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.