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#21
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Karlee, Karlee, I bow to your Highness of Packratness. You are truly the Queen in this area. Shall we send the folks from "Clean Sweep" over for a visit??? Cheers, Lynne in Toronto...prone to the packrat syndrome myself, and limited space accounts for the frequent de-clutterings. ................................................ Karlee in Kansas wrote: 1. I save everything. |
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#22
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"Karlee in Kansas" wrote in message
'the condensed version' 1. I save everything. My goodness I was over whelmed reading your post yesterday. You win. After that I felt the need to purge, purge, purge. I managed to get rid of 2 garbage bags worth of fabric and organized everything else. It's so loverly to look at my shelves, for the time being anyway. So I thank-you Karlee in Kansas. For if it were not for your post I would not have done that yesterday. Lili-off to buy some fabric for the empty shelves |
#23
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I decided years ago to get rid of "stuff". At least twice a year I go
through the house and toss things. My son knows that if I croak there won't be any "Hidden Treasures" There are a couple of old sewing machines but that's it. I have granddaughters so any jewelry that they care for is theirs, I plan on starting to record what I can remember of my life and times so the girls might know more of where they come from, but, that's about it. I have the knowledge that if I lost it all tomorrow (as has happened to so many in the fires in Calif) that I could pick myself up and go right on without a backward glance. Things is things--they don't mean all that much. You want to save belly button lint and old boogers---that OK by me. I save memories and love. RedQueen |
#24
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And I thought I had lots of stuff. (Still doesn't compare with DBF who
refuses to get rid of anything to make space for my stuff). But you win hands down. All hail the Queen! Maureen Karlee in Kansas wrote: 1. I save everything. I have class notes from middle school, high school, and college. I have the rough drafts for every speech I've given, and for every term paper, research paper, and book report *ever*. 2. The last time I cleaned out my purse, I found receipts that were 3 years old (the ones that you have to save for Lifetime Warranty's I believe are exempt from the packrat rule), gum that was so old I barely recognized the wrappers because the package had changed design 4 times since I had bought the gum, 3 tubes of lipstick that I hadn't worn in about 5 years, and an assortment of hair ties that when I tried to use them they were so brittle, they broke when I went to just put them around my hair once. I have my college ID (from 1995), my original savings account ATM card (the account has been closed for nearly 10 years), a library card that hasn't been used in 11 years, $3.48 in Canadian money (I haven't been to Canada in nearly 10 years), and every fishing license that I've ever purchased (that makes 11 of the buggers) 3. The first time I moved, I moved out of my parents house. Everything I owned fit in the back of my long bed dodge Dakota. The last time we moved (8 years later), we moved 7500 pounds of stuff in a 52' moving van. This is not including what the movers *wouldn't* move and had to go in the car and truck. We took 5 additional loads in the pick up truck. I still have boxes that are packed and we moved 9 months ago. Since the last move we have sold/gotten rid of/threw away/gave away the following: Housewares: 3 toasters, 2 blenders, 3 complete sets of glass drinking glasses, 2 sets of dishes, various pots, pans and Tupperware, 2 coffee pots, and roughly 20 coffee cups, 3 out of 5 turkey basters, 3 can openers, 2 sets of silverware, 3 comforters, 8 blankets, and about 12 complete bathroom towel sets, 2 shower curtains, 3 bath mat sets, 30 old toothbrushes (DH let me keep 5 of them for cleaning), two "wal mart bag" size bags of empty prescription pill bottles, 6 unused bottles of perfume, 5 table cloths, 4 boxes of toys that DS had out grown or didn't play with anymore or that he had broken, enough books to keep the most avid reader busy for several months, about 3000 pens, pencils, and markers that were either worn down to the nub or had run out of ink, 3 boxes of candles, most of them unused (I didn't like the smell or the smell had worn off), 9 sets of drapes, and 12 window pull shades. Clothes: 9 large TV boxes full. This included clothes that DS had outgrown and that I knew I wouldn't put DD in cause they were too boyish, clothes that I've owned since I was 12, clothes that were given to me that were too hideous to wear (IMO), socks that were either brand new and I wouldn't wear them because they weren't the "right" ones (I'm really super picky about socks) or that had been worn and were very ugly and didn't match anything that I own, shoes that were in perfect condition that I've had since I was 12 (I haven't grown since then, ok, maybe I grew out but I didn't grow taller), 6 winter coats, and 10 jackets. DH didn't have any clothes to