If your wallet isn’t bursting at the seams with holiday giving cash, you are probably trying to come up with gift ideas for family and friends that don’t cost much (or any) money. One great way to truly help out a family member (or friend with whom you can be brutally honest) is by offering to go through their entire wardrobe with them – a closet cleanout extravaganza! Most people do this on their own each year or two but have a very difficult time discerning what to give away and what to put back for future wear. I’ve often said, “But the super flare leg will come back!” or “This was a really expensive sweater I got on a great sale!” in an attempt to convince myself that these items which I haven’t worn for years are worth keeping around. Never have I reincorporated them into my wardrobe; they just take up space and stare me down, reminding me that I don’t know my own self when it comes to what I will or will not find useful in the future.
This is where the gift comes in. Offer your time, enforcing that your friend try on every single item (from cocktail dresses to shoes to workout gear) before deciding its fate and being completely direct about whether something is
flattering, useful, and in general has any place in your friend’s closet. Be organized about it; bring plenty of sturdy paper bags with handles and sort everything in piles of “keep,” “Goodwill” (or charity of their choice), or “give away to friends” (paying it forward with the free gift idea!). To complete the present, bag all of the items that are being given to charity and drop them off. As for the items to be given to other friends, label them with specific people in mind and remove them from the closet, ready to be handed over to their new owners asap so they will not crawl back onto your friend’s shelves. And voilà, a free, useful gift for someone you care about!
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