View Full Version : April Purge
Hi Everybody,
Today I took 3 items back to stores and donated 11 books to a used bookstore.
Total for the first day of the month: 14!
Thanks for starting us off EJ.
A rug that has seen better days.
iris lilies
4-2-22, 9:37am
Today I am regretting a few things I threw away in my big flower show equipment purge of a few weeks ago. As it turns out I now need three or four of those items. But that is why that we have thrift stores because I can swing by and get things very similar to them very cheap. The thrift stores are my storage place for this kind of thing.
A bucket of dandelions from our back yard!
A bucket of dandelions from our back yard!
With food prices the way they are, you didn't eat them???
LOL Just kidding! (sort of - lol)
Well, it's sort of a purge. Had a mouse in the house and just dropped it off into the fields behind the local cemetery. LOL
A bucket of dandelions from our back yard!
I'm waiting for my dandelions to come in. My grandmother used to make dandelion wine, and I have her 5 gallon recipe, which I've never made because I don't know what it tastes like and what am I going to do with 5 gallons? But a couple of years ago Mother Earth Living had a micro batch size of one quart. That's a lot more do able and if I hate it, it won't feel so wasteful to discard.
Well, it's sort of a purge. Had a mouse in the house and just dropped it off into the fields behind the local cemetery. LOL
I think that gets the prize for uniqueness!
So speaking of socks (what do you mean we weren't speaking of socks?), I am donating 6 brand new pairs. I wanted to try some of those no-show type low socks, and they came in a 10-pack at Costco. One of my many quirks is that I only wear knee socks (I also only wear long pants, so this isn't as bad as it might sound if you have a visual of shorts or capris with knee socks), so I thought I might be adventurous and try these in the summer. When it's super hot, I mostly just wear sandals and no socks, but I find shoes and socks more comfortable for walking any great distance. I'm also donating a pair of new (stock-up!) brown knee socks since I don't wear much brown anymore. My goal is to stay well under the several hundred pairs of socks that my mother had amassed, lol.
I also donated several cans of cat food to our local rescue, flavors that our fussy boys won't eat.
Teacher Terry
4-3-22, 12:00pm
My mom said that during the depression my grandparents made dandelion wine and kept it cool in the basement. It’s supposed to be good.
I've always wanted to try to make dandelion wine. I may have to google for that Mother Earth recipe!
Hopefully it is one of those things that tastes better than it sounds!
Hopefully it is one of those things that tastes better than it sounds!
I know what you mean! I've never tasted it, though, and have a feeling the only way I'll get a chance to is to make it myself. I'll add it to my long-term to-do list. LOL
Sold a pair of shoes on Poshmark this weekend - walked down to the post office on my lunch hour and sent them off.
Dandelion greens are supposed to be very good for you, but dd brings their dogs over at times...if you get my drift! ;)
Gave three diving books to a friend. Putting a thin wetsuit meant for tropical diving up for sale. Bought it 4 years ago and unsure why I bought it at the time. It was hardly used.
Gave away to members of my local Buy Nothing group: 11 pieces of clothing from my daughter and a puzzle.
New total for month: 26.
So we cleaned out our oven drawer of pots and pans - tossing a few that we never use...of course this was not the plan for the evening. Note to self ---> when sliding a freshly made pizza onto the oven rack, ensure the entire pizza is supported from underneath!
Yes, it folded in half, spilling a very loaded veggie pizza into the oven, all over the 425 degree door, and of course between the door and oven into the pan storage below. Oh ya, naughty words came out of this church going guy's mouth! It was a huge huge mess. My dw helped me clean it all up...but what she really wanted to do was to film it ---> but she knew better!! :laff:
What was left - cooked up very nicely and we will know better next time!!
Sold the unused wetsuit for $100.
Took a bunch of pens from home I didn’t like to work. They’ll definitely get used by the rest of the office.
happystuff
4-6-22, 10:08am
Oooo... so sorry, Greg. BTDT, which led me to buy an inexpensive wooden pizza peel.
Congrats on the wetsuit sale, Tradd.
Oh Greg, that sounds like such a pain! Impressive that you turned it into an occasion for decluttering though!
I gave away a set of magnatiles to another mom on Buy Nothing. New total for month: 27.
I took 24 items to Goodwill, 20 old sheets and towels to a local animal hospital that can use them for bedding, and returned one item to a store.
New total for month: 72.
rosarugosa
4-10-22, 6:27am
I cleaned out my travel brochure collection, culling about 30% of it. Thanks for the idea, Jeppy.
iris lilies
4-10-22, 8:51am
I cleaned out my travel brochure collection, culling about 30% of it. Thanks for the idea, Jeppy.
You actually retain a physical file of travel information? I would think all of that becomes outdated so quickly that the Internet is the only place to get accurate information because it’s current.
You actually retain a physical file of travel information? I would think all of that becomes outdated so quickly that the Internet is the only place to get accurate information because it’s current.
