Possible inspiration: 50 things to throw away

[fred_mouse]

pinched from this image on tumblr - I can't tell where it was originally from. There are some, hmmm, I'll go with 'odd' choices in this list but eh, maybe some of you are less attached to 'things not used recently' than I am. :)

Challenge for the weekend, if you have the time an energy - pick one thing from the list and see what you can ditch!

And if you don't have the energy, join me in the comments for commentary on the oddness of some of the list.

• old magazines
• old couch pillows
• movies you don't watch
• movies that are scratched
• burnt out candles
• extra cords
• games with missing pieces
• old books
• broken makeup
• old makeup
• old nail polish
• old perfume
• old toothbrushes
• half empty bottles
• towels with holes
• anything you haven't used in the last three months
• socks without a match
• socks with holes
• underwear with holes
• clothes you haven't worn in at least 6 months
• clothes that don't fit
• earings without a match
• old ties
• old belts
• old purses
• old hats and gloves
• worn out shoes
• worn out blankets
• old pillows
• expired food
• take out menus
• restaurant sauce packets
• old coupons
• old cleaning supplies
• cups with missing pieces
• anything you have too much of
• excess tupperware
• rags with holes
• expired medication
• old mail
• old manuals
• old paperwork
• birthday cards
• broken toys
• happy meal toys
• anything with missing pieces
• things they never play with
• duplicates
• puzzles with missing pieces

Comments

[fred_mouse]

We did the 'towels with holes' earlier in the year, and have finally (this week!) passed most of them on. I guess the last couple need to be rehomed (mostly into the rag cupboard).

I'm not sure why 'rags with holes' is on this list - how is that an issue? I'm also bemused that there are four categories of '... with missing pieces', when one of those is 'things'.

There is one on there that I consider to be a Really Bad Option, but I left it there for completeness. 'Things they never play with' - just because you never see it, doesn't mean it doesn't happen, and throwing things out *for* someone is rarely the right choice. In this case, the assumption is it is kids, so aaaaargh.

On the the other hand, I did rather approve of some of the items, as reminders of things that have ended their functional lives.

[kaberett]

Rags-with-holes could be a sensible cutoff for "DON'T KEEP AN EVER-EXPANDING PILE OF RAGS FOREVER", but I'm not sure I actually want to give the author that much credit...

[fred_mouse]

Agreed. I do thin the rag pile sometimes. And sometimes the universe tells me to thin the rag pile, by causing flooding in the laundry, which then gets in under the laundry sink, which is where the rag pile lives.

[wychwood]

Yeah, I feel like "things you haven't used in the last three months" needs a lot more narrowing down! I'm keeping my Christmas decorations, thanks, not to mention both my heavy winter wear and my heatwave clothing.

Lots of sensible categories to consider, though.

[fred_mouse]

So many seasonal things! And so many 'I need them rarely, but when I need them, I really need them'. Pretty much all of my tool kit, my sewing equipment, etc. There are probably things that haven't been used in a decade, but they aren't trivial to replace.

[vysila]

The weird one that stood out to me was 'broken makeup'! Makeup can get old but how can it get broken?

[trudy]

Maybe broken eyeshadow palettes? I'd still find a way to use them, though. It isn't cheap!

[fred_mouse]

Definitely! The mixed shades are good for more costume make up, and sometimes just for the interesting mixes. I often used to put multiple colours on the applicator at one (I don't actually remember the last time I put on eye makeup)

[trudy]

I feel you. One of these days, I will get back to experimenting with makeup. That day will be when I have more money.

[fred_mouse]

Here's to that being soon!

I kind of ran out of energy for makeup. I work in an environment where very few people seem to wear it (a couple of people seem to use foundation), so there isn't a social contract. And when my kids were young, there were so many things that needed doing to get out of the house that finding time for makeup would have been dreadful. I actually gave up on drying my hair, and just hoped it would dry on my commute!

[fred_mouse]

The only thing I could think of here was something with an applicator that has broken off inside? Like mascara? I don't think I've ever had anything like that break, but I also very very rarely wear makeup.

[trudy]

Movies you don't watch is wild to me. Especially the way digital media is going and access is unceremoniously revoked (I'm looking at you, Funimation). I have a lot of OOP stuff that is unlikely to get re-licensed anytime, soon.

What are cups with missing pieces?

I might have hoarder tendencies with the "expired medication", but my doctor assured me as long as it's not something life-protecting (like heart medication), it will generally use some of its efficacy but is safe to continue taking. Given how docs are reluctant to prescribe clonazepam (the only anxiety med that doesn't immediately knock me on my ass), I still keep some expired on hand in case of a workday emergency where my other anxiety med has a big chance of putting me to sleep at my work laptop.

