Today I am throwing out more magazines...11 issues of Better Homes and Gardens to be exact. I'm not really sure why I've kept them. Probably because I feel badly that I don't read them when I get them in the mail, and since the subscription is a gift, I'd like to think that I'll get around to it. OR, what if there is some really great idea in one of them that will transform my life, or at least my home? Again, the digital world sort of makes magazines obsolete. What solution for my home is not readily at my fingertips if I were to "google" it? If I have an idea for something in my home or garden, chances are, someone else has already blogged about it, or someone is trying to sell it online. There is no shortage of good ideas on the internet.
Next, I'm throwing out 8 packages of junk food. I knew when we received these as a gift that I'd be throwing them out at some point. I just wasn't quite sure how much my family would be interested in the snack food, and as I'd assumed, they weren't. Normally I don't count food as part of my daily toss, but since these packages have taken up a fair amount of room on a shelf for several weeks, I am counting them. Someday when I get to purging my pantry, I'll probably be counting lots of things like this.
Today's Toss:
11 magazines
8 food packages
= into the trash & recycling bins!
Thursday, January 31, 2013
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Day 18: Food Magazines
Finally! I am tossing issues of Cooking Light that I have saved for at least a year or two. I LOVE food and looking at magazines and dreaming of culinary creations. However, the reality is...I look up most all of my recipes (& inspirations for them) online. I have several favorite recipe and food websites, not to mention Pinterest. Farewell, magazines. Hello to more space on top of my desk.
In fact, here is a picture of my desk. Disgusting, isn't it? By posting it here, I am forced to make it better, so that I'll have a good "after" shot to post someday soon!
Today's Toss:
8 magazines
1 commuter mug (cracked inside...but I'd had it for 10 years!)
1 commuter mug lid
In fact, here is a picture of my desk. Disgusting, isn't it? By posting it here, I am forced to make it better, so that I'll have a good "after" shot to post someday soon!
Today's Toss:
8 magazines
1 commuter mug (cracked inside...but I'd had it for 10 years!)
1 commuter mug lid
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Day 17: More clothes
Nothing exciting for today. I took a bag and a box mostly full of kids' clothes that we won't be using to Goodwill. I didn't even bother counting, but it was well over 10 things. Also, I'm not going to "count it ahead" for tomorrow. I am just happy to have many more things out of my kids' closets.
The sad part? In addition to what I took to Goodwill, I lugged 4 large containers of kids' clothes to our garage to store. I wish that I had the time/energy to go through them and purge instead of shifting the stuff to the garage. Yes, this frees up a ton of space in the kids' closets, but I'll still have to deal with an excess of clothes down the line. It's not quite as bad as it sounds, for these are clothes in sizes that our youngest daughter will wear in the next year or two. So I WILL go through these bags in the near future, just not this week. Maybe after many months of tossing 10 things, I will be desperate for more things to throw, so I'll start in on them...
The sad part? In addition to what I took to Goodwill, I lugged 4 large containers of kids' clothes to our garage to store. I wish that I had the time/energy to go through them and purge instead of shifting the stuff to the garage. Yes, this frees up a ton of space in the kids' closets, but I'll still have to deal with an excess of clothes down the line. It's not quite as bad as it sounds, for these are clothes in sizes that our youngest daughter will wear in the next year or two. So I WILL go through these bags in the near future, just not this week. Maybe after many months of tossing 10 things, I will be desperate for more things to throw, so I'll start in on them...
Monday, January 28, 2013
Day 16: Kids' Closets
Because I feel guilty for missing yesterday, I decided to find 20 things today. We are in the process of moving our 2 and a half year old daughter into the same bedroom as our son, to make room for the baby to take over the nursery. This presents the challenge of making room in one bedroom for two kids' stuff. Thankfully I love challenges like these.
Box one contains:
3 paper hand puppets
1 sock puppet
a bookmark
an old cloth book
3 random articles of clothing
the box itself (which had previously been used to hold puppets)
= 10 items to throw in the trash
The other box (which I will add more to tomorrow):
10 kids' clothing items
= donation to charity
As I sort through clothes, I realize how many clothes my kids have! It's embarrassing. The funny thing is, that we have actually purchased very little of the clothes my kids own. Most of them were either bought by grandparents, etc. and given as birthday or Christmas gifts, OR they are hand-me-downs from friends and family. I don't know if everyone has this experience, but I think because my hubby and I have had our kids a little later in life, and most of our friends have children older than ours and are done having kids, that we get more things kicked our way. Maybe it is other people's way of purging, and they appease their guilt about throwing things out by giving them to us instead??
