And that is the second quarter of the year, over already! As you know, earlier this year I talked about doing some purging and since we are now another quarter into this year, it's time for another accountability check! My three areas I wanted to work on for the second three months of they year were pantry, garage/camping items and bedroom/clothing.
Pantry: The goal here is to go through things, check expirations, eat things that are getting closer (or are over, I am not against that) and then reorganize everything and get a good handle on what I have left before starting to restock slightly.
How am I doing? I am a woman on a mission. First I took stock of how many of each thing I had. Don't laugh at me, but I found a lot of good deals during the pandemic and when I found a deal, I bought a lot. Didn't everyone? No? Okay. At the beginning of January 2022, I somehow ended up with 14 cans of coconut milk, 12 cans of garbanzo beans and 10 cans of artichoke hearts among other things. I revisited this list in April of this year and although I had done a very good job of eating my way to a cleaner home (I only had 2, 5 and 0 left respectively), I am still working on it (I now have 1, 2 and 0!)
What is next? I still have some weird items like tomato paste (I guess I don't make as much sauce as I used to), pureed pumpkin and canned sardines left which I will probably try to make into a meal (not together mind you!) while also focusing on using more of my dried items (quinoa, dried beans, rice, lentils etc.) and bakery items (pumpkin bread anyone?) before taking stock again and then maybe buying a few things to fill in the gaps.
Garage/Camping: The idea here was to prep for summer by organizing all camping stuff, make sure it's all in top shape, update it, fix it, patch it, go through my food supply etc.
How am I doing? Meh. I went through the food as part of the pantry clean out, and have all of the stuff organized by car camping vs backpacking items, but I still need to get down and dirty and throw some stuff away or give it away. However, I am ready for a summer of camping, even if I did not do a good job of purging.
What is next? Get down and dirty and sell, give away or throw some stuff away.
Bedroom/Clothing: The idea here was to once again go through drawers and closets and pare things down. Kae and Lisa will get a kick out of this line, which I wrote in January: But really, how many hoodies does one woman need? (the answer is...seven...or eight...or maybe nine? See what I mean!?)
How am I doing? Great! I have desecrated my closet and it is about half as full as it was six months ago. I only own two pairs of jeans and two pairs of (non-running) shorts. However, I have a pile the size of the Empire State building of "stuff to sell" and another of "stuff to donate" so we are not quite there yet. HOWEVER! I did put some stuff on eBay and have had some luck, and I also have a drop dead date where if it is not sold by that date, it will go to either threadUP (nicer brands) or Salvation Army (everything else). So we are making progress!
What is next? In about a month, the neighborhood is doing a donation pick up, and I already took a few boxes over to my neighbor for that. For the rest, I will continue to try to sell a few things and then in October (beginning of Q4) if they are still not sold I will send a bag to threadUP and take the rest to Salvation Army. You heard it here first.
One thing I did not put on my list, but I would consider it "bedroom" for now, since my spare bedroom is also my office, is electronics. I have two old laptops, a printer and various old cell phones (along with the usual cords and other random electronic things) that I need to get rid of, so for Q3, I am also adding an e-waste drop off to my list. The place I found will try to refurbish the item and if they cannot, they will properly recycle it. Before I take things to them, I do need to clear out any files or personal information though so this is one of those two step processes that can take longer than expected sometimes! I am also planning a bulky pickup later this year, which will only be for trash, but is a good way to get rid of some of those odds and ends once they have been picked through.
How are you doing on your goals so far this year? What is your strategy for getting rid of stuff? How many hoodies DOES one woman need?
I don't own a single hoodie...so I guess the answer can be zero?! Hahaha.
ReplyDeleteI am ALWAYS HERE for a good decluttering post. It is my favourite mental health hack - feeling down emotionally? Go through a drawer or closet.
You're doing great with the food and clothes! I, like you, am not opposed to eating things beyond the official expiration, but I feel like we mostly eat things up quite quickly! I can't seem to keep enough food in the house most of the time. But every few months I go through the fridge/freezer/cupboard and try to use up the things that have been there for a while. (Well, I do that more like once a week with the fridge). I think in general we have VERY low food waste. If we can't use something immediately, I tend to freeze it (soft veggies - I'll turn them into a soup).
