How Much Wasted Money is Hanging in Your Closet?

It's Monday morning and you're forced to face yourcollection.
closet again to get ready for the start of anotherShe thought she was saving money by picking up
work week. You have a staff meeting and you werediscount items but she was actually throwing money
thinking of wearing your pink sweater and a pair ofaway, something none of us wants to be doing
tan slacks but you think you might have worn themduring these tough economic times.
to the last one. You can't help but think about theBuying a piece of clothing because it's on sale does
well-dressed women in your office who always looknot mean it saves you money. It's all about CPW or
so put together at these meetings. There's no way"cost per wearing."
they feel this way when they look in their closet.What does "cost per wearing" mean?
You feel like a mess! You don't know what goesWhen you determine how much a piece of clothing
together and when you really think about it, youcost and how many times you wore it during a
don't really even like most of the clothes you own.particular timeframe, you end up with a basic formula
Your mind drifts to a world of fantasy where youof cost per wearing. This doesn't apply to special
have a closet full of clothes you feel good and lookoccasion items such as a little black dress. It's only
great in. A world where you never stand in front ofintended for everyday wardrobe pieces.
the mirror feeling frustrated again...If you have 10 shirts in your closet that you got off
Do you ever stop and wonder why you continue tothe discount rack for $15 each, you have $150 worth
throw your hard-earned money away on clothing youof shirts. If you wore each of them once in a year's
never wear? I once did a Closet Detox with atime before deciding you hate them, they each cost
woman who had 20 pairs of white pants. Whiteyou $15 per wearing.
denim, white cotton, white linen and so on and soNow if you have one shirt you splurged on for $100
forth and the problem was neither all that white norbut you've worn it fifty times in a year, it cost you
all those pants, but the fact that she only ever woreonly $2 per wearing.
one of two pairs. She knew she didn't need anotherEssentially, if you bought all those shirts on sale to
pair of white pants but she kept buying themsave money, passing up the more expensive items
anyway.that you really, really wanted...you have not saved
This client's behavior was consistent with Pareto's 80anything. You should have just skipped the discount
20 Rule which states 80% of women only wearitems and invested in a piece you'd wear over and
20% of what's hanging in their closet. I personallyover again.
believe that ratio is closer to 90/10 based on someA Closet Detox will save you money
informal polls I've personally conducted amongJust think of the money you'll save if you can finally
women, but in any case, unless you can identify thestop bringing home items that you never wear. In
reason why you buy the things you do, you're likelyfact, go to your closet right now and try to identify
to continue wasting money on clothing you'll neveryour pattern...your style breakthrough. Do you have
wear, for the rest of your life.five tailored suits you don't actually wear? How many
Cleaning out your closet is about more than freeingturtleneck sweaters do you see? Is it a sea of aqua
up space.blue? Do a rough estimate of how much those
Obviously, the onset of spring is a common impetusunworn items in your closet have cost you over the
for most of us to clean out our closets but there'syears. If you include shoes and accessories you're
more to it than a change in seasons. It's about savinggoing to come up with a number in the thousands of
money (learning how not to waste money) ANDdollars.
discovering your very own personal styleThe Closet Detox process will give you more space
breakthroughs! Lurking there behind your closet dooras you purge everything that doesn't fit, is out of
is one or more style breakthroughs, each worthdate and just doesn't flatter you, but it's about more
thousands of dollars.than that.
Seeing all those white pants was a wakeup call forA Closet Detox will help you...
my client. She didn't know why she couldn't pass a• identify patterns in your shopping habits.
pair of white pants without buying them even though• reinvest in outfits that you'll wear over and over
she always kept going back to the same two pair.and feel good about.
I was able to recognize the pattern for her. White• stop wasting money on clothes that don't work
was her favorite wardrobe color and she lovedfor you.
wearing white pants. Yes she liked white pants, but• feel more confident in the clothes you wear
she only liked stark WHITE pants - pristine hospitalbecause you'll only keep the stuff you really love.
white. Other shades looked dingy to her but she• help someone else who is less fortunate by
didn't know that until I pointed it out. She justdonating all the gently worn pieces that don't work
enjoyed buying white. Talk about a stylefor you, but will probably be great on someone else.
breakthrough! Not only did she learn what to/not toThe bottom line is that there is a style breakthrough
buy, but this was going to add up to huge savingsin your closet adding up to thousands of dollars, just
for her! I was then able to teach her my twolike there was for my client who had no idea she
favorite shopping mantras:was buying pants she would never wear until I
"I will never..."pointed out the pattern.
"I will always look for..."If you can't see the pattern, you won't have that
While shopping, my client now always tells herself, "Istyle breakthrough and you'll continue to waste
will never buy off white pants" and "I will always lookmoney on clothes you never wear.
for hospital white pants." My client kept shaking herTry purging your closet by yourself or work with a
head at the money she wasted on all those whitestylish friend who can offer good fashion advice. If
pants she never wore. Many of them were impulsenot, we're always here to assist. A Closet Detox
buys off the discount rack because like manycould be the single greatest investment you ever
women, she just couldn't pass up a bargain. It's nomake in yourself, your image and ultimately, your
coincidence, though, that the two pair of pants shepersonal success.
kept turning to was the more expensive in her