Not quite a horder - decluttering
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Sooooo I watched a show on the Food network last wekend about food hoarders. I am in the running for what they call a STOCKPILER. My kitchen is as clean as awhistle but hidden in the shelves is......excess. So I went into the cupboards again and low and behold. 30 cans of soup and I only eat one varity. So I buy the other varities because it looks good but I only eat soup when I am sick and then I want chicken noodle. So I left 1 can of the other flavors and the rest get donated to the Food Bank. I am also also a victum of sauces and jars of goodies that look easy and I never use them. Good example Williams Sonoma Pot Roast sauce. It looks great and is not cheap but there sits 2 jars unopened. Yet I just made a crock pot roast and never thought to use it. Am I crazy????
Well according to the show I am just a stockpiler. So there.
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I think we're the opposite. No real food in the house but every spice and condiment known to man. We can fix food of any nationality without buying a spice.
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Bunkie - I identify as a food hoarder and don't know why. No childhood depravation, hunger, etc. I have regular side/side refrig- freezer and small chest freezer. Both are stuffed and there are only 2 of us (DD visits only about every 2 months). I can't seem to clean them out. So yest. needed to cook, bought chicken and it is still in refrig. Is there chicken in freezer? You bet. I do have a goat bottle baby in house so it is kinda like baby (though no baths/laundry to do). I keep cleaning out things and finding lots of seriously out of date stuff. I craved tomato soup when I was sick with cold but none in house. Other kinds but no tomato. And I can't blame DH for that. LOL.
Wren - I did get the spices cleaned out not too long ago. Cabinet had them falling out so was out of necessity.
Food clutter is alive and well here and my bank account lighter (sigh).
Clutter of many other kinds is also alive and well. Can you say I just need to throw the old newpapers away!!!!! DH puts old bills, envelopes, inserts and all in huge storage box I bought for another purpose. Bet there are at least 3-4 years in there. They are all stupid stuff, water, elec, trash, nothing necessary. Need to bring shredder in and shred and watch TV.
OK bought new decorative shutters for house. DH opens one package, takes it out to check how to put them up and oh yes, you guessed it, too short. Could we take shutter out b4 opening it???? Now I have shutter clutter (one pair only, anybody need short shutter?). Will return 2nd pair. Hope he has measured the longer 4 pair.
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Wren - I took all my spices last year and bought two large containers of flour. Then I dumped all the spices in there and mixed it up. It was mostly season salts etc. Well I then packaged up about 2/3 of it in zip locks and gave it to my friends to use for frying foods etc. They are still raving and I have no idea what I used exactly.
Luvmy goats - you are not even close in the fridge dept. I have two upright freezers and my dads old icebox in the basement AND my new huge side by side. I live alone. If I was stuck here in the house for 1 year I would still have food. It is full of lean cuisines, ice cremes, frozen potatoes, pop cycle's, vegetables and God knows what. The other day I was at the store and they had roasts on sale. So I bought one. Yup I have 4 in the freezer. So I am making a pack with myself to shop out of my freezer for 30 days like they told that crazy lady on tv. Haha.
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Bunkie - I tell myself I will just open the freezer and use whatever is on the top. Never happens. DH's fav. banana pops were on clearance yesterday. Bought 2 boxes and had serious fear I would not get them in freezer. Just did. Not much to do with frozen pops like I could do with the chicken I bought and have not used. But do have easy recipe for tonight for them. Take 1 cup regular rice, 1 can cream of chicken soup, 2 c boiling water and pkg Good Seasons dry Ital. dressing mix. Mix and put in bottom of 9 x 13 pan. Lay chicken on top (I have 4 breast but usually use thighs). Cover with foil tightly and bake 350 degrees 1 hour. Uncover and bake 30 min. more. Sometimes have to add more water. Easy, peasy.
And I know about living on what's here. I also have a hoard of coffee and tea and sardines (DH would have to be in total food meltdown to eat them). I need help!!!!
Wish I had seen the food network program. Sounds like your flour/spices made Shake N Bake.
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Luvmy goats - I am cracking up. You are as bad as me. I found a bag of frozen thighs in the freezer so I may do that tomorrow. Got any ideas for thighs and the crock pot? Ok today I went down there to the frozen jungle and cleared out 11 packages of past dated veggies etc. and some freezer burned meats. I have enough corn to open a stand. Why would one person need 10 1lb packages of organic ground beef.
OMG I forgot about the coffee I can't drink anymore. Darned caffeine. That is in the ice creme freezer. We both really do need help. I will let you know if the show comes on again. You have to see it my fellow stockpile person.
So you have goats. I am about to stop doing cows milk and switch to goats milk. They say it is easier to digest. I have issues with lactose at times and have a sensitivity to cows milk.
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luvmygoats, Several of the office supply places here will do shredding. You'll go through 5-6 home shredders if you do that much yourself. Don't ask how I know.
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One of our TV stations has a "Shredathon" a couple of times a year. You can take up to four boxes of stuff to commercial place where they shred it for you.
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Golden01 that is a really good deal, 4 boxes of shredding! Free!
We paid once to have 60 pounds shredded, wasn't free but it got it done.
We are getting less paper mail so maybe the need to shred will go down over time.
Laters Ginger
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One year, my husband took our boxes but I wasn't sure he got the right ones. I rushed from work to meet him in the parking lot of the Shredathon and went through the boxes one more time to be sure we didn't shred stuff I still wanted. Maybe I am a hoarder. LOL he had gotten the right boxes even though I wasn't home to check!
