by I can honestly say I always have a To Donate box on the go – it usually takes me 6-8 weeks (sometimes quicker if I am being really ruthless) to fill up and drop off. It has turned me into a bit of a box collector as I always want to have one available – when I was working at the School District I was able to bring the paper boxes home which are perfect size but alas I’m no longer there so always looking for my next box fix.
What kind of stuff to I put into the box – you know it’s those things lying around that you’ll never use – really never use even though you think one day you might. That is what clutters our life up – we have this feeling that “oh sometime that might be of use” – well don’t kid yourself probably it won’t. I’m also a big paper recycler – not as good as I could be but when I went to college a few years back the instructor was telling us that 90% of the paper you keep you will never look at again. Makes one have a different perspective. I’ve went through a lot of boxes of clippings, art projects, articles I want to read and dumped it all. I mean really do any of you think Colton wants his art project from Grade 2???? No I didn’t think so either – I mean it’s all kept with good intentions – we all want to look back and remember our past but do we really need to keep that much?
So let’s have a little look at the To Donate box I have on the go:
It’s in the early stages of being filled up but I’m on a mission to fill it up! Oh you know there are things that you just have to keep – no matter how mundane they seem – I can sometimes pick up an object and consider it for the box only to put it down give it a reprieve.
The first thing pulled from the box is this book – Cooper received it Christmas of 2008 and probably has not been picked up by him since….oh Christmas 2008. Our youngest son is not a reader and even though it was lovingly given to him with the best intentions it was one of ‘those’ gifts that just get put down and never looked at again. I honestly try to give away as many books as possible – I’m a bit of a book-worm and tend to keep them.
What is the next object coming out….
A lovely, looks like sheep’s wool, pet bed – I am clueless to where this even came from but I’m sure I kept it thinking it looked so comfortable that my cats would fight over who gets to sleep on it – guess what neither of them have. Well that’s a lie – they have when I’ve forced them onto it (in a humane way…wink, wink) but nope they did not see the same appeal that obviously I did. Toss it out and don’t look back.
Ok first off I did not pay 12.99 for this movie that came out in 2000 starring Kevin Bacon & Elizabeth Shue – a good movie to see once….but not twice. It was one of those deals when you spend more than so much money they offer you what’s behind door #1…..or door #2 – well except you can see what’s behind the doors. I must have been in a weak moment as I usually don’t get rooked into these little “deals” but on this day I did. I’m pretty sure I paid $3.99 or $5.99 – you’d think I’d remember because it wasn’t that long ago. What makes it’s worse I came home and the kids quickly pointed out we already have this movie (back in my Columbia House buying sprees – remember those buy 10 movies for .01 cent – then you’re in for so many more movies in the next year at an exorbitant cost) – so this item was short-lived at our house and I scolded myself for getting rooked.
Arrggggg a Pirates life is not to be at our house! This plastic little toy is a remnant of my cleaning spree of Cooper’s toys before I left. He’s at that age where toys are not his ‘cup of tea’ – he’s slowly…oh so painfully slow….gone through a big toy box that has been kicking around the basement for a year. Now not because he wants to keep the toys but because he’s not into the task – several times I’ve considered just taking the whole box to the thrift store but Scottish heritage comes out of me because this is a box full of Lego…which is not cheap! One day I got up and dug into it myself – had to separate Lego from Kinex (a tedious task) and found a few little toys like this mixed in – after I had done it all (took the better part of a day – Cooper decided he wanted to keep the Lego cause he’d still play with it. Oh yah I fell hook line & sinker – that was 2 months ago and the Lego is still sitting exactly where I left it. The pirate alas had to walk the plank…rather quickly!
A stuffed toy walrus…I’m a sucker for stuffed toys but really what’s the point in having so many?? Oh I know I did as a kid have quite a few but think my Mom sold them at our garage sale when I was about 13 because they seemed to disappear….or maybe I sold them so I could go buy junk food….hahaha. Anyways I’ve come to that point in life where really they are a waste of money – I mean a few are fine but really we have a lot in our house (read into this – Chloe has a lot). This is hidden in the bottom of the box just so Cooper & Chloe don’t see it and pull it out. It was given to the cats as a toy which Tito did pack around when he was young – now he’s just a big fat lazy cat so I’m usually kicking it out of my way.
Last but not least the forgotten Christmas ornament. You know that one thing your don’t see when you are packing away the Christmas stuff – usually it’s spotted several weeks later and cursed. Now my husband being the handy man that he is – has built these huge shelves in the garage – they hang from the ceiling so that in order to access the stuff on the shelves you need to crawl up a ladder to reach the storage items. So when this little beauty was found oh probably 4 years ago after I had stored all my stuff on the shelves I decided to put it in the ‘junk’ drawer (that’s whole other entry for that topic) – and there it sat for probably 3 years!! Each year Christmas would come & go and I’d forget about the ornament until well after the season. Seem kinda lazy for not putting it away properly but accessing the storage bins means finding the ‘good’ ladder – we have a very cheap aluminum ladder that should be thrown away (that’s a whole other post on shit my husband keeps) – anyways finding the good ladder – crawling up it – and precariously lifting the heavier than normal, large storage bin down from a height above my head – putting this dollar store ornament into it and then repeating the lift over my head…I decided to finally toss it – not worth the broken bones!!
That’s it so far in my To Donate box – will target having it filled by the end of August – because you realize that once it’s full – it gets moved to the back of my truck….where it will ride around for who knows how many days. Usually when I go to Costco and have a whole truck full of groceries – open the back up and see the box sitting there will I curse myself for not dropping it off….
Cheers,
Shannon
Okay, you’ve guilted/inspired me to go through our junk drawers today. And maybe some of the kids toy bins. But definitely my makeup drawer – because I have a lot of stuff in there that I bought and never wear because, though it says it is perfect for green eyes, it really doesn’t look good by mine! Today, it goes in the trash.
My biggest hurdle though remains the kids’ art projects. After all, I still have some of my own school creative writing projects dating back to grade 6, or maybe earlier. Yes, it has been a while since I read through them! But you never know! I am getting better with our kids’ stuff though – I have been trying to scan their works of art so that I am only storing digital copies. Keeps the literal accumulation to a minimum, but fills up our virtual storage bins in a hurry. 🙂
Carry on, Smith Crew.
Ali
Oh my – the makeup/bathroom drawers – don’t even get me started!! You know how you buy that new product – because it is the answer to whatever is the problem…well get it home try it out once or twice and go – EWWWWWW….sounds kinda like your makeup story – well then you put it in the drawer because how can you throw something away you just bought (and usually paid an arm & leg for) . My mind says use it and don’t waste it but it never happens so I’ve had bottles of 1/4 used or even 1/2 used products just hanging around – getting hairy from dust…Eventually I have to throw stuff out….because the new unused products aren’t as dusty and makes my bathroom look cleaner – HAHAHAHAHA!