View Full Version : April Purge
I dropped off a good sized box of miscellany to Goodwill yesterday. We did some errands, but everything we bought was consumable, so definitely a net outflow.
I also donated a few books to the library for their ongoing sale.
I sent out some old photos and letters to second cousin who is family historian. Contacted another second cousin on ancestry to try get their address to mail them photos of their grandparents and mother from 1911. Mailed four boxes of heirlooms to niece and nephew. All of these had sentimental and monetary value, so it feels great to get them to the next generation and to no longer be responsible for them. Gave my son his high school yearbooks and gave my daughter-in-law an old pair of diamond earrings for her birthday.
Need to start selling some stuff on ebay, like old hand tools that were here in the barn and old costume jewelry.
Found more silver and went out to the post office and shipped it off to my niece and nephew. Need to go through attic to see what is the rest of their worldly goods, and whether it is something I want or not. Two years after my father's death it does not hurt to let things go, out into the universe one way or another.
After reading how bad it is, a leftover bottle of Miralax.
Big bag of clothes and box of mixed items picked up earlier in the week. Still need to hit my closet and ditch some stuff that I know I will never wear again.
iris lilies
4-8-23, 10:33am
Sloooooooowly…step by tiny step…. our Hermann house is coming together organizationally.
This week DH finished the linen closet on the first floor, well, the only linen closet we have in the entire house. It is small but adequate.
I geek out on organizing things, I’ve been planning what will go on each shelf. I had a victory last night in that I worked with DH in looking through his “pharmacy “of vitamins, and we got rid of miscellaneous stuff, a small batch of it. It was surprising to me that he acquiesced so easily, but he did. Yay!
I have one shelf each for
*big towels
*small towels and washcloths
*sheet set for downstairs bed
*extra flat sheets and extra pillow cases
the floor level holds folded bathmats
And 2 shelves for our household pharmacy
extra pillowcases are always useful, but I tossed two or three of them.
I listened to you all and got rid of the eye makeup.
iris lilies
4-8-23, 11:53am
I think I now have a handle on all of the sheet sets we own. I discovered one that appeared to be pristine, and I have no memory of buying it or of inheriting it from my mom.
I will keep about three flat sheets to cover furniture, to throw onto a daybed, etc. but for the most part all pieces of bedding and sheets, for the first time in my life are inventoried and have a planned use.
The next thing to tackle will be extra blankets, but it’s going to be a while before I do that.
Oh IL, blankets are the hardest for me to give up...what if I'm cold? Towels, too and we use very few...but have a lot. Bravo to you. Maybe I need to pretend I'm moving....
iris lilies
4-8-23, 1:12pm
Oh IL, blankets are the hardest for me to give up...what if I'm cold? Towels, too and we use very few...but have a lot. Bravo to you. Maybe I need to pretend I'm moving....
Well, I have not mentioned that I have “dog” sheets, towels, pads. At the moment these are stored in our garage, and they may stay out there, I don’t know. But I DO need to reduce them in number to fit in one container.
It is difficult because our dog of the moment is very clean. Messier dogs use up more laundry tgat I would need in the future.
Jeppy: I think that was a good call on the eye makeup.
I sold a belt I had listed on eBay and dropped it off at the post office yesterday.
Some of my kids' old toddler clothes. Of course I broke down. I miss him so much, but these just sit in a container and I have others. What I really want is mot mementos but him in my life.
Yppej, when I realized that none of my children would get their children baptized, I burned the christening dresses I had so carefully made and preserved for them. It really hurt. I hear you.
I love Freecycle.
Just handed off:
21 canning jars
2 grow lights
1 seedling warming mat
4 rolls of gift wrap
Yesterday took an old pressure cooker, excess bedding sheets and pillowcases, excess vases to Goodwill.
Pitched a whole bunch of online order boxes and other trash. LR looks much better.
Started cleaning out a huge pile of paper documents of all kinds that have gotten into a mess. Found things from early 2000's. So far filled a paper grocery sack with things to shred. Hubby is going to scan some of the receipts and then those can go. And we can review the appliance manuals to see what is online and get rid of the excess. Found out I was more productive when I only did short spurts of this.
sold a shirt on Poshmark, so dropped it at the post office. Went through spring/summer clothes and fall/winter clothes. Bagged up a large bag for donate and another large bag to list on Poshmark. These will be too big next fall/winter. Our church is having a garage sale in May, so I'll donate to them, along with another box of stuff I've been gathering in the garage.
