Sorted clothes today. Mainly to take care of some things I had put aside to post on Vinted. I kept putting it on the list, "Post on Vinted" and then the next week "Post on Vinted" and I finally had to sit down and have a serious discussion with myself. Why wasn't I posting these things on Vinted?
Well, it turns out that I don't like dealing with people when I'm selling things. Shocking right? It's why I used the "Free in Beaverton" app during the move instead of Marketplace. Even though I probably could have sold a lot of those things. But it frustrates me so much to deal with. Negotiations and people not showing up or trying to nickel and dime you and then you get all defensive about your stuff that you were trying to get rid of in the first place. No thank you, I'll just give it away.
Vinted was one of those things that seemed like a really good idea. You post your things, someone buys them, then the money is in your account for you to use to buy things from other people who have posted on Vinted.
And there was my second problem; Second hand clothes.
I have friends who are amazing thrift and vintage shoppers. Have incredible wardrobes for a lot less money than if they had purchased new. I also know it's so much better for the environment if we don't buy new all the time. Reduce, reuse, recycle, all that good stuff.
But I also have such a mental block against it. I grew up always wearing second hand clothes. Getting something new was only for very special occasions, like Easter you got a new dress and your new summer sandals for the year. The rest of the time it was shopping at the DAV (second hand shop my folks preferred) where if you went on Tuesdays everything was half off so that .50 pair of pants was only a quarter! Woo!
Because of that I was never ahead of the fashion curve, always two or three cycles behind. It did teach me to find things that were my style instead of what was in style. And the only time it was really embarrassing was when someone recognized something you were wearing as something they had donated. Ugh...
And I really thought I was over it. I mean, I've shopped Goodwill for costume elements and that was fine. But the thought of selling my things and dealing with that and then shopping for someone else's used things just must have been festering in my subconscious because every week it got put on the list, and every week I did not do it.
So today I pulled all of those things out of the closet to take one more look to make sure I wanted to get rid of them, then did a quick sort of my current closet and put everything in the donation pile. On Friday I'll drop them off and that will be that.
Now the really good thing is the sort of my main closet only produced a few things. A dress that I can make look good with belts and creative arranging that I finally decided to just let go. And a few sweaters that honestly were just worn out. They were about 15 years old so it's not a surprise. And that was the piece that made me feel better about the clothes I'm getting rid of and the fact that I'm not posting them on Vinted. The things going to the second hand shop are all in good enough shape that someone else will get use out of them. The other things, I reused until they were reduced to not much. And that's good.
And as for the clothes that are in excellent shape because I didn't really wear them much, bad buys, not the right color or shape or style and I talked myself into them, well those things are sunk costs, baby... (Brent loves it when I use economic theory phrases)
But no, honestly, they are sunk costs. I bought them thinking I would wear them. I didn't. Even if I put them up on Vinted I wouldn't get back what I paid, which honestly is probably not that much because I'm really cheap. But either way, that ship has sailed. It's done. Keeping things I don't like is just silly.
I'm just really glad that there weren't a lot of those things.
Now as I branch out and keep building out my wardrobe with things I really like and really want I've got some more closet space and free hangers and room in my head that isn't taken up with the repeated, "I should post those things on Vinted this week" refrain.
Stop trying to be someone you aren't. Even if that person seems like a really good idea. I am not a post or shop on Vinted person. No matter how great the idea of that person is, she is just not me.
Now if you'll excuse me I'm off to cross off "Post Clothes on Vinted" from my to do list for the week.
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