather a lot of their outfits in suit drives sponsored by a company, organization, church, etc. Maybe your employer or a group you belong to would consider sponsoring a suit drive.

Link

Tuesday, August 7, 2007, 12:36 AM

Craigslist, Goodwill, and organizing clothing swaps with friends are always good calls. People tend to have clothes in a variety of sizes, so trading with friends is a lot of fun!

Tuesday, August 7, 2007, 11:46 AM

look in your community newspaper and see if there are any families that have recently suffered a loss such as a house fire. i have found such families and they are very grateful when strangers reach out to help after such a tragedy.

Tuesday, August 7, 2007, 11:53 AM

some one postedon another thread that sha has a savings account for when she reaches her goal weight and I think that was a great idea you might have to hold alter some but eventually replace all sorry to say that most clothing thats made to fit big sizes are ugly must people buy cause they dont have a choice so you might realize you dont like your old stuff anyway

Tuesday, August 7, 2007, 11:58 AM

gee, sorry to digress here, but it's very difficult to understand the point of a comment without punctuation.

Tuesday, August 7, 2007, 12:05 PM

hello thar run on sentence :P

Tuesday, August 7, 2007, 12:06 PM

what ever !

Tuesday, August 7, 2007, 12:21 PM

I just read my post...Sorry I typed fast. lol

Tuesday, August 7, 2007, 12:23 PM

I do it too sometimes. I have a tendency to write like I talk so it comes out WAY choppy. :P

As for the clothes, for sure give them to someone who needs them if you don't anymore. I just gave a lot of clothes to the Salvation Army. I prefer them because they give them away, as to Goodwill sells them. It depends on your preference though :)

Tuesday, August 7, 2007, 12:28 PM

I'm not sure where you got the idea that Salvation Army gives the clothes away. They sell them in the Salvation Army Family Stores. Of course they are reasonably priced like Goodwill, but definitely not free.

Tuesday, August 7, 2007, 4:35 PM

yes. true. there are many cities/towns that have "drop boxes" in certain shopping centers or near community centers. you can deposit clean, baged clothing for free distribution to the needy on the boxes from the VFW's and others, too. check out the name of the box's sponsor and look them up online or give them a call to find out for sure. donating to a church or community center is tough unless they have a scheduled drive. but you could inquire with them and see if they can direct you to a recipient.homeless shelters may be a good choice in your area, too.

Wednesday, August 8, 2007, 8:40 AM

12:28 here... to 4:35

The Salvation Army where I am from gives them away. They don't make profit off of someone else's clothing.

Wednesday, August 8, 2007, 10:31 AM

new poster here. the salvation army stores aroung my area all sell the donations they receive.

Wednesday, August 8, 2007, 10:37 AM

this is 12:28 and 10:31

The salvation army here has a "drop box" like 8:40 mentioned. My husband has taken clothes there before and told me that they were given away to the people here that actually need them. I was just going by what he said :o/

Wednesday, August 8, 2007, 11:09 AM

often the drop boxes are placed for the convenience they offer people in order to receive more donations so they can sell more items so they can make more cash. the cash they make, however, is used for philanthropic / charitable purposes, i'm pretty sure.

Wednesday, August 8, 2007, 11:15 AM

yea. after the hurricanes the salvation army helped out a LOT. I think it is a great orgnanization

Wednesday, August 8, 2007, 11:18 AM

i'd support the salvation army in the blink of an eye, but i am currently feeling a bit leery about the american red cross.

Wednesday, August 8, 2007, 11:20 AM

I've always kept my "fat clothes" boxed up in the attic. And I've always had to go back and retrieve them. I would flat out refuse everytime someone told me to get rid if them. But this time is different. I dont feel like I will ever need them again and I am getting rid of them all. All into the drop boxes.

Wednesday, August 8, 2007, 4:17 PM

My friends do a clothing swap a few times a year, but my fat clothes are MUCH bigger than any of them so no one ever takes my stuff (although I get lots of new skinny clothes!) I've given a bunch of stuff (mostly college clothes) to Goodwill but I have several almost new pieces from this year that are way too big.

I'm thinking of putting all of my fat stuff in one box and trying to sell them all together on Craigslist. I'll list the sizes, brands, and types of clothes, and depending on how much there is, asking $50-$100 for the entire box. Does anyone think this might work?