I've had "catalog creep" to where somehow I've gotten on the mailing lists of several catalogs and unwanted publications. So now when I get one I'm calling the 1-800 and asking to be removed from the mailing list. It usually goes pretty quickly, but a good chore to do on the patio in the springtime after fetching the mail. I've nixed about six in the last week or so.
Teacher Terry
4-18-23, 10:50am
I guess I have always been a purger because as the last kid outgrew his clothes I always passed them along to others. I didn’t have my first child baptized and realized it really hurt my mom and grandma so he got it done at age 2 and told the minister to stop when he got a little water on him. We were moving a lot because of the military. I had it done when we visited my parents.
I decided that the other 2 would have it done as babies so they couldn’t talk:)). My husband stopped believing after serving in Vietnam but like me he was of the mindset that you keep those thoughts to yourself and make the people you love happy. So all 3 were baptized. Which ended up being helpful because my oldest son had to turn Catholic to get married in the Catholic Church in Poland and had to prove he was baptized as a Lutheran.
rosarugosa
4-19-23, 6:24am
As part of my "go through everything" goal, I weeded though a large wicker hamper of cards, notecards and stationery supplies. I had some other items in other places, so I consolidated those as well. I had adequate supplies to send a thoughtful note to every single person I've ever met in my life, with enough left over to send notes to all those I will meet in the years to come, lol. I gave away more than half of this excessive stash via my FB giving page, and I now have a much more reasonable inventory.
As part of my "go through everything" goal, I weeded though a large wicker hamper of cards, notecards and stationery supplies. I had some other items in other places, so I consolidated those as well. I had adequate supplies to send a thoughtful note to every single person I've ever met in my life, with enough left over to send notes to all those I will meet in the years to come, lol. I gave away more than half of this excessive stash via my FB giving page, and I now have a much more reasonable inventory.
That's kind of my goal too! I went through all my dad's stuff one more time and sent a lot to niece and nephew, and now have all the rest that can't be gotten rid of yet up in one box in the attic. May try to sell more things or give them to grandchildren. Got his laptop plugged in and working and am giving it to my son for my granddaughter to do Duolingo--she is obsessed with maintaining her streak, just like her grandfather who got her into it.
Now I have to check out Mom's old computer. I have set a goal that each time I go to see her, I will bring back 1-2 unneeded items. I brought a picture of her aunt back and put it in my album and discarded the frame.
Also culled my button box.
A pair of white shoes I didn't feel like cleaning yet again.
iris lilies
4-21-23, 10:56am
I've had "catalog creep" to where somehow I've gotten on the mailing lists of several catalogs and unwanted publications. So now when I get one I'm calling the 1-800 and asking to be removed from the mailing list. It usually goes pretty quickly, but a good chore to do on the patio in the springtime after fetching the mail. I've nixed about six in the last week or so.
I did that a few times over the years.
One especially onerous company that published several Manufacturing publications about various food industries sent Magazines for decades, a good 40 years after DH got out of that industry. They also called once a year to check on some thing or other, and I always said he’s not working in that industry take him off the list but they never did.
Finally, in the months before we moved, I called and insisted that they remove him from every publication. Then I monitored it and kept calling publications. I think I got the publication stream stopped. I didn’t want the new people at our house to get this stupid useless mailings forever.
Hi all,
I've been doing a big push this week: gave away 3 items on Buy Nothing, took 14 items (mostly shoes of my daughter's which don't fit her anymore, with her permission) to Goodwill, threw out 3 pairs of my own shoes which were too worn to give away.
As you all know, I'm a counter: total 20 for month so far.
Went through youngest's room who is the pack rat of the family. Got rid of some papers that were no longer needed, a couple empty boxes, and several old work shirts that will never be worn again.
Step 1 of our April purge--we went to NY because DH gave me tickets to a play but in the meantime we brought back the dregs of our NJ life from a storage unit.
Step 2 will be throwing out at least half of it.
rosarugosa
4-22-23, 6:22am
Catherine: Does that mean you were able to get rid of the storage unit?
Catherine: Does that mean you were able to get rid of the storage unit?
Catherine, that is amazing!! Very inspiring, and super important step!
