Hangers

Day one hundred and nineteen: Pile of hangers into the trash.

Hangers

Day: Pile of hangers into the trash.

Embroidery Floss

Day one hundred sixteen:
A large supply of embroidery floss, once used to make friendship bracelets, now in the garage sale box.

Belt

Day one hundred fifteen:
Belt and a purse strap, into the trash.

Batteries

Day one hundred fourteen:
Old D batteries from the drawer - into the battery recycling bag.

Vase

Day one hundred thirteen:
Vase from the china cabinet - needed as part of a gift of flowers. Out the door!

Mason Jars

Day one hundred and twelve: Two Mason Jars into the garage sle box. Someone buys still cans, I am sure.

Light Bulbs

When we moved into this house, it had a hideous industrial looking fluorescent light fixture that we never turned on once (because it was so ugly and because the bulbs were burned out, most likely). I took the bulbs out and put them in the garage. It is a miracle that they didn't get broken, since they have been in there since 1993. Now I find out that our village's Public Works department has started recycling them. - along with the CFLs. I've got a few of those , too.

Day one hundred and eleven:
Two fluorescent light bulbs and a few CFLs brought to Public Works for recycling.

Fancy Paper

Day one hundred and ten:
Fancy printer paper with red flowers on it - a brand new package - into the garage sale box.

Mugs and Mail

Another box from the garage - this time, a box of old mugs. These were mostly promotional mugs. I am not sure why I kept them - really can't even donate them.

I also sorted through a stack of mail (organized bills tonight) and recycled a pile of paper

Day one hundred and nine:
Promotional mugs into the trash. And a stack of papers and envelopes into the recycling bin.

Nostalgia

Got into the garage today. And I went through a couple more squirrel-chewed boxes. It took a little while to go through one of the boxes. It contained a whole bunch of things from 1984, when E was born. Mostly papers, like baby care brochures from the hospital, and ads for things to buy for the baby. But there were a couple ancient coupons for $.75 off of a box of Pampers (Pampers used to come in boxes) - no expiration date on them, but no bar code either. I might have to give them to my niece - I want to see if they will work.

But I found the best thing - the office baby pool that my coworkers put together, when waiting for my baby to be born. Arnie won - his guess was closest to the time E was born. He won $24.00! Couldn't happen to a nicer guy.

But I did find some things to toss - mostly old parenting magazines.

Day one hundred and eight:
Old parenting magazines and papers into the recycling bin.

Monday

Tired and kinda down today - no energy to declutter. But, I managed to find a spool of kite string and a brand new tape measure in the garage (not sure at all where the tape measure came from - it therefore won't be missed).

Day one hundred and seven:
Kite string and tape measure into the garage sale box.

Mapquests

Found two more inches of Mapquest printouts in my file cabinet. The file cabinet needs de littering, like everything else around here. Old mileage documentation from a job I used to have. Now, all in the recycling bin.

Day one hundred and six:
Two inches of Mapquests, into the recycling bin.

Boxes

I have a ton of empty boxes in my garage, along with some heavy cardboard used for harp-hauling. I can't destroy all of the boxes, but today I found a few that should be recycled.

Day one hundred and five:
Cardboard boxes into recycling

Ink

Found a brand new HP ink cartridge - and we haven't had an HP printer in years.

Day one hundred and four:
Ink jet printer cartridge - heading somewhere. Maybe a giveaway for the office, or maybe a recycle at Staples.

Sold!

Occupational hazard: sometimes I have too many dental things in the house - like toothpaste and tooth bleaching kits.So, someone from work was looking for some bleaching kits, and I happened to have some extras in my fridge. Funny way to declutter.

Day one hundred and three:
Tooth bleaching kits sold to a colleague at work (and, yes, it is legal for mr to sell them).

More Toothpaste!

Don't know where it is all coming from - but I found another box of 24 trial size tubes of toothpaste. And, unfortunately, they are expired.

Day one hundred and two:
Box of trial size toothpaste tubes into the garbage.

One Day Without Shoes

In honor of the day, I thought I might go through some shoes and donate them somewhere. But, I already did that many days ago. I don't think I can find any more shoes I can spare. But, I found a dress that no one can use any more.

Day one hundred and one:
Black dress - into the garage sale box.

Clothes

Went through a few things hanging in the laundry room - old formals among snow gear and band polo shirts. And I found a tuxedo shirt that has seen better days, an old choir dress and a hoodie.

Day one hundred:
Tuxedo shirt into the trash, choir dress and hoodie into the garage sale box.

Skateboard

There is a skateboard in the garage that is no longer used. 'I'd like a long board' was the answer to the question of whether or not this is something to hang onto.

Day ninety-nine:
Old skateboard into the garage sale box.

Phone Message Book

Years ago, we had difficulty getting phone messages to each other. So, we had a spiral-bound, carbonless copy message book. You'd write the message down and everyone was responsible for checking the book for their own messages. And if you wanted to, you could tear off the original and take it with you, while leaving the copy behind in the spiral bound book.

But now, we do not have a home phone. Everyone has their own cell phone and voice message system. So, the message book is obsolete! Kinda sad in a way, though...

Day ninety-eight:
Phone message book in the trash.

White Elephant Gift

Today I found a white elephant gift that I had received a few years back. It is a picture - a plaque, of sorts. I am not sure what exactly I should do with it. First instinct is to toss it in the trash. Seriously, I don't think I will give it to anyone as white elephant re-gift. It is just too peculiar.

Day ninety-seven:
Picture, for now, into the donation box... Maybe someone will like it well enough...someday...