contribute because he doesn't have a lot of "civvies" (he doesn't hang on to clothes the way that I do, and doesn't understand "fat pants" and "skinny pants") Miscellaneous: 4 complete fish tanks (had gravel, filter, ornaments, hood, and light), three sets of golf clubs (I kept my favorite set, it was the only set that fit me), 4 pair of golf shoes (none of them fit me in the first place, and I don't wear golf shoes, I'll wear tennies), 2 bicycles, 9 lawn chairs, close to 100 flower pots, 2 boxes of canning jars/pickle jars/mayo jars/spaghetti sauce jars that I had previously been keeping fish in, 10 flat sided fish bowls, 15 rose bowls (also had kept fish in them), various end tables that I didn't use anymore, 8 Christmas stockings (the fuzzy red ones with the white top...the generic ones), all the ornaments I bought at yard sales just so my tree would have more than 5 ornaments on it come Christmas time, 9 bags of tree tinsel (Still haven't figgered out why I bought it in the first place), 3 sets of pumpkin carving tools, a spool of telephone wire (according to the label on the spool it had a 1/2 mile of wire on it), various lengths of regular house wire (I scavenged them from when they were adding on to a business I worked for, and haven't used any of it), 4 coolers, 3 thermoses (we kept two of the 5 we had), 3 garden hoses, 4 lawn sprinklers, two rakes, 3 shovels, two broken weed eaters, 5 sets of Christmas lights that didn't work, 3 (gallon size) Ziploc bags full of bulbs to replace the burned out ones on the Christmas lights, 2 of the 3 sets of belts for my truck, 9 pictures for your living room wall (omg they were horrible), close to 100 wall posters I had been saving since I was a kid, unused folders from middle and high school, 3 trapper keepers from elementary school, an assortment of silk plants that I either hadn't used in many years, or had too many of (I kept my favorite ones), most of my "rock collection" that I started when I was a kid (I kept my favorite ones, and made sure to save one rock from each state I've been in), two Ziploc bags of Florida white sand, one ziplock bag of Oklahoma red dirt (from my second trip to Oklahoma cause I wanted to save it from my first trip {note the soil in Kansas is black. very black. I had never seen dirt in any other color]), two printers, various unknown computer cables, 22 telephone wires (that went from the wall to the phone), two broken cordless phones, 3 broken answering machines, a busted up beyond repair laptop computer, 12 phone books that are out of date, and an assortment of plastic storage bins that all this cr*p had been kept in. Crafts: (Yes, I parted with some of my crafts. DH pointed out ever so nicely that I don't use most of it because its ugly, or I got bored with that particular craft) 3 TV boxes full of yarn (I kept the yarn that is a WIP and I'm currently working on 6 afghans), pipe cleaners, 10 pounds of dried up craft paint, 48 paint brushes (that got replaced by new and better ones), a $40 el-cheapo sewing machine that hadn't worked since the third time I used it (I guess I had been keeping it for spare parts even though I had been given a really nice SM 6 months after I bought the cheap one), cheapy craft beads (I kept the good glass and crystal ones), sequins, fake pearls that I bought to replace the missing/broken ones from my 1st wedding dress, glue on plastic gem thingies that I had bought en masse for a Halloween costume and only used 3 of them, 10 more pounds of fabric paint that had dried up (I was into making home made shirts for a while), 5 dried up ink pads that I couldn't find the right re-inker for, 2 1/2 pairs of fancy edging scissors (the two that I got rid of didn't work right and tore the paper, the 1/2 was part of a pair that had broken and I was waiting for the other half to show up so I could fix it), and a trash bag full of fabric scraps that were too small to be useful (they were mostly under an inch in size). Various spools of thread in colors that I can't remember why I bought them, bobbins that didn't fit my SM, and all of my plastic canvas needle work stuff. Now keep in mind that a lot of what I got rid of I have duplicates of. I got turned away by the post thrift shop because I showed up with 6 trucks packed full of stuff and they didn't have room for it. I got a nasty gram from the trash company that services our area because I was throwing away "too much stuff" and that was *after* most of the neighborhood went scavenging through my pile (very common around here...if you want to get rid of something just put it by the curb and someone will stop and ask if they can have it). I still have more stuff than I have room for, we have a u-store-it unit off post that is filled to near overflowing. My closet is still so full that DH has to use DD's closet for his stuff. If I hang one more coat in the closet, the bar will fall down. One dresser for each of us is still not enough for my socks and t-shirts. I still have 2 wardrobe boxes from the movers filled with craft stuff. I have 3 recipe boxes full of recipes and the cookbooks have overflowed from the bakers rack to the bookshelf in the living room, and I still don't like to cook unless I can throw it in the microwave or go through a drive thru. DH is still trying to get me to go through more boxes and re-evaluate the situation to see if there is anything I can part with. I don't want to do that as of yet...it was traumatic enough gettin rid of the stuff I already listed. I haven't mentioned my tape and cd collection....it is a rather sore spot with me right now, as is my stuffed animal collection and hat collection. So. Can I be Queen of Packrats now??? Karlee in Kansas, ever so hopeful that she will now have a crown ~~ "Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind." -Dr. Seuss |