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I'm not sure maybe its a "control freak" LOL
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LOL - You are probably right! We've been married 37 years so I guess it works for us.
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hah, currently I omly like my PJ's. I LOVE my pj's and can see why kids wear them to class. I would if I was 19 years old living ona campus.
It is so true about my closet, I have one rack that I go to only for an occasion and where we live occasions are are very seldom, like annual!
That is great on cleaning off the tops of furniture.
Hugs Ginger
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I was just going through my summer stuff. I go no place but to the store and the dr yet I need 10 pairs of white jeans, 15 pair of blue ones. Tops are way too abundant too with tags. What a waste of money. I am going to try to get down to 5 of each. Yeah right.
I went down my basement and noticed none of my dehumidifiers work. I have 2. The digital parts always break after 2 years and the warrenty is 2 years. So I have to dump them and get a new one. Maybe I will go to Sears this time. Their warrenty is much better.
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I have been looking around this house, and it is out of control...again. I need to get back on the declutter wagon.
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I spent yesterday reclaiming my dining room and living room. Feels (and looks good) this morning. I'm going to just relax and enjoy today. On to the other rooms later.
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Meece - It happens fast huh. i cleaned off my dining room table two weeks ago and now it is full of mail and stuff I need to return etc and old magazines again. I have that thyroid biopsy this week so I can take a handful to the dr office. Ugh. I was all caught up.
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After a big dinner yesterday my poor kitchen is in dire need of the declutter machine. I had decorated for Easter since we would be having children around. Now I need to pack all of that back up.
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What did he do?
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No! What did you do?
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Both!
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I spent all day Saturday trying to clean out more stuff in the garage. I did throw away some boxes and had a big donation to goodwill. I thought it was pretty much cleaned out, but there are still more boxes to sort or get rid of before we can pull the 2nd car in. Some of it was just empty boxes from Christmas. I haven't worked on the garage in several months, but it seems like the accumulation is way more than I expected. It seems like some of the stuff in the garage should of just been thrown out rather than put in the garage. We have shelving on both sides of the walls that is full. It just seems so endless.
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hot and cold - I feel your pain. My house, garage and basement seem endlessly filled with junk that we don't need.
I haven't been on this site lately and major health issues preventing me from doing household tasks seem to make the clutter worse than it's ever been. I find I need all of you to help me get to these tasks. I have to remember baby steps, even 10 minutes of decluttering a day would start to make a dent. But it is very overwhelming.
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suzwes - I can relate to the health issues. Have been going through them also. You are right. 10 minutes can help.
I felt good this week end. A friend came by from out of town and we spent all day talking etc. When she got home she called to say she had a good time and my house has inspired her to clean out her clutter. I must be doing better than I thought. The basement and more clothes from my closets are my last frontier. The basement is an organized mess of storage but it has to go.
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Suzwes: Thanks for starting this thread and for your latest post. I too can relate to health issues derailing us. That's whate happened in October thru March.
Bunkie10: Glad to hear your felt good and inspired a friend. Way to go.
So, I spent more time in the garage this weekend. Now I'm down to things I feel like I need to sell on e-bay or craigs list. Still not able to pull 2nd car in. I have a box of vintage linen tablecloths. I have some vintaqge bookends, silverplated trays and silverware and more. How do I get motivated to sell on ebay or should I just donate all this stuff?
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HotandCold, If you itemize, donating can be good for your tax returns. Be sure to look at what the average deductions are for your specific items. I undervalued our donations for years.
I also would like to sell some things on ebay but don't know if I will ever get it done.
Good luck
GInger
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Bunkie and hotandcold: Hope your health issues are resolving or at least under control! And yay for continuing to declutter.
Gingerbrew: Great reminder about itemizing the donations on taxes, we've undervalued ours for years too and I need to keep better track.
Teka: Woo Hoo a new bed spread. Love that Bed, Bath and Beyond store! I have a 20% off coupon burning a hole in my purse!
I did about an hour of decluttering this weekend - in the kitchen. It's so overwhelming that I have to keep telling myself baby steps!
Good luck sisters!
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Been decluttering out old hospice papers for storage. I think I need to keep them 5 years for documentation. Also stacks of old newspapers. I never met a newpaper I didn 't like. But recycling all but family/obit. sections. DH took large nylon leaf thingie like you put yard debris in to the school paper dump.
Our county had dump day 2 weeks ago. Got rid of lots of junk from garage area. County took in lots of boats.
Have to clean out living area. AC on the fritz and repairman coming tomorrow. 89 degress here yesterday and about the same today. We are the worst at maintenance. I am getting a journal and documenting everything we do to house/vehicles. And though DH does not so much I believe in preseason checks of AC/heat and that will restart NOW.
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I noticed a pair of brown jeans in my drawer. I only wear them to the animal shelter. But I wear other things there also, so these need to go to the round file. They are too tattered to donate.
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I had a bad water problem in my basement with all the rains. Never before. Thank God all my stuff was either in plastic bins or up off the floor. My old rec room is basically a big storage unit. Time to get on that. Bins of towels, sheets etc. Lots of ceramics I thought I would use. Lots of pictures and not expensive art work.
My walls in the furnace room really leaked and I now need to get a sump pump installed. Costly and messy work. There are also asbestos ceiling tiles that have not been touched and need to be removed.
I gave some thought to this and decided what I keep will go into a storage unit. The basement needs a lot of work done over the next year so I can sell the house. No need for my handyman to move stuff around trying to do the work. When my boyfriend gets here in June we will start going through stuff and what I keep will go into storage. That will clear out the basement.
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