Thursday, December 20, 2007, 8:16 AM

I did not want to keep mine around. The reason is because that was my way of saying I would never be that size again. At first I kept them, then one day decided I didn't want to have the choice of gaining the weight back. As it was I shopped at consignment stores to re gain my wardrobe as I lost weight and that was a great way to get new clothes. I ended up giving mine away to friends, after that I only kept one to two sizes in my closet. Once those began to get tight the warning bells went off and I had to get back on track. That was 10 years ago and this strategy has worked for me. I mean, who has the money to keep buying a whole new wardrobe. And, it's a lot more fun to shop for clothes in size 6 or 8 than it is for clothes at a size 22....
Get rid of them, you'll be happy you did no matter what you do with them~

Thursday, December 20, 2007, 8:26 AM

At one point when I was feeling very unhappy with myself, I found myself day after day standing in front of a closet full of clothes unable to find anything to wear that didn't make me feel fat and dumpy. My side of the closet was crammed with clothes, and I know my husband didn't understand it (he never understands why I think I'm fat or ugly...great man...) Anyway, one day I decided to get rid of everything that didn't fit or that I hated, so that at least I wouldn't feel like I had ALL THESE CLOTHES and STILL couldn't find anything flattering. Right?

So when I was done, I had about seven items left. Not seven outfits. Seven ITEMS. No wonder I was feeling horrible.

I always gave to Deseret Industries when I lived near one. Now I give to Goodwill. All three--D. I., GW, and Salvation Army--operate on the same basic principles: They are sheltered workshops providing work to those who might not be able to get mainstream jobs or providing self-worth-restoring work for those who have been on the receiving end of their charity; They sell donated goods at discount prices in order to provide both the aforementioned jobs and money for humanitarian work; and they also donate a lot of clothing. Generally, clothing that is in season and not too outdated goes into the stores; clothing that is outdated by American standards or out of season is shipped to areas where there is a high need.

Thursday, December 20, 2007, 10:48 AM

What ever you do, don't give them to anyone you know. A friend of mine did this to me and it made me feel like she was saying, "here, you can have my fat clothes because your still fat and I'm skinny." All true but it made me feel horrible. Even worse was that her "fat" clothes where too small for me.

Also I know that some organizatioin (I'm thinking particularly of St. Vincent de Paul) sells donated clothes and items but then uses that money to help people in the community by doing things like helping with presciption costs, paying medical bills, and helping cover rent when people are in crisis.

Thursday, December 20, 2007, 11:45 AM

Whatever you do with them, hang onto one pair of jeans. Just to remember. I got rid of all my clothes and I wish I had a pair to hold up to myself now (40 Lbs. lighter) and say "Look how far you've come and don't ever go back!"

Thursday, December 20, 2007, 3:12 PM

Holding on to one pair of jeans is a great idea! I did this and on days when I just feel fat and unmotivated I put them on and remember that I use to have a hard time getting them buttoned. Now I have to hold a big fistfull of denim just to keep them up! Makes me realize how far I've come.

Thursday, December 20, 2007, 4:32 PM

keep one item to show how much you have lost. Get rid of the rest. 11:45 reminds me that a couple of years ago my manager gave me a boat load of her clothes because she had lost a lot on Medifast. She has a hard time keeping that weight off, let me tell you. But she gave me wonderful clothes. I wear them. I don't shop much, so it was a real treat to get really good quality clothes in styles that I mostly liked. (When I do shop, I shop for only good quality). The stuff I didn't like, I gave away.

I recently gave some of my favorite clothes to my neighbor. I had a dressy multicolored shirt that I just loved, but I put it on and it was just too big. I thought about it and even though I really like it, I could safely say that it no longer represented who I was. So, away it went. She loved it.

I read recently that Cary Grant, one of the best dressed men in Hollywood, requested that part of his payment from his movies was his wardrobe. A story in his biography said that once, after his father and mother divorced, his mom bought him five pairs of cheaper shoes, all alike, so that when one pair wore out, he had a replacement pair. Spending time with his father, his well dressed but poor dad commented on the cheap shoes, and was told about the 5 pairs. His father told him to instead always buy the best you can afford, buy only a few things, buy classic styles that won't go out of style, take good care of them, and they will last you much longer than anything that is cheap. He kept that philosophy his whole life.

Even if you shop at GW, SA, or other place, look for good quality labels, look for wear and tear, fading, stains, etc. Second hand is only great if the item is really in good shape (and all of the stores have good quality items, if you take the time).

So, give away your old fat clothes so you don't have the cushion of clothing to accept back your fat, and shop for quality. Wait for the good stuff, even if you wear the same clothes all the time. It's worth it.

Thursday, December 20, 2007, 9:53 PM

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