Handbag

Cleaned out a large purse that I hadn't used in a long time. Found a few things that were valuable, but not much!

Day ninety-six:
Scraps and trash from a handbag - into the trash.

Running Shoes

When I get a new pair of running shoes, I keep the old pair around for a spare (or for gardening, working around the house, whatever). I hate to give up a nicely broken-in pair of shoes. Today I got a brand new pair of running shoes. Yellow ones. So, the purple-trimmed pair became the spare pair. And the old green spare pair hit the trash.

Day ninety-five:
Old pair of running shoes - into the trash.b

More Underwear

Really behind in my blogging - but the uncluttering continues daily, if only in small ways.

Today I 'recycled' a sports bra and some socks. Glad someone else can use them.

Day ninety-four:
Sports bra and socks - given to someone who will use them.

College Brochures

Day ninety-three:
Today I found a small stack of brochures - left over from six years ago when my daughter was looking for schools. Now that stack is in the recycling bin.

Bathroom

Day ninety-two:
Found more bathroom stuff: a couple old lotions, an almost empty trial tube of toothpaste, a semi-exploded large tube of toothpaste, and a couple other little things incant remember now - all now in the trash.

More Rx

Day ninety-one:
More expired meds, put aside for proper disposal next Saturday.

Checks

Day ninety:
Box of old checks from a bank account that is closed - heading to the shredder.

Manuals

On a shelf near the computer is a filebox that contains some computer manuals - for our first and/or second family computer. We bought our first computer in 1996, I believe. There were also manuals for an ancient printer. We no longer need the manuals.

Day eighty-nine:
Computer and printer manuals into the recycling bin.

Purses

I went through a drawer tonight. Found a pencil case and a glasses case that I can part with. I also found a couple old purses that I haven't used in years. In fact, inside were a couple rain checks from 2004, and an email from 2002! Truly it is time for these purses to go.

Day eighty-eight:
Pencil case, glasses case and two purses into the garage sale box.

More Garage Garbage

First thing - the half wine barrel that was in the garage all winter really didn't belong to me. It was purchased for someone else. So, the first purge of today is a makeup purge from the three I missed when I went out of town last weekend. Wine barrel returned to it's rightful owner.

Then in went through a couple more squirrel-chewed boxes. I found a little 'baby wrap' infant sleeping bag sorta thing - in perfect shape. It is headin to a grge sale. I tossed out a torn (thank you, squirrels) crib-sized mattress cover. Also in the box were a few old receiving blankets, a crib sheet, and a large flat sheet - now all in the garbage. An in another Bo I found a lawn chair cushion. It was in marginal shape, in datedvcolors. Now also in the trash.

Day eighty-seven:
Mattress pad, baby blankets, sheets and a lawn cushion all into the garbage.
Baby wrap into the garage sale box.
Wine barrel recorded on day eighty-three.

Paper

Back in town - and, of course, short on time. So today I recycled two inches of paper. Two inches of old map quests - documentation for mileage for a job I worked a few years ago. Good to get that out of the house.

Day eighty-six:
Twoinches of old paper recycled.

March 25, 2012

Day eighty-five:
Day off.

3/24/12

Day eighty-four:
Day off.

3.23.12

Out of town for a few days. Hopefully I will make it up another time.

Day eighty-three:
Day off.

Day eighty-three: made up the missing day on 3/27 - wine barrel from the garage returned to its rightful owner.

Water Bottle

Lots of water bottles (the reusable kind) around here. One new metal water bottle. Out the door.

Day eighty- two:
New metal water bottle into the donations box.

A Temporary Unclutter?

Dad is recovering from a stroke in a rehab facility, and his speech therapist (who is also helping him rebuild the strength in his swallow) mentioned that she wished there was a little fridge in his room - so she could keep some of his favorite foods readily available in his room. His diet is pretty limited right now - limited to pureed foods and liquids that can be thickened. And he even likes thickened water and soda and coffee. But a fridge to hoard his favorites (for when they don't have them available in the kitchen), or to keep things we might bring him (like his beloved pea soup from home - which will still have to be thickened), or to just keep things that should be served cold, like soda, cold, would be useful. And we happen to have a dorm fridge in our family room, not doing anything but waiting for someone who needs it (or waiting to be sold on Craigslist).

So, today's uncluttering is the moving of the dorm fridge from my house to the facility in Northbrook, where my dad currently resides and is recovering. This may be just a temporary move and the fridge may come back here someday. But for now it is one more thing out of my house.

Day eighty-one:
Dorm fridge out of the house.

Garage, Yet Again

Another freakishly warm day for March in Chicago (at 4:44 it is 84 degrees - but the wind chill makes it feel like only 82) sent me back into the garage again.

A couple years ago, before the garage was re-roofed, a squirrel or two or six ran amok in there. Consequently, there are still quite a few squirrel-chewed boxes. Some of these, the squirrels almost destroyed - clearly chewing right into the boxes and doing who knows what in there. So, when I get courageous enough to sort through them, I am always at least a little worried about what I might find.

So, box number one was a box from a linen closet, a couple homes ago. On top was an ivory afghan I had knitted years ago, and just under that was another less appealing afghan, in shades of blue. I pulled out the ivory one, hoping that the washing machine could get some of the dirt out - and then I noticed that the inside had been torn to shreds. I suspect the squirrel family had an enviable nesting materials the year this was trashed. The blue afghan, though, appeared to be in good shape. Now it is in the washing machine, most likely going to be donated somewhere. I do wish the squirrels had preferred the second one. Earth tones must have been in that year.

