I finally have a bag of books ready to go. Otherwise, I’ve just been filling up a brown bag a week with papers to recycle or shred without making much of a dent in the piles that are left. I think this week I will try to set up online only viewing of a couple more accounts because I can’t cope with all this paper!
I just dropped off three bags and eight large plastic drawers from cleaning in the garage. I feel like this might be a productive cleaning week.
We dropped off 3 large boxes of books at the library yesterday.
Just went through my upper shelf kitchen cabinets. Getting rid of all those one off mugs and glasses you somehow end up with. Made one box for donating (looking for the next church rummage sale), threw out a few ridiculous shot glasses (came free with the liquor), and put aside the best mugs for my daughter’s apartment (all her mugs are one offs anyway).
S & DIL visited over the 4th and I sent them to the “playroom” one afternoon to select books for my granddaughter who will arrive in late September/early October. DIL picked out a box full of board books & classics. S sprawled all over the floor looking at his Incredible Cross-Section books and kept saying “what kid wouldn’t love these?.” It was fun seeing him enjoy those 20+ years down the road, but he won’t be taking those at this point. They are closing on a house today and will be moving over the next two weeks, so I’ll be taking the board books, etc. to the baby shower in her hometown in early August so they can take them back to FL. Not quite out the door, but close:)
I have been on goodwill overdrive since D1 left for college. We went through all of her stuff the week before she left and she had four options: keepsake, goodwill, take with me, trash. She really struggled with a lot of the decisions, but I did not want her room to be like a shrine to her when she left, so it all had to go somewhere (plus the house is going up for sale in Jan).
She had 4 big trash bags for goodwill, 5 for trash (omg), two buckets for keepsakes, and you don’t even want to know how much stuff we crammed into our car to go with her to school (it all fit).
Since she left I’ve been working on the upstairs, and I’ve made two more trips to goodwill with furniture and old toys crammed in the car. The goodwill people must think I’m a hoarder as well. I’m taking a picture of all the stuff staged in the garage before I put it in the car in case we get audited for the ridiculous amount of stuff we’ll be declaring next year.
On the upside, her room, bathroom, and study look great( in the sense that it looks appropriate for selling-very neutral) The dining room now looks tragic as it’s filled with stuff that I’ll put on ebay (only the stuff that will sell, I researched).
I also like that I walk in D’s room and don’t feel stabbing pangs of missing her because she literally has ALL of her stuff! I just text or call her if I need to feel connected. She says she likes having all of her stuff in a smaller space because it’s “just the stuff that matters”.
Time to tackle the kitchen pantry, oils and vinegar cabinet, and spice cabinet. Who knows how old some of this stuff is. I’ve been putting it off forever, but I announced to DH that I was going to do it this week, so I must follow through.
Yuck.
Parted with a bunch of our luggage. We seem to use only the Ful duffels, so all suitcases that have been collecting dust went to Goodwill.
@Nrdsb4 , I did the pantry a couple of weeks ago. Several large bags of trash…including several Costco size bottles of various vitamins and supplements. When the “best by” date is ten years ago, it’s more than time.
I am finally starting. I think I will be doing a major renovation of my house to get it ready to sell next year. So I realize I need to start clearing everything out in steps. And those steps need to start now!
Started with everything I have shoved under my bed over the last 20 years. These things definitely fall into the category of “haven’t touched in 5 years”
Acrylic paint supplies and big expensive stencils from when I went through a phase of stenciling patterns on accent walls in my home. Gone into trash.
Next I have a lot of expensive sewing tools, templates, cutting board thingies stashed from when I used to sew a lot. Now I only use them every 4 yrs or so when we go through a big costume sewing rampage for hula shows. This brought up the bigger issue…what am I going to do with my expensive sewing machine in the next phase of my life? These accessories belong with the sewing machine. I’m already at a standstill and it’s my first week:)
cb, don’t get rid of the sewing machine. You’re going to have grandchildren one day, and you’ll sew their clothes!!
more likely you will sew their doll’s clothes!
Out the last few days - lots of pre-college paperwork I don’t know why I had saved, my daughter’s 3rd grade recorder (don’t even remember her playing this, and heavy duffle style suitcase we never used (will go to rummage sale)
its time for me to make another pass at all our stuff. I know we have suitcases that need to go.
Suitcases are often overlooked because they are tucked away - out of sight, out of mind. Glad we got rid of so many!
thanks for all the good ideas. I think I will make another pass this week at suitcases, craft supplies, and expired things after reading about all of your recent finds.
Don’t forget the bathroom cabinets - mine end up filled with creams I don’t want and expired OTC medicines.
Speaking of expired things. We were invited to an older relatives Fourth of July fireworks. They served two different mustards and mayo. One mustart was brown and expired in 2005, the other mustard in 2011. The mayo was newly opened but curdled. Expired 2011. These are lovely people but it is a running commentary amongst the younger generation that you always need to check the expiration date. Crazy thing is they never get sick.
Wow It my be uncomfortable , but someone may need to intervene in this. Does not sound safe. I would definitely pass on the things you describe . How old are they? Do they regularly purge older stuff like this? Is this new behavior where they serve things this old and expired?
Tossed 3 large banker boxes of old scientific articles, enough to fill the recycling bin. Now it is turn for Mr’s stuff.