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Post by UdderChaos on Oct 15, 2008 0:33:31 GMT -5
- Tea towels (dishcloths) do you need? I mean, there's only so many times you can humanly do the dishes in one week right??
- Bath towels do you need? There's only 3 bodies in this house.... Unless someone else is sneaking in the night and having a shower that I don't know about... I don't see the need to have more than, say, double the amount of humans you own. (yes, I own my child, I made her, technically I own her. The other half, well, he's mine. I don't own him, but neither does anyone else. So I'll just say he's nobody elses....) So 6. 6 towels. That's all I should have.
- Clothes? Wow... whole different ballground.... Some jeans, check. Comfy shirts, check. Going out shirts, check. Dresses, check, but that would mean I'd have to shave my legs more than once a hairy werewolf blue moon.... then I'd have to actually fit into said dresses...Speaking of...Clothes that I want to fit in to again... well.. I don't really need them... Do I? I mean, I figure, by the time I can get back into them, fashions will have changed drastically. Actually, they already have, I may one day fit in to that lion print jacket, but will I actually want to wear it? And I may not like those shoulder padded shirts anymore when I can fit them... *sigh* Where do you start? I'm gonna go google... see how many clothes you realistically need. I'll post back.
- Stuffed toys. Wow.. this kid's only 2 and she has enough for...well... more kids than I'm ever going to have! How do you sort them though? That one was her first bear. It's ugly. I don't even know who bought it for her. But it's her first... And this one, well, I like frogs. It's cute. But she doesn't seem to like it. But I like it.. bugger. This one, and that one, and that one, well, that one's got a hole in it... and it's huge! But she likes it... oh dear.... They've all got so many memories.... *sniff*
 That one can go.... But the other 57 of them.... what do I dooooooo?
- Books... now we're headed to dangerous ground.... I love books. LOVE. The library thread the other day opened my eyes a bit. Yeasss I could go to the library to borrow...But that would mean I'd have to find the books that I borrowed about a year ago and forgot to return...(and now misplacing them... whoo boy....) then there's the small (not so small I'd think by now) matter of the late fees.....I think it was something like 20 cents a day per book, there was 10 books..... 365 days....
 and no.. I don't think they'll let me off... I mean, I went into labor last time some books were due, and they didn't even let me off that one.... grr....
- Sheet sets. How many sheet sets? HOW many??? There's only 2 beds in this house.... That can't be right.. I'll count again...
Okay, so I don't actually get my point here... I'm still in shock over how many sheets we own. I think it was... how much stuff do you really need of multiple items? How many do you own? How do you (or will you) cull them? Thankyou for your time.  |
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Post by notsomessyshell on Oct 15, 2008 1:56:56 GMT -5
Tea towels. I have a drawerful. I use them a lot. In a minute I turn around and they are all in the wash yet again. I agree with the towel thing. I don't see the need for a cabinetful of them. Why? There are 4 of us here. I have 10 towels and 2 towels for my hair. Quite enough thank you. I have tossed some recently. Raggedy, nasty, sad, things. Clothes--wait a minute next you will be telling me I only need 5 pair of shoes! *gasp* the horror!  Stuffed toys. Not an issue now that he is 7 3/4. But I remember the tons of them he had. I only kept the special ones. Rest went out. Books--again dangerous territory around here. I have only the ones I really will read again. The rest donated, swapped or gave away. Sheet sets. I am a sheet freak. I have to have the softest ones. I have to have them fresh and clean. So I probably have more than the usual individual. 4 full sets. I also only sleep on satin pillowcases. I have 2 sets so that gives me 4 right, nope youngest son will only sleep on satin pillow cases. I need a few more sets. I am forever washing mine. Silverware? I have almost 2 complete sets of different patterns. Why? I have no idea. So we can go for a week without washing them? I think the idea of only having 4 or 6 would be very helpful in that area. |
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papertyger
New Member
Joined: October 2008
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Post by papertyger on Oct 15, 2008 1:58:32 GMT -5
I was thinking the same thing only last night, brooms 3 WHY?  ? I barely use one. Maybe Im looking for the magic broom that sweeps itself. car shampoo and wax, I have bottles and bottles of it... I live in a flat for godsake, its not like I can get the hose out on a Sunday afternoon and wash the car |
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Post by UdderChaos on Oct 15, 2008 3:42:05 GMT -5
How Many Clothes Do I Need?! Too many clothes? One thing that costs many families a lot of extra money and causes lots of stress is having too many clothes. Besides the cost of buying more clothes than you need, storing them, caring for them and trying not to constantly trip over them can be overwhelming. Save yourself the time and trouble - Make sure your wardrobe fits your needs. It takes just a couple of minutes when you are organizing your children’s cloths to really figure what they need. Do they wear 7 t-shirts a week and you wash t-shirts twice a week? Then 7 t-shirts should be more than plenty. If they wear 7 pairs of socks and underwear a week and you wash twice a week, 10 pairs of everything is more than plenty. Why put 15-20 pairs back in the drawer, especially if you don’t have a lot of room? Be sure to go through and weed out too small or worn out clothes in your children’s