I have been going through this as well. Yesterday I was getting ready to take a box of stuff out to trash/recycle - when I started second guessing myself. There was a lot of bar type items in the box (we had a bar in the basement -not used in years). Well, I pulled out some nice heavy bottles and a couple of decanters. Those can be used for homemade syrups or vinegars or flavored liquors (homemade).
Times are weird right now. Many items are in demand and short on the shelves. Many places are closed, so second hand things aren't to be had. I think many people might want to reconsider some of the things they are getting rid of. You just never know how handy they could become!
Knick-knacks are things I don't mind getting rid of. I can not find another use for them, at least not for myself.
Now those may be things that you can consider giving others as gifts.
I never get rid of blankets, quilts or comforters. If no heat, they sure would be handy to stay warm. They could be used to wrap pipes. I can use them for my animals.
Comforters and quilts that have seen better days can also be remade. Make a new top and attach to the older one. Refresh it instead of buying new.
Linens of all kinds can be reworked. Old pillow cases can be used as pillow protectors or can be topped with new material and re-used as a sham.
Sheets can be used as linings in quilts, can be turned into PJ's, cut down for just about anything.
Rethink getting rid of glass jars, tins, totes, etc. Now that everyone is stocking more - we all needs good protective means to keep our items fresh and bug free and dry. Glass jars can be used for storing leftovers and dry goods. Popcorn tins are good for storing food items, pet food, bird seed, storing sewing and craft supplies - even good to use as packaging for gifts! Totes can be used for all sorts of storage. Various tins and totes can be used as containers for gardening as well (give it drainage).
Don't get rid of candles - they can be quite useful if no electricity.
I was going through some older pantry items and found 3 containers of baking soda that was purchased on clearance that was WAY past best date. I won't be trashing, as it will be used for cleaning and deodorizing.
When checking your pantries and sorting PLEASE, please remember that there are NO EXPIRATION dates!!!!!!!!! Those dates are "best if used by" dates - which only means ultimate flavor by that date. If the packages are clean, and sealed the food stuff is good for a long, long time.
NO EXPIRATION DATES - no such thing (except baby formula) - I just can't reiterate that enough.
Don't be wasteful - especially in hard times.
This is my biggest pet peeve ever!!!!
Old purses and backpacks might be useful in making a 'trouble' pack for your vehicle. Keep socks, gloves, and extra hat, granola bars, a flashlight, roll of TP, a warm throw, etc. in it. You will be thankful to have it if you get stranded somewhere.
**You could also give it to someone in need if necessary.
Hang on to an extra set of coats, scarves and gloves for a while. If you have more than an extra set - please donate for homeless folks. It may save a life.
Make sure you have some games, books and puzzles around. What would you do if no electricity and no computers for a while? You would be bored! Have something to do - heck even a deck of cards would be helpful.
Older clothes that you might donate - think about! Material is getting in short supply at many stores (as much comes from China), and with all the trade embargos now, supply is short. You can use the material in other things. Great for quilting and crafting, make new clothing items, can use in place of TP, can be used as pet bedding, etc. You are also helping the environment!!!!!
Family heirlooms - not something that HAS to be kept to survive. If wanting to downsize, think about gifting heirlooms to other family members. Free holiday gifts! Pictures, old documents, etc. should all be scanned into a computer and kept on a zip drive for safe keeping. If there was a fire or flood or natural disaster, those things could be lost forever. At least you will have copies.
I have copies of death certificates for dozens of family members and grandparents dating back decades. I keep for my family research and can share - but there is so much information on them, we just never know when it may come in handy. (Medical history, family lineage, etc.)
I recently purchased a couple new yard tools to make life easier. I am keeping the older ones for a while - just in case. I know they are taking up space in the garage, but they aren't eating anything, and I may need them or a neighbor may. They could also be used in a barter if needed.
