How many cardigans are too many?

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Fellow Twenty & Change bloggers Emily Opilo and April Trotter — and yours truly — love cardigans.

We can’t get enough of them. The versatile items come in myriad colors, styles, weights  and textures and go with just about anything from a nice dress to a pair of jorts.

97 degrees outside but the office feels like an igloo? Grab a cardigan.

Going to the movies? Grab a cardigan.

Too hot for a coat but too cold to bare your arms? Cardigans are perfect.

I’ve been wearing them on an almost-daily basis for as long as I can remember.

But how many cardigans — or any other article of clothing, or anything else for that matter — are too many?

The New York Times Bucks blog says we — Opilo, Trotter and I — probably own too much stuff.

I don’t disagree, [far] upward of 20 cardigans each might be [slightly] overkill.

In the blog, minimalist Andrew Hyde suggests asking the following about our loads of sweaters :

• Why do you own what you own?
• What could you get rid of and not miss?
• Do I really still need that?
• What is it costing me to own that?

In short, I own them because I like to wear them, but I don’t know that I (or my wardrobe) would be distraught if I got rid of a few. I probably don’t still need the ones I haven’t worn since college. And it’s costing me closet space, laundry/organizing time, laundry detergent, hanger space and actual money to own them all.

So what am I to do? Hyde gives the following tips to get rid of some stuff:

• If you haven’t worn something within the past year, get rid of it
• Don’t try to sell your used clothes on eBay, that will take too much time that you could be spending doing  more productive things. Donate the items to charity and take the tax credit instead.

I don’t think I’ll go the minimalist route anytime soon, but I think I can part with at least a few of my cardigans. Some have seen better days, others I don’t wear that often and I really don’t need at least one representing every letter in Roy G. Biv.

What do you think? Is there a type of clothing that you wear often? Are there clothing or household items  you could get rid of and not really miss? How do you decide what to give away or keep?

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