drawers every couple of months. More children become frustrated trying to put their clothes away into drawers that are already full of clothing they have outgrown. They then get in trouble for not putting everything away properly. There’s a scripture that says “do not provoke your children to anger”. This is one of those cases where parents do it all the time. Sit down and plan how many outfits each member of your family needs. Most families wash the laundry once a week or more. You don't need 15 pairs of jeans for each child. Three or four pairs will work just fine. A newborn may need 10 pairs of pajamas since the newborn lives in them and spits up on them, but a 10 year old only needs three or four pairs. Here are a few guidelines to help you get started. Like I said, feel free to adjust this to best fit your family. Hopefully by following these guidelines you will be able to cut back on your clothes budget and get more use out of what you do have. Toddlers and Pre-schoolers9-10 everyday outfits 3-4 dressy church outfits 3-4 casual dressy outfits 4-5 pajamas 2 pairs play shoes 1 pair dress shoes 1 pair casual nice shoes (optional) School Age(including teen boys, if your teens complain about the clothes, make them responsible for them, including paying for the extras that they want.) 3-4 pairs of jeans or school pants 7-9 school shirts 1-2 pairs dress pants 3-4 dress shirts 1-2 casual dressy outfits 2-3 pajamas 1 pair school shoes 1 pair causal shoes or 1 pair of shoes for dirty work 1 pair dress shoes Women (stay at home)5-7 everyday comfortable attractive outfits (NO SWEATS, I REPEAT, NO SWEATS!) 1 outfit for dirty work such as painting 4-5 casual dressy outfits (depending on your social life) 4-5 dressy church outfits 2 pairs of comfortable shoes (one for painting and one for wearing everyday) 2-3 pairs casual dressy shoes like loafers 4 pairs dressy shoes for church (black, navy, white and tan pumps or flats) Adjust shoes for your wardrobe Women (who work outside the house)7-9 work/dressy outfits 5-7 casual outfits 2-3 outfits for relaxing at home 3-4 pair work shoes (depends on your work. Only 2 if you wear tennis shoes or the like to work) 3 pairs casual shoes For everyone, you need:1 winter coat 1 dress coat 1-2 pairs boots, short and long Remember, these are just the bare bones of a wardrobe. Add or subtract according to your needs. The main thing is to be ruthless. Most women wear only 20% of the clothes 80% of the time. Get rid of everything else! You can get most kids clothes at garage sales for a fraction of the new price. Be picky and only buy the few things you love. By spending one morning going to garage sales, I found all the clothes I needed for my 3 year old son. We usually get enough clothing as Christmas gifts, but this year he didn't get everything that he needed. I spent three hours and $5 on everything from shirts to shoes. I got 10 shirts, 5 pairs of jeans, 3 pairs of shoes and 4 pairs of pajamas. I saved myself $225. That is $75 an hour I "earned" by going to garage sales or 24 hours (3 days) less my husband would have had to work to buy the clothes. LinensSheets – 2 sets per bed. You can get by with one set if you wash and put it back on the bed the same day. 2 towels and washcloths per family member 5-6 hand towels 4-5 towels for guests 10-12 dish rags 10-12 dish towels 10-12 kitchen hand towels Shoe box of small rags Small box of large rags Stack of old towels for large emergencies like the toilet overflowing These are minimum suggestions. Adjust according to your needs. Reprinted with the kind permission of Tawra Kellam at www.LivingOnADime.com
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Post by angelinahedgehog on Oct 15, 2008 5:57:23 GMT -5
udderchaos, do you have permission to reprint that list here?
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Post by angelinahedgehog on Oct 15, 2008 7:42:28 GMT -5
Nice try.
The copyright statement on the page that you took that list from reads:
©1999-2007 Kellam Media and Publishing, Inc., All Rights Reserved
No part of this site may be used or reprinted without written permission by the author.
So, unless you have written permission from the author, please delete that list and provide a link to the page.
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Post by Platypus on Oct 15, 2008 8:12:00 GMT -5
How many drinking glasses?
Coffee cups?
Different types of serving dishes, bowls, platters? (when I never entertain anyway)
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Post by UdderChaos on Oct 15, 2008 9:05:34 GMT -5
Nice try. The copyright statement on the page that you took that list from reads: ©1999-2007 Kellam Media and Publishing, Inc., All Rights Reserved No part of this site may be used or reprinted without written permission by the author. So, unless you have written permission from the author, please delete that list and provide a link to the page. Editing the list, changing words and numbers, doesn't that essentially make the list not their list anymore? I thought I did the right thing. Obviously not. But thanks for bringing it to light in front of everybody. A personal message would have sufficed, I'd think.  |
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Post by UdderChaos on Oct 15, 2008 9:09:14 GMT -5
How many drinking glasses? Coffee cups? Different types of serving dishes, bowls, platters? (when I never entertain anyway) I'm culling mine down to 4 of each. Or 6. Haven't decided yet. But certainly waaaay less than I have. I only have one mouth.  And I ditched a whole bunch of platters etc when I went through my tupperware cupboard the other day. I figure (like you) I hardly entertain (except myself.... *chuckle*....) so if I need anything outrageous I'll borrow it from someone. |
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Post by angelinahedgehog on Oct 15, 2008 9:10:18 GMT -5
Thank you for editing the post, udderchaos.