So now that we are all home and cleaning like never before - reconsider what you get rid of. What happens IF you can't get out, or buy, or have no income or whatever? Could that item be useful to you and your home?
Maybe reconsider those sales and donations, at least for this year. Wait and see.
Sometimes we just have to look at things a little differently and open our eyes to what MIGHT be!
Stay prepared for whatever may come your way.
Great post! I noticed at our local Walmart last week that they had no bicycles. Obviously must all be made in China. Just goes to show how we need more manufacturing done here in the US. I'm noticing many, many shortages. I have been a glass jar hoarder for years. I just can't let myself throw out a good jar. They come in handy for so many things.
ReplyDeleteI agree we need manufacturing at a local level - no matter the country. We have gals here from other countries and they find it harder than we do at times to get things.
DeleteI love me some glass jars! You name it - it can be stored in one!
Thank you for this post. I am sitting here with a huge pile of things I need to sell/donate/recycle. You brought up some good points. I will be pulling some items back out of this pile now. Glad I saw this today!
ReplyDeleteI saw my friends post on FB and I had have a nudging for a while. I started going back through my donation boxes yesterday and making some new decisions as well.
DeleteGlad it helped.
I am downsizing a great deal and lots of stuff is leaving. But its not being sold or going to a landfill, it will be given to those that need it. I do upcycle all kinds of things.
ReplyDeleteI love that you are helping others. I like donating to the missions and to the women's shelter. So many in need.
DeleteGood thought! We have many boxes of donate items in the garage and we need to see what is in them. My grandfather, who has been gone for nearly 30 years, kept tools in the car in my Grandmother's old purses. So if he was out in the yard working on the car there was a whole row of purses opened up for easy access. As children we thought that was completely hilarious.
ReplyDeleteGood idea on the tools! So many uses for those old handbags!
DeleteI think we may all need to re-evaluate.
Ah thank you!
ReplyDeleteI need to look at my donations with new eyes. I have been trying to declutter and go through some of my parents things. I think I will hang on to some things a while longer. My college age son will be moving out in a year or so and will need furnishings and dishes etc. He likes retro stuff anyway. :D
Oh what a perfect use for those things. Save them for him for sure. What a bundle of money you will be saving and they will also mean something to him.
DeleteYep, new eyes - I think we all need them now.
My BIL's sister only has enough blankets for her and her children's beds. No extras. When she helped my BIL and sister move she couldn't understand why they had so many "extra" blankets. You can never have too many blankets in my book. They come in handy for all sorts of things.
ReplyDeleteKnick knacks are dust collectors in my book. I don't want them hanging around. LOL
We use old popcorn tins to store Christmas ornaments. They usually have Christmas pictures on them too, so that is a plus.
I am with you - no such thing as too many blankets!
DeleteGood idea on the ornaments. I have one I keep boxes and extra of Christmas cards in. I think I have a whole one filled up with extras from over the years - shouldn't need to buy holiday cards for years!
So many uses.
Good ideas Cheryl. When I first retired I went through everything and got rid of a lot of stuff. It's about time for another clear out, and I'll be looking at it with a keen eye to see if I can make alternative uses.
ReplyDeleteTake care and stay well!
You just never know what the future may bring.
DeleteTake care.
This was a great post for me as I empty out the storage unit.
ReplyDeleteKeep - toss - donate - re-evaluate. New eyes!
DeleteGreat post, Cheryl. I've been re-evaluating what I'm thinking about getting rid of as well. We need to pray for much wisdom in these difficult days.
ReplyDeleteYes mam. Prayer is my common activity of late. So many times a day - for so many many people.
DeleteVery timely post for me as well. I've been clearing out things and seem to have collected a lot of storage items - nice boxes, plastic bins, metal tins etc. I had already put a few aside to take into the office as we have been clearing out and reorganizing there and I need some storage items for small things in our walk-in pantry. The one thing I've taken back is a large tin box that I've put into my pantry. I might have a rethink about a couple of other pieces.