Underneath the blankets - several things. An old Clairol lighted make-up mirror, heatable rollers, and a shower curtain/liner/rings set were the highlights. Lowlights included a box containing an old retainer case with a bite guard in it, orthodontic elastics for when my jaw was banded shut after surgery, and orthodontic wax.

Box number two held three old blankets.

Day eighty:
Three blankets into the garage sale pile.
Mirror, rollers and shower curtain accessories, also into the garage sale pile.
Mouth sundries into the trash.
Squirrel-chewed box into recycling.

Bathroom

I was distracted today and almost forgot to unclutter. So, I went into the bathroom and uncluttered a drawer. Gone, now, are a couple nearly empty lotion bottles and sample toothpaste tubes. I also got rid of a few various old samples, and some 'scraps' that I cannot really describe.

Day seventy-nine:
Lotion bottles, toothpaste tubes and scraps - now in the trash.

Odds and Ends

Embossing glitter. I found two old jars of embossing glitter and I have no idea how old they are. I also found two necklaces, a headband/scarf, a wristband, two red cloth jewelry cases, and a mini backpack. I also found an old tube of hand lotion.

Day sevenTy-eight:
Odds and ends into the garage sale box. Old lotion into the garbage.

St. Pat's Day

Another 80 degree day in March, in Chicago (!), drew me out to the garage again today.

I found a box that had some sort of oil or chemical spill and thought I should investigate. Clearly there would be some things to toss out. Unfortunately, the spill, whatever it is, seeped into some sentimental things - a photo album (that I didn't realize was out there) of old pictures. So, I pulled out the pictures that weren't damaged and threw away the album.

I also found another box that had some moisture damage - most of the contents were okay, but there was an old binder and some American Girl dugouts that were a little soggy. A couple other odds and ends that I can't remember also hit the trash. But I saved my daughter's pine box derby cars, some baseball cards, and a recorder (to name a few rescued items).

And I threw out a lamp. Almost saved the shade, but then looked more closely.

And then there was a bag of 'vintage' McDonald's happy meal toys. I hope to sell these on eBay or Craigslist one of these days.

Wish I could have dug deeper today.

Day seventy-seven:
In the trash - an old lamp, and some water/oil damaged miscellany, and a damaged box.
To be sold: Happy meal toys.
Rescued: some photos and sentimentals.


To

Miscellaneous the Sequel

Again I ran out of time today - couldn't really purge too much. And I also realized that I am a little behind in the blogging! (Time flies.) But I did manage to find two more packages of notebook filler paper. And I came across an almost empty bottle of Clorox Kitchen Cleaner. So, the notebook paper will be donated. And the cleaner got used up!

Day seventy-six:
Notebook paper into the donations box. Kitchen cleaner used up. Kitchen cleaner bottle recycled. And I also got caught up on my blogging!

More books

Still finding books that I really don't need. Read them once, and I am not going to read them again.

Day seventy-five:
Two books into the donation box

Miscellaneous

Found an old orange and blue pompom. This was just collecting dust. I also found a glasses case, which is triangular shaped (and too small for my current glasses). And I also found a brand new, still in the wrapper, eye mask.

Day seventy-four:
Eye mask into the garage sale box. Pompom and glasses case into the garbage.

Paint Cans

Ventured back into the garage today, but with considerably less time available than last time. I quickly found four old paint cans, nearly empty - whatever paint was in them was all dried up. This is just how the waste disposal guys will take paint cans. So, it was a quick purge today.

Day seventy-three:
Four old paint cans, off to the landfill.

Rx

A dozen expired prescriptions, found in the bathroom.

Day seventy-two:
Expired prescriptions, set aside with others, waiting for the one Saturday each month when I can drop them off for proper disposal.

Big Day!

Beautiful March day today, so I went into the garage. The garage alone could keep me busy sorting, organizing and purging for a year. Time to get going on it.

So first I could two black binders on the shelf - kinda grungy and I can do without them. And then I found an old metal check file, full of very old cancelled checks. Some were written in the 1980's - the accounts are long-closed, the addresses were from three residences ago. Even the phone number (which remained the same) had an old area code (our area code has changed twice, since then). No need to send them to the shredder. And the file they were in was rusty. Then I found a squirrel-chewed box - old bottles of bubbles, yarn and fun-fair-type prizes (now considered choking hazards) were stored in there. And another squirrel-chewed box had some old smelly blankets (clearly moisture got in there). I also found an old SEDSRA Leadership manual, an old floor lamp glass globe and a plastic planter that were good for nothing.

Finally, I found a box of books - old textbooks that were damp, musty and out of date. Hated throwing away books, but these books had to go. I did, however, rescue an old book of postage stamps. I wish I knew someone who knew the value of postage stamp 'semi-collections' because this one might be worth a few dollars. Research - another job for another day.

Big day for uncluttering - unfortunately, though, only the tip of the iceberg.

Day seventy-one:
Two binders, planter, prizes, bubbles, yarn, lamp globe, and blankets into the garbage.
Checks, check file and books into recycling.

Socks

Fourteen socks - some all stretched out, some with seams that bug my toes, none in any condition that anyone would wan.

Day seventy:
Fourteen socks, into the garbage.

Cans

I went through the canned goods cabinet and found seven expired cans! Also found some expired pancake mix, hummus and mustard.

Day sixty-nine:
Expired canned goods and others, into the garbage.