However, I have found that while it does save us a lot of money (which we appreciate), that I can afford to be more particular about what hand-me-downs I keep. I think I should accept all hand-me-downs with a smile on my face and a grateful heart. But items that are incomplete (like pajama bottoms, but not a matching top), or clothes that have stains or are worn out, I think I can pass along. Or, if it is an item that I already have multiples of (for some reason my daughter inherited about 13 fleece footed pajamas in the 18 month size! I'm not exaggerating...) then I can gratefully accept them, but pass them on. Again, I feel guilty for doing this, but it really would save my sanity and the space in my house if I could just practice this. I could apply the same principle for clothes that are really not my style or taste, but that would sound really uppity, wouldn't it?
Why do I feel guilty getting rid of things that people give me?? Can I still be appreciative but picky too?
Box one contains:
3 paper hand puppets
1 sock puppet
a bookmark
an old cloth book
3 random articles of clothing
the box itself (which had previously been used to hold puppets)
= 10 items to throw in the trash
10 kids' clothing items
= donation to charity
As I sort through clothes, I realize how many clothes my kids have! It's embarrassing. The funny thing is, that we have actually purchased very little of the clothes my kids own. Most of them were either bought by grandparents, etc. and given as birthday or Christmas gifts, OR they are hand-me-downs from friends and family. I don't know if everyone has this experience, but I think because my hubby and I have had our kids a little later in life, and most of our friends have children older than ours and are done having kids, that we get more things kicked our way. Maybe it is other people's way of purging, and they appease their guilt about throwing things out by giving them to us instead??
However, I have found that while it does save us a lot of money (which we appreciate), that I can afford to be more particular about what hand-me-downs I keep. I think I should accept all hand-me-downs with a smile on my face and a grateful heart. But items that are incomplete (like pajama bottoms, but not a matching top), or clothes that have stains or are worn out, I think I can pass along. Or, if it is an item that I already have multiples of (for some reason my daughter inherited about 13 fleece footed pajamas in the 18 month size! I'm not exaggerating...) then I can gratefully accept them, but pass them on. Again, I feel guilty for doing this, but it really would save my sanity and the space in my house if I could just practice this. I could apply the same principle for clothes that are really not my style or taste, but that would sound really uppity, wouldn't it?
Why do I feel guilty getting rid of things that people give me?? Can I still be appreciative but picky too?
Day 15: The Sun'll Come Out...
 |
| Tomorrow is a brand new day |
So, you knew this day was coming, right? A day that I would not succeed in getting 10 things purged from my house. Instead of beating myself and feeling guilty, or like a failure, I am going to say that it's okay and I will try again tomorrow.
Saturday, January 26, 2013
Day 14: Hall Closet
Yep, in cleaning and organizing our kids' stuff, I spent some time in the hall closet, and whoa...lots of things to purge there! I started off by sorting a few things that I think I can sell on CraigsList: curtains and linens that are still in good shape. There are a few other things that I think I can just throw in the trash...sort of hard sometimes because of the sentimental thing!
Today's round-up:
1 print of St. Lucia from our honeymoon
2 cloth doilies that I had in my apt while I lived in China
1 Australian Aboriginal print that I got on my trip to Australia
2 pieces of fabric (previously used as table coverings, etc.)
2 old cloth napkins
and a bag with 6 electronic gadgets (old cell phones, chargers, cords) to be recycled
Total: 14 things
Also, I recently found out that Goodwill accepts electronics to be recycled. I have random bags of things that I know I can't just throw in the trash (used propane canisters, old batteries, styrofoam packing peanuts), but I'm not always sure where to take them to dispose of them properly. Will have to do some more research on that!
1 print of St. Lucia from our honeymoon
2 cloth doilies that I had in my apt while I lived in China
1 Australian Aboriginal print that I got on my trip to Australia
2 pieces of fabric (previously used as table coverings, etc.)
2 old cloth napkins
and a bag with 6 electronic gadgets (old cell phones, chargers, cords) to be recycled
Total: 14 things
Also, I recently found out that Goodwill accepts electronics to be recycled. I have random bags of things that I know I can't just throw in the trash (used propane canisters, old batteries, styrofoam packing peanuts), but I'm not always sure where to take them to dispose of them properly. Will have to do some more research on that!
Friday, January 25, 2013
Day 13: Random
Today's Ten Things Round-Up:
1 old sponge
1 useless paintbrush
4 water socks purchased on our Hawaii trip
2 college sweatshirts
1 red sweater, too small for me
1 T-shirt from our whitewater rafting trip
We are spending most of the weekend at home, cleaning and organizing the kids' rooms, so I am hoping to have a lot more to toss tomorrow!
1 old sponge
1 useless paintbrush
4 water socks purchased on our Hawaii trip
2 college sweatshirts
1 red sweater, too small for me
1 T-shirt from our whitewater rafting trip
We are spending most of the weekend at home, cleaning and organizing the kids' rooms, so I am hoping to have a lot more to toss tomorrow!
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