ReplyDeleteI always save jars - I find them so handy - both at home and at the office.
I am glad this has helped some. I just want to be able to store my pantry items safely, as does everyone else.
DeleteYou can even use tins to 'hide' things if necessary.
Everybody has so many ideas.
Add me to the jar hoarder group!! I have a basement shelf full of them, including the ever useful baby food jars!!
ReplyDeleteWe save our donations for our church rummage sale. Since its been cancelled for this fall, we have a gathering corner in our basement. I've already taken a couple of things out and used! If we have one in a year, I'll go through it all again, just in case.
We've never had a successful garage sale. I always wondered why and it finally occurred to me that you make money when you sell good stuff. We use nearly everything until it's junk! We make most of the money on books. My MIL was a reader and sent me boxes of the latest mysteries. I read them and then sold them.
As for clothes, I recreate a lot! As a proud housewife, I make new and fancy (ahem, giggle) house frocks all the time from more worn better clothes. I love the term someone used here, "Franken-jeans." I'm the Franken-clothes creator!!!
I think you are on to something - many of us use our stuff until it is worn out completely.
DeleteMy pile of stuff is pretty big (still haven't taken any in), and I will slowly reconsider a lot I am sure.
Love the idea of remaking clothes.
The younger generation has no interest in family heirlooms. I go to a lot of auctions, and it is very common to see old family portraits in those sales because no one in the family wanted them. They don't want grandma's old buffet or china. The larger furniture goes cheap at auctions because the younger generations want more modern looking furniture.
ReplyDeleteSo true! My best friend was planning to buy new dishes because her original set had dwindled so much. I suggested using her wedding china. She didn't agree immediately but changed her mind. She had her set, her mom's, and her MIL's. She asked her daughter which set she wanted and her daughter didn't want any of them. So, my friend took her pick! She says she has 2 back up sets when this one goes.
DeleteIsn't that sad? I think it is. Many of my nieces and nephews are now in their 40's and older and they love getting the heirlooms - but their kids not so much.
DeleteNew is better to them. So sad.
My mother, bless her heart, out of the blue sent me two Catholic statues that have been in her Protestant family for generations. (She is a Catholic convert.) They are nearly two feet tall and date back to the 1860s, and I am the seventh generation to own them. Although I am no longer a Catholic, I got them because everyone else in the family is vehemently anti-Catholic, and she was afraid they would destroy them. Now I am stuck with them. As they have no emotional significance to me (and bring back bad memories of my childhood), they will probably be donated to the St. Vincent dePaul thrift store after my mother is deceased. Had she asked me in the first place, I would have politely declined to take them.
DeleteI do have a few family mementos, and they are things that do have positive meaning for me and that I have room for in my home.
She must have had faith that you would not destroy them. As they are antiques - I would surely donate to the church, St. Vincent or maybe even the historical society. There are many places that would love to have such old items.
DeleteI have several cherished items as well.
So funny Cheryl. Now if I can Hubby to just start thinking along these lines. Fresh eyes for sure. I have been giving some of my extra material I don't care for to someone who makes masks but now I'm going to rethink on it. And yarn, wow has the price gone up so glad I have my stash.
ReplyDeleteOur stashes could become quite valuable in the future. Things keep going up in price - and or needs are becoming different - so we need to look at things differently.
DeleteKeep on keeping it!
I enjoyed the post as always! I was wondering how long do you think canned goods are good for after expiration date? Or even dehydrated packaged foods in sealed mylar bags? You seem to have some wisdom on the true expirations times.
ReplyDeleteGlass jars are wonderful btw...We use them sometimes to put iced water in to bring to the car. Or if they have a wide mouth, pink sea salt or rice etc. is stored in those.
