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Closet so full the door won’t close? Ask yourself this: How often do you wear what’s in there?

According to The Wall Street Journal article “A closet filled with regrets,” most people wear only 20% of the clothes they own. That’s because shopping is often more about desire than necessity.

We buy when we’re bored or sad. We get talked into purchases. We just can’t resist a great deal. We believe the magazines that change advice each season: Plaid is the new black, a shrug is a must-have, no wardrobe is complete without some pashmina in it.

“Or maybe the outfit was perfect for the thinner, edgier, wealthier person you aspired to become,” writes Ray A. Smith.

Plenty of us have had buyer’s remorse about purple parachute pants or the deck shoes we wore exactly twice before breaking up with our sail-happy girlfriends. News flash: You don’t have to keep clothes that aren’t working for you. Instead, stop throwing good money after bad and figure out why you buy.

Begin by looking for unworn clothes bought fairly recently and trying to return them. This might not be easy, as Smith notes that retailers have tightened their return policies. That’s one reason so many people keep unusable items: They don’t want the hassle of taking things back to the store.

It might be possible to regift an item here and there. If it’s still got the tags on it then your brother or BFF won’t know you bought it for yourself six months ago. You might also have some luck selling these items consignment stores (local or online), or on eBay, or organizing a clothing swap with friends.

Starting over

Or just set aside an hour or two this weekend to go through your closet and create four piles: “donate,” “throw out,” “repair” and “soul-stirring” (i.e., must-keeps). That’s how Get Rich Slowly writer April Dykman did it. In “How to stop buying clothes you never wear,” she admits that some of the garments had never been worn.

Dykman donated, consigned and gave away three-fourths of her total wardrobe. What’s left is “100 times more functional.” For example, she owned a dozen pairs of jeans but wore only three of them because they were of good quality and looked great. She learned from that mistake.

“Only buy items that make you feel like a million bucks,” Dykman says. “If it doesn’t make your heart sing, it’ll probably never see the light of day.” SOURCE

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