Oh man, oh man. Lessee, what did I throw out during our move? Old magazines, burnt out candles, old perfume, old nail polish, half empty bottles, clothes that don't fit, earrings without a match (and funky necklaces I never liked), old purses, old hats and gloves, old pillows, take out menus, restaurant sauce packets, old mail, old manuals, old paperwork, birthday cards and old printed recipes I haven't made in years, lots of old cookbooks were donated.
Still to go, but not my stuff, old ties, old belts, worn out shoes, extra cords, movies not watched, cds not listened to. On the upside, my husband cleared out 40 years of medical paperwork stored in 2 six drawer files. That was a big job. We borrowed my parents' shredder. He sold or gave away a rarely used kayak, a leaf blower, ladders, duplicate books (the very expensive arty kind), pottery, chairs, etc. etc.
The escrow on the house closes today. We got permits for the pergola we built (without permit) and the installation of the portable spa (who knew?) and the escrow had been held up until these things were completed. And getting a building permit is no easy task. City Hall beat our asses all to hell. Warning: if your city requires a building permit, GET ONE. We ended up paying a hefty fine for flouting the law. The inspector was very nice and didn't get as picky as he could have. We met the basic requirements. We made several trips to the Planning Dept to get this all done. Made drawers, took measurements up the wazoo, reviewed code to make sure we were in compliance and would get our permit signed off. It paid off.
So we are done with the sale and much relieved. Yesterday, after the inspection, we came to our new home and took a refreshing swim in the pool. It was 82 degrees outside and the water felt GREAT. I think I'm going to be spending as much time in the pool as I did in my hammock between the cedar trees in my old home. Different and maybe actually better.
So, clean up your shit, people. Tell me, what stops you for de-cluttering?
I don't have much stuff, a few boxes of letters and photos. I'm not much of a collector of things. Good lessons here, though. I think I won't start collecting any stuff now!
ReplyDeleteGood idea! Even though I know I'll be here many many years, I don't want to start collecting either. Every 10 years, whether you want it or not, they come in and refurbish your apartment and send you packing to another apartment for the duration. Seems a bit of a waste to me, but I'm sure it's about insurance and safety, etc. etc.
DeleteYou sound as though you've been having fun! The thing which amazed me when clearing out my mother's house was the amount of old packaging which had been stored. You know how it is - you buy a new piece of electrical equipment and keep the box just in case you need to take it back to the supplier. Anybody want a box for a 1971 television?
ReplyDeleteoh yes, we had old t.v. boxes, camera boxes, box boxes and box box boxes. Jeez.
ReplyDelete