Beauty

[just bee]

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@Eager2Learn wrote:

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@just bee wrote:

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@Eager2Learn wrote:

I started a new project.

The first item I pulled out of my first "who knows what" box was Suze Orman's Protection Portfolio. This was purchased in March of 2003! I doubt that I'll be using the discs to print out documents. But there are 10 folders with checklists of documents to keep at the ready. Some I would never have thought of. 

Soooo, this will be my Very Important Paper Portfolio (or as we refer to it "the green box") . It will be kept in an obvious place, in case of an emergency such as fire, etc. Exit plan will probably be: rouse SO, leash Cinnamon, grab purse, grab porfolio, get the car out of the garage, call 911. 

@just bee Since you've experienced a fire, is there anything you would add to the exit plan?

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@Eager2Learn 

Get organized before the fire ever happens.

I had most of my "important" paperwork in a wall unit that BH hated and had started to disassemble.  There were drawers full of my paperwork stacked on the floor.

I had all the important photos consolidated in an antique chest in the garage -- the first thing to burn.  No time to get the car out of the garage -- although that was my first instinct.  The garage was burning and there was no way to save anything.

It's a different situation.  The fire was mostly in the garage and over the house.  The soot and water was what damaged most of the contents.

When BH realized the garage was burning, we exited through the back door with only the dog.  Our backyard gates were locked and we had to crawl over them.  I fell and BH wrecked his elbow.

We left the house without our wallets, identification -- nothing but the dog and BH's cell phone.  We had been cooking and the stove was still on.

When we were allowed back into the house with the firefighters to see the damage we had a few minutes to grab some items.  I grabbed my scrubs and stacks of Alegrias.  Anything I needed for work.  My wallet, keys, phone, peanut butter, tea, toiletries, dog stuff, some clothes.  We moved my jewelry to the neighbor's garage -- the same neighbor who was just victimized.

BH grabbed some clothes, his wallet and maybe some papers.  He saved the computers and we got them to the hotel.

It's all a blur.  I'm still thinking about all the trips to the house over a month's time, pulling out what we wanted to save.  Plastic can't be saved supposedly, yet we did save some plastic.  Unglazed pottery and baskets can't be saved.  Supposedly.  Upholstery and stuffing in furniture.  Particle board. Supposedly.

I was still thinking about particular books yesterday that I wished I had saved.

Really, the only advice I have is to have as little as possible and have it inventoried before you have a disaster.  Our neighbor can't remember what he had in his truck -- and he's amazed, as he's remembering, how much was actually in there.

We're still remembering things that were destroyed in our garage.  Just keep important papers together, photographs -- anything that can be grabbed when you only have a few minutes.

I grabbed tea, peanut butter, trail mix and toiletries, but all those items were contaminated by the soot and had to be tossed.

We grabbed the most important thing: The dog.

Oh -- and you might want to call 911 first.  My first instinct was to get my car out of the garage so it wouldn't explode.  But there was no way to get anywhere near it.

All my Suze Orman books are in landfill now.

But a plan is good.  We didn't have any plan at all.  And if the fire had happened a few hours later when we were asleep, we wouldn't have needed one anyway.

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@just bee Thanks for all the info.

The back gate is where I've had to request on more than one occasion that SO not lock it. He had a padlock on it that needs a key! (We'd been having a discussion about this since last summer.) I've had to explain it this way: if someone breaks in the front door, in the middle of the night, I'll be running out the back door in my nightie. How will I get out of the yard in a hurry if the gate is padlocked? ETA: we've got a 6' cedar wood fence, I know I'd never be able to get over that. I think he finally saw my point and left the gate unlocked.

And yes, that would be my reasoning also with getting the car out, to minimize damage.

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@Eager2Learn 

Once you make a plan put it somewhere accessible because you might not remember what the plan was if something happens.  You might have to rehearse your exit, too. 

[KaySD]

Nope, you're quite right, it doesn't make any sense.

To be fair, a lot of that is because nobody knows how to do what we are doing, because nobody has ever done it before. Lots is bound to be a mess. And probably most of the rest of it is because we each have our own ideas (and priorities, and experience, and information), so it's unlikely we will all agree about anything. I know, I know, all this is obvious, and probably not helpful.

I'm trying to coach myself to just accept the awkwardness and confusion as part of the deal -- the being human deal -- and  get on with my own life. So far this week it's confusion 1,437 and me 492. 

