Some people have an easy time getting rid of things, but they are the exception rather than the rule. The vast majority of us have an emotional or sentimental attachment to an item’s time, energy cost or money. JD Institute Of Fashion Technology, one of the best institutes if you want to study art or creativity, has come up with four questions to help you become a more conscious shopper.
When you go shopping and buy clothing that isn’t quite right, it becomes much harder to give it up once you get it home, even if you aren’t wearing it.
The Endowment Effect tends to assign a higher value to things once they own them. A university gave half of As part of a study experiment, a class was given an unsightly t-shirt, but it was free. The other half of the class received nothing. The next day, they asked half of the class who received the t-shirt if they would like to donate their t-shirt to one of the students who did not receive one.
Although the t-shirt was a little unattractive, most individuals did not want to give up their value, even though they didn’t like it and were unlikely to wear it. They had already increased the value of this tee. This is why it’s critical to shop wisely and become a more conscious shopper to avoid adding items to your wardrobe that you don’t love or don’t want to wear but find it difficult to part with, resulting in more clutter in your closet. The hidden cost of an item can also influence your decision to keep it, even if it no longer serves you.
What are you sentimental about precisely?
The association with a person, place, or time is likely more important than the sentimental clothing itself. You can remember that memory even if you don’t have a physical object to remind you of it. However, if you truly adore the object, it is unlikely to be cluttered and is likely to be kept.
I’ve bought clothes in other countries that hold sentimental value for me because they remind me of a trip or a happy time in my life. I’ve also purchased something knowing the style isn’t right, but I’m hesitant to return it because I’ve invested hard-earned money in it.
When you see sentimental items that you don’t wear all the time, it reinforces your attachment to them. Try putting the item in a box or a bag, sealing it, placing it somewhere out of sight, and marking it with a future date, such as 7 or 12 months from now. Don’t even open the box or bag if the time limit has passed and you haven’t taken it out. Feel free to give it to its next owner, who will most likely appreciate it far more than you did!
On occasion, I have retrieved a few items of sentimental clothing from my “maybe box.” Every item I’ve brought back from the “maybe box” has, however, been donated shortly after.
How Much Space Do You Have In Your House?
You may have a large house with plenty of room and could continue to expand your wardrobes, but for the most part, our homes are already fairly crowded. We frequently underestimate the cost of our storage space.
How much would you pay for an extra hotel room every day if your house were a hotel? Would you pay for an extra hotel room every day just to store all the sentimental clothing you’re having trouble letting go? Keep in mind that your closet should be treated as if it were a kitchen. You don’t keep food that has passed its sell-by date or has been tampered with in any way. Why do we keep out-of-style or out-of-date clothing? Consider it old milk, and dispose of it immediately! When you think about it this way, you’ll realise that storing items is much more expensive than the cost of whatever item you’re keeping solely for sentimental reasons.
Can It Be Digitally Archived Or Repurposed?
Just because you get rid of a first date gown, your grandfather’s dressing gown or another item you’ll never wear doesn’t mean you’ve let go of the emotions and memories associated with it. You might enjoy the memory of an item, so save an image of it or yourself wearing it.
One of my clients, a mother of three in her 30s, had a maternity gown that held a lot of sentimental value. She repurposed the fabric into a small pillowcase for a small pillow on her bed. High-end designer items are occasionally donated to museums or art galleries as excellent examples of specific designer pieces from various eras. During just two months on display at Buckingham Palace, Kate Middleton’s wedding gown generated over $15 million in ticket sales.
Take a photo of it and keep it with any other pictures from that occasion if it holds a special memory for you. That event has come and gone. When you needed it, the item performed admirably, and now it’s probably time to let it go.
Can Someone Else Use It?
Some of the sunk costs for expensive items can be recouped by selling them on eBay or consigning them at ThreadUp or The RealReal.
You could also give it to someone who will use it – a friend, a local charity like Dressed for Success or a colleague who redresses women so they can return to work. These alternatives are preferable to donating to a charity shop, where your item may not be appreciated and could end up in the hands of anyone.
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