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Post by itsybitsy on Oct 11, 2016 20:12:16 GMT -5
After going through all my jewelry, I was able to release the following: 10 pairs earrings 3 brass bracelets 1 costume jewelry brooch (I have purchased much nicer ones) 1 bracelet with dressy beading (not worn in many years) 1 necklace 2 rings 2 single earrings
I pulled back one item. A tiny silver charm baby shoe. I purchased it when my son was born and can add it to an existing charm bracelet I have. Yes, it's largely sentimental, but it brought me joy when I held it (Kondo-test).
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Post by oust on Oct 11, 2016 20:49:03 GMT -5
Today DH emptied the fridge door of old condiment bottles. The trash was heavy. I did not find any thing to donate today. But i did come back to SOS for motivation.
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Post by itsybitsy on Oct 11, 2016 21:07:00 GMT -5
Oust, it will feel good to have some room in the fridge door. SOS is motivating to me as well. For much of the day today, I was procrastinating on other tasks so I ended up doing a clean-out in the bathroom. I also threw out a number of cosmetic items that were no longer used and then moved some low-use items to the laundry room and I have freed up one whole drawer.
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Post by BetsyMarie on Oct 11, 2016 21:42:29 GMT -5
Today I got rid of (put in charity pile) some baking items. Not all of them, but just thinned the herd. I got rid of several smaller, mismatched loaf pans. Also got rid of small muffin tins that I've rarely used. I should have gotten rid of more since I don't bake anymore. Maybe the next round. No reason to shock the system too much.
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Post by outfromundah on Oct 12, 2016 0:09:25 GMT -5
Wowee! Reading this thread is very inspiring - you are all doing great! Go, go, go! I'll join you and report back whatever I "got rid of." Woooo-hooooo!!!!!
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Post by BetsyMarie on Oct 17, 2016 11:01:30 GMT -5
Thus far today I put in the charity pile two things of note:
- about a dozen matched stem glasses I had planned on using for votive candle holders. After at least a decade, I havent' yet. They were just sitting on a shelf. I also have many other potential holders... and I don't much burn candles anymore anyway. So out they go.
- second, about 8 rolls of wall paper end pieces. I was saving them to use when wrapping gifts. I have used them a couple times, but there are also many other gift=wrapping options. In addition, these days I rarely give gifts that require wrapping anyway. So out they go.
This is not 'death by a thousand cuts', but each of these things hurts a bit to give away. In actuality, it's loss of a possibility, not present reality. The items are real, but the emotional charge is about the dream. This is what hoarding is all about - not wanting to feel all these little losses. But I have to.
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Post by itsybitsy on Oct 17, 2016 13:22:36 GMT -5
Late yesterday, I donated: 2 boxes of house decor, including a cheap-looking 25-year clock from my work (now retired and I worked over 32 years, so the 25 year marker was not relevant), extraneous items that have been replaced with more functional storage pieces I purchased recently, 2 K-size pillows that were too soft but still had use, and about 10 items of clothing.
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Post by BetsyMarie on Oct 22, 2016 22:45:04 GMT -5
I got rid of two things of note today. Well, three.
1. Old cans of food years past their expiration dates.
2. I went through two boxes of candle making supplies and dumped half of it. There is no way I could ever use all this stuff - and I have more boxes in the garage too. In the past, I kept every bit of old wax, votive containers, etc. Not any more.
3. I found a couple boxes of home-canned fruits in the storage area. One was quart jars I'd canned, but never used. These had to have been over a decade old. Seals still good, but no way to take a chance. Probably would not taste good either. Sadly they were apricots. But out they went. I was going to do it tomorrow, but this evening I opened all the jars, dumped the fruit, and rinsed the jars (to be washed later).
All of this stuff is hard to get rid of. It's all non useable, but it hurts because it represents wasted money and time - and most likely primo (in their time) apricots.
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Post by phoenixcat on Oct 23, 2016 10:50:23 GMT -5
BetsyMarie - I feel your pain on the apricots One year I moved all of DM's home canned goods from the "cellar" to the main floor. She just couldn't go up and down the stairs anymore to use it for storage. She would leave them on the stair landing which was just an accident waiting to happen. Two of my friends helped me and we were a conveyer belt. One person unloaded the shelves, the other carted them upstairs, the third took them to the kitchen counter and DM determined if they were salvageable or not. We must have dumped about 50 jars of things that were very yummy in their time - peaches and grape jelly. Very sad. But I wanted to encourage you that DM still enjoys canning and making jelly - she is working on her concord grapes as I type this But now she has designated cupboard space upstairs that holds the jars (empty or full). And, she has modified her quantity to what she can eat/give away in about a year. This coming winter we think we have found some friends that can transport 1-2 boxes of her canned goods to me. DH and I use them at a much faster pace and there is nothing better than her home canned peaches and tomatoes. Your apricots sound wonderful and I hope you have some newer ones in your future soon! PC
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Post by itsybitsy on Oct 23, 2016 12:51:57 GMT -5
Yesterday, I donated: 2 home decor items I was not crazy about anymore. 3 wool throws and 2 old wool blankets that were starting to rip. household items and warm clothing from my FIL's box - some were hardly used. clothing and kitchen items that were in a give-away bag in the garage. I did not paw through them, just put them in the car and drove to the donation drop-off.
