Where did all this "Stuff" come from....
I have been helping a friend of mine pack for a move. She came here from Europe about eight years ago with just one suitcase of clothes. She didn’t even have a car, she rode a bicycle to work till she could afford an auto. She lives on a teacher’s salary and nothing more. I can’t believe how much “stuff” she has accumulated over the years. Nic-nacks and plants are everywhere. She is working on her masters degree and she has a ton of books and papers. A small three bedroom house is now her pride and joy. Several men from church will be coming over this morning to help her get moved.
It got me to thinking what it would take for me to make a move right now. Oh my gosh, my head started to swim. With all my food storage, books, clothes, TF’s inventory from his business, papers and things from my business, and everything else we own, it would be a tremendous chore. I have been working on de-junking lately and it just goes to prove that we accumulate things before we know it. I still have stuff here that belongs to the kids. It doesn’t help that I am a child of depression era parents. Mom and dad didn’t like to throw things out, because they might need it one day. A lot of that has rubbed off on me and I have to learn to get rid of “things”. My house doesn’t look like one of those houses from “Clean Sweep”, but it can use some de-junking. I am working on it.
Update: If you are a fan of Donna Summers or John Travolta, you will enjoy this Thanksgiving Day song:http://www.msn.americangreetings.com/display.pd?bfrom=1&prodnum=3081495&path=25200&source=msne110>1=7368
posted by Lucy Stern @ 4:53 AM
21 comments
21 Comments:
I think our stuff multiplies as we sleep. At least mine does... I'm sure I haven't bought & carried in all of this stuff. I moved in July and am amazed at how much stuff I threw out before moving. I could probably throw out quite a bit more right now... stuff I moved & have yet to use or even look at.
Right on...Lucy. The Dudette and I moved in July after 17 years in the last house. I took 4 pickup truck loads to the dump before we moved. The house we are in now is smaller and I have stuff crammed everywhere. We need to de-junk on an ongoing basis. And, it can be profitable. I took some unwanted antique furniture and collectables to a consignment shop. The first call, was to tell me that they found $50 in an envelope in a dresser drawer. Call number 2: they sold an old clock for $200. I'm starting to like this...LOL
Cheers!
In my last move, I really did a clean sweep and got rid of junk. But in unpacking I am still surprised at how much is left.
I love de-junking. My husband and I have lived in (I think) 8 different places in the 11 years we have married. So instead of typical Spring Cleaning, I got into a lot of cleaning during the moves. Now that we have settled down for a bit, I look forward to the next de-junking session.
mine is like that too, i'm not a pack rat, but my husband is. we've been in this house for about ten years, i have boxes of stuff that has never even been unpacked. one of these days...
The side effect of moving every two years was to throw out lots of clutter. This house has been a record for us (over 5 years) so I think we're at the stage of having to get rid of some junk, too.
I was there to help box up the kitchen and living room. One of the first things I did was to break a piece of stemware as it fell from the cabinet into the sink below. "You remember how you used to have 4, now you have 3", I smiled and cleaned the mess up.
A little later while stacking some of those boxes I accidentally bumped into the glass top table, no I didn't break the table. "You remember how you used to have two very nice glass candle holders..."
I told her I now had a good idea of what to get her for Christmas.
I was able to keep from destroying any other items the rest of the night, all that is except my back.
:-) Know all about this being a frequent mover - each time I take what is important and leave the rest behind, but I still seem to have more and more each time.
May have to try those jumbo muffins, sounds delish.
I always have a problem throwing out the kids' stuff. Each little toy I pick up, no matter how small, has a memory attached. If I throw out the toy, the memory will go with it I'm sure.
That turkey tune is cute, isn't it? Somebody sent it to me in an e-mail a while back.
I am embarrassed how much stuff we have and our (my hubby and I)children have. It seems so wasteful. I think about how everyone used to say that nobody could afford to live off of one income and it was necessary to have two incomes in a family. Then I see all the junk we all have. Sometimes less is more.
I can't believe the name of your blog is Frugal Living!! This is a subject that I'm very passionate about. Years ago I started with the book The Simple Living Guide (Janet Luhrs) and it changed my life. Slowly over the years I began to purge lots of things from the apartment. Of course, now I regret getting rid of some of those things because now we have a house and I miss those Christmas decorations!!
One thing Ms. Luhrs writes is to imagine your house burned down and think about the things you would miss most. That helps me priorities what is important to me. This doesn't mean get rid of everything you wouldn't miss, it just helps you dejunk a bit. Unfortunatley my husband doesn't go by the same philosophy, though he is slowly learning to. He does appreciate our minimalist house and is learning to transfer it over to "his" rooms.
And I was just thinking how much I regret selling my copy of The Complete Tightwad Gazzette!
I'm so happy you stumbled upon my blog!
neonalune, I love the Tightwad Gazzette. They have so many good ideas. You could probably find a copy at the half price book store or find one on Ebay. Thanks for coming by.
It doesn’t help that I am a child of depression era parents. Mom and dad didn’t like to throw things out, because they might need it one day. A lot of that has rubbed off on me and I have to learn to get rid of “things”.
This is something very interesting about you. My wife doesn't like to throw things out, but it's for an entirely different reason. It's because she never had anything, and having stuff everywhere to her means that she won't have to move.
This is something I've been thinking about recently. thanks for the nudge. :)
Due to strange and hopefully nonrecurring circumstances, we moved 4 times since Ausgust '05. And I cannot beleive how much stuff we still have. I thought I kept getting rid of things... but there is always more...
And we have stuff in storage to unpack yet... and get rid of!
I think everyone in Montana has a depression era mentality. You don't find attics full of junk here because not only did they save everything, they reused it and reused it until nothing was left!
I thought my in-laws were crazy for the stuff they would make when they could just go buy something meant to do that. Hmmm... I reuse stuff now, too.
Gives a whole new meaning to "recycling" to this ex-New Yorker.
Lucy, thank you for visiting my site. I like your blog, Frugal living...that appeals to my Dutch upbringing :-) I will stop by again.
God's Grace.
We de-junked a few months ago, and the revelations were amazing.
Wishing you and your family a Happy thanksgiving.
I'm am going through a move right now...and you don't realize how much stuff you have till you have to move it! Heehee!!!
We recently moved and I found all sorts of things that I had been holding on to. We are getting ready to move into a larger apt(while we wait for a permanent placement for my hubby) and I can see the accumulation already just in the 15 months we have been here.
I've lived in the same apartment for over six years now. It's a small two room apartment that I share with a friend. So I need to de-junk often. My latest project has been my books. I have way too many books for such a small space. So I've started giving them away to friends and second hand charitystores. Some books I'm not able to give away, but most of them I am.
Mom, I just want you to tell them how long it took you guys to clean out just the garage. (6 months) That is really bad mom. Your next place to dejunk should be the office upstairs or as I see it the junk room.
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