[fred_mouse]

The only thing I could think of for cups with missing pieces is ones with chips? Which yes, absolutely, ceramic cups with chips should not be used for drinking, because of the potential for something getting in to the ceramic, plus the chance of cutting oneself.

And I have a whole shelf of movies I don't watch! Some are 'ooh, I'd like to see that' and some are 'better grab that while it is out' and so on. Movies are like books; dreadfully hard to get ones hands on quickly. Especially with there now being no movie hire places near me (there might still be one a few suburbs south, I haven't been on that side of the shopping centre when not driving recently)

I hear you on expired medication. For me, the only one that applies to is salbutamol, sold here as ventolin. There is a ?USA government study that I either read some of a report on, or a report-on-the-report, where shelf stability of medications is being tested long term (at least 20 years is my vague recollection) in controlled conditions, and that was the one that wasn't stable. Given that I use it to keep me breathing, no expired ventolin for me!

[illariy]

anything you have too much of

Not my fountain pens! *sobs and clutches pens*

But honestly aside from the odd 3 month rule that irks me about seldom used but necessary tools as well as seasonal stuff, I don't really find anything odd on this list. In fact, there are far too many that apply to me but I am not feeling ready to let anything go today. Hopefully during the summer when the next uni free time comes.

[fred_mouse]

I guess 'too much' is relative? I'm glad that the rest of it works for you, because some of them I was reading going ???. For me it was 'old books'. Some of my old books took a lot of hunting down, others were gifts from family. Mind you, I have recently identified one (yes, one whole book!) that I bought as a young teen at a sale for 20c, which was published in the 1950s. I'm never going to read it again, and I don't think I'm going to notice the lack.

[illariy]

Oh, that is one old book! A great price, too. But yeah if you are never going to read it again, good riddance. The space is better used with other books.

[fred_mouse]

I have to keep telling myself that, because 'but what if I find I miss it' is a weirdly overwhelming thought for a book I literally haven't opened in over thirty years.

[illariy]

Much sympathy on that front. I am exactly the same.

I struggle to declutter things I find while tidying up my room even if I have completely forgotten I even owned the things. How could I miss something I didn't even remember? My brain has its own kind of logic in that realm, it seems.

[megpie71]

"Clothes you haven't worn in at least 6 months".... yeah, how about "nah" on that one? I mean, okay, I don't wear my winter jumpers, hoodies, long-sleeved t-shirts and leggings for about 7 months of the year - but that doesn't mean I want to have to buy them all new every winter, either. Yes, during the rest of the year they're taking up space - but the space they're occupying is space I have set aside for them, and I can spare it.

(I tend to think of these sorts of things as being written for the sort of person who goes clothes shopping on at least a monthly basis to "keep up with fashion", rather than for someone like me who shops for clothes about once every six months at most).

[fred_mouse]

Agreed. Decent winter clothing is only sold for such a narrow window that I'd hate to have to need any outside that time period. Most everything I'm wearing today I probably haven't worn since last August/September, when it got warm enough to move on to the lighter trackie dacks for home wear. I have not yet dragged out the merino long sleeve shirts yet, and they might not get worn this year, because I'm going to be OS for much of July/August, and won't (I hope!) be going to see any field trials in winter weather.

I had not made that association with fast fashion though. Maybe it works for people who live and work in temperature controlled environments?

[sisterofbloomerjunior]

Eh, all the other advice articles I’ve read about clothing usually suggests doing something about it if you haven’t worn it for at least one year.

Interesting they mention movies but not music.

NOOOOO, The books! The precious, precious books!

How long does the medicine have before it’s considered expired? Days, weeks, months?

[fred_mouse]

'Music I don't listen to' would be an interesting challenge, given the way my tastes seem to cycle over multiple years. And yes, the 'at least a year' does have the value of 'didn't wear it in the appropriate season'.

I'm with you on the books.

Medication - my boxes all have expiry dates on them, usually in years. The salbutamol/ventolin I think is a year or two, but I go through it fast enough that I don't actually pay attention. The only reasons I can think that I would have expired medication would be that the prescribed number of doses was smaller than the provided amount, or it is emergency use only. I have had the latter expire, and really need to get a repeat prescription on that -- my asthma management plan includes steriods, and that ones I had have just expired. I reckon I've had them at least five years though. Epipens are the other thing I know of that can expire.