Rinse and Reuse By Adeel Yaqoob
A Fashion Dilemma
Having too many clothes makes me miss out on amazing outfits. There was this one instance where I wore this shirt that I turned out to really like, just to run a couple of errands. Then, the next day, I had to go meet some family, so I wanted to wear that same shirt. For some reason, I instinctively told myself that I could not wear that shirt - maybe it was my mom's voice telling me to clean my clothes everytime I wear them, or my “fashion” voice telling my privileged self that I am forbidden to wear the same thing twice; I was mentally held in the fact that I could not wear that shirt. I fear hearing these words: “Hey, didn’t you wear that shirt yesterday?” “Hey, didn’t you wear those pants a few days ago?” Hearing those questions are basically my worst nightmare, and even typing those words gives me goosebumps!
But, in the end, I did something that my fellow college students would be proud of: I broke the curse and I decided to wear that shirt, but with different pants. And let me tell you, I slayed, and my mom even complimented me, which made me blush!
Source: Reddit
Minimalism is Key
Even though that was a very random personal analogy, my point is, we do not need to keep buying new clothes that all look the same and already serve the same purpose as the clothes that we already have in our closets. I am lucky enough to be able to buy a lot of clothing, but I am definitely abusing that privilege. Raise your hand if you have heaps of clothes in your closet that you have not worn in the past 30 days... I am raising my hand! Now, raise your hand if you have lots of clothes that you only wore on a couple of occasions, but never wore again... I am raising my hand again! How many times have you reached in your closet and choose out of the same 10 pieces of clothing to wear again? A MILLION TIMES, SHEESH!
We can slay with less than 20 different “vintage” shirts that all look the same, and 20 different oversized sweaters that your mother wore in 1992! And just because you are getting killer deals, don't buy it if you don't need it! I am not saying that you shouldn't buy whatever you want to buy (please do, and slay!), but maybe try not buying stuff you truly do not need.
Source: tvtropes
The Benefits of Decluttering Your Closet
Slimming down the amount of clothing I have lessens the confusion I go through when picking outfits, because honestly, the more clothing options I have, the more watered-down my outfits become. I miss out on curating potentially amazing outfits that I could achieve by recycling an outfit with a different shirt, different bottoms, or even different shoes.
And I must say, I have much more money to spend on my daily Starbucks drinks! I used to drink six Mocha Cookie Crumbles per day, now I can drink seven! This is a hefty achievement I must say, even though I should probably watch my sugar intake. But in all seriousness, I have saved a lot of money limiting the clothes I buy. I have really started to question everything I want to buy and if I truly need it. I cut down on a lot of spending when I use this technique and it has given me a chance to spend my money on more important things.
You become more creative when you declutter your closet. You think more about different combinations, and end up with outfits you would have never thought of if you had a cluttered closet. And you save tons of money for those daily doses of sugar!
Source: Pinterest
Revive Old Clothes by Upcycling
If you start to get bored of a particular piece or you simply do not want it, you could also try something new with it before getting rid of it so that you can save money. For example, you could cut up the fabric of an old item if you can, and trim it in a way you think would make the piece look better. If you don't like how it fits, you can also try going to a tailor so that they can tighten or loosen it to your liking. You can even sew a new hem into your old clothes, or get something embroidered on it; it is possible to even sew different fabric on an old piece and create a whole new piece out of it! I know it is a little extra effort, but you never know, maybe something amazing will come out of upcycling your old clothes.
I hope you guys got what I was trying to say. Maybe all you got out if it is that I repeat outfits, or that I really appreciate when my mommy compliments my outfits, but I hope it helped someone! We honestly do not need as much clothes in our closet than we think! Rinse and reuse, my fellow students!