Congratulations! I've been in the same "mood to purge," but not on such a grand scale.

I'm purging/downsizing my beads and craft supplies.

A gal can live only so many decades (centuries?) and I don't like hanging on to things that I know I'll never, ever use. I'd rather share them with folks that will get some service out of them.

Plus, I now have space in my pretty lilac room for all the bits and pieces I will use!

It's good to pass along things we are tired of and freshen up with new. Just don't throw stuff out, best to go to a thrift shop or charity sale.

I didn't "just throw it out", I donated them to the church rummage sale.

Closet purge finished! Nothing left in there but three t-shirts which are more or less collector items from some of the best times of my life. I swear I wouldn't keep anything but couldn't put them in the bag. My washer and dryer have been going non-stop since this morning.

Also have lots of wire hangers. Mom said the church really didn't need them for the rummage sale,so was thinking of taking them to Goodwill. The plastic hangers I'll keep, but probably will give away the bulky wooden ones too, except a few to hang heavy coats on.

I even swept and mopped that closet out; it still has the old 1940 or 50 floral linoleum on the floor. Not sure if I'll paint or re-paper the walls. Soooo glad that's done.

Sometimes when one donates, the agency can give one a receipt for the estimated value, which helps when income tax prep time rolls around ... and some agencies can't.

If one doesn't ask ... in many situations, one doesn't get.

ole joyful

If no one wants those wire hangers [I keep hearing the old movie star screaming ' no more wire hangers'] Our recycling site takes them -- you might ask yours?

I take my wire hangers back to where I got them, the drycleaner!

I thought about recycling the wire hangers, but I'd have to check where to take them around here.

I wish I lived close to your church rummage sale. I'd love to have some chenille bedspreads.

I had dropped off the bags of chenille at my Mom's house since the rummage sale isn't until later this month and she volunteers. Found out today that she went through the bag and kept a blue spread, she said it was so pretty even her husband (stepdad)said, "Keep that one!". ha.

There for awhile crafters were buying them to cut up and make pillows and stuffed animals from. I thought that was awful, but could see if the spreads were damaged. Usually the material is so pretty.

I love the urge to purge!! My two biggest problem areas are clothes and paper. I am not a fashionista by any stretch of the imagination, but I find it hard to be ruthless about paring down my wardrobe. I've gotten rid of all the biggest and smallest clothes, but that still leaves two sizes that I fluctuate between. Plus I tend to be sentimental about pieces I was given as gifts.

Paper is another issue. But it feels good to purge stuff in every category.

I'd be fighting Linda for those chenille spreads. I love 'shabby chic' and chenille fits so well with that look.

Purging feels good. I was just thinking today how many carloads of things I've donated to charity the past few years plus the things I've sold at garage and tailgate sales.. I still have a long way to go... how did I accumulate all this stuff??

When I was a kid, my family had chenille bedspreads on every bed, I really love the look and feel. I think chenille is coming back in fashion, because I see it in lots of catalogs, Vermont Country Store always has them. I must check around stores like Target and TJMaxx.

Alisande, I didn't see your post when I posted earlier, but I can so relate to not letting go of clothing and paper items. Why is that? I have probably 5 sizes of jeans, 3 sizes of tops, but my weight fluctuates a LOT. My last doctor put me on a different thyroid med and I gained 12 lbs in 3 weeks! I'm back on my old medication now, but the weight stayed. :-(

Jannie, in my area I can find chenille spreads in antique shops for anywhere from $28 - $45. Most are like new or gently used. And some are the wildest color schemes I ever saw! I got all of mine over the years from the same shop (my friend owns it and likes textiles too). Right now she has quite a few.

You guys are making me feel like calling Mom and saying "I want my chenille's back!" :)

jannie... check brylanehome.com catalogs..they have a couple of chenille in the catalog...not quite as expensive as some other stores..i havn't seen them at all in target, or walmart that i recall...wonder if they might be online?

Ahh...'chenille' (French for caterpillar!)

Mom had one on each of our beds, too, in the 50's.

Check out ebay for vintage chenille bedspreads and see what they are going for! Whew!

Later,

Nola Anne

Susan, clothes and paper.
I've got so many t-shirts and shirts. Love them all and hate parting with them.

And paper! Well, that's my down-fall. Office supplies. I hate throwing out usable paper, so I have a pile of computer paper that's printed on one side, and use it in my printer for non-essential printing.

I also have reams of new computer paper. A bunch I got for free from FreeCycle. Sigh, love paper....... and pens, and binders. LOL

There's one de-cluttering show that I watch in the morning. Don't know the name of it, but it's a Canadian girl and her license plate says NeatFreak.

Anyway, I don't know, but when she pares down the clothing from a bulging, overflowing closet to 8 or so wooden hangers with shirts and jackets and 1/2 dozen t-shirts on a hanging compartment thingy, that's just not enough. I keep thinking to myself, that's not enough t-shirts and jeans and tops for me.
I couldn't go to that extreme.

I do like some of her ideas, just have to put them in practice.

Me again!

Mom gave me those hangers that you can put 6 blouses on, and then they hang vertically. I do have some in my closet, but you have to have the space underneath for it to hang down.
I have some square wooden cubbies on the floor for my sweaters, sweatshirts the shoe rack. So there's *some* room for them to hang down. So it does work, if you've got the room below.

I also bought the square wooden cubes and put on the shelf in the closet. These are perfect for my folded t-shirts and sweatshirts. Just an idea if you want to look into it.

I attacked the closets since it is time to put up the summer duds. I have two large garbage bags of clothes and shoes to go to the drop off this morning. And I still have way too many shoes, but like Lydia if my RA flares I will need them, and if my meds change sometimes my clothing size changes too.

Jasdip, don't know what kind of printer you use but if it has a drum in it you should not reuse paper, it scratches the drum and will cost you hundreds of dollars to replace.

Oh, I have more clothes than the three t-shirts left in the livingroom closet. The clothes in there were things I never wore anymore and kept hanging onto.

I have a chiffarobe (sp?)that holds my daily clothes according to season. Like lynn, I'm getting ready to shift the summer clothes out of that and into storage(which there is never enough of); then put the winter things in. BUT - I also purged alot of my winter clothing so I get to buy all new! Good luck with that it's always hard for me to find clothes I like, but anyway.

The cube idea is a good one. I'll remember that when I remodel the big closet.

Lynn, my printer is an HP inkjet that is about 10 years old and has always worked flawlessly. I'm sure new printers don't work as well.

I didn't know that used paper shouldn't be used. What part makes it scratch the drum?

Jasdip, if it is an inkjet then you probably don't have to worry, I think that only the laser and laserjet printers have a drum. The print is actually what does the damage, when I worked at a larger company with a dedicated IT department they about took our heads off for trying to save buck by flipping the paper and using it again!

I do have a laser printer too Lynn, but the cartridge is empty, and I haven't gotten it refilled. I've never heard of that, but to be safe, I'll take the used paper out, and use new.

Thanks for the heads up.