#25
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I am a packrat, but not as bad as that. I do get rid of old unusable
stuff. Except of course, cardboard, used wrapping paper, who knows when that can come in handy. Or old clothes.... those are for the memories associated with them.... I came to the US for the second time in august of 1995 with two suitcases. When we moved from PA 3 years ago almost, we needed to ship most of our stuff, minus the yucky grad school furniture, by truck, and we took the documents, the guinea pigs and house plants in our little Geo Metro. Even so it was hard to stuff the idem into the apartment we first rented, and now that we have a large house, it is quickly becoming full again.. I dread the next move! Diana Curtis wrote: I think after reading this list there probably isnt any one else who will want to own up to owning more stuff than you. You win by default! Diana -- http://photos.yahoo.com/lunamom44 "Karlee in Kansas" wrote in message ... 1. I save everything. I have class notes from middle school, high school, and college. I have the rough drafts for every speech I've given, and for every term paper, research paper, and book report *ever*. 2. The last time I cleaned out my purse, I found receipts that were 3 years old (the ones that you have to save for Lifetime Warranty's I believe are exempt from the packrat rule), gum that was so old I barely recognized the wrappers because the package had changed design 4 times since I had bought the gum, 3 tubes of lipstick that I hadn't worn in about 5 years, and an assortment of hair ties that when I tried to use them they were so brittle, they broke when I went to just put them around my hair once. I have my college ID (from 1995), my original savings account ATM card (the account has been closed for nearly 10 years), a library card that hasn't been used in 11 years, $3.48 in Canadian money (I haven't been to Canada in nearly 10 years), and every fishing license that I've ever purchased (that makes 11 of the buggers) 3. The first time I moved, I moved out of my parents house. Everything I owned fit in the back of my long bed dodge Dakota. The last time we moved (8 years later), we moved 7500 pounds of stuff in a 52' moving van. This is not including what the movers *wouldn't* move and had to go in the car and truck. We took 5 additional loads in the pick up truck. I still have boxes that are packed and we moved 9 months ago. Since the last move we have sold/gotten rid of/threw away/gave away the following: Housewares: 3 toasters, 2 blenders, 3 complete sets of glass drinking glasses, 2 sets of dishes, various pots, pans and Tupperware, 2 coffee pots, and roughly 20 coffee cups, 3 out of 5 turkey basters, 3 can openers, 2 sets of silverware, 3 comforters, 8 blankets, and about 12 complete bathroom towel sets, 2 shower curtains, 3 bath mat sets, 30 old toothbrushes (DH let me keep 5 of them for cleaning), two "wal mart bag" size bags of empty prescription pill bottles, 6 unused bottles of perfume, 5 table cloths, 4 boxes of toys that DS had out grown or didn't play with anymore or that he had broken, enough books to keep the most avid reader busy for several months, about 3000 pens, pencils, and markers that were either worn down to the nub or had run out of ink, 3 boxes of candles, most of them unused (I didn't like the smell or the smell had worn off), 9 sets of drapes, and 12 window pull shades. Clothes: 9 large TV boxes full. This included clothes that DS had outgrown and that I knew I wouldn't put DD in cause they were too boyish, clothes that I've owned since I was 12, clothes that were given to me that were too hideous to wear (IMO), socks that were either brand new and I wouldn't wear them because they weren't the "right" ones (I'm really super picky about socks) or that had been worn and were very ugly and didn't match anything that I own, shoes that were in perfect condition that I've had since I was 12 (I haven't grown since then, ok, maybe I grew out but I didn't grow taller), 6 winter coats, and 10 jackets. DH didn't have any clothes to contribute because he doesn't have a lot of "civvies" (he doesn't hang on to clothes the way that I do, and doesn't understand "fat pants" and "skinny pants") Miscellaneous: 4 complete fish tanks (had gravel, filter, ornaments, hood, and light), three sets of golf clubs (I kept my favorite set, it was the only set that fit me), 4 pair of golf shoes (none of them fit me in the first place, and I don't wear golf shoes, I'll wear tennies), 2 bicycles, 9 lawn chairs, close to 100 flower pots, 2 boxes of canning jars/pickle jars/mayo jars/spaghetti sauce jars that I had previously been keeping fish in, 10 flat sided fish bowls, 15 rose bowls (also had kept fish in them), various