A thought about purging and spending - Page 4

Susan Louise · ‎03-14-2010

@RedTop wrote:
My decluttering efforts are based solely on the fact this house is full of too much unused, no longer needed stuff. We have lived on this property for 43 years; never moved, no downsizing, only one previous purge 6 years ago.

I have always been “thrifty”; not a shopper, have never bought stuff just because I can, or been tempted thru a sales pitch. I don’t relate to overspending/overbuying anything, or need to change my habits.

What I face with clearing out my basement is tossing drawers full of nails, washers, bolts, screws, etc that have been untouched for many years. Several fans, boxes of canning jars, totes full of paperwork that can now be burned, old rugs, curtains, bedspreads, a box of appliances that belonged to my grandmother who died in 2002, a box with my husbands butchering tools (we haven’t butchered anything since 1990), and lots of other unpleasant surprises. It all needs to be pulled out, looked at, and dealt with.

It’s been nearly 15 years since we moved the laundry out of the basement due to my bad knee, so I just haven’t been down there enough to really see what’s been piled up by my husband and daughters. That will change real soon.

@RedTop Sounds like a good plan! Sorry to hear about your knee. Having health problems sure makes things more difficult.

geezerette · ‎03-16-2010

@SilleeMee wrote:
For me the purging has to be done anyway. Getting rid of old, broken and unwanted things has to be done. So that leaves room for new, right? NO. For me this is the time to evaluate what I NEED. I am not going to buy something if I already have one. Granted, the one I own might not be the exact color or style that my heart desires but it forces me to say NO I already have it so I don't need another. I'm the kind of person who uses something until it's down to bare threads or uses something until it breaks. It's only then that I will buy a new thing to replace the broken or torn thing. Gosh I'm still using this old toaster that my mom had! It works like charm and I won't buy another toaster until this one breaks.

@SilleeMee

I have a GE toaster that my parents bought when they got married in 1938. So it will be 80 years old this fall. Not only is it older than me, it’s older than my husband—and it works fine! Well, I do have to watch the bread because the timer doesn’t always work right, but it’s the only toaster I own. I originally kept it for the sentimental value, but years ago when our own toaster broke down, we used it and never bought a new one.

Too bad GE doesn’t still make things that hold up like that old toaster...

SilleeMee · ‎05-22-2016

Wow yours is an OLDIE! Unbelievable that it still works. My mom almost tossed the old GE Toastmaster when the electrical cord broke. It was the old cloth-wrapped type. I took the toaster to an appliance repair shop to see if I could find a cord to fix it and low and behold the repair guy sold me one for $2. I repaired it myself and it's been on my counter since. That was probably 20 years ago. I have no idea how old my toaster is but I know it's at least 50 because I was a kid when my mom got it. I'm 62 now.

tsavorite · ‎03-09-2010

Oh boy! I just went shopping at Meijer's the last few days and for the 1st time in so long I can't remember when I got wonderful sales on Holiday Gift bags! Wow I got the big ones....beautiful at 70% off...also picked up some lights too. Some of the items ranged from .34 to 1.49 max price. I am all set now. Oh and today I got sucked in again....holiday candy marked down 90%! So yep picked some up....spent $5 on 15 bags of candy....all kinds....hersey kisses...kit kat...m&m's....and more....told husband he can take some in to work for everyone LOL! paid .34 to .38 a bag...great deal.

Now I can totally relate to many of the things others have posted here...especially the part about acquiring so many things and feeling unsatisfied! That is so true!! I do not want to do that this yrs like I did since last July to nearly the end of December. Heck just today I was at the Post Office with 4 returns! I to HSN 1 to Evine....2 to QVC....I STUPIDLY ordered some beauty products...got talked into the hype of Josie Maran stuff and oh boy what a mistake!!! I could slap myself silly!

I still have 1 return to JTV to package up....and I am on the fence with 2 more items I got from QVC. I bought the Luminara TSV candles awhile back in that vintage glass stuff Ivory color...but they are a pita! That glass stuff comes off and they are white not ivory so don't go with any of my other candles...I am just not sure but leaning on a return. The other item is so upsetting to me....I got the TSV Philips Sonic toothbrush...and I thought it would be a keeper for me for sure BUT now I am seeing damage to my enamel....my front teeth started to feel rough when I ran my tongue over them instead of smooth and I got a close up mirror and a flashlight...I can see it looks like I have these long cracks on the surface! Never had this before in my life and my teeth kinda hurt now...sensitive. THis one really upsets me....so ya I want to slap myself...all the return shipping is awful but wrecking my enamel is a nightmare.

151949 · ‎03-09-2010

I have been not buying very much -mostly just necessities for about a year now. I have a closet full of clothes - no NEED to have to buy -I have still bought a few things just because they were very pretty or I felt they would look good on me, so I'm not on a complete buying freeze. Anyway, what keeps me going is watching my money grow because I'm not having a large cc bill to pay each month. It's so nice to open my banking site and see that large balance.

151949 · ‎03-09-2010

@geezerette See my DH would have tried to repair that cord.This has been his thing lately - to at least try to fix things instead of just toissing them. We have found that many things , the repair is not all that difficult and there are u tube videos to tell you how to diagnose and repair many things - esp. small appliances. Anyway, it keeps him busy and saves us money.

geezerette · ‎03-16-2010

@SilleeMee wrote:
Wow yours is an OLDIE! Unbelievable that it still works. My mom almost tossed the old GE Toastmaster when the electrical cord broke. It was the old cloth-wrapped type. I took the toaster to an appliance repair shop to see if I could find a cord to fix it and low and behold the repair guy sold me one for $2. I repaired it myself and it's been on my counter since. That was probably 20 years ago. I have no idea how old my toaster is but I know it's at least 50 because I was a kid when my mom got it. I'm 62 now.

@SilleeMee

@151949

The electric cord on that toaster was replaced, probably about thirty or forty years ago, by my father. At that point, the toaster was already so old that he couldn’t find a replacement for it (it was the cloth-wrapped type too), so he took the cord from our popcorn popper, another oldie which we no longer used, and put it on the toaster.

I just know that my dad is smiling down on us every time we use it. Like many, he grew up poor and went through The Depression and WWII, so he hated throwing anything away!