I would say my biggest struggle with getting rid of stuff is that there are three other people in the house with different attachments to things. So I have a very minimal wardrobe and minimal excess paper clutter...but the kids have SO many art projects and things they "love" - *sigh* It's a balancing act of keeping things under reasonable control - my daughter likes to keep EVERYTHING - while also giving the kids autonomy over their own spaces and things.
Hahahah, no, Elisabeth, the answer is not 0!!!! The answer is many, many hoodies in various colors nad styles!!! ;)
DeleteI agree with Kae; the answer is definitely not zero! I am probably somewhere in the middle of the two of you and have maybe 3 non-zip and 4 zip hoodies.
DeleteAs for the purging - yes, it feels so good and I am getting to the point where more and more things are less and less important. My family on both sides are big fans of saving things that are family heirlooms and so I have that mindset to a certain degree but have started to look at things and ask whether or not they are something special and if they are not, I am going to get rid of them! I have this lamp that I was given as a kid and it is pink and I hate pink and I have kept it because I thought it was passed down from someone, but I asked my parents recently and they said it came from a garage sale or something! It is going to be sold now! It feels so freeing. I feel you with the other people thing though - I tried to help my mom clean out her house years ago and even though some of the things were ripped or seemingly trash to me, they were special to her and we did not throw that many things away in the end.
Wow! These are great goals and it sounds like you are making excellent progress! I definitely did the "buy staples when I could find them" thing during the height of the pandemic. I still have a hard time resisting staples when they are on sale, even if we have a nice sturdy store of them at home. Love your pantry before and after photos! Such a satisfying project!
ReplyDeleteI agree with you about staples, although I guess it depends on what the thing is... I like having a nice stash of food just in case, but am not that worried about not having TP (I can use many other things as a substitute). I definitely have a tendency to stock up if it is (a) non-perishable (b) on sale. Yesterday I went to Safeway for eggs but they are still expensive, but I found half gallons of milk for 1.97 so I bought one even though I have some at home already (I will use it for sure) and I found pork chops for 1.29 a pound so even though I was not looking for that, I picked up some of those anyway!
DeleteHa! I laughed at your "I can use other things as a substitute."
DeleteI'm laughing over your 14 cans of coconut milk. Phil does our grocery shopping and he is very much a fan of the "just in time" approach to grocery shopping which was challenging during the pandemic. The only things we bought a bit extra of when he could find them was lentil and canned soup! We do not have a ton of pantry storage, though, so that kind of limits how much we can buy. I would probably prefer to stock up on things that we use a lot of - like chicken broth/stock and canned tomatoes. Sometimes he'll buy a bit extra of things, but not like 14 cans!
ReplyDeleteI did a big purge of my closet in May to clear out things I know I won't fit into again unless I like get liposuction or eat very very very differently. I do not know as many hoodies as you and Kae, though! I think I have 3! I just wear them A LOT. I took a bin of clothes to the consignment store and they only took 6 things which was disappointing. So I need to bring the rest to goodwill. I have some kids stuff to get rid of too. I love getting rid of stuff they've grown out of!
The thing is, I will use it! I love coconut milk, and some days I want chocolate coconut pudding or a fancy smoothie treat every day so I need a can of coconut milk every other day, and they are so expensive at the normal grocery store but you can buy an 8 pack at Costco for a lot cheaper, so when I see it, I stock up! However, it does get a little out of hand sometimes and there are definitely some things that I do not use as fast (canned sardines for example, which I also bought an 8 pack of).
DeleteYour comment about liposuction cracked me up (but it's not really funny) as I just did the same thing. I have definitely not only gained weight but it is mostly around the belly and hips and so many of my work pants no longer fit. However, for a while I just thought it was a phase but I think it is here to stay. So I finally tried on every pair and if it was even the slightest bit tight, I gave it away. So sad though, as I have a lot of nice Anne Taylor etc. slacks that I spent a lot of money on! It hurts a little to be honest.
Re hoodies - I have two very old, very stained, VERY comfy ones I wear as around the house/PJs and then maybe 4 or 5 that I wear outside (including one black zip up that gets worn at least twice a week). You can't go wrong with a black zip up hoodie! It's so versatile. I dated a guy who made fun of my brother and his gf because they wear a lot of brewery hoodies. He said he would not be caught dead in one. I had to break up with him after that. :)
Wow! You are a woman on a mission. That pantry cleanout sounds intense! I laughed 12 cans of garbanzo beans because we go through that in a month. We buy an 8-pack at the grocery store and end up having to buy single cans anyway. Maybe we should be 2 8-packs every month?