end tables that I didn't use anymore, 8 Christmas stockings (the fuzzy red ones with the white top...the generic ones), all the ornaments I bought at yard sales just so my tree would have more than 5 ornaments on it come Christmas time, 9 bags of tree tinsel (Still haven't figgered out why I bought it in the first place), 3 sets of pumpkin carving tools, a spool of telephone wire (according to the label on the spool it had a 1/2 mile of wire on it), various lengths of regular house wire (I scavenged them from when they were adding on to a business I worked for, and haven't used any of it), 4 coolers, 3 thermoses (we kept two of the 5 we had), 3 garden hoses, 4 lawn sprinklers, two rakes, 3 shovels, two broken weed eaters, 5 sets of Christmas lights that didn't work, 3 (gallon size) Ziploc bags full of bulbs to replace the burned out ones on the Christmas lights, 2 of the 3 sets of belts for my truck, 9 pictures for your living room wall (omg they were horrible), close to 100 wall posters I had been saving since I was a kid, unused folders from middle and high school, 3 trapper keepers from elementary school, an assortment of silk plants that I either hadn't used in many years, or had too many of (I kept my favorite ones), most of my "rock collection" that I started when I was a kid (I kept my favorite ones, and made sure to save one rock from each state I've been in), two Ziploc bags of Florida white sand, one ziplock bag of Oklahoma red dirt (from my second trip to Oklahoma cause I wanted to save it from my first trip {note the soil in Kansas is black. very black. I had never seen dirt in any other color]), two printers, various unknown computer cables, 22 telephone wires (that went from the wall to the phone), two broken cordless phones, 3 broken answering machines, a busted up beyond repair laptop computer, 12 phone books that are out of date, and an assortment of plastic storage bins that all this cr*p had been kept in. Crafts: (Yes, I parted with some of my crafts. DH pointed out ever so nicely that I don't use most of it because its ugly, or I got bored with that particular craft) 3 TV boxes full of yarn (I kept the yarn that is a WIP and I'm currently working on 6 afghans), pipe cleaners, 10 pounds of dried up craft paint, 48 paint brushes (that got replaced by new and better ones), a $40 el-cheapo sewing machine that hadn't worked since the third time I used it (I guess I had been keeping it for spare parts even though I had been given a really nice SM 6 months after I bought the cheap one), cheapy craft beads (I kept the good glass and crystal ones), sequins, fake pearls that I bought to replace the missing/broken ones from my 1st wedding dress, glue on plastic gem thingies that I had bought en masse for a Halloween costume and only used 3 of them, 10 more pounds of fabric paint that had dried up (I was into making home made shirts for a while), 5 dried up ink pads that I couldn't find the right re-inker for, 2 1/2 pairs of fancy edging scissors (the two that I got rid of didn't work right and tore the paper, the 1/2 was part of a pair that had broken and I was waiting for the other half to show up so I could fix it), and a trash bag full of fabric scraps that were too small to be useful (they were mostly under an inch in size). Various spools of thread in colors that I can't remember why I bought them, bobbins that didn't fit my SM, and all of my plastic canvas needle work stuff. Now keep in mind that a lot of what I got rid of I have duplicates of. I got turned away by the post thrift shop because I showed up with 6 trucks packed full of stuff and they didn't have room for it. I got a nasty gram from the trash company that services our area because I was throwing away "too much stuff" and that was *after* most of the neighborhood went scavenging through my pile (very common around here...if you want to get rid of something just put it by the curb and someone will stop and ask if they can have it). I still have more stuff than I have room for, we have a u-store-it unit off post that is filled to near overflowing. My closet is still so full that DH has to use DD's closet for his stuff. If I hang one more coat in the closet, the bar will fall down. One dresser for each of us is still not enough for my socks and t-shirts. I still have 2 wardrobe boxes from the movers filled with craft stuff. I have 3 recipe boxes full of recipes and the cookbooks have overflowed from the bakers rack to the bookshelf in the living room, and I still don't like to cook unless I can throw it in the microwave or go through a drive thru. DH is still trying to get me to go through more boxes and re-evaluate the situation to see if there is anything I can part with. I don't want to do that as of yet...it was traumatic enough gettin rid of the stuff I already listed. I haven't mentioned my tape and cd collection....it is a rather sore spot with me right now, as is my stuffed animal collection and hat collection. So. Can I be Queen of Packrats now??? Karlee in Kansas, ever so hopeful that she will now have a crown ~~ "Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind." -Dr. Seuss -- Dr. Quilter Ambassador of Extraordinary Aliens (change the dots for the real thing to reply) |
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