Five things we have too many of
January 22, 2015
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Last week we talked about clutter busters – some of the ways I corral things that tend to mess up the place. This week I’m talking about five of the things I think we have way too many of – and when I say we I mean me and maybe you.
The older I get the less I can stand extra stuff in our house and the easier it is for me to let go of things. It’s still a struggle, don’t get me wrong. But I have less patience for crap we don’t use.
As I continue to move my way around our house this new year, I have noticed a few things we tend to hoard and I finally took a good hard look at whether or not we need so many of them.
I have a feeling many of you have multiples upon multiples of the same.
Too much bedding
You’ll see I have many “soft” things on this list. I’m not sure why that is. :) So up till a few years ago we had easily four to five sets of sheets for our bed. I’m not sure why I always felt the need to have so many. When we take one set off to wash…we put another on. Not three. Yeah, I could see having a few different sets if you like to change up the look of your room. And yes, there’s always the need for an extra set for those times in the middle of the night when someone is sick. But we do have a washer and dryer – in a matter of a couple hours we’ve got a clean set again.
I’ve already purged our sheets down to three sets -- winter flannel, a more decorative one and our favorite, super soft set. That’s all we need! I did go through it all again and get rid of about eight extra pillow cases – not sure why we had so many?
All of our sheets fit into one bin:
We have one extra set for the guest bed and the Bub has three sets as well. Honestly we don’t even need the three but considering I’ve whittled down this much already I’m pretty proud. ;)
Too many cups
Let’s throw mugs in there too, right? What the heck is it about glasses and plastic cups and mugs? They multiply in our house. It doesn’t happen with plates or even bowls – just things we drink out of. It’s because so often a cup turns into a souvenir for us. All those plastic cups that I think I need to remind me of a great trip. I do not need the cup to remember seeing Wicked on Broadway. :)
Or that cactus glass you got for “free” with the margarita and then you went back and got another one so you could have a set? Yeah. Been there.
I pulled every glass and mug out of the cabinet and then purged. This is what we’re left with:
I think that’ll be plenty for the three people in this house. :) And ten mugs for two people who don’t even drink coffee? Yeah, we’re good. Those mugs though – they’re always so cute right? Especially ones with an initial – those really get me.
Too many throw blankets
I have a thing with magazines and mugs and blankets. Actually, throw blankets, for real. I swear to you, I think in the back of my head I’m always preparing for the next blizzard. I picture us huddled in the bed together, shivering, with my extra 25 blankets piled on top of us, keeping us alive. Thank GOD for my blankets!!
I mean, seriously. It’s not entirely reasonable but the just-in-case part of my mind makes me keep all the blankets. But I got rid of a few, because we don’t have storage space for 25 of them. If you do I’m tempted to tell you to just keep your blankets to KEEP YOUR FAMILY ALIVE.
I cleared out some and now we have some extra space on my DIY closet shelves:
You know…for extras. ;)
Am I alone on the blanket thing?
Too many gloves, hats and scarves
You’re probably tired of seeing this closet lately but it’s how we organize it all:
For the kids, yes, numerous hats and pairs of gloves are worth it. But for us, how many do we really need? At one point I had like ten pairs of gloves and I wore two of them, EVER. Now I keep one heavy duty pair for working outside, one pretty/cute pair and one extra set just to have. My husband has the same. I do give myself a pass on scarves cause I’m a girl. :)
By the way, many of you have asked about the tie backs screwed into the door – we have hollow core doors and they hold up just fine. I’ve had them up for years and they hold the weight of bags and backpacks every day, but our son doesn’t bring home any heavy school books just yet. (I don’t use anchors to hang them but that would help!)
Too many towels
So here’s the thing – all my adult life I’ve had many, many sets of towels. But I read something awhile back that really stuck with me and I’ve purged even more since.
We don’t wash our towels every few days and I’ve always felt kind of bad about that – but when you think about how often we wash our sheets, the ones we sleep on at the end of the day, sometimes at our dirtiest, and compare that to how often we’re “supposed” to wash our towels, that we use at our cleanest every day…it doesn’t jive.
I know, towels need to be washed and they can get yucky smelling from not drying out well but if you hang them there’s no reason why you can’t use them a bit longer. And if you’re only using one set at a time…why so many sets? You know what I’m saying?
We’re down to four sets of towels for us, four towels in the Bub’s bathroom and two towels in the basement bathroom:
Honestly, four sets is more than enough for my husband and me. I can still let a few sets sit in the laundry for weeks (not that I would ever do that…) and still have a clean pair of towels to use.
