Tuesday, July 1, 2014

i'm on a mission

I have been on a real getting-rid-of-stuff binge. I think I was inspired by a friend
of mine who just moved...she threw a lot of stuff out while she was packing up
her house. Nothing like moving to make you realize you've accumulated and held
 on to far too many things. So far, I've gone through my bins of household decor 
and have six bags of stuff for donation - and that doesn't include the two bags
 I've already taken to Goodwill! 

Today I moved on to the freezer. This upright freezer has been in our basement
for nine years. With it just being Brian and I living here now, this freezer hardly
had anything in it. Just a waste of space and electricity. So I cleaned it out and
it's going up for sale on a local Facebook page.


 I took the few things from the upright freezer and everything out of the small
kitchen freezer and laid it all out on the kitchen table according to meat, bread,
veggies, nuts, grains, etc. so that I could put like items together in the freezer.
 Side note: see that 3 Musketeers bar near the back, left? That's not for me or Brian
 (neither one of us eat those)...it's for mice! We sometimes get mice in our basement 
and I read that mice love chocolate, especially 3 Musketeers candy.  Go figure, right?
 It's certainly worth a try next time we set traps.


 At first I didn't think everything would fit in the small freezer...
but it did. Good thing we aren't big meat eaters.


Speaking of my friend who moved, this is one of my best friends...and she's lived
only a few blocks away from me for many years. She's now over an hour drive
due to a new job. While I'm very happy for her (new job - and a great one!, new
house, new car, dumped the boyfriend, lol), I'm really going to miss seeing her often.
I helped her move into her new townhouse this past weekend and was really impressed
by her new digs. This is the open living and dining room space. You can't see it
in the photo, but there's a beautiful bay window in front of her table and chairs. I love
the two small windows flanking the fireplace. I told her she needs some little plants
in those windows. Her cat, Vieve made himself right at home. The other cat, Barnaby
was terrified and hid under the nightstand in my friend's bedroom all day. Oh - her
bedroom is bigger than my master bedroom and has a walk-in closet the size
of a small bedroom! Her place also has a basement, garage, and a community
workout room and pool. I think she's going to be very happy here.


I'm now back to the basement and back to work. Next order of business is
going through more household decor (tchotchkes, glassware, dishes) lining
the shelving units. Have a beautiful day! 

Sharing with Cozy Little House - Tweak it Tuesday.


26 comments:

  1. You must have the bug I had during Lent....when I did the 40 bag challenge. It's amazing how much we accumulate. Good idea on the freezer....a waste of energy if you aren't fully using it. Now, about that 3 Musketeers....is that the real story...or are you teasing us?
    Balisha

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    Replies
    1. Honestly, it's the real story! Neither myself nor Brian even like 3 Musketeers!

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  2. I wish you well with your decluttering plan! I find it very therapeutic to go through the whole house from top to bottom every so often and get rid of anything that I don't want or don't need, and like you I try and rehome as much as possible at the charity shop or in other ways. Of course I usually end up bringing new to me things home from the charity shop after I have made my donation, but always far far less than I took into them! I hope that your friend is very happy in her new home and that everything works out really well for her, you will still keep in touch I am sure! xx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The main living areas of my house don't need purging...it's my basement. I'm not thrifting nearly as much as I used to either. Oh, you bet I will keep in touch with my friend...we will still see each other on some weekends. I will drive out there or she will drive out here.

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  3. Good for you! I could do without our chest freezer, except when we have company.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I don't entertain often and when I do, it's just a small crowd - so we should be OK.

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  4. Oh Melanie - why is everyone purging? Guess you all are trying to make me feel guilty! NOT WORKING!!! LOL I just can't force myself to turn loose of stuff I know I'm going to need down the line. Good for you tho! Our chest freezer is empty in the garage. When there are only two, you can't hardly justify filling a freezer other than the one in the house.

    Judy

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Not trying to make you feel guilty at all, Judy! Everyone is different. If hanging on to your stuff makes you happy, then that's your prerogative. :-)

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  5. Melanie, Please send some of your energy to me.

    Debbi

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  6. Toss, throw out, dump, ditch, discard, donate...any way you say it, it feels GOOD!! And not only re: our overstocked, cramped homes, but our brains, as well - getting rid of all that 'stuffiness', makes room for new ideas, a lightened heart and fresher outlook! Have fun!

    Happy July 4th, Melanie!

    Poppy

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  7. I constantly rid of things; I fill a box few times a year and send them to my relatives overseas, give them to charities and sometimes sell them in the market. But I've noticed I collect more than I dispose. I feel liberated when I toss things whichever way. It's good to have friends close by.
    Hope your friend settles in comfortably in her new home. Thanks for visiting Mel. And yes we are lucky to have mild winter. Hope you have a good weekend.
    Blessings,
    Aida

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I wish I had luck with selling my things - I've tried many different ways. So off to the charity shops it goes.

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  8. Good for you, Melanie. You're doing great with this process. It's too bad I can't buy your freezer from you; I'm just starting to feel like I might need on while you're moving on from needing yours. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The freezer definitely is a nice thing to have when you still have children at home, so you keep more food in the house!

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  9. Sounds like you're on a roll, Melanie. It feels so good to clean out storage areas.
    Mary Alice

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I still have a long way to go, but it's a start.

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  10. I didn't even know there was local Facebook? I so need to get organized, but I keep bringing stuff in, and less going out. But I've got to get serious. It's a good feeling getting organized! Have a happy 4th.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I meant a local PAGE on Facebook for my area where people sell things. In fact, there's quite a few pages for my area. I'm sure most towns have the same. You can do a search at the top of your FB page.

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  11. I just did the same thing with our freezer. We have two small ones, the fridge in the kitchen and the second fridge in the laundry room. It feels so good to have them all clean and ready to go, plus I know what I have now. Looks like you are on a real roll.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I don't want any other fridge of freezer except what's in the kitchen. It's just the two of us now, so we're fine with just the kitchen appliance.

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  12. I'm in awe! I absolutemy need to get rid of a lot of stuff!

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    Replies
    1. I think a lot of us have that problem, lol.

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  13. Mission accomplished. Yeah it is. Wonderfully and beautifully. - Kitchen re-modeller in Bearsden

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