Brief Bags

Today I looked looked at the closet that needs to be thinned. It's not that I have that many clothes, but there are too many non-clothing items taking up space there. So I looked on the very top shelf and found not one but two brief bags. Both bags are indecent shape, but I have not used them in many years. And they are probably going to remain unused for many years to come. So, they are now in the garage sale box.

Day sixty-eight:
Two brief bags, into the garage sale box.

Clothes and Shoes

Busy, busy day again. So, today's purge is a bag of clothes and shoes from Tylor. The items will be inventories and donated to a resale shop. Thanks Taylor!

Day sixty-seven:
Bag of clothes and shoes, off to resale.

Underwear

Technically, underwear that is in a drawer isn't really clutter - it isn't something hanging around, out of place. But today I got tired of items in my underwear drawer that no longer are worn. So that was today's purge. Underwear. No details here. Just got rid of some items that were taking up space in the house (in my drawer).

Day sixty-six:
Underwear into the trash.

Bills

Did my purge early in the day - and then forgot to post till the next morning(this will be back dated).

So, I went through the relatively current bills, junk mail that had been accumulating, and other rpapers that had to be gathered and stashed before an appraiser went through the house (I was going for that uncluttered look, of course). And I tossed away yet another pile of papers. Seriously, how many trees have been killed for the sake of sending me junk mail that heads back to recycling?! And still there is more ahead...

Day sixty-five:
More papers and envelopes and junk mail, into the recycling bin.

Borrowed Book

Today I finally returned a book that I borrowed from a friend months ago. Well, actually, I returned the book to another friend who will see the first friend before I will. But regardless, it is another item in it's proper place - out of my house.

Day sixty-four
Book returned.

3-3-12

Day sixty-three:
Two water bottles, into recycling.
And a microwaveable egg cooker, into the garage sale box.

Random Continued

In the laundry room I found an empty printer box. I assume it was saved just in case the printer had to be returned to the store. The printer has been working fine - no need to save the box any more. I also found seven packages of loose leaf notebook paper - wide ruled. We haven't needed wide-ruled notebook paper in years. And I also found a mini stamp set, brand new and never used. I am pretty sure this item was a bonus for making some other purchase.

Day sixty-two:
Box into the recycling bin.
Notebook paper donated.
Mini stamp set into the garage sale box.

Random

Today I found three random items to get rid of. First, an old swim suit. I thought I might want it sometime. But if I am going to wear a swimsuit, I am going to buy a fantastic new one to celebrate the day! I also found a brand new cell phone cover. Not sure whose it is, but it certainly won't fit any of our current cell phones. And i found a stethoscope. I have another better one, so I can part with this one which might be missing a cover.

Day sixty-one:
Swimsuit, cell phone cover, and stethoscope, now all in the garage sale box.

February 29, 2012

I spent a LOT of time cleaning today. Cleaning, as in scrubbing and dusting. For several hours. And the place looks great. But cleaning a lot means I didn't have time to go through boxes or paper or cabinets, to purge the house of non-necessities. But I did manage to come across an old sweater and an old pair of scrub pants that I could toss in the garbage. So, Happy Leap Day! Two months of uncluttering, now completed!

Day sixty:
One sweater and one pair of scrub pants into the trash.

Odds and Ends

Another very crazy busy day today. But I found a fragrance that is starting to change for the worse, and an air freshener that should go too. Also, I have two pillar candles that can be donated to the resale shop.

Day fifty-nine:
Fragrance and freshener into the trash. Two candles donated.

Off to New York

Snce I am sending my daughter's tax returns to her in New York, I am including some other things in the box. She asked that I send her some of her T-shirts, sou I am hoping that six of them will fit in the box. And she also asked for a blanket to be sent - hopefully I can find it. And I have a couple circle scarves that I made - almost spring, but hopefully she can still get some use out of them. After that, I am not really not sure what else I will fit in the box maybe more tomorrow.

Bonus: found the papers i was looking for. And while organizing those continuing ed documents, I found some more papers to recycle and shred.

Day fifty-eight:
T-shirts, and scarves, heading to the post office. More papers heading to recycling and the shredder.

More of Same

I am looking for some specific papers, so I sort through other papers in the search. And I still haven't found what I am looking for. But I have created yet ANOTHER stack of papers to be recycled and/or shredded. Unfortunately, this may have to continue for a while... Till I find what I am looking for. :-(

Day fifty-seven:
More papers into recycling and the shredder.

Clothes

I was gone all day today, after finishing my daughter's taxes. So, tonight I thank Taylor for sorting through her clothes when she was back from college. Today's purge is a bag of clothes from Taylor. I need to inventory them, but they are getting donated.

Day fifty-six:
One bag of clothes going to the tri-county pregnancy center resale store.

Bills

I went through some more old paid bills tonight. Since everything is now paid online now, I don't have to keep as many paper records. So, most old bills can be tossed. Bills into shredder bag. Envelopes and inclusions into the recycling.

Day fifty-five:
Old paid bills, out the door.

Scissors

Today I threw out a scissors that doesn't cut. Why do I have things like this in my house?

I also did more tax forms - for my kids, this time. Recycled more envelopes and statement inclusions. I could really cut my mail stacks in half if I just took everything important out of the envelopes and tossed the rest into recycling.

Day fifty-four:
Scissors into the trash. Paper scraps into recycling.

While I Am Going Through Books...

...I thought I'd go through my cookbooks. And I found four of them that I no longer need. The truth is that I dont often cook (at least with cookbooks) and should probably get rid of all of them. But I couldn't go that far. I had to save most of them. But there was a bonus find, in this purge: some family recipes, on recipe cards, tucked into the cookbooks. And the 'Joys of Jello' book from my mom, which is hilarious. I can't part with that one because of the entertainment value.