Seriously, what is it about the soft stuff? And of course those are the things that take up the most space!
I went through all five of these for a quick purge this week and it took me about 30 minutes. I piled up a bunch of cups and mugs:
And a whole pile of blankets and pillow cases and towels and scarves:
Are there any other items you would add to this list? Do you have too many of these as well? Do you keep extras of all the soft things like me?
Good for you! I need to go through and clean out my linen closet myself. Love those airplane sheets---maybe someday if I have a boy I will decorate his room in airplanes too. My husband is a pilot so it would be extra special. The hoarder in me wants to buy your sheets just in case but I recognize that is ridiculous to buy sheets for a son I don't even have, especially since this is a post about DECLUTTERING. I hope someone takes them from you and gets a lot of great use out of them, though!
ReplyDeleteHa! Deborah, I totally get it! This made me laugh.
DeleteI seem to never have ENOUGH cups or glasses. Sometime I open the cabinet and it's empty. Where do they all vanish to? Even though they are not supposed to take drinks into their bedrooms, I usually find 4 or 5 in each bedroom, growing hard and crusty; travel cups in left in cars or gym bags; sometime just empty and dirty sitting on the kitchen counter or bars because, God forbid, they open the dishwasher and put them in. I also believe there's been a significant amount of breakage going on when I'm not around. You'd think by the time they are 19 and 20 they wouldn't be dropping glasses, but a set of 24 I purchased two years ago is now about half that amount. Boys! Jeez.
ReplyDeleteHahaha! I can totally relate to this, there's never a cup in the cupboard unless I just emptied the dishwasher, BOYS!
DeleteSarah
Every. Time. I resorted to buying myself a huge magenta plastic tumbler and washing it out every time I use it, just so I can be sure of a clean cup when I want a drink. I seriously have a huge cupboard half full, plus a deep drawer (that would better serve like, all the bread that we have on the counter), full of all. the. cups. And they are all PLASTIC! We have Snackeez and insulated tumblers and Contigo sports bottles and insulated travel mugs and and and and and! It KILLS me.
DeleteThat's it. I'm totally purging these. I have a bag of clothes for Salvation Army anyway. Might as well throw in a few random cups and that mismatched flatware I can't get rid of. You know, because we might use it for camping. Not that we camp or anything. ;)
If you have no plans for those towels and sheets, animal shelters and rescues LOVE them:)
ReplyDeleteI would also encourage you to check with your nearest homeless shelter, to see if they could use your extra towels, blankets and sheets. - Paula
DeleteGreat, great advice!! ILiving in a small house, I have purged a lot of the extra linens and towels. I agree about using towels longer when one is clean and knowing it saves resources makes me happy too. Now I need to go through the mugs and cups! Actually, I hope to clean out our laundry/mud room/pantry this spring and maybe I will have an organized space like your closet!! I have the same airplane sheets:-)
ReplyDeleteI think you probably covered the worst of it. I have an issue with handbags, but only since I started volunteering at a thrift store. I am going to have to quit just so I don't bring so many 'good deals' home.
ReplyDeleteWe have happily lived with two sets of towels for years; same with sheets. Actually since Target came to town I have a third set and it's completely redundant and takes up room. Sadly, Target is leaving Canada but that will probably be a blessing forthe inner hoarder in many of us.
I think the soft stuff has to do with the association with comfort - there could be worse things to crave, so just snuggle up with your loved ones and know you're doing a good job:)
Please remember to donate blankets, sheets and towels to your local animal shelter! They are always in need of these items!
ReplyDeleteI feel you! I could have written this post myself :) I too just went through my sheets and towels and got rid of a bunch that we don't need. Now, my husband would LOVE for me to go through our mugs (yes, I am a mug hoarder too!), but I'm just not there yet. He always says "why do we need 20 mugs?" and I always reply, "What if we have 20 people over and they all want coffee :)"
ReplyDeleteI hear ya sister! Those are the same 5 things I struggle with. Add on shoes for our household. I envy my mother-in-law's glass cupboard. She has three sets of 10 glasses (nice acrylic ones) large, medium, and small. Nothing else. They all match, stack, and line up perfectly. Someday...a girl can dream :-)
ReplyDeleteI only have a couple sets of sheets and it's perfect. We have a lot of towels but I did go through and thin them out last year. The cups though...those are rediculous. I am interested in your airplane sheets for my son. We are going to move him to a full size bed this year. Just let me know what you might want for them or to ship them. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteCracking up about the blizzard and the blankets! I think that way too and also save extra blankets and pillows for the overnight guests, that we never have.
