I actually think that most people don't expect something back when they give it away. From my life experience ...
I actually think that most people don't expect something back when they give it away. From my life experience ...
Ultralite, even with me, it's a mix. My ds called me about every single thing I'd sent him to college with when he was packing for Wisconsin. And I appreciated it. But really, all I wanted back were the pillow a family member needle pointed and a couple of useful things, that if he'd never asked, I'd have forgotten. And actually he kept the useful things, and probably will discard them if he leaves Wisconsin on his own dime because they'll be easier to replace than move - the company packed and moved him this time. And I'm fine with that.
Thankfully I don't know any hoarders. At least not any of my close friends/relatives. If this was the expectation I would simply decline everything. I'm no minimalist (I have no idea how many things I have but it's way more than 150) but I'm also not a hoarder. As things stop being useful or lovely I'm fine with ditching them by whatever way I can, hopefully through gifting or at least recycling, free craigslisting, etc. Anything I would give away is not something I care about. If I actually care about something it is not likely I'll give away. My high school yearbooks come to mind. I could certainly go on with life if they were gone, but when the big earthquake comes they will be one of the things I will most miss if this building and its contents gets destroyed. And when I finally create a will (yes, I know I need to stop procrastinating and just get this done) those yearbooks will be left to the denver public library. I remember going there as a teenager and spending hours looking through the yearbooks from my high school from back in the teens and twenties. Perhaps decades from now someone would find it interesting to look through yearbooks from the 1980's. I can't imagine why, but then I'm sure the kids from the 1920's couldn't have imagined what I would find interesting in their yearbooks.
So, lately I've been trying to get rid of something every day, and I'm doing a much better job throwing things out!
empty plastic food containers, used bailing twine, cheap plastic hangers that came with clothes, the empty feed bags, and I'm feeling a lot less stress about it.
i even managed to take two trash cans dh filled while working on the addition up to the road without checking them for wood or metal.
Also, because things tend to come in one one side even while going out the other, the "every day" thing has to be something I already had when I started this in May. So, now that I have thrown out all the feed bags, throwing out feed bags doesn't count - it's just maintainence, like throwing away a used tissue. (Unless I am cleaning out some remote corner of the barn and find more feed bags - those would count.)
i am am still collecting dolls. Dh says it may be getting out of hand. And I bought a new pair of shoes, but it's a pair I've wanted for about a year and I threw away an old, worn out pair of shoes.
On on the dolls - I have started trying to be more disciplined about it - I've been watching some that I like on ebay expire or sell without bidding and being mindful of how I feel and how I feel later, and how many of them. I can actually remember after a couple of weeks - almost none. I should probably stop looking, but there are about six specific ones I'm still looking for, and I think the current process (watch and reflect) is helpful. I also think it would help if I got my house to a point where I could put all the dolls out again and really see how many there are.
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