When we started to pack up our house in Myrtle Beach, Sidney and I realized something…we had A LOT of clothes. No, it wasn’t just my wife with a stuffed closet––I was guilty too. For a dude, I had an embarrassingly large wardrobe. Unless we wanted to fill the entire 16-wheel moving truck with our clothes, we had to do some purging.

Well, purging isn’t exactly a good word. We threw out a very minimal amount of clothes, just the stuff that was pretty much unwearable. The other stuff we made available so others could get use out of it. We repurposed our clothes in three main ways…

I alone had enough thermals to fill a regular-sized closet.

1. Consignment – I feel a little guilty admitting this, but we did sell some of our clothes. Sidney and I each made a couple trips to Plato’s Closet with boxes of clothes. I would describe what they accepted and what they paid out as disappointing. Each time we went to the store, we walked back out with a majority of the clothes that we brought in. We averaged about $25 per trip and placed all proceeds in an envelope labeled Moving Fund.

2. Goodwill – When sorting out our clothes, we had boxes earmarked for Goodwill. In addition to those boxes, we added the rejected consignment clothing as well. Our trips to Goodwill were always therapeutic because it felt so good to drop off large loads that took up space in our house during the cluttered moving process. On a more somber note, it was also a reminder that we could have helped those in need much sooner if we made regular trips and didn’t hoard (bigger issue for me than Sid).

Even with multiple stops to Goodwill and Plato’s Closet, we still shipped UHAUL wardrobe closets filled with clothes to Washington.

3. Office Giveaway – I obtained TONS of Coastal Carolina University gear during my nearly six years at the institution. I took a couple items with me as keepsakes, but I knew I would have to leave most of it behind. When my mentor and friend, Kenny Dow, left the University of Montana for another job, he allowed his co-workers to poach his UM wardrobe. Likewise, when Bill Plate left CCU, he gave me his Chanticleer ties. I took their examples and put my Coastal Carolina gear up for grabs. I put a video of my large collection on social media, stipulating that you had to be a CCU employee if you wanted dibs, and within seconds it was claimed.

A glimpse at a portion of the CCU polos I had in my possession.

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Funniest/Saddest thing of all? I probably still packed more clothes than what I needed. Something I am trying to work on is to let go of items and resist the temptation to stockpile. It is a learning process. Don’t Blink.