Things 101-142

Out With Some More!

Just culled 31 videos and 8 dvds- thinking the kids won't even miss them...


1 wok set, it's cool, I just never use it, it collects dust.

1 banana holder, same thing- I have a big family, I buy several bunches of bananas at a time, and don't plan on having a counter full of bananas on hooks. I just stack 'em up!

1 unused photo album- I have others, and most of our pics are digital now...

There is so much more, we just have too much stuff! I've been throwing way more than I ever used to, and rather than feeling any guilt, I'm feeling so much freedom! It really does make me want to keep going. I need to face my closet... soon.

Throwing away: magazines, grungy kids' clothes, old shoes in rough shape, fabric scraps I'll never use, old CD-ROM computer games, games missing pieces...

I really should stop shopping, except for maybe necessities, like toilet paper and toothpaste.

Still enjoying the process-
ali

Things 71-100

I went through a kitchen cupboard...

• 4 mismatched and unused root beer mugs
• 1 odd coffee cup
• 1 unused Tupperware microwavable thingy
• 1 Tupperware 'water jug'
• 2 wrong size flourescent bulbs

My husband went through his closet...

• 3 pairs of shoes
• many (5+) pairs of pants
• many (10+) shirts

My closet is next! Thrift store, here we come!

Random things-

2 unread kids' books

1 baby car seat mesh cover

Enjoying the process-
ali

Purging Winter Wear

I've tried to find homes for any and all winter coats we've grown out of (or when we've just ended up with more coats than even Minnesotan kids can wear!) With the recent washing and packing away (for a few short months) of winter stuff, I did something a wee bit painful.

I threw away a coat.

Yep. I did. It used to be white. It's not so white anymore, even after several washings. I thought and thought, and, well, I would never buy a coat so dingy if I were thrift store shopping. I really don't think anyone but the poorest of the poor would even care to wear a coat so dingy, no matter how warm.

So I threw it away, and I feel good about it. Well, at least fine with it. It was taking up precious closet space- we need coats for 9 people in an average size closet, with room left for shoes... It was so dingy I couldn't stand for any of the girls to wear it out.

As a "but what if we need it someday?" certifiable pack rat, you may not realize just how big a step this was/is for me. It's big. Trust me.

It won't be the last thing thrown out this year, I can guarantee you that.

More soon,
ali

Oh, and a wool knit hat that was accidentally felted and is now much too small and much too stiff for human wearing, it's outta here too!

Things 61-70

61. baby food grinder- returned to friend I borrowed it from
62. car seat cover- returned to same friend
63. 4 baby girl outfits- passed on to sister who's having her 1st girl
64. cute tiny ducky slippers- to same sister
65. beanie baby spider- thrifted
66. personalized plate- returned to the family that brought cookies on it after Baby J was born

67. Changing table!!! no longer used, taking up space, passed on to friend!!!

***Yay!! Let's hear it for moving big items!!***

68. Animal dominoes game- not played with- thrifted

69. Pink button-up dress shirt- rarely worn, getting too small for youngest girl, thrifted

70. long sleeve floral knit girls' shirt- thrifted

***tossed- unused lego container, miscellaneous tinker toys, several unused pens with no covers, very dingy baby clothes, and random paper clutter including some number flash cards- missing the number 3... some expired canned goods... random tinker toys... dried out dry erase markers...

Passing stuff on is nice, but tossing feels good too.

Enjoy the process-

ali

Things 51-60

51. 3 matching little girls jean jackets, cute, too small, rarely worn
52. new blue baby boy onesie
53. red toddler dress
54. pink Gap toddler dress
55. blue toddler dress, sort of sailor style... cute, too small
56. little girls' pink Old Navy sweater

all gifted to friends at church :-)

57. Dr. Sulpher's Night Lab, science game cd-rom
58. Mensa Mindteasers cd-rom
59. Kids Mensa cd-rom
60. 2 teddy bears, I've set a 4 stuffed animal per kid limit, for now, with a goal of 2 per kid, they didn't make the initial cut...

Thrifted.

Pioneer Thinking- Quick Clutter Control

This week's resource is an easy to read 10 point article titled "Quick Clutter Control" found at Pioneer Thinking.

Here's point number 5, an important point for me, as I'm not one of those 'tackle the whole thing in one weekend' kind of people-

If you can't face an entire room, break the job down into manageable tasks - the
kitchen junk drawer, the letter pile, the hats, coats and shoes area. That way
you won't be put off decluttering as just too big a task.

This was a new site to me. I've only taken a couple moments to peruse- this page full of 'cleaning solutions' looks like a great resource.

Find some time today to return some items to their proper places, toss some things that need tossing, and find new homes for a couple more of those extra things you don't need anymore (you probably never did...) Then, reward yourself- a nice, hot, cup of tea and 15 minutes to sit and relax while drinking it; a long, hot, bath before bed; a pizza and movie night with the kids; whatever makes you smile!-

Enjoy this process-

ali

Things 41-50

41. men's navy plaid flannel shirt
41. men's red plaid flannel shirt
43. boys' short sleeve dress shirt
44. boys' blue stripe polo shirt
45. boys' kahki dress pants
46. boys' grey dress pants
47. boys' tan corduroy pants
48. 3 copies of Adventures in Nature
49. reading book- Secret in the Maple Tree
50. reading book- Liberty Tree


-Men's shirts to the thrift store, the rest given to friends at church.


950 things to go!