ReplyDeleteI have three hoodies, but basically only wear one. I like a full-zip, but full-zips aren't the style anymore, so I've been wearing this full-zip hoodie for years. I've replaced the zipper twice and the cuffs are frayed to the point of no repair. However, I can't find a 1-to-1 replacement for it, so I'm stilling holding on to it. Maybe I should give the other two a shot, but I just hate having to pull them over my head.
Me too! I can definitely go through a lot of beans. I buy them at Costco in packs of 8 or 10 and will often use one can per day in a salad or even two if I also have them for dinner. Actually a lot of my canned items were salad related: olives, artichoke hearts, beans, etc. and I had a salad every day for lunch so that is basically a can every couple of days! If I had more storage it could get out of control, but I don't have a lot of pantry space.
DeleteAs for hoodies, I have one black zip up that I wear every week, probably two or three days. It is my favorite one and I even wear it to work. I have two pull on ones that are so old but are my "lounging around the house hoodies" and I will probably keep them until I die. :) I have gone through several iterations of the black zip up but my current one is from Uniqulo of all places!
@NGS not true!! I wear almost exclusively full zip hoodies and they can easily be purchased pretty much anywhere! I just bought one a couple weeks ago! (another one, in my fav color....hehe.) I do own a few pullover hoodies, but I don't wear those nearly as often. I wear full zip ones 10:1 as often as the pullovers.
DeleteIsla would tell you that there isn't a number that isn't correct. The more hoodies the better! I have done a really good job going through my clothes this year. I gave myself permission to get rid of some tshirts that I wore for 'camping' or "bed" because MY question would be, how many ratty tshirts does one need to sleep in? The thing I've noticed is that I do need to buy myself some nicer tops. Most of the tops I bought in the past two years have not held up well. I also need more bottoms. But I think this will require an in person shop and I don't have much time or options for that soooo. My main goal is getting rid of books and I have a lot to go still for my goal.
ReplyDeleteI also have a lot of sleep shirts, but am slowly whittling them down, as they really can only be worn in one place and so are not that multifunctional. However, I do think that some of the newer clothes (and other things!) tend to not hold up as well so I do keep some older, more hearty things so that I don't have to keep rebuying items! I also have a lot of books but have a very strict rule to keep reading them and giving them away this year.
DeleteSo much stuff is gone from our house, in preparation for the move! I am reminded of that poem about storage by Mary Oliver. This is my life now!
ReplyDeleteDoesn't it feel great? I mean, it is kind of fun to go through it, but it is so satisfying to get rid of it! I am sure your move is hectic but also sometimes the cleansing and renewing process can be cathartic!
DeleteI'm impressed with your pantry purge! Although I have to admit I was envious of your full pantry- all that coconut milk and chickpeas (I'm imagining lots of indian dinners- the tomato paste could go in that as well.) I hate when I'm trying to purge and there are multiple steps involved- so I usually just take all the clothes to Goodwill. But, my son has an ebay account and occasionally sells things- maybe I should pass on the nicer clothes to him and see if he can sell them.
ReplyDeleteFunny question about hoodies- i love them and always want to get more, but then I have to remind myself that I live in FLORIDA. I rarely wear them! Right now I have a full zip and a pullover, which I keep in my car, to be used when I go into places with the AC blasting super cold. Well, those are the ones I wear- I have a few more that just sit in my closet.
You nailed it! I totally make a lot of coconut curries and am a huge fan. I normally do not use tomato paste (I would typically use the diced tomatoes) but that is a good idea. I actually just used up one of the cans of pumpkin and made a bean curry with that (and it is good!)
DeleteFunny what you say about hoodies because I probably wore my hoodies more in Louisiana than I do here due to the darn AC!!! Our office was SO COLD and I hate the feeling of coming in from the heat into the arctic chill. Also I always bring a sweater to dinner with me when I am in FL/LA!! They really pump the AC in the summer!
