<p>I haven’t visited CC or this thread in ages - all work& no play recently (my first day off in over a month because of tax deadlines - just vegging today). I need to try to get back into declutter mode so keep the inspiring posts coming! My house is a pit - my (retired) husband is great about cooking and even doing my laundry - cleaning up after the cooking not so much. Kitchen is ghastly (& I am NOT a good housekeeper so when it bothers me, you know it’s got to be bad!)</p>
<p>Welcome back, swimcatsmom. While you’ve been gone, we’ve all cleaned our houses. :)) </p>
<p>^:)^ I am so far behind - not sure I can work full time (& a half - I’ve probably worked 48 hours overtime just this month so far at least [& I’m salaried so don’t get paid extra for it] - running on fumes) & get my house sorted :(( </p>
<p>There’s no deadline!!</p>
<p>That is, unless you’re planning to sell in the foreseeable future.</p>
<p>I am - I would like to move to the coast (have always wanted to live by the coast and will also be closer to son). Would like to do it next year but have to get the retirement savings up a bit - close to minimum goal so may do it. And a couple of things have happened lately that are really making me embrace the “Don’t keep putting things you really want till the Time is right because it never will be” mindset. It would be a big move and a major downsize as housing is much higher there. I am really excited to downsize actually - but a LOT will have to go.</p>
<p>The compact OED is just TWO volumes, and comes with a little magnifying glass. The guys at the book place joked that they would charge by the pound for it. The OED is the definitive dictionary, except that it leaves out taboo words. Kind of kills the idea of it being definitive for me. </p>
<p>Packing up my house, I was dismayed to find several large envelopes of old duplicate photos. Old photos are the heaviest, most time consuming task! I flipped through them and threw them all out. Then, I found another box of books hiding behind the couch. Oh brother…</p>
<p>Yea. Tossed old purees and other dead frozen stuff from the freezer, along with expired stuff from the fridge. Have regained lots of space in the refrigerator. Tomorrow: the shoe bins on the back porch and the piles on the dining table </p>
<p>You had purees? My freezer isnt that gourmet! Just dead frozen stuff…</p>
<p>Yes, purees from that moment when I thought I could “hide” vegetables into my kid’s meals. Never coordinated it enough to defrost the puree before deciding what to make for dinner upon coming home from job. Silly me. </p>
<p>Geez, I just found the little magnifying glass that was supposed to go with the OED. I feel compelled to bring it over to the library booksale. Another day, another errand.</p>
<p>I went through my nightstand drawers and my “basket” of lotions, gels, etc. and got rid of a whole contractor bag of stuff. I don’t know how that much stuff fit in those small spaces, but it’s crazy. There’s still some stuff (that I really do use) left. Work had another electronics recycling day today but I was exhausted when I got home last night and didn’t get any of it into my car. They seem to do them a few times a year so I’ll be sure to do it next time. I swear this weekend I will finish the coat closet, do the linen closet and one more cabinet in the bathroom. </p>
<p>Just one more surface to clear off in the downstairs bathroom. Made good progress today. Tomorrow, purge the kitchen pantry! On a bit of a roll (for me). 
</p>
<p>I purged my closet today! Six big trash bags in my trunk to be dropped off this afternoon. </p>
<p>Wow glopop (which my kindle thinks should be floppy), good job.</p>
<p>I finally have a weekend off (yay for 9/15 tax deadlines being over) & am trying to get back in the swing of things. Think my weekend goal will be the kitchen island/countertop between the kitchen and living room. More of a challenge than it sounds as it is pretty deep in junk - I just threw away some meds I unburied that expired 4 years ago - yea, that bad. Now if I can get my husband to go grocery shoping without me so I can chuck things without being second guessed, things will move much quicker (& my mood will be much sweeter)</p>
<p>Just threw away some vitamins that expired 2003. OMG! Husband is at the grocery store - must take advantage and get on with the counter while he is gone. In other words, GET OFF CC NOW!!!</p>
<p>Not to discourage folks from throwing things away, but something interesting I found about drug “expiration dates” a while back: <a href=“Drug Expiration Dates — Do They Mean Anything? - Harvard Health”>http://www.health.harvard.edu/fhg/updates/update1103a.shtml</a></p>
<p>If those vitamins contained any antioxidants such as A and C, I guarantee that they pretty much “expired” after 11 years. Good move. </p>
<p>Mr B dropped off 3 bags of stuff at the goodwill collection site. Yay! I’m working on the next load.</p>
<p>Got an email from RealReal asking it I had anything to consign. I do have a few evening wear pieces that I no longer need… That is my next project. </p>
<p>S and I got rid of several bags of things today, now the trunk is empty and ready for more bags. </p>
<p>We took 6 printer ink cartridges to Staples to recycle (the ones we use at work are pretty big and take up lots of trunk room) and I got $2 staples credit per cartridge. Then we took several bags of pop/beer cans and bottles to the grocery store recycle center. I stayed in the car and S sorted them. We get 5¢ per can in our state. This has been his way of getting a little spending money since he was 8 and it hasn’t stopped. It keeps my garbage can clean, it keeps my hands clean, and gives him a bit of cash.</p>
<p>And, H sold the dryer from our storage unit this week. I think we have purged enough from the storage unit to move to a smaller unit. We will have a unit for awhile, we moved from a 3 bedroom duplex to a 2 bedroom apartment a year ago. We do not have a bedroom for D, so most of the stuff that is left is her bedroom furniture. We need to wait til she has her own apartment and has need of her stuff. But, I want to get rid of the extra space in the mean time so that we don’t have space to hoard stuff.</p>
<p>Now, to figure out where to organize things to start over in filling up the trunk with goodwill items, cans, and ink cartridges and to figure out a day to move the storage unit stuff. </p>
<p>I keep finding dismaying amounts of old photos and memorabilia as I clear things out. Found all my grades from Grades 1 - 12. Tossed them. Found papers and exams from college. Why? Tossed them. Found some old journals I had to keep for school but I kept one of them because it was just interesting. </p>
<p>Almost tossed an old, dusty Noguchi table lamp tonight but then I looked on ebay and decided to keep it for now. Dratted ebay!</p>
<p>Oh, and I did bring the magnifying glass to the friends of the library place where I had dropped off the OED. They were quite pleased. They called that OED a “collector’s item”. Hah, I hope they find someone to get it off THEIR hands!</p>
<p>My husband still has a cabinet full of his accounting books from college. He is 72! When we moved to the USA in 1988 they appeared from storage and HD would not get rid of them. They’ve been in the garage ever since. Maybe soon…</p>