Day fifty-three:
Four cookbooks, into the donation box.

More Books

Went through yet another bookshelf today. I found six more ancient books. Paperbacks - read ages ago. I don't think I will reread them or lend them out, and they have no sentimental value.

Day fifty-two:
Six books into the donation box

Books

Today's search had me looking at my bookshelves. I found two used workbooks, four paperbacks, and an ancient looking book called 'The Fundamentals of Bacteriology.' This last book I had never seen before. I am positive I can part with all of them.

As a bonus, I also found a Harry Potter book that was purchased in London. Wondering now which family members' it is...

Day fifty-one:
Two workbooks in the garbage.
Five books into the garage sale box.

Bills

I went through a file box of paid bills - most were from 2010. There were a few receipts I needed to save, but the rest went into the bag of papers that need to be shredded. That bag is almost full now.

Day fifty:
More paper into the to be shred bag.

Some More of the Same

I found yet ANOTHER bag full of bags (leftover from Christmas shopping). I also found another file box full of things I no longer need - like payment book receipts from the orthodontist, requests for donations from various charities, and an old cell phone contract, to name a few. The bags are in the recycling bin. And the papers are divided between the recycling bin and the bag to be shredded.

I also found a book I had been looking for, for my daughter!

Day forty-nine:
Bags, papers intonthe recycle bin.
Other papers heading to thenshredder.
Book given to my daughter.

Yarn and EOBs

I went through 2 knitting baskets tonight. And I found several dull skeins of yarn that I want to keep. But, I also found 25 partial skeins - leftover yarn balls from past knitting projects. This yarn is now in the garage sale box, although some of it might be given away to some young new knitters.

While I was in the family room, I remembered an old file box that was filled with old insurance EOBs. I quickly sorted through four inches of paper, and kept exactly three pages (some medical records I thought I should save). He rest are now in the bag awaiting the shredder.

Day forty-eight:
Twenty-five yarn balls into the garage sale box, and four inches of insurance records, awaiting the shredder.

Pine Cones

I found a basket of pine cones. These were gigantic pine cones - six of them, spray painted gold and silver. They were in a hand crafted basket. And I remember years ago, displaying them at the holidays. I really like them a lot. But since I haven't put them out for several years, and had actually forgotten that I had them, I guess it is time to put them in the garage sale box. I may have second thoughts about the pine cones, however. But even if I do, the basket is definitely past it's prime. That is today's purge.

Oh yeah - I also gave a beanie baby (princess), that had been sitting on my shelf, to a sweet little girl who is in the hospital. Definitely my favorite declutter to date.

Day forty-seven:
Basket, into the garage sale box. And six huge pine cones, also in that box, but may get rescued and brought back into the Christmas decorations. And a beanie baby given as part of a get-well gift.

More Banking

Uncovered yet another old file folder full of old banking stuff: checks, statements, receipts. I didn't notice the dates, but we haven't banked there in years. Now, it is in the bag that needs to be shredded.

Day forty-six:
Pile of old bank statements and such, headed to the shredder.

Taxes

Had to get papers ready for tomorrow's tax appointment. A fun way to spend Valentine's Night. (Actually, it is REALLY great to get this out of the way - great once it is done.) So, tonight's purge is a batch of envelopes and statement inclusions that have been cluttering my files and the desk. There are more for tomorrow, or another day, but for today, that's gotta be it.

Day forty-five:
Envelopes and statement inclusions, in the garbage.

Expired

Went through another basket in the linen closet. Found five more expired meds. Mostly eye drops, they were WAY out of date. A couple expired in 2008. Now, they are all in the garbage.


Day forty-four:
Five expired meds, into the trash.

Papers

More old bank statements and cancelled checks for the shredder. Also found some old magazines for recycling. This is really boring, but it is more stuff out of my house.

Day forty-three:
Old banking stuff to the shredder and magazines to recycling.

Halloween

Went through a box of Halloween decorations. There was not much in there - my Halloween decorating has become pretty minimal, especially since I had no idea what happened to that box. But there were a few things I no longer needed from that box. A plastic pumpkin tray, a couple little fake jack- o- lanterns, and a jack- o- lantern candle are now in the garage sale box.

Day forty-two:
Halloween platter, candle and little fake pumpkins into the garage sale box.

White Basket

Got lost again in sentiment - but managed to pull another small bagnof recyclables (bank statementsold papers) out of the white basket from the crawl space.

Day forty-one:
Papers recycled

Crawl Space

And now for something completely different: the crawl space. This area will take months to sort through. There are so many boxes down there, I cannot imagine what I am in for.

So I started tonight with a basket full of papers. Yep, nice filing cabinet - a white laundry basket. In it are a lot of memories - an old car receipt, music programs... And photos! Found some photos that I thought were long gone! Hooray! I will be posting some on Facebook. Maybe here, too, if I can figure out how.

But this chore is all about getting rid of things, and certainly treasured photos are going nowhere. I did manage to toss out an old binder and a bag of papers to be recycled. Also found some old credit cards that will be cut up and tossed in the trash. Not a lot out the door, but had a nice evening of memories.

Day forty:
Bag of papers for recycling, and old credit cards and a binder for the trash.

Another Book

Long day today - out of the house for most of it. So, I found a book that will go in the donation sale box.

Day thirty-nine:
One book donated.

