It’s been four years since my fear of accumulating objects developed, and since then, downsizing has always been an itch I’ve only recently begun to scratch.
For whatever reason, I found that the easiest and most manageable place to start was my closet. There’s a reason why you don’t wear what you don’t wear, and it’s good to find those reasons out. For me, my clothes must be cozy and comfortable (and flattering!). I’ve been working on my closet for months now, and it’s finally at a point I’m happy with. I have downsized to around 35 articles of clothing. These pieces are all I need, for all seasons (which isn’t really saying much because I live in LA). I love every single piece, knowing that I am going to wear them and feel good in them. I’m still working on minimizing shoes, intimates, and accessories, but this is just the first step!
Getting rid of clothes can actually be kind of fun. Here are some avenues I tried:
POSHMARK
Poshmark is an iPhone app that makes it super simple to sell your clothes. All you have to do is take photos from your phone and fill out a form through the app. Once someone buys it, Poshmark emails you the postage. All you have to do is print the postage, box the item up and drop it off at the Post Office! I started selling in July, and since then have sold 8 items, and I’ve made just over $100. Name brands and trendy items tend to sell better here; I wouldn’t bother posting anything you feel is outdated.
PROS:
Super easy & user-friendly for posting listings & shipping sold items
You earn way more than at a local consignment shop
CONS:
It takes a while to sell if you don’t actively participate in their “community”
Poshmark takes 20% of your sales
THREDUP
This is probably the easiest way, if you have a lot of clothes from well-known brands that are still good condition, but may be a bit out-dated in style (hey, someone might like it). They send you a “clean out bag” upon signing up. All you do is fill it up and send it back to them. So far, my experience with ThredUp has been mixed. I didn’t receive my “clean out bag,” until after notifying them. I sent it back mid-September with about 14 items of clothing/accessories, but it took until late-October to process. They accepted all my items, and I got $45 from it (probably the easiest $45 I’ve ever made)! I got super excited, but then found out it took another 2 weeks for the ‘cash-out’ to process…
PROS:
It’s an easy way to get rid of a lot of clothing at once
You don’t have to worry about selling pieces individually
CONS:
You don’t make that much per item
The process is still new, so everything still takes a long time
GIVE TO FRIENDS & DONATE
I ended up giving many of my clothes to friends, and donating them. Super easy, and goes to a good home. 🙂
MNML MTRL 