So, what did I learn? Well, the 3 wool throws were brand new. I bought them because they were an extreme deal, not because I needed them, if that makes sense. The wool smelled quite strong, and although it was a nice grey plaid, the pattern doesn't really go with my furniture. Also, I have plenty of wash 'n use throws, much more practical for how I live. I would call this a combination of aspirational and bargain-hunting purchases. At least someone else can use them as winter comes our way.
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Post by Unswamping on Oct 23, 2016 15:00:35 GMT -5
BetsyMarie itsybitsy oust you are all doing great. I know how hard a struggle this is and i think you are doing fantastic. Today i got rid of a shirt with a huge stubborn stain on the sleeve. Dont know what it is and ive tried everything to get it out. Its a new shirt and ive only worn it a couple of times. I did think about adding it to the totes of clothing that im saving to reuse the fabric in some sewing project. Those totes are currently blocking access to my sewing supplies. So saving it for a someday just doesnt make sense. I also threw out a fleece jacket, well lived and well worn, it is very pilly on the sleeves. Seeing that when i took it out of the dryer made me embarassed that ive been out and about wearing it like that. I have at least a dozen fleece jackets. I dont need that one and neither does the thrift store. Making something out of it is crazy too. Put all that effort into pilly fabric? Thats nuts.
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Post by imamess on Oct 24, 2016 0:48:11 GMT -5
Two truck loads of 'stuff' from the storage building. One truck load went to the dumpster and the Egg Lady carried a load of stuff I didn't want to her house.
One antique treadle sewing machine from the 1880's. I gave it to my cousin who loves antiques. She is also going to be gifted with our great grandmother's sewing rocker in a few days.
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Post by peaceandfreedom on Oct 24, 2016 14:18:19 GMT -5
Thanks to what others have posted here, I spent much of the morning dumping old canned foods. Now have a dishwasher mostly full of empty jars that I will spend more time putting away properly in the garage when they are clean. I was able to dump the old foods into the compostable bin so they will be put to some sort of good use after garbage day on Thursday. Some pickles, a few old jellies, some prunes that I canned and DH didn't like so we never ate them.
Did I know they were out there in the garage? Yup. Did I seem to care? Nope. It took reading about others doing this to make me realize that if we hadn't eaten things canned in 2007 and other nearby years, it isn't going to happen.
And there is is no one else in the whole world that I would confess this negligence on my part to, except my SOoS friends here. DH Is not home today. Thank you, everyone!
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Post by BetsyMarie on Oct 24, 2016 19:09:37 GMT -5
Thanks to what others have posted here, I spent much of the morning dumping old canned foods. Now have a dishwasher mostly full of empty jars that I will spend more time putting away properly in the garage when they are clean. I was able to dump the old foods into the compostable bin so they will be put to some sort of good use after garbage day on Thursday. Some pickles, a few old jellies, some prunes that I canned and DH didn't like so we never ate them. Did I know they were out there in the garage? Yup. Did I seem to care? Nope. It took reading about others doing this to make me realize that if we hadn't eaten things canned in 2007 and other nearby years, it isn't going to happen. And there is is no one else in the whole world that I would confess this negligence on my part to, except my SOoS friends here. DH Is not home today. Thank you, everyone! Very good work, Peaceandfreedom!
Isn't it very freeing to dump this old stuff? Painful too, of course. Today I dumped a large case of V-8 juice cans. It was years old, and would never be used. I purchased it on a whim to make veggie smoothies. Made one.. didn't like it that much, so the cans just sat there, year after year. I'd rather have the space.
I also went through one shelf in the kitchen and tossed a good number of things that were either too old or would just never be used.
This is very freeing. Living with all this crap is like swimming through life with a gigantic bag strapped to my back.
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Post by BetsyMarie on Oct 24, 2016 20:08:51 GMT -5
I felt very inspired after reading/writing about getting rid of things. I checked to see if my neighbors trash can still had room.... and it does! It's only about half filled. So.... I went into the back room where all this old food is stored, and collected 4 more full buckets of cans and stuff. One bucket can go into the compost, and the other 3 will go into the neighbors trash can. I'll wait until the morning however, in case the neighbor has plans for his own empty space.
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