Category: Fashion

Closet Cleanout Update: How I Did & Where I Sell My Purged Items

In Monday’s post, I talked myself into doing an aggressive and hardcore closet cleanout. It really was time for a ruthless purge for a few reasons:

Reason 1: I very rarely have to wear formal office attire. So, it didn’t make sense that I was holding onto items that hadn’t been worn for over a year and wouldn’t be worn again in the foreseeable future.

Reason 2: I had accumulated too much stuff. Thrifting is my hobby, so I tend to accumulate things. And even if the item was $5, it’s still an item that is cluttering my house. I simply had TOO MUCH stuff, and it was making me uncomfortable.

Reason 3: I was in the MOOD to get rid of stuff. Which is super important, because if you’re in a nostalgic mood… it simply doesn’t work. But I hit a point where I wanted to burn it to the ground so I could rebuild it up.

I wrote that post on Friday night and on Saturday, I dove into my closet. I started off by trying on every single dress in my closet and taking a quick video of each. And yes, it took forever, but I made three Reels that show each item and my thoughts on whether to keep or let go:

Work Dresses Purge:

Event or Work Dresses:

Casual Dresses:

That is where I left off on Saturday. On Sunday, I decided not to waste any time with video and went straight into the skirts, then the blazers, lightweight jackets, cardigans, tops, shoes and handbags. I think it took around 3 hours to get through it all. I did try on most of it too, so I was quite the sweaty mess by time I was done.

I tried to keep track of it and here’s where I think I ended up:

  • Dresses: 26 keep, 16 sell or donate
  • Skirts: 38 keep, 19 sell or donate
  • Cardigans: 22 keep, 3 sell or donate
  • Lightweight jackets: 5 keep, 1 sell or donate
  • Blazers: 2 keep, 2 sell or donate
  • Tops: Didn’t count, 15 sell or donate
  • Purses and shoes: Sell 2 purses and 2 pairs shoes

By the end of it, I had two big bags of my items to take to Goodwill (which I dropped off that night) and a HUGE pile of stuff to sell.

Which brings us to the question – where do I sell items? Well, I typically sell in 3 places:

Poshmark

I’ve been selling on Poshmark for years and it’s pretty easy to photograph and post each item for sale. So, that is usually going to be my first stop. For this gigantic pile of stuff, I slowly worked my way through it and ended up adding 47 items to my Poshmark closet!

When an item is purchased, Poshmark takes care of adding the postage costs and tax, so all I have to do is package the item nicely, print out and affix the pre-paid postage label, and stick it in my mailbox. They take a cut (of course), which I feel pays for the convenience factor. As of this morning, 5 items have sold on Poshmark.

If you’re new to Poshmark, you can use my special invite code to open an account and get $10 off your first order. Just use: POCKETFULOFJOUL And here is a direct link to my closet: https://poshmark.com/closet/pocketfulofjoul. Feel free to make an offer on something if you love it!

Focused Facebook Groups

Some ‘specialty’ items sell better in focused Facebook Groups. For example, NotPerfectLinen has a fans group that has a BST, so I’ll sell items there. They also have a “Natural Fibers Sales” weekend, so if I have a few items sitting in my Poshmark closet that I’ve already photographed that meet the criteria, I’ll post it there.

A benefit is that you don’t have to pay fees. Instead, you have the person pay you directly using Paypal. However, you DO have to pay for your own postage. So, for me that means a special trip to the post office to ship out each item. Which is kind of a pain… but for a high dollar item, I’m happier to see it going to someone who truly loves the item/brand.

For this pile o’ stuff, I had one purse that I posted in the Rough & Tumble Fans Facebook Group. I will also keep an eye on the next ‘Natural Fibers Weekend’ later this month and post items that I already photographed for Poshmark that will fit their rules.

Consignment Store

I have a consignment store that I adore, but it’s about an hour away from my house. I’ve both purchased and sold many items there though, so I always keep it in mind. To sell items, you need to take them on a weekday for them to review.

The earliest I can get by there is about 2 weeks away, which gives me plenty of time to see if the items will sell on Poshmark first. I’ll review everything left and pick out items I think the consignment shop will accept and then bring them by for them to review. I don’t delete any items from my Poshmark closet until they review them though, because sometimes they won’t accept things for weird reasons.

I’m so happy I finally did a deep dive into my closet to get rid of a bunch of items I just wasn’t wearing or loving anymore. With my work/life changing and my personal style continuously growing, it’s nice to pass on a bunch if items that I previously loved.

Wardrobe Switchover Time: Am I Ready for a Hardcore Closet Cleanout?

