Should I donate my old goal jeans or hang on?

I hear the tug-of-war. One thing that helped me: I kept one pair of “someday” jeans, but I put them in a labeled bin with a date three months out.

If I hadn’t worn them by then—or if seeing them felt like a scolding rather than a curiosity—they went to donation. The money is already spent; the real question is whether they’re taking up mental space.

I also only compare weekly averages, not single mornings, so one tight button wouldn’t mean much to me. What would feel kinder in your closet: a neutral benchmark, or empty space?

I’ve been the queen of “goal jeans,” and honestly the button gap was more useful than the jeans themselves. One thing that helped me: put them in a tote under the bed with today’s date, not in daily sight.

Check every 4–6 weeks, but measure the gap with a soft tape instead of trying to button them. If the gap hasn’t changed in ~3 months, donate. Also—how do you feel when you accidentally see them? Dread vs

I’m team “make them earn the hanger space.” Dorm closets are tiny, so I’d vacuum-bag the size 10s and put a sticky note on the bag: “Button by the last day of the semester or off to the campus clothing swap/resale.” Then they’re not staring at you every morning. If you sell them, even $20 back funds a size-14 pair that actually buttons, which is a better daily win than an $80 ghost.

Also, random q: do they fit differently after a salty dining-hall stir-fry night vs. first thing in the morning? Water weight makes my jeans feral.

tbh dorm closet space is basically a studio apartment, so I’d give the jeans a hard deadline. Put them in a labeled bin with a donate-by date taped on top—mine says “if the button still says no by Thanksgiving, bye.” If they make it, great; if not, list them and turn the $80 into cheap protein (rotisserie chicken, eggs, cottage cheese).

I did this with a fancy dress, and the deadline helped more than staring at it. Also: take one pic wearing them open with a long shirt, so you keep the trophy without the guilt.

Honestly, the $80 guilt is real, but you don’t have to decide today. I’d put them in a clear bin with a sticky note: “Try on Oct 1. If no button by then, donate/sell and put $ toward jeans that fit now.” Then track a waist measurement every 2 weeks—not weight—so it’s data, not a shrine.

Also, what’s one habit you’re doing differently this 7-week stretch than in 2023? That’s the part I’d protect most.

I’d demote them from “goal jeans” to “evidence jeans” and put them in a bin with a sticky note: recheck on a specific date, like 3 months from now. Then get one cheap pair that actually buttons today — you deserve pants that don’t make you feel like you’re failing before breakfast.

If the 10s still don’t button by the date, donate them and put that $80 energy into a new reward at whatever size you’re in then. Sharp question: what’s the smallest non-scale win you’ve noticed in these 7 weeks — sleep, energy, rings, cravings?

I’d ask one question before deciding: were those size 10s from a weight you actually held for a few months, or from a brief dip? I kept goal jeans from a dip and they just ta

night shift here. I don’t keep clothes two sizes away. It’s just a daily “not yet” reminder. I’d take the size 10s to a consignment shop this week. If they sell, use the cash for jeas that fit now. If not, donate. Keep a size 12 as your next checkpoint. What’s your actual goal size this round?

I’m an empty nester too, and I finally realized I was keeping “someday” clothes instead of building a closet for the life I’m actually living now. I’d keep the size 10s only if you can name a real place you’d wear them—date night, concert, whatever—not just “when I’m smaller.” Meanwhile, buy one pair of 14s you genuinely like and get them hemmed.

Feeling put-together now has done more for my walks and cooking routine than staring at old jeans. What’s the actual occasion for those 10s?

What were your waist/hip measurements when those size 10s actually fit? Regain can redistribute, especially midsection, so the tag matters less than circumference. I track waist, hip, and preferred rise.

If your current waist is >2 inches off and they’re low-rise, donate; tailoring won’t fix rise or pocket placement. If they’re high-rise and only the waistband is tight, they might be salvageable later.

Either way, I wouldn’t let them occupy prime closet space until your measurements trend that direction.

One thing that helped me was separating “sentimental” from “functional.” Those jeans may be a shape mismatch rather than a size failure. I track weekly averages plus hip and waist measurements, and my hips shrink faster than my waist.

If they slide over your hips but will not button, the rise or cut may never feel right, even at a size 10. I would resell

I do a cost-per-wear rule: $80 worn twice is $40 a wear, and that number doesn’t improve while they sit in a bin. But before you decide, measure the size 10 waist flat and compare it with whatever 14 you actually like now.

I kept a goal pair through a regain and when it finally fit, the rise was so low I felt like I was sitting on my zipper. What’s the one current outfit you’d wear them with? If you can’t name it, that’s your answer.

Before you decide, check the rise and fabric. A stiff 100% cotton low-rise size 10 is a totally different beast than a stretchy high-rise 14.

If your shape shifted with regain, the button might be the cut’s fault, not just the number. I’d try them on the 1st of each month—same time, same mirror, no sucking in—and snap a pic.

If by Labor Day they still cut you in half, donate them and put that $80 toward a pair you’ll actually wear at whatever size feels good. Are they low-rise or high-rise?

Road warrior take: hotel lighting is brutal and suitcase space is precious. I’d snap a pic of the jeans for my phone’s “future me” album, then donate them.

The photo keeps the goal; the jeans go to someone who’ll actually wear them this month. You’re down 5 and building momentum—future-you can buy a size 10 you love, maybe during an airport layover sale. Kidding.

But does keeping them make you feel hopeful or vaguely guilty every time you open the closet? That’s the real test.

I feel this. I kept a $90 pair of “someday” jeans for two years, tried them on every few weeks, and it just made me feel behind.

I finally sold them for $20 and put that toward a pair that fits my now-body. My rule now: one “someday” item max, and it has to be something I’d actually wear out tomorrow, not just a guilt tax.

Sharp question: if those size 10s buttoned this morning, what outfit would you wear them with? If you don’t have a real answer, donate/sell.

You’re down 5—that’s momentum, not a reason to punish yourself with old denim.

I get the $80 sting. What helped me: I put my old goal jeans in a donation bag but left the bag in my trunk for two weeks.

If I didn't miss them, they were gone. I didn't. Then I used that closet space for a pair that actually fits my now-body, and I wear them on my new morning walks.

The goal isn't the jeans; it's the life. Maybe ask yourself: would you buy those size 10s today, at full price, if you saw them in a store? If not, donate.

I’m doing the empty-nester restart too, and I’d separate “goal” from “guilt.” I keep one pair of aspirational jeans in a vacuum bag under the guest bed with a sticky note date six months out. If they don’t button comfortably by then, they go to a clothing swap.

Meanwhile I bought one pair that fits my now-body and feels good on walks. Sharp question: do you even like the cut and wash on your current shape, or is it the $80 and the fantasy? That answer might settle it.