Clothing Purge

I did something today that I've been trying to do for about 10 years--literally. I purged my closet. But not just any ordinary purge. A brutally honest, brutally realistic purge.

I've purged my closet multiple times before and have gotten rid of trash bags full of clothing, but have never been able to part with certain items of clothing. You know the ones...the I-love-it-and-will-fit-into-it-again-one-day clothes. The ones you can't part with because you're convinced if you just lost a couple more pounds, you'd be able to wear them again. Then they sit in your closet so long that they are now out of style. Sigh.

Today, I finally snapped and just did it. I started pulling out the clothes that I knew didn't fit, piece by piece, and tossed them onto the bed. After one round, I got gutsier and went through a second time. The second time was harder, but the most freeing. The second round is when I quit hoarding and got brutally honest. Then I just couldn't stop! I kept going back for more until I was finally left with ONLY the clothes that I actually wear. It.was.awesome!

The best part? My hubby wants me to go shopping! Ummm, ok! :)

Here's my see-ya-later pile! Our plan is to sell the clothes at our yard sale and use the money we earn for new clothes. Want to know something disgusting? I purged my clothes before we moved and got rid of multiple trash bags full. And I was STILL left with this! Gross.

(Again with the phone pictures...when will I ever learn?!) ;)

I did save two small piles of clothes. The first pile is my post-baby clothes. If we are ever blessed with another baby, I know I'll be glad I saved these for the first couple months after giving birth. They are baggy, saggy on me now, so I'm putting them in a space bag in the attic until they are needed again.

Now, you may think I'm cheating with the second pile I kept, but let me explain. This pile is my treat if I lose 5 or 10 pounds. These are clothes that are still in style and that I really love and will actually wear again. I am currently trying to drop 5-10 pounds and once I reach that goal, I will get this pile out and try them on. Whatever still doesn't work is getting the boot. I'm putting myself on a timer, though. If I don't drop the weight in 3 months (let's hope it doesn't take me that long! Geesh!) then I am getting rid of this pile, too. 

Here's what I'm left with!

Now that I can actually see what I have and use, it's really easy to assess what I need. I only own 3 pairs of jeans and two dress pants. Because of this, I can be spotted multiple days of the week in gym pants and a t-shirt. One of my goals this year is to stop wearing gym clothes other than when I'm actually working out or--drum roll--when I'm at the gym! Haha! ;) I don't think gym clothes are bad or anything, I just know that I'm in a rut and am looking quite frumpy these days.

Here's where I need your help! Please comment and tell me what you would consider to be the top 3 clothing items every girl needs AND tell me where your favorite place is to buy jeans! I have exhausted my usual clothing store stops and feel overwhelmed at the thought of building a new wardrobe! Can't wait to hear your input!