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Respected Contributor
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Registered: ‎04-03-2016

Re: Declutter 2019: What have you purged today?

@ islandgirl67
Your post is in a place I come across often and it s great reminder—- hope to remember in 2020! Note to self, be conscious of what I bring in the home.
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Posts: 7,743
Registered: ‎03-15-2010

Re: Declutter 2019: What have you purged today?

@Mominohio 

 

I'd like to get rid of most of my cookbooks, most of which have not been used in 20 years or more!

 

My husband has VERY simple taste and so do I.  Prefer things without a lot of ingredients...I eat mostly steamed/sauted vegetables, and he likes grilled meat, so cookbooks are a complete waste now.

 

Not to mention all the OTHER books I'd love to dump.  I thought I'd found a source for donating, but their dropoffs are nonexistent.  Going to try again to move these dustcatchers.

 

DH bought hundreds of Readers' Digest Condensed volumes in his youth (read them all), but no one seems to want those.

 

If anyone knows of an easy way to get rid of ANY book please post!  That is a goal for 2020.

Esteemed Contributor
Posts: 7,743
Registered: ‎03-15-2010

Re: Declutter 2019: What have you purged today?

I'm trying to get back to decluttering and reorganizing.  

 

Started this morning with boxes of lightbulbs!  

 

Honestly, I don't know how we collected so many.  We do have lots of fixtures and have so many chandelier bulbs we could light a castle with them.

 

DH hates when I get on these kicks, but it's too bad.  Told him I was going to reorganize all our bulbs and he rolled his eyes.  

 

They are now neatly separated in two white laundry baskets and another small plastic organizer and stored out of the way in the bottom of his "magazine/supply" pantry.

 

Sigh, that's ANOTHER place I'd love to get into, but I cannot or he'll have a stroke.  At least all the stuff is on shelves!

 

I also have about 6 nice handbags I'm going to rehome, but have not found a good place to donate them.  

 

With a new year on the way, I feel energized to get rid of more and more things.

 

 

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Posts: 12,889
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

Re: Declutter 2019: What have you purged today?


@Witchy Woman wrote:

@Mominohio 

 

I'd like to get rid of most of my cookbooks, most of which have not been used in 20 years or more!

 

My husband has VERY simple taste and so do I.  Prefer things without a lot of ingredients...I eat mostly steamed/sauted vegetables, and he likes grilled meat, so cookbooks are a complete waste now.

 

Not to mention all the OTHER books I'd love to dump.  I thought I'd found a source for donating, but their dropoffs are nonexistent.  Going to try again to move these dustcatchers.

 

DH bought hundreds of Readers' Digest Condensed volumes in his youth (read them all), but no one seems to want those.

 

If anyone knows of an easy way to get rid of ANY book please post!  That is a goal for 2020.



@Witchy Woman -put them in shopping bags or boxes and take them to Goodwill. Our Goodwill takes everything. If I wanted them gone, they'd be gone from our house by 5:00 today. 


Why is it, when I have a 50/50 guess at something, I'm always 100% wrong?
Honored Contributor
Posts: 38,157
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

Re: Declutter 2019: What have you purged today?


@Witchy Woman wrote:

@Mominohio 

 

I'd like to get rid of most of my cookbooks, most of which have not been used in 20 years or more!

 

My husband has VERY simple taste and so do I.  Prefer things without a lot of ingredients...I eat mostly steamed/sauted vegetables, and he likes grilled meat, so cookbooks are a complete waste now.

 

Not to mention all the OTHER books I'd love to dump.  I thought I'd found a source for donating, but their dropoffs are nonexistent.  Going to try again to move these dustcatchers.

 

DH bought hundreds of Readers' Digest Condensed volumes in his youth (read them all), but no one seems to want those.

 

If anyone knows of an easy way to get rid of ANY book please post!  That is a goal for 2020.


 

 

@Witchy Woman   I had the same problem a few years ago, but the veterans organization I donated a ton of very good items to, said they would take books, "we know what to do with them," wonder what this means, lol.