Went through oldest's closet since he is such a clothes horse and got rid of quite a few shirts as well as moving his suits to a different closet to give him some more room. Went into my closet and finally tossed all the metal hangers I had unused in there. Had to be at least 40 if not more gone!!
Well darn it's snowing again so I am doing some category cleanup today. Went through the toiletries cabinet and threw out some out of date products. What does one do with Covid tests that aren't quite out of date? DH gets very agitated and non-compliant by my organizing and purging efforts as do many people apparently who don't want to deal with their stuff.
HappyHiker
4-22-23, 5:36pm
Two clean-ups took place here--very unrelated.
Cleaned out all old/unused/left-over prescription meds and took to police-sponsored drug turn-in today at local grocery store.
Tried on every bra in my underwear drawer and either threw-out, put unused in a donation bag, and kept those that fit. (Now I feel very well-supported in my minimalistic lifestyle...lol)
Went to move things I gave DS out of the way. He got mad at me and wouldn't take anything from me close to two years ago. The soda is expired so he won't drink it now being very OCD so I will have it to use it up. Other items are still good but now out of my way in the closet.
Seems odd but I got rid of four ice cube trays. Bought them when I was making iced hot chocolate for the family every weekend but haven't done that in months. They were just taking up room in the freezer.
Bought them when I was making iced hot chocolate.....
You know, I've been listening to others and picking up phrases since Eisenhower's first term, but I think this is the first time I've ever heard that one. It made me giggle, but it also makes me wonder if I should get out more. :~)
You know, I've been listening to others and picking up phrases since Eisenhower's first term, but I think this is the first time I've ever heard that one. It made me giggle, but it also makes me wonder if I should get out more. :~)
Someone bought me one from Dunkin Donuts and it was so good. But they aren't cheap and I discovered that all you need to make them was ice, hot chocolate powder, and milk. Started making them myself for a lot less money.
Dead parts of junipers, which have a fungal infection I can't spray for because you need 24 hours of dry weather and it rains every single day.
Got rid of a blender. Like the ice cube trays, it was only used to make iced hot chocolate. With that gone, I reorganized the cabinet and half of it is completely empty now.
Well darn it's snowing again so I am doing some category cleanup today. Went through the toiletries cabinet and threw out some out of date products. What does one do with Covid tests that aren't quite out of date? .
I gave away some almost-expired Covid tests on my Buy Nothing Group!
I replaced my living room and dining room rugs finally after not being happy with them for many years (12 years?) - it makes a huge difference! The 2 I replaced were still in good shape, so I gave them away on Buy Nothing. I also returned another rug that didn't work out to the store.
I also donated 14 books to a local used bookstore.
New total for month: 37.
I've lost track of everything I have donated or Freecycled, but let's just say it has been a LOT! I have a guy coming to pick up an area rug. We have moved from a house with all hardwood floors to one with tile and carpeting. So nowhere is an area rug needed. We have four. I'm hoping the guy wants more than one.
I have 3 boxes of stuff to take to the thrift shop this week.
I've been brutal with the elimination of stuff. Sent estranged DD her pictures and childhood crap. Used her dad's return address or she may not even have opened it. Canning jars, clothing, books, small appliances, gadgets, you name it. Gone.
In the twilight hours I was lying awake thinking I may be ready to let go of my grandma's china cabinet. It is very plain, not fancy. Full of glass stuff I never use, china cups, etc. It's all because of the weight of her memory. I'm letting that weigh me down and keep me from living a simpler, less cluttered existence. I can still remember her if it's gone. It's not disrespectful to get rid of it. The guilt is just a ridiculous reason for keeping it.
Sounds like great progress, Kay. A suggestion about the china cabinet... maybe take a picture of it and put that as an inset with a picture of your grandmother. Being able to see the two together may make it easier to say good-bye to the physical cabinet.
iris lilies
5-9-23, 10:00am
Sounds like great progress, Kay. A suggestion about the china cabinet... maybe take a picture of it and put that as an inset with a picture of your grandmother. Being able to see the two together may make it easier to say good-bye to the physical cabinet.
I do like the idea of taking a picture of things we have a hard time purging. it is a tip I learned on this site decades ago.
I do like the idea of taking a picture of things we have a hard time purging. it is a tip I learned on this site decades ago.
Yes, I read about it in a book once. On a personal level, I have tried it and don't like it since the picture just seems to make me sad that the item is gone. So maybe it works for some people and not so well for others.
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