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We all have our favorite set of "comfy clothes" that we wear around the house. Some people might like to wear an oversized pajama top paired with loose-fitting shorts. Other people might prefer the old t-shirt and sweatpants combination. Personally speaking, my set of comfy clothes consists of a black pair of Adidas track pants and a white hooded sweatshirt with my sorority letters on it. Of course, this combo only works in winter, but I am writing about it now because I have a feeling that these particular items are on their last legs, so to speak. How long is too long to keep comfy clothes around?

I think this is a tough question to answer because, first of all, people rarely go out of the house in their comfy clothes unless it's midnight and they need to run out for a snack. Since it's not likely that anyone would ever see you in these clothes, they obviously don't have to be in perfect condition. Second, it's pretty hard (at least for me) to find an item of clothing that can attain this special wardrobe status. I don't know about you, but my comfy clothes have to fit just right. They have to be loose enough to allow me to indulge in that occasional hot fudge sundae or to allow me to sleep comfortably. That means tight elastic waistbands are out. They can't be too loose, either. The feeling of swimming in my clothes just doesn't cut it for me. When my comfy clothes are in the wash, I always struggle with the day's replacement outfit. I am so used to how my comfy clothes fit that anything else automatically feels wrong.

But I am faced with a big dilemma right now. I have been relying on the same comfy clothes for about 8 years, and those years are starting to take their toll. My Adidas pants have the trademark 3 stripes running down the sides of the legs. But after countless trips through the washer and dryer, the stitching around the stripes has come undone in some places. So now the stripes are just kind of hanging there, half off and half on. It looks pretty bad. My sweatshirt is not doing much better. It was white, but time (and a lot of spills and stains that didn't quite come all the way out, even with bleach) has turned it to a dirty gray color. The sorority letters were just silk-screened on, so they have peeled in several places and are hardly legible anymore. In short, I look pretty ragged when I wear these clothes.

I know that it's time to change, but I can't quite bring myself to do it. Every time I go to a sporting goods store, I look at their Adidas track pants, but I can't find the same ones. Mine have a nylon shell, are lined with cotton, and have zippered legs (almost like basketball warm-ups). I made the mistake of buying a pair that were merely similar to the ones I have. They ended up being way too tight, even though they were the same brand and the same size. Don't you hate it when that happens?

It seems like my sweatshirt would be easier to replace, but that hasn't been the case. I don't like hooded sweatshirts at all, but of course hoodies are all the rage now. Sweatshirts have to fit just right, too. I'm sure you know what I'm talking about. Some sweatshirts are too thick, some are too thin, some are too narrow through the torso area, and some are too boxy. This kind of reminds me of the "Golden Boy" t-shirt from that one Seinfeld episode. Jerry couldn't throw his favorite t-shirt away even though it had clearly seen better days. What's the big deal, it's just a t-shirt, right? Well, I can totally understand the big deal. Comfortable clothes are hard to come by.

I know that my comfy clothes aren't going to last for another winter season, which means I have about 6 months to find suitable replacements. It looks like I will be trying on a lot of track pants and sweatshirts this summer!