Mail

Got rid of some old mail. This was a pile of mostly junk mail - solicitations for credit cards, and holiday catalogs. A brown grocery bag, overfilled with forgotten junk mail, went in the recycling bin. Another small batch of statements went in the 'to be shredded' bag. Unfortunately, there is still more for another day.

Day thirty-eight:
Old junk mail, into the recycling bin. And a small stack of statements ready to be shredded.

Upper Shelf

On an upper shelf of a kitchen cabinet, I found eight coffee mugs, a plastic pitcher, a Tupperware snack container that had no lid, and a mini Starbucks travel cup - also without a lid. Two of the mugs are kinda cute - they are golf- themed, and a pair. They will go in a donation box. Everything else into the trash.

Day thirty-seven:
Two mugs donated. Six mugs, a pitcher, a snack container and half of a travel mug into the trash.

Coat

Day thirty-six:
Long black raincoat, in the donation box.

Batting

Went in the garage to find today's throw-away. I found a pillowcase filled with cotton batting that was used as harp padding. Kinda icky now, it was tossed away. And later when in tha laundry room, I found an old plastic glass that used to be part of a smoothie shaker. Also, now, in the trash.

Day thirty-five:
Cotton batting and plastic glass, in the trash

Books

Put a box of used books in the car, to be brought to Willow Creek Community Church tomorrow, for resale in their bookstore.

Day thirty-four:
One box of used books - out the door and ready for donation.

2.2.12

Found a box of checkbook registers. I haven't balanced a checkbook in years. And I found a brand new cell phone cover, still in the wrapper. Also found a little bag of Jabra Boosts - little earpieces that somehow boost sound. I have no idea where these came from.

Day thirty-three:
Checkbook registers and boosts: in the trash
New cell phone cover, into the donation box

Hat

Fishing Buddy hat, though it was a little sentimental and a nice reminder of those with special needs, it was a little fishy smelling. Won't wear it again. Now in the trash.

Day thirty-two:
Fishing hat gone.

Paper Products

Found a bag of napkins, paper plates and plastic cutlery in a bag in my laundry room. It took me a few minutes to remember where they came from - not the brands I usually buy. And then I realized they were my sister-in-law's. Leftovers from November, when our family camped out for the month of November at Northwest Community Hospital's Intensice Care Unit's family lounge. Someone was with our dad 24/7, and often family brought meals. So, we needed the paper products.

Day thirty-one:
Bag of paper products now in my car, to be returned to my sister-in-law tomorrow.

Kitchen Sink

Under the kitchen sink I found two birthed of metal polish. Not silver polish, which I might have actually used sometime, but moral polish - like copper and aluminum. I have no idea where they came from, and I have never used them. I also found some old Off bug spray, and a couple expired hand sanitized. I wish I had some place to recycle the chemicals - they have to go in the trash.

Day thirty:
Metal cleaners, hand sanitized and bug spray, in the trash.

Christmas Excess - The Final Chapter?

Today I finished sorting through the big green boxes of Christmas decor. This is not to say that there aren't more boxes in the crawl space or garage - I am just finished going through the boxes that were brought out this year. I am putting some things in the garage sale box: a snowman candle, a star-shaped glass candle holder, a tea towel, two plastic serving bowls, and some more outdoor light holders. I also threw out a bunch of wrappings, and scrappy stuff.

What was hilarious, though, was the old piece of newspaper I ran across - something was once wrapped in it. It was from January 9, 2005, and it was an article about our last governor who is headed to the slammer. In it, ex-governor Blagojevich's father-in-law was quoted, regarding his dear son-in-law: "...because he wants to demonstrate to the world that he is the champion of virtue and that no relative, nobody, can use the governor's office. He is going to be the best possible governor beyond belief." Bwahahahaha! Funniest thing I have heard in a year!

Day twenty-nine:
Garage sale bound snowman candle, tea towel, candle holder, two plastic serving bowls, outdoor light holders.

Kitchen Cabinets

Didn't have to look too far today. I opened a cabinet and noticed a container of soy protein. Since it has been a while since I made a smoothies with protein, I knew it had to be expired. Also found some expired calcium chews. This inspired me to check out another cabinet. I knew I hadn't baked in a while. While there, I found some expired instant oatmeal (I didnt like the flavors), an old expired box of fat-free Bisquick, expired cake mix, expired brownie mix, expired pumpkin bread mix, and a box to make potato pancakes that didn't have an expiration date anywhere. Also found some expired brown Minute Rice that I got at a race expo a while back.

Day twenty eight:
Expired dry goods into the trash; boxes into the recycling bin.

Random - Part 2

Found some long-forgotten items that I can definitely do without. First, there were the two workbooks that were filled in - went with a tape series that I got rid of on Wednesday (didn't notice these hiding on the bookshelf). And I found a candle that was burned down, and somewhat buried behind some books on my nightstand. And then there was an old Thompson Savings Directory - from 1995. This was a pretty valuable book back then, when investing in S&L IPOs. But those days are gone, and the book is long outdated. Four more items out the door!

Day twenty-seven:
2 workbooks, a candle and an S & L guide - all in the trash.

Random

Random clutter clearing today. I found a spray can of Magic Sizing. I suspect this can is at least five years old - even if I wanted to use it for ironing something, I wouldn't trust it. And I found the boxes for my last two cell phones. One of them included instructions and a CD. These things are now in the garbage. I also found a box of Christmas light hangers - and these are now in the garage sale box.

Day twenty-six:
Magic sizing and two cell phone boxes - in the garbage
Christmas light hangers - in the garage sale box

Jackpot!

