Yesterday, I completed round 6 of my purging binge. I can’t believe that every few days, I keep finding something else to get rid of. The latest drop-off at the thrift store included: 3 belts, a set of good kitchen knives, a bluetooth speaker, a colander, a set of colored pencils and 2 spatulas.
I had already considered each of the items 5 times during my previous sweeps of my house. But like I wrote before, every time I do a sweep, it gets easier to get rid of something.
With the exception of the knives, everything else was something I bought in the past 4 years. I wore the belts every day for two years, but stopped wearing them in 2022 when I discovered Arcade Belts, that are super lightweight, stretchy and cool looking.
My unworn belts were nice. One was high quality full grain black leather with a sweet, matte steel buckle. It looked fantastic. I wore it once since 2017. Literally. Once – on a date.
The other two were Patagonia nylon belts. They also performed well and looked great. So I decided to wear one yesterday to see if I wold still use it. Nope. It felt stiff, heavy and inflexible compared to my Arcade belts. So even though they looked good and functioned well, it was time for them to go.
The bluetooth speaker I used for several months when working out in 2020. Then, once I bought an Amazon echo for the garage, I never used it again. I was “saving” it, just in case I ever needed a bluetooth speaker. It’s been in the drawer for 4 years being saved. Now, someone else can use it.
I thought I needed a big colander when I set up house 5 years ago. I’m not sure I ever used it because I relied on my small handheld colander at first and then, after going carnivore, have not used either in 3 years.
The colored pencils I bought 2 years ago when I was taking a drawing course. After a few weeks, I realized I should have purchased a softer, waxier colored pencil. So I bought the waxier ones and “saved” this box for using later. So, I tried using them this week. They don’t work for my purposes. Some kid will love them.
I realized I had 2 nearly identical rubber spatulas. I probably use a spatula once a year so I don’t need a spare. The other spatula was an extra long steel one I bought to use on my propane grill. I haven’t used that one in 2 years. Bye-bye.
So now, I think, I’m down to 4 tall drinking glasses and 4 short ones that I never use. I can’t think of a single other item I don’t use that I own*.
I decided to repurpose two of the short glasses for watercolor painting. They’ll look nicer than the old olive jars I’ve been using. Now that I think of it, I’ll use two of the tall ones to hold my dry brushes instead of the other jars I have them in today.
I bought that set of glasses because I was embarrassed when I invited a woman over for dinner and only had my set of plastic tumblers that I use everyday. So, in 3 years, I used two of the glasses. Literally twice. Since my dating days are over and I never have house guests, I’ll either repurpose the last 4 glasses or eventually donate them too.
Life gets easier and simpler every day.
I do use my laser printer quite often. Because it’s on the second floor, I have to run up the stairs, turn it on and then monkey around with my device (laptop, phone or iPad) to make a connection and print. At least half the time, I end up running and down the steps a few times to do this. It is always aggravating.
Today, it occurred to me that I should move the printer to the first floor. Now that I’ve done all this purging, I have the perfect space in the back of a closet where it is easier to get to, but hidden from view when not in use. It happened that I was doing my taxes today and had to print a half dozen different times. It worked flawlessly.
- I’m certain I will come across other items to get rid of. None are obvious at present. But then, neither were the items I purged in rounds 2-6 either.
