Not so much progress...

[holyschist]

I did a bunch of socializing this weekend instead of cleaning.

In:

4 books

Out:

1 box stuff to thrift store
1 big piece of what-was-I-thinking fabric to thrift store
1 lap desk to thrift store
A bunch of empty medication bottles and old shampoo and whatnot (cleaned out under bathroom sink! Lots of space there now)

Net:

-3 + 0 = -3 (but better by volume)

Did not get packages ready to mail--this week!--or finish going through papers yet (lots of papers). Off to get new tackle box today, but also some other stuff for upcoming move (which has thankfully been pushed out a little. :-(

I started a box for stuff that needs special disposal--old/broken electronics, unused medications, dead batteries. I need to find out about 1) electronics recycling in my area, 2) whether there are any local shelters or similar that would like cell phones, 3) battery recycling, and 4) proper disposal of medications. I may or may not actually get all this worked out before I leave, but at least it will be in a single box to be dealt with as soon as I get back. Also need to look into food pantries for when I clean out the kitchen cabinets.

Thing I'm struggling with: supplements and vitamins. I have a lot of these from over the years, and I'm not so great at taking anything regularly, so they mostly sit there. I hate to throw them out, but I'm obviously not using them right now. What should I do with them? I'm sort of inclined to keep the vitamins and a couple of the ones for joints for when I'm having a flare-up and toss the rest.

How do you guys decide what to keep and what to toss in the realm of bath & medical stuff?

Comments

[elf]

They don't cease to have magnesium and calcium, but sometimes the paste that holds them together goes bad. (Mostly not, if they're kept cool-ish and dry, though.) And some vitamins, perhaps even minerals, lose effectiveness over time as they react to oxygen & nitrogen. Theoretically, they could turn actually poisonous, but it's more likely that they could taste bad as the filler/non-nutritive parts could go a bit rancid.

I throw away expired pills of any sort. (It helps me feel like I'm doing something useful--see, uncluttering!) Also, I try hard not to think about when I must have acquired a bottle of multivitamins that expired in June of 09.

[holyschist]

Hrm, I haven't really run into problems so far. But honestly, I should probably toss most of it since I'm not great at taking pills.