Yesterday, I put all my winter clothes away, well the ones that still fit. I packed up the old and worn BIG clothes for the Salvation Army -- believe me I won't share, because basically they are all rags. I then took out the summer clothes, shirts, shorts, pants, etc.
I tried them on "hoping" that they wouldn't fit...be too big...I was so pleasantly surprised. Half of my overalls (I live in these) are too big around the waist. They were snug last summer. The shirts hang a little, and the shorts, well, some of those are going in the SA bag.

I got a wonderful "care" package from a CT friend, that is going to help me get started in my new job....they fit! All two sizes smaller than I wore all winter. Thanks again CL!

Have any of you taken out your summer clothes and been surprised and blest? Let us know of your blessings!

I just emailed a local domestic violence shelter asking if they accept clothing donations. I would rather give directly to someone in need, than to have someone pay for it at Goodwill.

Thanks for pointing out "thrift karma" grrlscout. I can afford to replace the pants with those cute ones at Express, and would probably buy them anyway... someone else may need dress slacks to get a job and support her family.

I haven't changed sizes too much from last summer, but I am hoping that later this summer to be going down another size or two. I'm back "on track" and ready to lose all of this weight once and for all!

I'm a strong believer in "thrift karma." That is, if you give some nice things to the thrift, you'll find some nice things there. Or, if you don't thrift, you'll find a total score when you're shopping at the mall.

I also like to think of the potential recipients, when I'm struggling to let go of something with sentimental value.

Will a welfare mom who wants to move ahead, and has an interview coming get more use out of that old suit than I will?

In fact, there are some orgs out there that are looking for just those kinds of items for just that sort of purpose out there ... Suited for Change (DC) and other members of the Women's Alliance (http://www.thewomensalliance.org/members.htm) is one of them. Shelters for women escaping domestic violence are another type.

Just saying ... sometimes looking at the big picture is useful when it comes time to "let go."

I am guessing that the pants might be hard to get just right, especially with those creases. The silk dress sounds worth it, but if you don't love the pants, give them to someone who will love them.

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I don't find them that flattering with my robust thighs. . .The material isn't very soft

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Compare your thoughts on the pants (I know, I only put in the negative part, but the only positive I could find you said was that they were "nice pants").

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a silk Ann Taylor dress that I absolutely love. . .makes me feel wonderful. I would pay anything to have this one fit me right.

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I probably wouldn't go to the trouble of altering the pants. If you don't like the material, don't like the fit, and don't like the cut. . . . you still won't like any of that stuff once they're altered. But the dress sounds like the perfect candidate

D

I'm most strongly debating over some dress pants - both Tommy Hilfger - one khaki and one black, size 14. They aren't that old, probably 4 years or so. They are really nice pants, but I don't find them that flattering with my robust thighs. They have front creases and are super stretchy. The material isn't very soft and I prefer my dress clothes to be somewhat comfortable.

The only thing I know for sure is a silk Ann Taylor dress that I absolutely love. Beautiful fabric and makes me feel wonderful. I would pay anything to have this one fit me right.

I would only go to the expense of having something altered if that item was one of my absolute favorites and still in good condition. I didn't have anything so far that seemed worth the hassle, and if you have a huge, overflowing closet full of stuff, I'd say give it away instead unless you just LOVE it and can't imagine living without it.

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Originally posted by Fer:
On the topic of clothes that are too big - how do you decide if its worth altering?

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I would think if it's got a designer label (or a label that you trust and know stands up to repeated wearings); if it's going to be "in" for a long time (black slacks, simple jacket, etc); and if you know you'll wear it often enough to get the money back that you put into it initially AND to get it altered, then it's probably worth it. I have a couple of skirts that I've had taken in, let out, and taken in again because they are great quality and simple enough to be versatile & not out of style for a long, long time.

D

On the topic of clothes that are too big - how do you decide if its worth altering?

Cobismom...you go, girl!

I'm going to have to do this for my trip next week but haven't gotten around to it yet. I am hoping that most of the stuff from last year still fits well enough, because I don't want to go buy a bunch of new stuff right now. I haven't lost a lot of weight since last year, though things seem to have rearranged themselves quite a bit.

I had to try on summer clothes early this year because I am going on a cruise in early May and needed to know what still fit and how much new stuff I needed to buy. I found that about half of my shorts are unwearable now because they are too large and about half that are still doable for a little while (they're big, but not to the point of falling off).

I went out over the past month and bought a few new pairs of shorts that fit but were snug on me, hoping that they will be comfortable by the time of the cruise (extra motivation, cuz I HATE HATE HATE to wear tight clothing!).

Last night, I tried on a "little black dress" that I bought for my first cruise in 1999 and it now fits better than it did back then (the odd thing is, I hadn't lost weight back then, but had just joined the gym and was working out so hard and so often that I was able to lose a bunch of inches and a dress size).

The lost inches/size didn't last, by the way, cuz I got burned out on working out that hard that often. I'm now back to working out that often again, but I intersperse hard gym workouts with gentle balance ball workouts and WATP so that it doesn't feel so overwhelming.

I went "shopping" in my closet at my parent's house last week. I fit into even more things than I did when I was home 3 months earlier. I brought back jeans, khakis, some very nice white linen pants, black dress pants, shorts and a variety of tops. The pants are mostly timeless, but I'm still debating on whether to give away some of these tops. These are all clothes from high school and early college.

But herein lies the problem - I don't have room for any of the clothes that I brought back. I have a huge walk-in closet that is stuffed. I can't seem to get my closet clutter under control. The shelving and hanging space is full. Anyway - this is supposed to be a blessings post - and I'm so thrilled to be able to fit into smaller sizes again.