Have a great evening! ~Amelia
Foods are good for a long, long time. As long as the can is in good order - not bulging or rusting - kept at a decent temperature - it should be just fine. The date is "best if used by" - which means optimal flavor. It does NOT say EXPIRES. I have used canned goods as old as 3 or 4 years past date. They are totally safe.
DeleteThere is nothing mandatory about those dates. The govt. does not require them - they are placed by manufacturer and they are there to get you to buy more.
Just remember there are foods being sold that are being sold with a 10 year or 20 year shelf life!
I love jars too - good for so many things.
Have a good one.
Thanks so much!
DeleteI agree with every word of this post. I keep old linens for the same reasons. I use them, too. Keep up the good posts.
ReplyDeleteThank you! I like using my linens as well - but they sure could come in handy at some time in the future.
DeleteTake care.
Another excellent post! I have some quilts that were remade with an older quilt as filler. My Kentucky relatives used everything until there was nothing left. Always need extra linens; blankets to keep warm, extra towels and washcloths in case laundry facilities are not available. How do these minimalist folks survive?
ReplyDeleteOlder very warn quilts do make a great filler. Yes, our ancestors used everything - nothing ever went to waste. We should be more like them.
DeleteOur society is so wasteful
I have second-guessed so many things lately. We moved our parents into assisted living in 2015 and then sold their house for my brother, who owned it. Imagine getting rid of 11 rooms of "stuff"!! we put what seemed important to them and would fit into their unit. We took what we could---but the problem was we kids all had our own fully-stuffed houses. I wish I had taken certain things which ended up in the Estate sale. Many things were tossed...mom had a full cupboard of old jars and Chinese take-out soup containers. She loved to send leftovers home with us. Now I am becoming my Mom---collecting jars. Makes me cry.
ReplyDeleteSweet girl I do believe we all turn into our Mom's at some point! That would have been so hard to go through a lifetime of memories and things. I understand, I wish I had kept certain things from parents and maybe not others. Hindsight.
DeleteGreat post. I try to always look at something and say what else can I use this for. We are in some crazy times right now so I am trying to be even more careful with our money.
ReplyDeleteI think we all are. That is why I keep trying to come up with ideas on recycling things and saving. We just don't know what to expect.
DeleteSuch a great post, I have read it several times! Fairly new to your Blog & I’d say one of the best! Thank you for all the time you take to prepare it!!
ReplyDeletePat/Central Texas
Thank you. Glad to have you here. I appreciate the kind words. Hope you stick around.
Deletegreat post as always Cheryl...a note on the old tools...we use the handles for many things, not the least of which is putting them on tools whose handle has broken, usually just takes a screw or two...also we use them as roller sticks when we need to move something heavy...really heavy...across old sheets of plywood on top of the grass kind of thing
ReplyDeleteGreat idea. I have had to replace handles over the years. It is nice to have them here. There are just so many useful things that we have around that we don't even think about.
DeleteThanks
I love your posts Cheryl, you always speak such sense. Thank you for the effort and time that you put into them. I learn from you each time.
ReplyDeletePam in Texas.x
Hello Pam. Thank you so much for your kind words. It is hard some days to know what to write about - but I keep truckin'!
DeleteGlad to have you here.
I keep thinking I should have a yard sale...wish I had the nerve to sell some stuff on Ebay. Knick knacks...
ReplyDeleteI always keep a couple jackets, a blanket, and usually a big towel or two in the car. The jackets have come in handy many times.
I just need some better storage. my closet has more stuff in it than you can shake a stick at...and I don't mean my clothes. It is where toilet paper goes, paper towel, extra catfood, our overnight bags.
I meant to tell that I use baking soda for my drains...I put a couple heaping tablespoons down the drain, then add a bit of vinegar. I use a wet dishrag to stop up the other side of the sink. then do the other side. I kept having to do that every little bit. Then one day I did it, and it would not go down....I have a little kitchen sink plunger, I grabbed it out, and used it and I have not had any problems since then and that was at least 8-10 months ago.
ReplyDelete