Stuff Accumulates

While putting away the laundry, I counted Iris' skirts and skorts:

• 14 in total
• 3 second hand
  
• 1 second hand and refashioned
• 4 made by me
• 6 bought new
• 4 were school uniform skirts that she wears to her new school even though they don't require uniforms
• skirts range in age from 1-3 years (in her possession, though second-hand ones are older)
  

Why on earth does she need 14 skirts/skorts? Even though she prefers them to pants and shorts, she doesn't need that many. We do laundry at least once a week.

I looked in my own closet:

• 55 skirts
• 5 part of a suit (used for work)
• 10 second hand
  
• 15 made or refashioned by myself
• 1 gift
• Did I really buy 24 skirts?
• I have had them from 1-20 years.
• Some of the vintage ones are older than that.
• On average, I probably make or buy 3-4/year and get rid of 1-2.
• Stuff accumulates.
  

It is obvious why Iris has so many skirts. It is hereditary. ;-)

In contrast, Gina has 56 items of clothing (+ a few more that she found after the census). Dan Ho has 47 items. There is no reason to buy another skirt until I wear out these 54. However, I can't possibly do so in my lifetime. Though not a heavy consumer, I enjoy the novelty of new things now and then. What to do?

Asides:

• These numbers are after Iris and I culled our closets of things that don't fit. We sent those off to new homes and repaired/refashioned a few tired ones that we kept.
• I read a while ago that the average American woman buys over 40 clothing items per year. Evidently, I am not a heavy consumer by American standards, but I hold on to things longer than most people. I actually like all of my remaining skirts.
• Time to go through the bookshelves again.