The "Bag A Week" Club

<p>Four more bags to Goodwill. I move in two weeks. I cannot believe all the stuff I still have. </p>

<p>This week, Iā€™m taking bulky stuffā€¦several old comforters that will be put in the pile for cash by the pound. And three very nice twin quilts. We used to have three twin size beds, and now have only one. We donā€™t need all these twin linens! Only keeping the best of the lot, that matches!</p>

<p>Not in the ā€œofficialā€ bag of the week club but I filled up three bags for Goodwill today. Have them in the back of my car ready to drop off tomorrow. Couldnā€™t part with the fairy wings just yet. Not that we are anywhere close to having anyone to wear them. </p>

<p>I promised Iā€™d join the effort once I finished grad school and I have made a good start. So far, I got rid of all my living room furniture (I did buy new though!) and a lot of stuff that was stored in the living room such as telephone books which were stacked on the end table shelves. I have started a garage sale pile in BarnardGirlā€™s bedroom because some of this stuff (end tables, lamps) are still good but donā€™t look right with the new furniture. Iā€™ve started on kitchen cupboards and all the upper cupboards have been gone through. Iā€™ve tossed quite a bit of ā€œjunkā€ and put some things (wooden salad bowls) in the garage sale pile. I got rid of all the big plastic ā€œsouvenirā€ cups we got at the zoo, museums, etc. because nobody has used them in years. Next Iā€™ll start on the kitchen drawers, then the lower cabinets. I cleaned off the top of the fridge too. I had a box up there where we kept bags of chips and stuff. I went through that box and found 2 year old Girl Scout cookies among other things that are no longer edible. It feels good to be getting rid of the junk! In addition to saving some of this stuff for a garage sale, Iā€™m going to see if BarnardGirlā€™s boyfriend needs any of it as heā€™s graduating in April and moving to NYC. Lamps and kitchen stuff may be useful to him. It also may be useful to my son as most kids at the college where I <em>think</em> he will go get apartments after the first two years in the dorms. I may have a pile of stuff he might use but Iā€™ll make sure it isnā€™t an excessive amount. </p>

<p>I also tossed all the outdoor Christmas decorations when I took them down this year. I donā€™t think we need Santa garden lights or the big plastic Santa and reindeer. They were buried under feet of snow for months anyway and I donā€™t even know if they still work. With no ā€œkidsā€ in the house, Iā€™ll move to more mellow decorations in future years. They took up a lot of space in the basement anyway. </p>

<p>H tossed a jacket and 5 shirts and 3 Ethernet cards, plus a mildewy box. Yea!</p>

<p>Animal shelters need old comforters, bedspreads, sheetsā€¦ I took mine there and they were very happy to get them.
Have emptied 7 bins! :)</p>

<p>Also, old towels! I washed all ratty towels and we took them down to a local cat shelter. The folks there said they would be put to a good use.</p>

<p>Really? My previous post is #666?! Thatā€™s evil!! Butā€¦ Holy cow, this is a very lively thread!</p>

<p>@mom60: Fairy wings! Yep, we have a pair of those in Spare Oom . . . about 3ā€™ high and each 2ā€™ across. Iā€™m not quite ready to get rid of those yet, either.</p>

<p>Bunsenā€¦where are the post numbers??</p>

<p>Was at my dadā€™s last week. Took two carloads of stuff to the dump, another carload to the recycling center, and a pickup truck and a half of clothes to be taken on a medical mission. My sister and I cleaned out Dadā€™s workshop and the family room. She is a dynamo of energy and determination. There is about 150 lbs of metal that can be taken in for $$ still in the driveway. Got rid of two of the six non-working irons. Will get rid of two more on the next trip. Dad is handy and saves everything so he can fix it. This is why he still has radios from the 70s and other assorted appliances, including my grandmotherā€™s vacuum, manufactured in 1954 (I checked).</p>

<p>Brought a bunch of Momā€™s old clothes back with me, which I am going to turn into lap quilts for my siblings. (THIS year.)</p>

<p>BB - Yes, please tell us where you see post numbers.</p>

<p>I am really enjoying this thread. Last week I went through linens and got rid of some table clothes/napkins past their time. I also finally let go the last of the pillowcases and sheets we received for wedding presentsā€¦ 35 years ago. Too pitiful to use, they were just taking up space in the linen cupboard.</p>

<p>Today Iā€™m looking at paperwork. It would make sense to burn up some stuff before I clean out the fireplaces for spring, which is on my to-do list for this week.</p>

<p>I am a huge advocate of saving the fairy wings. In the attic, in deep storage, in a rubber maid container : ( , are all the costumes my mother made my sons, based for the most part on historical or mythological characters. For some of them, the boys went with her to the fabric store to get the materials. They are stored next to the container with my childhood dolls and their wardrobes created by my grandmothers. The baby doll has duplicates of my Christmas and Easter dresses from when I was four or five. Barbie has duplicates of what my mother and grandmother wore, including a couple of evening gowns. All the dresses were made from scraps of fabric left over from the originals on which they were based. I doubt anyone will ever want my dolls. They are sort of worn out and pitiful looking but it makes me feel good knowing they are up there hanging around. And although we deaccessioned enough toys for a small shop, there are still legos, British Museum dinosaurs, etc. Basically I am keeping items that canā€™t be easily replaced. Dr. Suess went long ago. Out of print childrenā€™s books remain. And a few signed by authors. I guess it is possible to replace the legos, though perhaps not in the same quantity. It is a rather awe inspiring collection.</p>

<p>I think BB is pulling our strings about post numbers!</p>

<p>Does this count: taking a car-load of leaves and branches to the dump? I hope so, since Iā€™ve been outside collecting instead of inside. Felt great getting rid of some stuff anyway.</p>

<p>Of course it counts. Everything counts.</p>

<p>This weekend is computer recycling in our city. Iā€™ve got to get there. </p>

<p>Re: post numbers. They still donā€™t have them, but when I look at the list of threads on the main Cafe page on my iPhone, it says how many total posts each thread hasā€¦ So mine was the last post at the time when CC listed this thread as having 666 posts. Lol. I just could not resist. </p>

<p>I have to pack my bag tonight. Since I bought two new pairs of jeans, Iā€™m going to pitch at least two older pairs. I also have some shoes that are going! </p>

<p>Iā€™ve been lurking on this thread cause there is nothing I love more than getting rid of the excess. I recently swapped out my winter clothes for my summer and bagged those I didnā€™t wear this past season. I have a closet where I keep a bag that Iā€™ll donate. Love this feeling. </p>

<p>Took advantage of my 14 year old son being out of town over Spring Break and did a very thorough cleaning job on his room. I probably should have worn a hazmat suit! I ended up with an enormous bag of clothes to give away, plus well over 100 books. I finally got rid of all his participation trophies and ribbons, but kept all the ones that he actually won :). I also trashed all his old stuffed animals, except for two sentimental favorites, and tossed lots of old school work. His room is sparkling clean, and I am delighted (but exhausted)!</p>