View Full Version : August Purge
I gave away a couple of sweaters to a woman in my town via a local FB gifting page. It took a little more effort than donating to a thrift store, but it was kind of neat making a personal connection with someone who wanted and could use the sweaters. They were in excellent condition, and she seemed really pleased. I got them out of my house so we were both happy!
I sent my kids' yearbooks home with them when they came to visit. ALL of them. It felt sad, but time to let go of that time a bit, and time for them to take them home with them.
I started cleaning out the downstairs coat closet and found a storage cabinet I'd ordered from Target, still in its box, never assembled. I returned it and got store credit and used the credit to stock up on groceries! Also found a bag of karate equipment and a toddler toilet seat which I successfully passed on to a couple of moms through our neighborhood's moms Facebook group.
And then I tossed two pairs of flip flops which had broken straps.
Total for month: 5.
I cleaned out the glove compartment in the car.
DH drove to the recycling center about 50 cans of paint and chemicals left behind by the previous owners, freeing up space in one of the outbuildings.
Teacher Terry
8-23-19, 11:38am
2 more bags for the thrift store today.
iris lilies
8-23-19, 2:40pm
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Here are two toilets sitting outside of one of our small houses. Are they charming? I missed getting a photo of all five of them lined up. DH is in the process of cleaning out our small houses because we are going to sell them.
Note all of the stuff in his truck see how low it is riding. All that is metal going to the metal scrap yard. It contains many many heavy iron weights for all Victorian windows Because he has been collecting those for 12 years. Whenever he sees some along the road he picks it up.
Would anyone like to guess how much that truck load of metal is going to generate? It will be interesting to see. His truck loads from yesterday generated about $65, but one of them included buckets of copper so that is a highly compensated metal.
29392940
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Would anyone like to guess how much that truck load of metal is going to generate? It will be interesting to see. His truck loads from yesterday generated about $65, but one of them included buckets of copper so that is a highly compensated metal.
I start the guessing at $18.50
iris lilies
8-23-19, 9:18pm
I start the guessing at $18.50
awww, no one else wants to play.
The truck bed full o’ metal junk was worth $92 today. Kinda surprised me.
awww, no one else wants to play.
The truck bed full o’ metal junk was worth $92 today. Kinda surprised me.
Wow, that is amazing. I based my guess on a similar size load we took to recyclers and that's what we got.
He must have had a lot of those buckets of dense heavy items.
Nice!
Just finished going through the jewelry of my mom's that I brought back from her house. It's not the good stuff, which she is wearing or is in the safe deposit. But it's the costume jewelry and things like her sorority pin and Dd's fraternity pin. I cleaned the box (which is broken and was disgusting with mouse cr%p in it) instead of getting her a new one, as she might recognize what it is if it's hers. I cleaned the jewelry and polished what I could and I will send it back to her in assisted living. She is in a nice place now and they socialize with other residents and she might want to wear some of it.
I cleaned out some of mine and gave her a couple of pieces of mine.
Everything is clean and put away and ready to mail.
It makes me really sad, but it's better to get it done now while she can still wear it.
rosarugosa
8-24-19, 5:56pm
I purged a plate from the cupboard that is not blue, not white, not blue and white nor does it spark joy.
My 8-year-old daughter and I found a play "beauty kit" more appropriate for a three-year-old and agreed to pass it on to another kid, which we did very successfully.
New total for month: 6.
Threw out an old meditation pillow that had burst at the seams. New total for month: 7.
Did the last flea market I'd planned today. Sold a bunch o' stuff. Usually we donate more than 1/2 of whatever is left, but the Salvation Army in town had a sign up they weren't taking donations today. They'll be put out at our dump's swap shop, tomorrow! I have no idea how many pieces I sold. I sold a bunch of maps, baskets, a chalkboard, crates,books, sap buckets, etc.
Out with an old iPhone and its box. Bought three pairs of black pants at a yard sale and washed them and two of them are now in my box for the Goodwill. Bought on a whim and sorry now I did, but I need pants I can wear around the house in winter.
Need to get up the nerve to throw out an old suitcase of my dad's that I brought back from his house, full of letters. It's old and needs to go, but it's his. If it were at his house, I could get rid of it.
Somehow I seem to be the caretaker of everyone's castoffs.
Not happy with this.
Simplemind
8-31-19, 8:26pm
Don't know if it counts but we pulled out a lot of the garden today. A huge windstorm knocked down most of the sunflowers and they were laying on almost everything else. Sunflower heads now woven into the fence for the birds and squirrels. Tomatoes picked, ready to ripen. Spent most of the day making meals with the produce. Will take bags of veggies to our meals on wheels clients and the rest to neighbors and the food bank. Made eight loaves of pumpkin/apple bread. Will be making several apple pies for our family camp trip next week. The freezer is getting full.....
I love putting the garden in and I oh so love taking it down when we get into the dog days and it is looking ratty.
mschrisgo2
8-31-19, 11:36pm
Made dog toys out of 11 socks without mates. Went through vitamins/supplements/dog meds and discarded 17 containers. The pills will be dropped off in the bin at the police station on Tuesday when I run errands.
I have been going through cabinets when it’s too hot to be outside in the afternoons. I have one shelf in the big bathroom cabinet left to do, and it looks like tomorrow may be our last day of 100 plus degrees for this season. Nice that it’s working out even.
Teacher Terry
9-1-19, 12:15am
Did you know that drugs don’t really expire? It was decided there had to be a date but 50 years old drugs were still 70% effective. We never throw any away.,
I just like more info than a blanket statement and so here is one article about drug effectiveness (amazed at what I learned): https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/drug-expiration-dates-do-they-mean-anything
I just like more info than a blanket statement and so here is one article about drug effectiveness (amazed at what I learned): https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/drug-expiration-dates-do-they-mean-anything
Thanks. I donated my previous dog's meds to the local humane society and wondered if that had been a wise move. Now I have the answer.
Terry, I did not know the about drugs not expiring. I threw out a bottle of twenty year old oxycontin at my dads house and I threw it out into the yard to decompose in the grass. I didn't want it around his vacant house.
But I saw a movie about a drug smuggler and they were keeping these quaaludes for years, aging them like wine, and they changed so that they were much more potent ?!
Teacher Terry
9-1-19, 1:02pm
I thought they only became less potent with time.
It depends on the drug. Some lose potency (most common outcome), but some become stronger and some degrade into a different chemical.
Teacher Terry
9-1-19, 5:59pm
That’s interesting Tammy.
Yes, I know about the “lifespan” of drugs, as my daughter is a pharmacy tech. The only things I’m getting rid of have some obvious chemical change, i.e. grossly discolored, separating, or have disintegrated into a powdery substance, or in the case of a couple of sets of capsules, the capsule itself has turned gooey, plus vitamins that were discolored and smelled like something dead.
I also consolidated pills - aspirin, and Tylenol- that that had expiration dates within the same year, so that led to several containers being emptied. I seldom use them, and always buy the smallest quantity available. When I was still working full time, it was more prudent to run to the store than to suffer through a whole day until I got home.
Many of the dog meds were 7 years old. The ones from the vet are always marked with a short life, a year or less, and I think they are, in fact, “old” when we get them. I have noticed a real difference if I get a script and take it to Costco to fill- much fresher.
I’m happy that my decluttering efforts provided education for others!
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