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Post by Alexandra on Oct 15, 2008 13:00:29 GMT -5
I like to have one set of each and another set as back-up in case I can't wash them right away. When we got new bath towels we gave the old ones to the in-laws, and my mother-in-law uses them on the cushions of her sofa and chairs.
We have just one set of bath towels. It only takes 2 hours to do a load of laundry here.
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Post by mellowyellow on Oct 15, 2008 17:53:33 GMT -5
So I guess we're saying that my 50 plus pillowcases are too many??!! Buuuuuuut.... I have... um.... like........ a reallllllllllly BIG Head..... ummmmm okay... maybe not.... but LOTS of hair..............so.... um.........  Don't even ASK me how many sheets I own.................  |
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Post by Rennie Ellen on Oct 15, 2008 18:31:48 GMT -5
Udderchaos,
Wow. I only have TWO sets of queen size fitted sheets! I have 8 sets of queen size pillowcases (which I change every week) and 1 set of twin pillowcases for the pillow I use when I go to my cancer camp.
If anyone has two light or medium blue queen size fitted sheets in good shape they want to get rid of, could you considering sending them to me? Because of my colitis, I sometimes have "accidents" and with only two bedsheets, the laundry keeps me hopping. I'll be more than happy to pay for postage and shipping. Please PM me. Thanks.
P.S. I hope I'm not being out of line here....but I do need 2 more fitted sheets for my bed and if someone's going to get rid of them, I sure could put them to good use.
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Post by Script on Oct 15, 2008 19:37:33 GMT -5
Tea Towels: I have a number of different types (French linen-cotton; terry towels; special dish cloths; swipes; German microfibre glass cloths). I am a kitchen fanatic and I love to cook. I sometimes use almost all of them up in preparing for a dinner party. BUT....as soon as anything becomes badly worn, I demote it to the rag bag. I have a 'thing' about ragged towels (contamination issues and aversion to threads). I have one small cupboard just full of tea towels. Is this excessive? I don't care. Sheets We have flannel for winter. Soft percales (high thread count because of my skin issues) for summer. DH thinks winter begins Oct 1 and ends June 1, so When To Change Over is a bit of a battle ground for us. I have 4 sets of each type. I would cheerfully buy more but I don't have the room to store them. I change the sheets now twice weekly, as I still sweat like a pig from hot flashes at night. Quilts I have one winter duvet. I have a summer quilt (cheap); a nicer summer quilt (gift); I have debated giving the cheap one away, but sometimes on really cool summer nights I put them together. One very soft cotton-type blanket. That's it for us. I have a few other linens (cast-offs, gifts, hand-me-downs) for guests in a cedar chest (Mom's trouseau, 1947) in the basement. I gave away my good wool blanket when my skin went haywire a few years ago. Books I reduced my library to about 700 volumes. I have no idea how many DH has, and I don't care. Bath Towels I have two. DH has 6 (he gets my cast-offs: see aversion/contamination issue above, concerning ragged thread). He uses two towels at a time. So this makes 3 sets for him. Some of his are worn thin, but he won't let me buy any more for him. He likes very old, thin, soft towels.  I change the towels in the main bathroom every week. I give DH fresh bath towels weekly. My bath towels are pretty thick and absorbent, so they are changed less frequently. I also have 'swipe' towels, for swiping the sink (cheap-o kitchen type towels). I also use them on the floor. I change these a lot. I have other over-abundance issues. Once, I had 26 different hand creams in the house (I counted). My hands-nails were still a mess. I am better now with this problem. Sometimes our lifestyles can justify 'over-abundance'. Because of my ongoing fitness commitment and my excessive sweating, I need to have a LOT of gym clothes. 12 pairs fitness sox; 6 summer nylon fitness tee shirts; 4 long tunic tees;6 short cotton tees; various kinds of shorts; leggings/yoga pants. 8 just-for-fitness bras. ETC.I n fact, I have a whole small dresser FULL of gym clothes and some spill over into under-the-bed storage. On the other hand, my few everyday and 'good' bras fit in one small drawer. this is a fascinating topic |
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Post by UdderChaos on Oct 15, 2008 20:21:57 GMT -5
So I guess we're saying that my 50 plus pillowcases are too many??!! Buuuuuuut.... I have... um.... like........ a reallllllllllly BIG Head..... ummmmm okay... maybe not.... but LOTS of hair..............so.... um......... Don't even ASK me how many sheets I own.................   |
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