Great finds today! First there is a CD labeling system. It used to be fun to make a label for mixes - or copy an original label, somehow. Now, a Sharpie works juuust fine!

And then I found two binders (with an inch of dust on them) filled with old computer applicationk CDs! Seriously vintage stuff: Microsoft Publisher 97, Encarta 96, Rand McNally Trip Maker 1997, Myst, Green Eggs and Ham Living Books, and a lot of backup software for a PC we had, three computers ago. We don't even have PCs any more. And then there is the disc for a printer from last decade. And I have to mention the SBC Yahoo DSL Installer. Now gone, I am hoping these items don't show up as valuable antiques on eBay!


Day twenty-five:
Sixteen computer CDs and a label-maker.

Clothes

For such a day as this: today I have a bag of Taylor's clothes - ready for donation. Thanks, Taylor!

Day twenty-four:
Bag of clothes, donated.

Meds

Tonight I went through the medicines in the linen closet. Without looking very hard, I found nine expired items - cough syrup, prescription bottles, creams. Hard to believe because it wasn't that long ago that I cleared that cabinet out. But I found more.

Day twenty three:
Nine expired bottles and tubes

1.22.12

Winter bag, filled with gloves, scarves and hats, is now a little lighter. Unfortunately, I could only get rid of two half pairs and one very ratty pair of gloves. I think I already purged that bag last fall.

Happy Chinese New Year - year of the dragon!

Day twenty-two:
Four gloves into the trash

1.21.12

Today I found an article of clothing in my closet that I barely have worn - a cardigan-type top that had lots of tiny holes in it. I cannot figure out where the holes came from. Moths? No way. The dryer? Not this new one. Did I actually buy this piece and not notice the holes? Who knows. So, it became today's item to get rid of. And to add to it, I found two t-shirts that are also holey - explainable holes, though. And I found two sweatshirts for the garage sale box.

Day twenty-one:
Two t-shirts for the rag bin
One top for the garbage
Two sweatshirts for the garage sale box

Dresser Drawer

Went through a drawer. Found an old bathing suit and two belts that are long out of style. I won't wear them, and neither will anyone else. And then there were two small purses and another belt that had some potential.

Day twenty:
Swimsuit and two belts - into the garbage
Belt and two small purses - into the garage sale box

Dental Stuff

Today I had to dig around in storage to find some dental tools that are needed for a group of dentists going to the Phillippines for a dental missions trip. I also found seven new sleeves of gauze they can also take, along with three bags of cotton swabs. And I knew I had today's declutter. And it was the best kind of declutter - the kind that leaves my house and heads for an impoverished area of the world to help enable a group of dentists to provide dental care for those in need.

I also found six more expired trial-sized tubes of Sensodyne toothpaste. Now in the garbage.

Day nineteen:
Seven sleeves of gauze and three bags of swabs heading to the Philippines.
Six tubes of expired toothpaste headed for the landfill.

Papers

Ohhh! Real out-in-the-open clutter! Tonight I went after a stack of papers - rejects from the printer. And they went into the recycling bin. But, since that didn't seem like quite enough (it really was a two second declutter), I also went after some magazines and other papers that were in the vicinity. So, it became a ten second declutter. Yay for time efficiency! And thank you, Taylor, for the easy suggestion!

Day eighteen: stack of papers and magazines - recycled.

Misc.

Just found some things in the kitchen cabinet that I haven't seen or used in years. Two mugs - one from a school event that we didn't attend (it doesn't even have sentimental value), and another mug from a broker we no longer use (and the phone number on it isn't even correct any more). I also found a vase that I have never seen before.

And because this just seemed so pathetic, I looked around some more and found in the bookshelves, an Interval International directory from 2005, and my iPad box, from May.

Day seventeen:
Two mugs and a vase - into the garage sale box.
And a directory and box - into the recycle bin.

Chinese

Chinese Palace (great local Chinese carry-out restaurant) uses nice, round containers for their chicken almond din and moo goo guy pan, and the like. I save them, sometimes, to store leftovers. It is amazing that I only have eleven of these containers. Eleven bottoms, twelve lids. Now I have none (until the next time we order Chinese).

Day sixteen: a dozen or so Chinese take-out containers, now in the recycle bin.

Tapes

Day fifteen: 16 cassette tapes. Gone.

Christmas Excess - Part IV

I think I am through the Christmas boxes now. Today, I uncovered a small box of ornaments that I am parting with, and another strand of lights that is half burned out.

I now think that everything that I have only saved my fa orites - and a few sentimentals that maybe aren't my favorites... And a few things for my daughhters. I am pretty sure that the four boxes are now down to three - and maybe with careful packing, two. Well, two plus the wrap, tree stand and wreath box. Sigh...


Day fourteen: another strand of lights recycled, and a box of ornaments donated.

Christmas Excess - Part III

Day thirteen:

Santa salt and pepper shakers
Three ceramic angels
Candle holder

This process should be going faster...

1.12.12

My plantar fasciitis boot has become part of the scenery in my bedroom. It has been sitting on top of the book case for so long that I don't even see it any more. But today I noticed it. And today it is gone.

Day twelve: plantar fasciitis boot given to JoAnn. Or given to the resale shop, if she changes her mind about wanting it.

1.11.12

Day eleven:
Two old moisturizers
An old eye cream
An old foundation
Two samples that I could not identify

All in the trash.

Christmas Excess - Part II

This Christmas stuff might take a while.

Took down the lights outside, and found one strand that needs to be recycled.