 

I also have hundreds of cookbooks that I don't use.  I give DD only a few every year, she is young and living in s a small apartment, so don't want to over burden her so that she becomes like me, lol.  Her boyfriend does most of the cooking, so hopefully what I give her is useful.

Respected Contributor
Posts: 2,028
Registered: ‎04-03-2016

Re: Declutter 2019: What have you purged today?

@ Witchywoman
If you have a Half Price Books in area, they will take. Don’t give much $ but at least not in landfill.
Savers (Goodwill Type store) also takes for resale.
Honored Contributor
Posts: 12,315
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

Re: Declutter 2019: What have you purged today?

I purchase most of my books at goodwill...then take them back when I have things to drop off.

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Posts: 41,469
Registered: ‎03-12-2010

Re: Declutter 2019: What have you purged today?

I tossed a pair of 'what was I thinking' crop pants.

There are many elements: wind, fire, water
But none quite like the element of surprise
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Honored Contributor
Posts: 20,019
Registered: ‎08-08-2010

Re: Declutter 2019: What have you purged today?

It seems too trivial to mention but illustrates a point. 

 

I went through my sock and underwear drawer, got rid of three pair of socks, two pair of underwear, cleaned out the drawer, reorganized, and restocked. The drawer is full, not stuffed, organized and easy to pull out just what I want (and not have a huge avalanche of stuff come pouring out).

 

I've always done this, every year at this time. Years ago, the drawer would end up somehow fuller and more jammed than when I started. It tells me two things. I'm bringing in less of those items, and I'm throwing away things as they need to be. I was so tired of cleaning out a space, just to have it as full as (or more so) than when I started. I'm finally getting many areas of my home where there is enough. Full, but accessible and not frustrating every time you open the door/drawer. Now to get EVERY area that way!

 

I also cleaned out the medicine cabinets and cabinets in my bathrooms. I tossed probably a dozen things, like very old bottles of alcohol and peroxide, half used bottles of stuff that I combined and tossed the empties, etc. 

 

I keep a bag in my car with things I might need in an emergency. It has a blanket, some granola bars, gloves ear wraps, a change of clothing, a kit of personal hygiene products, extra cash, tissues etc. It's kind of if I would get stranded somewhere, I would have things to clean up, put on clean or additional clothing. I went through it and eliminated some things, washed everything and replaced it. I also keep a stack of magazines in the backseat map pocket, as I often find myself sitting and waiting on someone and like to have something to read. That stack had gotten out of hand, so I reduced it by half, some put to recycling, some in a donate pile. 

 

And I really didn't think I needed to go through my kitchen this year, because I just put it all back together after the remodel in late August, but I noticed my pantry cupboard was out of control with packaging I got with some QVC foods, Prindable apple containers for gifting, Cheryl's cookie boxes for gifting etc. I sorted through them, kept some, dumped some. I will be able to use some next year for gifting foods, the rest I let go. 

 

I guess I've started my 2020 purge early, and on a small scale. Gotta get than momentum built up! LOL

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Posts: 1,636
Registered: ‎05-22-2010

Re: Declutter 2019: What have you purged today?

Walmart Umbrella - Never used it.  I had been "saving it" as it had a cute smiley face pattern.  It's probably 10 years old.  When I touched the plastic handle today it was all sticky - I guess the plastic was falling apart.   Hope I learned my lesson to use things - not save them.

 

Window Cling-Ons and Cardboad Window Decorations.  Some no longer clung to the windows - needed tape to hold them in place.  Why hold on to those when you can buy new cute ones for $1 or $2?  The cardboards ones had discolored from age-out they went.

 

Plastic Check Book Covers:  Get those everytime I reorder checks.  Kept the best ones (about 5) threw out about 10.

 

Large 8 x 11 yellow large envelopes.   They were discolored, and did not look as though they would stick close.

 

Today is garbage day.  Felt good when I tossed the bag with all of the above, and a few other items, to the curb!  Smiley Happy