ReplyDeleteI could definitely get rid of some sheets. Great post!
Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. And.... yes! Our linen closet is ridiculous... I am a Sheet Hoarder! I LOVE sheets and blankets and comforters. Each of us (family of 5) has multiple sets of flannel sheets (winter) and cotton sheets (summer); multiple comforters (lightweight for summer, flannel for winter, and my two girls also have special "Christmas" comforters); and I can't even count the number of throws and quilts... they are everywhere! I'm not sure I could bear to part with any of them, though... How about I get rid of some extra mugs instead? (and bowls... I have a thing for bowls too... mixing bowls, cereal bowls, bowls for popcorn, serving bowls... there's something about a good bowl that is just the right size for it's use.) Jeez... I really do have a problem, don't I? lol
ReplyDeleteLOL..have you been spying on me/my house? You nailed it for me! There must be something in the air, because I've been working on these very areas the last few days. Your "thank God for the blankets" really made me smile, because I have throw blankets in every corner of our house.
ReplyDeleteI've got one more item to add to your list: decorative serving platters and bowls!
I agree with the other poster-donate your blankets and sheets! :)
Great post!
Sofia
Oh Sarah!!! Please send me the airplane sheets. Ben just got a full size bed, upgrading from a twin. Let me know how much... theunruhsATsbcglobalDOTnet.
ReplyDeleteI too have way too many cups and towels. But the other stuff, not so bad. We have one set of sheets per bed. Just wash and throw back on.
WHERE did you get those adorable glasses with the gold straws?!
ReplyDeleteI totally agree! I have two sets of sheets...we live in the south so we do not need flannel sheets and I am determined to pare down the mugs that seem to breed in the cabinet when I am not looking! I just attended a Purge, Toss and Enjoy the Loss seminar at our church and it has made me take a good hard look at all my STUFF!
ReplyDeleteI think those are areas most people struggle with. We did, but like you I realize awhile back we did need all of that. I used to struggle with shoes. But in reality, how many pairs can you wear in a day, week, month, year?
ReplyDeleteYes -- these are all true for us, as well, except for the sheets (just because I've already purged those). Next on my list is the mugs/cups situation.
ReplyDeleteThe cups, oh the cups!!! I dream of getting rid of all the plastic ones and random coffee mugs (we have a nice set of glasses and coffee mugs that match our everyday dishes). We have a small and awkwardly laid out kitchen, and I dream of the extra space I would have from getting rid of all those cups. My husband gets mad when I mention it; they are sentimental to him (he's not a sentimental person at all), and he doesn't like drinking from a glass?
ReplyDeletePlastic storage containers...why we have so many of them, I don't know. Also, my sock drawer got purged lately because I literally could not close it.
ReplyDeletewell im moving into my own place so I need all of those things!! lol
ReplyDeleteTo quote my husband, 'We collect pillows. Not pillows you can use, just pillows you can look at." It's true. Along with throw blankets and quilts we've inherited we could have a gigantic sleep over :)
ReplyDeleteAH the blankets!! We have a ridiculous amount of blankets. I'm such a what if-er also ahaha. Although I recently moved two blankets to my car because, living in the arctic tundra of Minnesota with a 15 year old car...lets just say, you never know when you might need to be kept warm. We only have one good set of sheets for our bed, so I'm on the hunt for another, I'm just so picky about them!
ReplyDeleteGood list, and thanks for the laughs.
Allie
Ohh, the blankets--I put at least some of the blame on Kohls, they keep making them softer AND putting them on sale for Black Friday, and somehow I end up with a few more every year. I have a storage ottoman in one family room and a blanket chest in the other; I figure as long as I can close the lids I am still all right. I have trouble with mugs too, as I used to collect them when I traveled and I cannot seem to purge. At least we are a family of coffee drinkers and use quite a few of them regularly.
ReplyDeleteI tried to give towels and blankets to our human society and was told they are "full up and not taking anymore" LOL
ReplyDeleteI have to disagree with the not washing towels often though...I mean, really you wipe the towel over your ummm....private areas....even after showering there can be germs. And please please tell me you don't use the same washcloth several days in a row....because that right there is a germfest.....
HUMANE...I swear I typed humane not human!!
DeleteA few years ago I did this with the exact same items and (except the cups--must do that) and have not missed the spare items one bit. Towels = 3 sets per person (one to use, one to wash and one always ready to go). Sheets two sets per bed but I live in a mild climate. I think I'm going to get rid of extra cups/mugs this weekend. I could use an extra shelf or two!
