10 Signs You're A Clothes Hoarder

You refuse to throw away that ratty old T-shirt because you wore it on the first day of college. The stained Polo buttondown with the gross-ass collar isn't going anywhere, because your team won the Super Bowl the day after you threw up on it. Even though it still faintly smells like vomit, you can't bring yourself to get rid of it. You have a problem. While there are some sentimental things you can certainly hold onto forever, there is so much more you need to be okay with letting go. Super dirty stuff that never gets worn, or is straight-up unwearable, needs to get out of your life and make room for newer, cooler stuff.

You have some shirts and pants at your girl's house, and have a coat rack at your office where you keep some extra stuff. Even with all this, your own closet is still bursting at the seams. It's cool to have some gear away from home in case of any weather changes or emergencies (like an impromptu dinner, ripped pants, or a stained shirt), but once you start having multiple closets, it's time to pare down.

In your sneakerhead days, you picked up the bad habit of keeping the boxes. But come on, when you start buying proper footwear from brands like Alden, Church's, and Mark McNairy, you get shoe trees like a man. Besides, chances are your kicks cost around $300-$400 a pop. Think about it, at more than five pairs, that's $1,800 on shoes. Isn't the point of buying quality footwear so that you don't have to buy doubles in the first place? Unlearn the hoarding habits of the lame sneakerhead. A man's footwear is meant to be broken in, not kept on ice. After all--you can get it repaired.

Did you just buy a $500 winter coat because the forecast called for an inch of snow? Or the weather said it would be a little bit under 50 degrees this weekend? And you live in Arizona? That probably wasn't a necessary purchase. Did you drop serious dough on a midnight blue tuxedo in the case one of your buddies gets married some time next year, or you get called into a black tie event that may or may not be happening in a week--and you already HAVE a tuxedo? Again, a stupid purchase. Be more vigilant about what you buy, and you'll not only save space, you'll save a ton of money.

In the back of your closet sits a neatly folded pile of bootcut, wide leg jeans you haven't touched in more than 10 years. They are waiting for that one day when finally, the cyclical nature of fashion deems them acceptable in public. Sure, you could've sold them on eBay to some nostalgic hipster in Seattle, or you could've donated them to a thrift store ages ago, but you just can't bear to let them go, you'd feel like it'd be like losing a part of yourself.

If you're constantly running out of hangers, chances are pretty good that it's because you're buying too many clothes. Learn to let go, and save that precious closet space. There is not some invisible hanger monster eating up all your good cedar joints. They're probably just covered by the mothballed peacoats and toggle coats you hardly ever wear.

You're reading your favorite blog or scrolling through your RSS feed and BAM! All of a sudden you see news about an exclusive collab or obscure Japanese streetwear item you have never heard about until that very moment. Then it hits you: the insatiable urge to buy it no matter what. You get the same feeling anytime you step inside of a store with no real shopping agenda. You might run into a perfectly-fitting sportcoat or some ill designer sneakers. Who cares if you need to pay rent and will probably wear these things once, at most? You NEED them now. Perhaps, what you really need, is to sit down and control your impulses.

There are plenty of reasons people go in debt: medical bills, college, car payments, and living in New York. Clothing shouldn't be one of those reasons. While we're all for copping that expensive grail piece and living off ramen for a couple of weeks if you HAVE to, it's not a preferable lifestyle choice. There are more things in life to splurge on than big-ticket clothing items. Like you know, dating people, eating good food, and traveling.

You don't really need a toggle coat, topcoat, and a parka to last through the season. Two coats—one casual, and one dressier, will do more than enough. Find a style that works for you and wear the hell out of it, and then when the time comes, replace it. Give the old one to someone who actually needs it, like a homeless person. Plenty of places have coat drives each season, so hand down that style and get yourself an upgrade.

If the mailman, UPS, and FedEx guy all know you on a first-name basis, it's probably because you're always expecting a box of clothes. If it gets so bad that you forget that you ordered stuff, the packages waiting at home shouldn't be a surprise, they would be a wake-up call. And what they're alerting you to is that maybe, it's time to dial back on the shopping.