Letting Go

I'm an admitted clothesaholic. I adore fashion and trying new outfits. Coming home to find the latest issue of InStyle magazine in my mailbox is one of the highlights of my month. And for those reasons and more, my closet is on the verge of bursting at the seams.

Several years ago I realized that I was running out of clothes hangers, and I found myself buying more and more to accommodate my growing wardrobe. Finally I faced the cold, hard truth that I had way more clothes than I could reasonably wear, and I promised myself that from that point on, whenever I bought a new item of clothing, I had to give away an item. No more hanger buying for me!

For the most part over the years I've stuck to that promise. The last couple of months, however, I'm finding myself once again with an overstuffed closet. I've pulled out a few items to get rid of in exchange of the lovely new clothes I've purchased at after-Christmas sales. Still, I find myself having a hard time letting go of some items. Even though I haven't worn something in over a year, there's always the possibility that I'll wake up on some random day and have an undeniable urge to wear it, right? And those pants that just don't fit exactly right--well, maybe I'll finally drop enough weight to have them look decent again. And that top that I got for $6.99, marked down from $39.99--what a bargain! I'd be crazy to get rid of it just because I never wear it!

Silly, I know, to hold onto items that no longer serve their purpose in my life. I'm going to go back through my closet yet again and try to be ruthless about letting go of items, no matter how sentimental or how much of a shopping bargain they are. Am I the only one who has trouble getting rid of clothes? Or is there something else that you have trouble saying goodbye to, even though you no longer use it?