[aprilskies]

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@KaySD wrote:

Nope, you're quite right, it doesn't make any sense.

To be fair, a lot of that is because nobody knows how to do what we are doing, because nobody has ever done it before. Lots is bound to be a mess. And probably most of the rest of it is because we each have our own ideas (and priorities, and experience, and information), so it's unlikely we will all agree about anything. I know, I know, all this is obvious, and probably not helpful.

I'm trying to coach myself to just accept the awkwardness and confusion as part of the deal -- the being human deal -- and  get on with my own life. So far this week it's confusion 1,437 and me 492. 

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@KaySD, I hear you.  It is really confusing on so many levels. 

All we can do is hang in there. 

[aprilskies]

I tried to organize yesterday but honestly bounced from one area to the other and then I figured let me organize my linen closet which I haven’t done in a while. I want to go through my products and refresh my memory on what I have. Well, I found another new hair product that I forgot I bought.  That wasnt the only thing I pulled out from the dark reaches of my closet.  So many things I forgot about, lotions and potions. How can I still have so much after so many declutters and so much I forgot about, oy. In that moment, I am so glad I dont let myself buy a ton of products any longer. 

Lately I have been having an urge to buy something, anything. I havent gotten a package in awhile and I keep looking on my porch and then reazlize I havent ordered anything, LOL.

I am really getting frustrated with this whole situation. I was charged a 100 bucks for auto renewal of malewarebytes. I havent used them in a few years now. Well, I opened a ticket with them because good luck getting on the phone and no luck. I called my credit card co and no luck. I cant reach anyone, Yesterday I spent about 50 mins waiting and finally hung up. 
This is just ridiculous. Am I really going to be stuck with this charge?  Is this how it is going to be? 

I cant believe another week has gone by.  Where is time going?

i hope you are all doing well. 

[geezerette]

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@aprilskies wrote:

I tried to organize yesterday but honestly bounced from one area to the other and then I figured let me organize my linen closet which I haven’t done in a while. I want to go through my products and refresh my memory on what I have. Well, I found another new hair product that I forgot I bought.  That wasnt the only thing I pulled out from the dark reaches of my closet.  So many things I forgot about, lotions and potions. How can I still have so much after so many declutters and so much I forgot about, oy. In that moment, I am so glad I dont let myself buy a ton of products any longer. 

Lately I have been having an urge to buy something, anything. I havent gotten a package in awhile and I keep looking on my porch and then reazlize I havent ordered anything, LOL.

I am really getting frustrated with this whole situation. I was charged a 100 bucks for auto renewal of malewarebytes. I havent used them in a few years now. Well, I opened a ticket with them because good luck getting on the phone and no luck. I called my credit card co and no luck. I cant reach anyone, Yesterday I spent about 50 mins waiting and finally hung up. 
This is just ridiculous. Am I really going to be stuck with this charge?  Is this how it is going to be? 

I cant believe another week has gone by.  Where is time going?

i hope you are all doing well. 

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@aprilskies 

Oh, wow.  That auto renewal situation sux.  I always hesitate with "auto" anything anymore.  So often you get into a conundrum like yours.  Somebody has your credit card number and you're the one that gets stuck trying to change or cancel your order.  I don't even use auto-delivery with things I can get cheaper that way.  I order when I need them instead because I'm afraid of not being able to cancel when I want.  I guess I'm just paranoid.

You must have a large house with lots of hidey places to keep finding more stuff after all the decluttering you've already done!😊  But it's so easy to do.  The deliveries do tend to seem like presents after a while, instead of just things that we need.  It's weird, because when I have a lot of deliveries coming I get overwhelmed with them.  But when I haven't had any for a while, I feel the urge to buy again--maybe just to get a delivery?  May be.

May was going to be a no-buy for me, but as usual, I didn't make it.  Besides the few necessities, I ordered three things that weren't.  One ended up in the donation pile about two weeks after I got it.  The second is currently in my closet, more than likely destined to a similar fate.  And the third ended up back at the post office to be returned on the same afternoon that I received it.  What irks me the most about these is that I had already tried similar items that were a bust and I had vowed I wouldn't buy anything like them again.  Yet, I did.

