Kitchen

[Snicks1]

I do the same sorts of things during Jan. & Feb., go through the house room by room, purge, organize and deep clean. 

I understand that it's not always possible when one is working. I retired 5 years ago and boy did I have a big, big job that first time around, lol. So many trips to the donations center, they knew me by name, lol. 

I also start planning my gardening in March, so I like to have my house clean and pared down by the time I get outside, because once I get outside, I am no longer inclined for the house work type chores. 

I also do much more cooking during the winter months.

Good thread.

[haddon9]

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@Carmie wrote:

I am not a winter girl at all.  The cold, cold weather and getting dark at 5 o’clock does not appeal to me at all.

i certainally don’t love cleaning or organizing.  Spending two months doing something I hate doing in the cold weather that I also hate is not my idea of enjoying anything.

I have stopped buying so much junk a quite few me years ago.  Now I don’t have to go through it and purge stuff I paid a lot of money for. I have no appliances or plastic ware or pie pans that I don’t want anymore. Why buy stuff and create a cycle of purging and cleaning?

i would think it’s time to stop shopping for things you don’t really need instead of being proud of yourself when you get rid of it.

I prefer to spend the dark, cold winter months reading or even traveling to warmer places.

No one can get me excited about purging and cleaning....no way!

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@Carmie . I'm with you on purging & cleaning in the cold dark months of winter!  I would prefer to read a good book and do a bit of traveling to warm & sunny climates!

[Mominohio]

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@Carmie wrote:

I am not a winter girl at all.  The cold, cold weather and getting dark at 5 o’clock does not appeal to me at all.

i certainally don’t love cleaning or organizing.  Spending two months doing something I hate doing in the cold weather that I also hate is not my idea of enjoying anything.

I have stopped buying so much junk a quite few me years ago.  Now I don’t have to go through it and purge stuff I paid a lot of money for. I have no appliances or plastic ware or pie pans that I don’t want anymore. Why buy stuff and create a cycle of purging and cleaning?

i would think it’s time to stop shopping for things you don’t really need instead of being proud of yourself when you get rid of it.

I prefer to spend the dark, cold winter months reading or even traveling to warmer places.

No one can get me excited about purging and cleaning....no way!

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Regardless of how much or how little one shops, one's home needs thoroughly purged and cleaned at least once a year if one is living a clean life. 

Some people split it up all year and do a little each week or month, and some people take advantage of a down time (for those in the north it is often the winter when outside demands are few, or work schedules are less demanding) to achieve those goals. 

Clothing wears out, linens need refreshed and old ones donated to the animal shelter or Goodwill, cabinets and drawers need emptied, washed (including the contents sometimes) and tidied up, the pantry (and the spice cupboard!) needs gone through and rotated and dates checked, the garage needs going through and the cobwebs and corners cleaned out etc. 

There is a 'one thing in, one thing out' philosophy that is very popular, but in reality, most people don't keep up with it, even when they believe in it. They get busy or distracted with other things throughout the year, and need some time to remove worn out, unused, and unwanted things, even when they haven't over purchased. 

[Nightowlz]

Well my BD is in Feb & so not looking forward to the big 60!!! LOL!!! I have been so depressed & stressed out lately.

Our 42nd anniversary is also in Feb.

DH's BD is in Feb.

Let's not forget Valentine's Day!!!

I guess I would say Feb is our month. 

It was really nice on the day we got married. Not cold at all for Feb.

[chessylady]

I live in California so by the end of February nice spring weather starts. I also start preparing my garden in March and planting in April. I have good intentions but really dislike cleaning and organizing.

[shoptilyadropagain]

I hate the snow, ice, cold and darkness of the winter months and it does NOTHING to motivate me to clean and organize (which I like doing in warmer weather).  I freeze from November through March and it's hard to get much done with an electric throw around you all winter.  

[Carmie]

@Mominohio   I am using sheets that are 30 years old or older and they have not worn out.  when sheets do wear out, I repurpose them,

My clothing doesn’t often wear out either.  I am a careful washer and mostly everything I own is 100% cotton.  I wash with cold water and hang to dry.  A clothes dryer ruins clothing.  I have three queen beds in my home and the sheets get washed at least once a week for all three beds. ( my grand kids  stay over on weekends)  I also have queen size sheets in my campers, and whenever my DH and I or someone else sleep in a bed, the sheets get washed.  I wash a ton of sheets weekly.

i also use a clean kitchen towel every day, sometimes two, so I wash them a lot too.  Often my kitchen linen cabinet is empty by the weeks end. When I wash a bunch of kitchen towels, I throw my pot holders in the wash too.

If I decide that I no longer need or want something, I donate it. Often I put things out on the lawn with “free” sign on it. It’s gone within minutes.

i take things out of my kitchen cabinets and throw them into the dishwasher to

complete the load, so my cabinets get cleaned out a few times a year that way.

When I vacuum, I clean the baseboards and ceilings of cobwebs.  

My pantry only contains staples.  I don’t buy canned or boxed food that needs dated, rotated or thrown out. We don’t eat processed items.  

i have a huge walk in closet for small kitchen appliances and very large pots and pans and roasters and canning supplies.  I have a lot of kitchen stuff, but I use everything I have.

My windows get washed often.  I can’t stand dirty windows.  They tilt in for washing, so it is easy to do.

I am retired, so I clean up as I go.  I don’t let dirt pile up or things to get messy.  My house is a dust bowl, so as soon as I dust, it is back again in a few hours which I hate.

I remember spending days house cleaning when I was a kid.  I hated it.  So, I just do a little something a few times a week and I have never had to spend a whole lot of time cleaning.  

Now the garage...well, it is not clean or tidy and it is not my territory. My DH uses it, not me.  He works on cars and SUV’s in there.  We don’t pay car mechanics to fix our cars, boats,or RV’s. If it has a motor, my DH can fix it.  He owns every kind of tool you can think of.  Our garage gets a work out.  I sometimes tell him to keep doors closed, because it’s messy in there.  If I went in to clean the cobwebs, he would laugh this head off.  One thing I have to admit, we have three cars and he keeps them spotless inside and out, but Oh, the messy, dirty garage!

i have to ask, why if the ladies are married do they do all of the house cleaning?  I get my DH to do cleaning chores too.  He loves to wash windows and vacuum.

[SharkE]

Thanks for the laugh. My husband would no more clean , wash, spray, shake a rug, wash a window then I would change a tire.

I see the men nowdays taking care of their babies in the stores, changing diapers, feeding, etc.  I saw a man in walmart one day buying feminine products for whomever. I thought "do men do that nowdays"?

Generational, is what I think it is.  

Thanks for the laugh, though.

[Carmie]

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@SharkE wrote:

Thanks for the laugh. My husband would no more clean , wash, spray, shake a rug, wash a window then I would change a tire.

I see the men nowdays taking care of their babies in the stores, changing diapers, feeding, etc.  I saw a man in walmart one day buying feminine products for whomever. I thought "do men do that nowdays"?

Generational, is what I think it is.  

Thanks for the laugh, though.

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I have changed a flat tire a few times out of necessity.  Sometimes,you gotta do what you gotta do.  

I have  also used that spray stuff in a can to fix a flat tire in an emergency. It does work.

My DH has never shopped for feminine products, but he has carried them upstairs and put them in the bathroom closet for me.  That’s as good as it’s going to get.

[ECBG]

I usually make big pots of spaghetti and vegetable beef soup and fill the freezer.  In the snow, dinner is often cooked on the portable kerosene heater.