There is something so satisfying about that side by side photo! I just love an organization photo :-)
ReplyDeleteI sometimes go through coconut milk buying sprees and then I don't end up using it for a while. We always seem to need chickpeas though - we eat so much hummus and falafel.
I hope you sell some things or get rid of them - I finally made it to the charity shop to drop off two bags I purged in May. They had been sitting upstairs since. It's all good to get things ready to leave your house but sometimes so hard to take that final step!
Also, I love a hoodie but I don't know if I have any? I have so many jackets though - I never want to get rid of one in case it comes in handy. Especially for outdoor hobbies, It's nice to have loads of different jacket thicknesses/waterproof to chose from. And then I need my battered jackets for cycling... so I never get rid of anything it seems.
I also go through a lot of garbanzos, and beans in general, as I will often make a curry, or hummus, or a quick salad with beans, or nachos when I am not feeling like "cooking." It is so easy to dump them in the instantpot with the flavor of the day and whip up a quick batch of rice and call it a meal.
DeleteI also have a lot of jackets, for the same reason as you. There are thicknesses for every weather, plus casual vs sporty vs work appropriate. Although I lean more towards wearing two black ones -- a nice trench that I can wear to work and is waterproof but is not too fancy to wear with everyday clothes, and a black puffy that I can also wear to work and it is not horribly casual, although I would not wear it if I were meeting a client. (but I would not wear either of those cycling, so I also have jackets for that!)
I love this! You are doing so great! That pantry before-and-after is AMAZING. Way to go at kicking butt!
ReplyDeleteI don't know how many hoodies I own! Maybe 1? But then I have a lot of full-zip jackets and sweatshirts. I need more cozy sweaters - I just never think to buy them because I live in Florida so what's the point?!
In my closet, I have a set number of hangers and if I run out of hangers to hang a shirt... it's time to take a look at my closet and figure out what to get rid of. Sort of like the one-in/one-out rule!
I like the one in/one out rule, although I am trying to lean more into the 1 in/2 out or none in/1 out, or even none in/20 out! Haha! I have not bought anything new in a long time so I am actually doing okay in the clothing regard. However, my issue lies with getting the items finally out of the house (not out of the closet), which I have a plan for, but it is taking longer than I thought and selling things has not been super successful. But I thought I would try it and if I have to donate the items in the end, it really is no different than what I would have normally done.
ReplyDeleteGreat job on cleaning out, Kyria. I definitely have to get on it (I've been decluttering here and there, but not systematically enough for my liking). I definitely need to get things paired down in my closet.
ReplyDeleteI also could probably do a e-waste drop off (it looked like our TV was going to die and that was a good excuse for me to find out where to drop stuff, but then it decided on a second wind and now I don't know when I will get this done LOL).
I also use the one-in/one-out rule for some things (I am not trying to buy more than I need unless there's a great sale on non-perishable things) and to use up what I have (esp. food and skincare items).
Getting rid of things like the e-waste can take forever! However, I sent my brother the info and he went and did it (a TV and several old cell phones) and he said it was (a) so freeing and (b) they actually chip them up right in front of you, in case what you are worried about is someone taking your data or whatever. I definitely need to just go get it done! Also I agree re the food/skin care etc. that those perishable things can build up if you are not careful!
DeleteThis is J from Jellyjules, I cannot log in to comment from my iPad. Sigh.
ReplyDeleteI belong to a ‘Buy Nothing’ group on Facebook that I adore. I have gotten rid of so many things that way. We had hot dogs and while I can buy 2 hot dogs at my local butcher, there is nowhere where I can buy only 2 hot dog buns. So I gave the rest away. Clothes, ice cream maker that we used once 15 years ago, books, etc. It’s on Facebook, though, so if you’re not on FB, I’m not sure where else you might find it.
Congrats on getting through your pantry, that is great! I went through ours maybe a year or 18 months ago, but it could use reviewing again.
I think the Buy Nothing concept is GREAT, but I have had some experience trying to give stuff away (this was Craigslist, so maybe it is different) and it has been hard! Like, they want me to help carry, move, transport (um, no) things and have all of these questions and then flake...and so I have lost my patience for that kind of thing. Maybe I need to give it another chance on FB...? I try to go through my pantry at least once a year and reprioritize/minimize but for some items they do tend to build up!
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