It's spring cleaning at my house now. Other years I've just gone through the motions to dust a little here , wash a little here and put things back in place.
This year I have an added purpose. At my age a forced move could come at any moment. The micro manage and I have been talking about downsizing for years. To be fair we have got rid of a tremendous amount of stuff but there's lots here. A move would be a tremendous amount of work and if you move into a senior complex there's little room for treasures.
So this year one of my mandates is to get rid of "stuff" . So yesterday I found 19 neckties in a closet. I haven't worn a necktie since 2012. Why do I need 19 neckties? I got rid of 16 and kept three.
In the good old days we wore neckties. I was a teacher and through most of my career we were expected to wear a shirt and tie. For most public functions we wore a suit and the shirt and necktie. Yes, church! Wear your good clothes .
So here I am with 16 extra neckties.
The day before I found some perfectly good winter coats that I haven't worn for 30-40 years. So 4 pieces of good coats are moving out of here.
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A jacket I haven't worn for very long time.
I'm pretty sure I have completely forgotten how to tie a tie.
ReplyDeleteYou're probably not the only one who'd have to ty a couple of times to tie a tie.
DeleteDo you have a junior high relative learning to do ballroom dancing? We had those etiquette and beginner dancing classes around here. My son was a clothes horse at that age and had to have his suit and clothes just perfect. He latched on to every tie my Dad had, both before and after he died. He still has some of them. I'm sure a school or donation center would love them. Linda in Kansas
ReplyDeleteI've got places for them to go. Ballroom dancing sounds like a good program for kids.
DeleteIt's a good plan you have to get rid of stuff. It's much easier when you know you haven't used something in years. I hope you find a good home for your nice things. I especially like the melton coat.
ReplyDeleteBibles for Missions will probably get most of it.
DeleteI seem to have collected plenty of ties over my lifetime, which is worrying as I never had a job which demanded that I wear one!
ReplyDeleteHello,
ReplyDeleteMy hubby probably has a bunch of ties, he does not wear or need to wear anymore. Downsizing is a good idea. Take care, have a great day!
Downsizing seems to go on forever.
DeleteI'm pretty good at keeping clothes thinned down. Where I'm struggling right now is with family heirlooms that have been passed down. I guess that when my kids are older and off on their own, perhaps I can pawn some of those off on them.
ReplyDeleteWe have heirlooms to and kids don't want them.
DeleteYou sound like you are ready to clear things out. Well done and good luck with it!
ReplyDeleteIt seems like a never ending job.
DeleteI wore a tie to work today, coincidentally, and it's the first time I've worn one in about a year! I plan to try to wear my ties more often. Otherwise, why am I keeping them?
ReplyDeleteThe ties I have, have been great dust collectors.
DeleteAny charity group will be happy to have any of these nice pieces, Red.
ReplyDeleteI've been donating occasionally for years.
DeleteIt's always good and a lot of work to get rid of clothes not worn in years.
ReplyDeleteI'm okay but the Micro Manager has difficulty parting with things.
DeleteYou have smart looking clothes there but understand on the need to downsize. We're trying!
ReplyDeleteClothes in the seventies were good stuff.
DeleteI have two ties, but I don't even remember the last time I wore one. A piece of coloured bunting around my neck is not a great priority in my life!
ReplyDeleteEven though I haven't worn ties for a long time I remember liking wearing a tie.
DeleteWhat a good idea to downsize looking forward to other living situations. I don't think my hubby has kept any ties from his working life. Those are some pretty nifty looking coats, with lots of life still in them. :-)
ReplyDeleteThey are good quality coats but years out of date. They made good stuff in the 70's.
DeleteMicro manager should make a quilt using those ties.
ReplyDeleteThe Micro Manager was never a quilter but an excellent sewer.
DeleteI wish my Pirate would thin out his stuff! So much isn't worn, but kept for sentimental reasons...
ReplyDeleteI'm keeping a sweater my Mom knit and gave to me in 1964.
DeleteI am thinking the same thing. How much longer will we be able to stay in our home? We have a lot of stuff. We need to get rid of some of it. Today I am getting rid of some "treasures" sitting of the soffits in the kitchen. And a lot of dust!
ReplyDeleteYou have a couple of kids nearby but they won't take much. They will help you get rid of stuff.
DeleteWell done! I have been downsizing too. I found it easy at first. Now I am having to make more difficult choices. But I find if I leave things for a month or two, it's clearer when I come back to them the second (or sometimes third) look.
ReplyDeleteGet rid of those old clothes and buy yourself a few Hawaiian shirts, Red. Live a little!
ReplyDeleteWell, "Clothes doth not make the man." The Micro Manager has to drag me into a store. I don't like shopping.
DeleteDo you have Goodwill in Canada? Or St. Vincent? Just donate it and let them hang it up for sale.
ReplyDeleteWe've got lots of good places to leave stuff.
DeleteNecktie? What's that? But I have to say, that leather coat looks pretty sharp!
ReplyDeleteClothes in the 70's were high quality .
DeleteWe all stopped wearing ties at school around the mid-80s. I may be misremembering a bit but not by too much.
ReplyDeleteI agree that by the mid 80's only the principal wore a tie.
DeleteWe too have dress clothes not worn in years, aside from attending a wedding or sadly a funeral. We keep them around “just in case” These days our attire is very casual and comfy. Good for you on getting rid of unneeded stuff.
ReplyDeleteThe places I would move to are very small so I won't be able to take much with me.
DeleteThe raincoat looks like the kind of coat that a Russian spy might wear - Agent Red. I always wore ties when I was a teacher - day after day tying that knot. Why? Why didn't women teachers have to wear ties? A few years ago I got rid of fifty ties but I still have more.
ReplyDeleteI haven't worn a tie in decades. We had to wear them when I was in hight school so after I graduated out went the tie.
ReplyDeleteSome people make quilts from neckties, I have also seen Christmas tree skirts and hand bags made from ties. That leather jacket is timeless!
ReplyDeleteThose are really nice looking coats. I miss the days when men wore suits and ties. My dad dressed in a suit and tie for work every morning. The big wide ties were in style then, that would have been the 1950s. I also miss the days when women looked like women.
ReplyDeleteJB has been working hard to get his closets cleaned out. I don't think he has a reason to wear a suit and tie these days.
ReplyDeleteThings seem to consume energy even at fifty one dear Red yet looking at your beautiful coats my eyes got wet. Life is blend of all emotions light and heavy indeed.
ReplyDelete