Every year, when summer winds down and fall appears, I go through a bit of a closet purge. I take a closer look at all my summer clothes and note what I didn’t have ANY interest in wearing over the past 3-5 months. When I’ve been routinely bypassing the items, it gives me just enough separation that I can purge a little easier.

And I’m chomping at the bit to do that closet cleanout again… but this year feels different. Like the stakes are higher?

As for why. Well, it has been almost a full year at my current job, and since it’s mostly remote, I’m only going into the office maybe 1-2 times a month. So, my need for work clothes is drastically lower than it’s ever been. And there are many items that I find myself passing over time and time again. Especially when I only need 2 professional-looking outfits a month.

And honestly, I’m pretty sure I could literally wear the EXACT SAME OUTFIT to work every time I go to the office and not one person would notice.

So really, this should be easy. I SHOULD be able to do a ruthless purge and keep only my absolute favorites. Go big or go home, right?

Here’s the problem: I’m kind of scared.

Because as much as I adore my job (and I really do, because it’s an awesome fit and they also seem to really appreciate me, which is amazing), I’ve been laid off before. And that kind of experience sticks with you. It’s scary, it’s scarring, and it changes the way you look at work forever. Even 14 years later, I still feel that little devil on my shoulder, whispering warnings not to get too comfortable.

So even though my rational brain says that I don’t need a ton of business formal blazers and dresses anymore, the anxious little voice in my head is whispering, “BUT WHAT IF???”

What if I get rid of 80% of my formal office wardrobe and then suddenly lose my job and have to start all over again? What if I need to look polished and professional five days a week again, and all I’ve got left are joggers, sundresses, and a handful of Teams-appropriate tops?

The thing is, rationally I know that’s not the end of the world. I’ll still keep enough items that I can mix and match for plenty of outfits. And of course, thrifting makes it easy to snag office-ready clothes for cheap.

So maybe the real answer is this: I WANT to do a hardcore purge and keep only the things I truly love… but I’ll also hang on to a tiny “just in case” capsule of work basics. You know, insurance against my ‘what if’ anxiety.

And just for funsies, here is every outfit I’ve worn into the office or for a work event since I’ve been at my current job (since last October) … which is 30 outfits total:

And right off the bat, I see at least 7 items that I could easily purge because I don’t love them. And plenty of outfit pieces that could be repeated in different ways. Okay, I’ve convinced myself. I’m going to do it. I’m going to do a full HARDCORE purge. (Spoiler Alert: I wrote this post on Friday night and spent the weekend attacking my closet. I posted a few Reels on my Instagram account showing my process and will post a Closet Purge update later this week!)

Are you the kind of person who hangs on to clothes ‘just in case’ or do you go full Marie Kondo and purge with no regrets? And for those of you who have lost a job before, do we EVER get over the fear that it will happen again?

My Style: August 2025

Well, this may be the most eclectic August style post ever. Let’s get right into it…

We spent a week in Florida (you can read all about it here) and I basically wore my swimsuit every day. I’m not kidding when I say we packed the bare minimum (we brought 2 carry-on suitcases for the three of us), with plans to be pool and beach slugs all week. As for this swimsuit, I’m not giving you the brand/store because I wouldn’t recommend it. It was great for the week — but certainly showed wear and tear from the salt water by the end of our trip.

Also, I love this photo because I feel pretty darn hot for no makeup, wet hair and my 48th birthday right around the corner.

Here’s my office day photo – I bought this eyelet dress from Nordstrom Rack last year and wanted to make sure to include it in my summer rotation. I topped it with a thrifted cardigan, brown leather belt and Rothy’s espadrilles. Loved this outfit and will absolutely wear it again and again.

Threw this outfit on to do some thrifting for National Thrift Shop Day. Ironically, nothing was thrifted for this look – which is MADNESS for me. I purchased the tee shirt when we were in Prescott, AZ in the spring and the skirt was an ‘I’ll just add this to the cart to get free shipping’ purchase from Old Navy.

I mean, COME ON! How fantastic is my Renaissance Festival outfit?! I’ve been adding to my costume over the years and I’m so, so thrilled with this year’s combo. The cream underskirt and blue blouse are from my original costume when I worked there 30 years ago. The corset is an Amazon find for just $39. As for the scarf, rainbow skirt, belt, purse and boots – those are all thrifted/secondhand finds from over the years and items that I wear in my ‘real life’ that got repurposed for the day. Oh, and I added some fabulous pink extensions to my braids, which I loved!

New vs Secondhand Tally

This month, I count 9 items that I purchased retail and 5 items I purchased secondhand. I think this is the first month that I had more retail than secondhand since I started keeping track… but in my defense, 2 of those items are 30 years old!