Then, I started going through the boxes. Didn't get too far, but did manage to find six place mats and five green cloth napkins that will be put in the garage sale box. I also am parting with two cookie tins, and four Spode glasses. I love the Spode Christmas tree pattern, but never really continued to collect it. So, it is time to go.

Day ten - six place mats, five napkins, four Spode glasses, two cookie tins and one light strand. And a partridge in a pear tree.

Christmas Excess - Part I

I have four large green 'Tupperware' boxes, filled with Christmas decorations. And then there are the decorations that don't fit in the boxes. Every year I say I am going to sort through the boxes - I keep storing items I no longer love. But by the end of the holidays, I simply have no energy to sort through it all. Well, this is the year. It may take a few days.

So today, I went through the lights. Before Christmas, I identified two strands that had issues. Tonight I tested the rest of the lights in the box and found two more strands. And I am pretty sure a couple strands that are still on the bushes have issues. I will tackle those outdoor lights tomorrow.

Ordinarily, these burnt out strands would go in the garbage and then on to a landfill. But this year our town has a recycling program going on.

Day nine: Four strands of partially burnt out Christmas lights - recycled.

Closet Clutter

Dug through a pile of shoes on the floor of my closet today. And I found 5-1/2 pairs of shoes that I can do without. One pair I still liked, but they were worn out. One of many pairs of black shoes that I own - I will miss them. Two pairs were just plain ugly. Another pair was just too small. And then there was the pair of work boots that I haven't worn in years. And a single flip flop. A single flip flop! Wonder when and where the match will show up.

Couldn't decide about a few other pairs. Purging for another day, perhaps.

Tomorrow, I am hoping for some substantial progress - attacking the Christmas boxes.

Day eight: Five and a half pairs of shoes. Gone. Yay!

Dresser

No time today. No time to declutter; no time to blog. So I just hit the dresser clutter. Scraps, receipts, little lotion bottles, paycheck stubs, clothing price tags, old business cards... Things that just accumulated on my dresser. Now all gone.

Day seven: dresser clutter - into the garbage.

Bag Lady

Apparently, I am a bag lady. After clearing the bags out from under my kitchen sink, I thought that the bags were under control. I was wrong. There were two more large bags taking up space in my laundry room. Mostly gift bags, but also, there were shopping bags, and plastic bags. And now two large bags filled with bags is just one small bag, filled with a few of my favorite gift bags, in perfect condition. My cousin once had a garage sale, and she said her bag of bags for sale was a big hit.

Day six: bags recycled, bags in the garage sale box, bags set aside for garage sale purchases, and a few bags saved for me.

It's a Wrap

Time to start putting Christmas decorations. Over the years, the decorating has been simplified, but the number of boxes to sort through to find the favorites has remained constant - maybe even grown. So instead of quickly stashing away the candles and ornaments, I will painstakingly go through each box and finally part with items that haven't been displayed in years.

This process will take a little time. I hope to be finished by Sunday. So tonight I sorted through the gift wrap, bows, boxes and bags.

Day five: Gift boxes and bags recycled, crushed bows tossed, partial and full rolls of gift wrap (and several flats) into the garage sale box, keeping only my favorites. A box and a bag of wrappings is now just a single box full.

Flashlights

In the kitchen cabinet sits two ginormous yellow flashlights. I cannot say when they were last used. Certainly not in this millennium. Most likely this is because the batteries they take are nearly the size of, and therefore probably cost as much as, a car battery. I can't recall whether or not stores carry these kind of batteries - once the original batteries died, I never tried to replace them. Never even looked for them. But someone else might love these big ol' flashlights. So, into the donation box they go.

Day four: two flashlight lanterns - into the donation box.

Smile

As a dentist, from time to time I am sent samples. Rarely am I sent free toothbrushes (dentists have to pay for those toothbrushes they give you at your visit - and the good ones aren't cheap). But sometimes I get toothpaste samples. And as a very part-time dentist, I often can't use all the samples I am sent. So, sometimes family members or friends get the excess. But once I wanted to donate the extras to a food pantry. What an absurd surprise to learn that our local food pantries will only take full-sized hygiene items. And they won't substitute three or four sample sizes for one large tube. So, I had travel-sized toothpaste sitting in my bathroom cabinet - and then they became expired toothpaste samples, cluttering my cabinet.

I have since learned that Willow Creek Community Church, whose food pantry serves 6,000 families each month, is not fussy about toothpaste sizes. They will receive any future abundance.

Day three: six dozen (minus one) expired, travel-sized toothpaste into the garbage bin.

1.2.12

The bags under the kitchen sink have somehow multiplied themselves. To the point of ridiculous. They have squished themselves together until many are wrinkled, torn and mangled. In no condition to be usable. I was able to rescue a few of them.

Day two: recycled a bag of bags. The remaining bags can now breathe easier.

Day One 2012

This blog is my accountability piece. I will, this year, be simplifying my life by decluttering. Desks, closets, cabinets, book shelves, countertops - no space is safe. Each day of this year, I will throw out, give away, sell, donate, recycle at least one thing from my home. This blog is my documentation. Many days, the effort will be small. My life is on overloaded right now. But hopefully there will be many days where the effort is significant. And in the end, my living environment will be changed for the better. Not too sure what I will write about, but I will keep track of the progress here. And because today, New Year's Day, I am exhausted from a New Year's Eve trip to the emergency room, I will simply record what I am parting with. I have just got to get some sleep.

Day one: recycled 10 (count 'em) telephone/yellow pages books. Can't believe I still had that many - and embarrassingly, there are still more for another day. That is just all I could carry in one trip. Off to a good start!