I love clothing. I think it’s an extension of ones personality and my personality tends to be dressed in countless $5 tops from the Urban Outfitters sale section. Talk about a waste of money and a waste of space! Sure I’m a bargain hunter, but why am I buying seven $5 for $35 that I don’t love or need when I could save my money for one special, pricier piece? Or better yet, simply save my money for, I dunno, retirement, my kids college fund, etc etc.

So recently I vowed if I really want to buy something new, I must give something old away. Sounds fair, right? I own more than I need (or want. I think most of us do).

When I Googled “clothing donations” I learned some interesting stuff about clothing donations and clothing waste.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Solid Waste. Americans collectively trashed 9 million tons of reusable clothes, footwear, towels and bedding in 2005. 9 million! ( I bet 50 lbs were of my ironic Urban Outfitter t-shirts)

Also, charities usually sell donated clothes rather than give them away. When clothes are donated to a nonprofit that operates a thrift store, the store usually sorts through them and selects the best items to sell on racks. The remaining items are sold to companies called graders, which sort them by class men’s shirts, women’s pants, kids’ shoes and by fiber. The clothes in the worst condition are sold to textile recyclers, who turn them into rags, paper fibers or stuffing for furniture and insulation. Higher quality items are exported to developing countries, where they’re sold, not necessarily donated, to people who can’t afford new clothing. So your clothing might not go directly to a poor person, but the nonprofits are using the money they raise from your donations for a good cause.

So here are the Top Five Things You Can Do With Old Clothes:

1) Have a clothing swap! Get together with a group of friends (or strangers) and trade clothes you don’t want anymore. Make an afternoon of it! Serve brunch and mimosas or have it be a potluck desert party. Any clothes that nobody takes can be dropped off at a local shelter. It’s fun to see old favorite sweater become your friends new favorite sweater. One mans trash is another persons treasure…

2) Re-craft your old clothing into new pieces! I like the book Generation T for great ways to reconstruct t-shirts into hot new tops and bottoms. By revamping old frocks, you’re creating one-of-a-kind styles that you know, no one else will own. Even just chopping the collar off a t-shirt can give it a sexy, stylish look. You can also reconstruct old clothes into pillows, placemats, and all sorts of fun house decor. Make holiday gifts for pals. Sell your new designs at a street fair. Have a reconstruction party and get all your friends to fix-up their frocks. So go on, get crafty!

3) Sell your clothes. Whether on Ebay or on your front stoop, you’d be surprised what people will buy. Use that money for new clothes, or better yet donate that money to a charity of your choice.

4) Trade your clothes on http://www.freecycle.org The Freecycle Network is made up of 4,602 groups with 5,793,000 members across the globe. It’s a grassroots and entirely nonprofit movement of people who are giving (& getting) stuff for free in their own towns. It’s all about reuse and keeping good stuff out of landfills.

5) Donate your clothes. However really do your research to see where your clothes are going and how they are being used. Dressforsuccess.org is a great organization that takes used womens business clothing that’s still in good condition and gives it to women in need of job training. Goodwill will not give your old stuff to the needy, but rather they will sell your stuff and use each store’s proceeds go to fund local Goodwill programs. Also do a search for local shelters in your area that may accept old clothing donations.