OK, no one is ever going to accuse me of sartorial splendor, that’s for sure. Still, as with my now-culled t-shirt collection, the clothes I do have hanging in my closet are definitely more than enough.

The truth is, there are plenty of things I am holding onto that I haven’t worn in years–maybe even decades in some cases. Then there are the clothes that no longer fit (which I guess I’m holding onto just in case I gain back 30 or so pounds?) And then there are the clothes I’ve never worn–gifts, mostly, or hand-me-down suits from an uncle or my father-in-law, that I’ve felt too guilty about to simply toss away.

Well, today is the day to get over all of that and shed as much unwanted or unneeded clothing as possible.

As I did before, I went about this process in a couple of rounds. The first go was easy. The second round I slowed down, started trying on pants, imagining whether or not a day would come when one of my sons would want a thin, red, polyester knit tie, etc. The third go-around, I stopped thinking too hard and simply asked myself: if I haven’t worn it in a couple of years, what makes me think I’m going to wear it now?

I didn’t count what stayed on my shelves and on hangers at the end of the day, but here’s what I did manage to shed:

• 10 sweaters/sweatshirts
• 21 shirts
• 10 pairs of pants
• 12 pairs of shorts
• 7 sport coats
• 9 ties
• 6 belts
• 5 pairs of shoes
• 1 vest

That was four full bags of clothes, which will head off to the Salvation Army or some other charity over the next couple of days.

Today’s exercise, of course, wasn’t just about winning a little more closet space or losing some of the clutter in the bedroom. It really provided me with an opportunity to challenge some of the default thinking I have, namely: let me hold onto this (fill in the blank) for a little bit longer, just in case…. What I’m never too sure of is how that sentence ends: in case of what? I am sure that everything I tossed today will not be missed–by me, or my children, or by the people who gave me gifts and hand-me-downs.

So why do I hold onto stuff for so long?

It’s definitely time to let go of the things I don’t need–especially those things that I’m only holding onto because, well, because I’ve held onto to them for so long.

As I was loading up all those bags, I still caught myself hesitating: But wait! Maybe some of this stuff could be worth good money!

And the chances of that are about as good as one of my kids wanting that polyester knit tie in a few years.