Pricing may change, but state/local brochures covering attractions usually don't. You might get one new attraction in an area a year at most.
rosarugosa
4-11-22, 6:17am
Sometimes they are good for ideas or inspiration, or reminders of places we want to visit within an area. I also have some articles I've clipped from Yankee or Downeast magazines that will describe a town worth visiting and make suggestions of where to stay, eat and what to do. Some also have useful maps, and might even have useful references like public restrooms on the maps.
iris lilies
4-11-22, 8:55am
So this reminds me that I can get rid of my e-file where I have a kept a few key pieces of information about travel contacts in Lithuania and Estonia. Those are the countries I wanted to go to next. That won’t be happening anytime soon.
So this reminds me that I can get rid of my e-file where I have a kept a few key pieces of information about travel contacts in Lithuania and Estonia. Those are the countries I wanted to go to next. That won’t be happening anytime soon.
Because of covid or the Ukraine situation?
iris lilies
4-11-22, 12:12pm
Because of covid or the Ukraine situation?
Ukraine. I don’t see travel to the Baltics being a place I want to be anytime soon.
Ukraine. I don’t see travel to the Baltics being a place I want to be anytime soon.
That’s what I figured.
I took 2 items back to stores and gave away 2 items to my Buy Nothing Group. New total for month: 76.
happystuff
4-12-22, 10:03am
I took 2 items back to stores and gave away 2 items to my Buy Nothing Group. New total for month: 76.
Question, I see you add returned items to your total. When you buy items, do you reduce your total? For example: Total is 76. You buy 2 sweaters - new total is now 74. Return one of the sweaters - new total is now 75.
Some things I just don't like - overcoming sunk cost fallacy here -
A cactus that has gotten uglier over the years. I am not good with houseplants, and now even with cacti. I have a bigger cactus as well I may tackle over the weekend. No matter how I have rotated them over the years they go crooked among other things.
Cheese that is too sharp.
Instant coffee I bought when I could not find regular coffee in the store. I will switch to tea instead - could use a caffeine stepdown anyways.
Me too on the sunk cost fallacy. A pretty but uncomfortable pillow and a throw rug that only a mother could love--it was a nice but very ratty now. A really cute pitcher that I bought not realizing until I went to dust it yesterday that it had a crack. Note to self, wear glasses and take a magnifying glass when shopping for antiques.
I have a bag of books to take to Hannaford. I love to get books at the exchange and donate money, then redonate the books.
Question, I see you add returned items to your total. When you buy items, do you reduce your total? For example: Total is 76. You buy 2 sweaters - new total is now 74. Return one of the sweaters - new total is now 75.
Hi Happystuff!
No, I don't reduce my total for items I buy. I just decided to add returned items to my total because I noticed a few years ago that a big source of my clutter was stuff I bought, didn't end up using or liking, and didn't return. I thought adding it to my decluttering total might motivate me to be better about returning it, which it has. I know some people here get rid of something every time they buy something new, but I'm just not there yet. I'm just trying to celebrate every damn thing I get out of the house. :)
Yesterday, I took 17 items to Goodwill, and on Tuesday and yesterday, I gave away 10 items to people on my Buy Nothing Group.
New total for month: 103!
Been regularly purging things but finally decided to document here the most recent items:
Last week taken to Goodwill:
15 tops
1 suit
4 shirts
5 pairs of pants
2 scarves
1 glass vase
2 bath towels
1 queen sized sheet
1 glass pitcher
Tossed: 1 top and 1 shirt, several pairs of socks getting holey by now
Donated to library: 4 books
Taken to electronic recycling: broken shredder, worn out coffee grinder, broken LED holiday lights
And...there's still more coming
happystuff
4-14-22, 6:06pm
Thanks for the explanation, ejchase. I was wondering how you handled it. Sounds good and you are doing fabulous!!! Congrats!
A pair of shoes that were not comfortable.
happystuff
4-16-22, 8:49am
Nice job, saguaro. Your post is a reminder to me that I really need to take a look at clothes and do some purging.
Teacher Terry
4-16-22, 1:36pm
I read that most people only wear 20% of their clothes.
In the electronic category, an ebook app. My library changed the one they use and I don't like the replacement. This also involves giving up 10 books and ehold and blocking the emails from the app. I am back to hard copy books only, as I was pre-pandemic.
happystuff
4-23-22, 10:46am
I read that most people only wear 20% of their clothes.
I believe it! I know that I actually do that right now.
I have a hard time buying that statistic. I went and looked at my closet and I seem to wear most everything, unless you are including the dress up clothes, which I don't wear anymore, but sometimes you need to go to a wedding or a funeral.
On the other hand, everything looks so ratty I'd like to pitch it all and start over. . .
I have a hard time buying that statistic. I went and looked at my closet and I seem to wear most everything, unless you are including the dress up clothes, which I don't wear anymore, but sometimes you need to go to a wedding or a funeral.
On the other hand, everything looks so ratty I'd like to pitch it all and start over. . .
Ditto.
My tosses are sod and leaves.
Teacher Terry
4-23-22, 2:17pm
When I moved I didn’t keep anything ratty. But I also don’t have to do yard work anymore.
happystuff
4-23-22, 2:31pm
Well, one positive to this current job is that I usually do jeans & t-shirts in the winter and shorts & t-shirts in the summer. I tend to rotate through the same pieces.
Nice job, saguaro. Your post is a reminder to me that I really need to take a look at clothes and do some purging.
Thank you! I found I had a lot of clothes taking up space in extra drawers that I completely forgot about. And hadn't worn in years.
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