So, @aprilskies, you're not alone.  It's a hard habit to break.😫

[aprilskies]

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@geezerette wrote:

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@aprilskies wrote:

. 

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@aprilskies 

Oh, wow.  That auto renewal situation sux.  I always hesitate with "auto" anything anymore.  So often you get into a conundrum like yours.  Somebody has your credit card number and you're the one that gets stuck trying to change or cancel your order.  I don't even use auto-delivery with things I can get cheaper that way.  I order when I need them instead because I'm afraid of not being able to cancel when I want.  I guess I'm just paranoid.

You must have a large house with lots of hidey places to keep finding more stuff after all the decluttering you've already done!😊  But it's so easy to do.  The deliveries do tend to seem like presents after a while, instead of just things that we need.  It's weird, because when I have a lot of deliveries coming I get overwhelmed with them.  But when I haven't had any for a while, I feel the urge to buy again--maybe just to get a delivery?  May be.

May was going to be a no-buy for me, but as usual, I didn't make it.  Besides the few necessities, I ordered three things that weren't.  One ended up in the donation pile about two weeks after I got it.  The second is currently in my closet, more than likely destined to a similar fate.  And the third ended up back at the post office to be returned on the same afternoon that I received it.  What irks me the most about these is that I had already tried similar items that were a bust and I had vowed I wouldn't buy anything like them again.  Yet, I did.

So, @aprilskies, you're not alone.  It's a hard habit to break.😫

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@geezerette,. That’s the problem with the auto renewal. I would never sign up for auto. It has been at least 2 to 3 years since I had them. Complete surprise when I saw that charge come through PayPal.  I thought it was some kind of scam. 

No, I don’t have a large house at all.  I think the problem is that As much as I have decluttered, I keep bringing stuff in and haven’t really stopped the flow as much as I have been trying too. So the problem just continues.  Right now, I have a few things to declutter but I am just not inclined to let a lot go considering everything going on until I determine what I really need or want to keep without making rash decisions like I have in the past. 

Yes, I keep doing the same, G.  The last purchases I made of clothing and sandals still sit here. I need to send some back although not sure if it is past the return window.  One drawback of ordering online, but it just happens that I ordered and everything closed.  I think that is what stops me from ordering that kind of stuff for now.  Not only do I not like returning things, I hate it even more when I have box stuff up. 

But why is it we keep ordering things when we know it won’t work out? Wishful thinking or do we want to will it to work and morphe into what we like or want? I have done that a few times.  For example, ordering thong sandals when I know the thong  irritates my feet and or makes me trip. But you know maybe the next pair might work out. Oy

[aprilskies]

Someone please back the cool weather.  I think this Summer is going to be unbearable. 

[Caffeina]

A big accomplishment today! Three underbed boxes that have been under our bed for over 20 years are no longer there. It was something I had to take care of immediately. We got a new mattress set that's being delivered next week. The new mattress is so thick I ordered a low profile box spring, and also a low profile bed frame. The frame is three inches shorter than the standard height, so no more room for the boxes.

They were filled with mostly tops that no longer fit me. Many of them went into two large bags for donation. Others went into an ottoman at the foot of the bed that I also thinned out. I trashed some items that had dry rot. A few items are still in one of the boxes, but I was able to put it under the spare room bed.

I'm starting to feel more motivated to tackle more of my excess stuff without waiting for something to force me to do it. Not wanting to leave it behind for someone else is enough reason.

[geezerette]

This is what I deal with every time I change sheets:

[just bee]

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@KaySD wrote:

Nope, you're quite right, it doesn't make any sense.

To be fair, a lot of that is because nobody knows how to do what we are doing, because nobody has ever done it before. Lots is bound to be a mess. And probably most of the rest of it is because we each have our own ideas (and priorities, and experience, and information), so it's unlikely we will all agree about anything. I know, I know, all this is obvious, and probably not helpful.

I'm trying to coach myself to just accept the awkwardness and confusion as part of the deal -- the being human deal -- and  get on with my own life. So far this week it's confusion 1,437 and me 492. 

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@KaySD 

This week has been particularly challenging.  The cheese has slid off our collective cracker.

Last night I had to find a place to hide.  I grabbed my Walkman, an Amstel Light and the dog, and I sat on the patio just breathing in fresh air.

That was my escape after this ugly week.  I felt better than I'd felt in some time.

And then I woke up this morning.