ReplyDeleteI am so with you on the blankets! We have so many but I can never get rid of any of them, and getting rid of stuff is one of my favorite pastimes. We use all of them! Well, except for the one my great aunt made us when we got married. It's a beautifully knit (crocheted?) one that we used before but it's a bit fragile and was getting damaged so we don't use it any more. I'm not an overly sentimental person, but for some reason, that blanket gets a pass. Of course, we got two more blankets at Christmas. I suppose that means 2 can go, but which ones?! I need them all!
ReplyDeleteI don't have to worry to much about mugs, cup or glasses, as my boys store them in their bedrooms but then wonder why there's no clean ones in the cupboards.
DeleteAdd hoarding of jackets to the list for us. Yes, we live in snow country. Yes, we ski. Yes, we hike, etc, etc, etc. One would think we were preparing for the zombie apocalypse and never ending winter! We have more than one sub zero down jacket each plus multiple light weight options AND everything in between.Sigh
ReplyDeleteJust this week i did my linen closet and wrote about it in my blog because I did feel so much better after I did it. I never normally put those kind of things in, it's all about the renovations but it made such an impact on me that I had to share it.
ReplyDeleteI am so with you on the towel washing thing too!
http://landhousereno.blogspot.com.au/2015/01/declutter-time-linen-closet.html
If you haven't yet donated your soft items, the SPCA is always looking for those sort of donations!
ReplyDeleteI am so ready to do this tomorrow. It is on my list of things to do. I am one of those people that washes towels right after using them. What you said makes sense though. I just can't use a towel twice. I also have way to many blankets that are stored by color in my linen closet. That, right there, tells me that I have a problem and I need to be asking myself why I have more than one blanket in the same color.
ReplyDeleteI am excited to see what I have left over. Love that scarf on top of the donate pile. I think you may want to reconsider that one...:)
So weird...these are the things I wish I had more of. ;) We don't have a ton of cups, except sippy cups which I'll be glad to throw out once my boys get a little older. We only have two sets of sheets for our bed, and it would be nice to have just one more, and we absolutely do not have enough sheets for my kids' beds! My husband has been telling me for over a year that we should get more towels. But we do have more than enough winter extras and blankets. I wonder what else I have too much of, though...we're definitely not on top of the clutter, especially behind closed cupboards!
ReplyDeleteI just got a new refrigerator and cleaning the old one out made me go on de-cluttering binge throughout the whole house. I did the same with our towels and sheets and agree with you 100% but instead of mugs we had a large collection of reusable water bottles that we never use. I also had to laugh about the blankets. I have a hard time letting go of those too just like you because I think we may need them if we lose electricity and need them when it's really cold but I live in Florida for goodness sakes!
ReplyDeleteI don't understand the sheet thing. My entire life I have showered at night. The thought of getting in my pyjamas and bed while dirty from the day is just gross to me. I go to bed clean and then I can just get up in the morning and go. That being said, my sheets only get washed every second week. But it is nice to have a clean linen cupboard. I recently turned an old towel that was very unabsorbent into a door mat for my cat to sleep on.
ReplyDeleteYou nailed it, especially blankets!
ReplyDeleteI just cleared out my mugs and cups.... also tossing the Wicked cups!
ReplyDeleteThis makes me laugh! Especially the part about the blankets. I have this weird thing about not getting rid of blankets and so yeah we have way too many. But we live in California... it never really gets that cold and we rarely lose power so what am I paranoid about? I just put a barely used king-size blanket up for sale on Craigslist... baby steps. LOL. Great post!
ReplyDeleteThe year before we moved to our current home, we had two big moving sales and arrived at this house with essentially only what we needed and a few sentimental things we couldn't part with. Fast forward to living here 16 years. The past few weeks, my family has been doing a major purge. Amazing how much junk people can collect in a relatively short amount of time.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, just for anyone reading, if you have extra linens you aren't using, consider donating them to your local animal shelter. They often need towels when giving the animals baths and use blankets and sheets for bedding for the cats and dogs.
My husband was in the military and every time we moved I would declutter and EVERY TIME I would wonder how I ended up with so much crap... glasses we never used, and the gloves and hats, oh my! You are so right. Im pretty sure my house is the other side of everyones blackhole because all of the things people lose we have way too many of.... its just insane. I love to declutter, it feels so refreshing, but it always seems like its never ending lol.
ReplyDeleteAfter my husband passed and I had to sell the house and move to smaller and cheaper manufactured home, I did a LOT of purging. For one person there is not a need for lots of glasses and mugs, tons of sheets and towels, and miscellany. I discovered there were 9 sheet sets for the king bed so 6 had to go. The guest bed is a queen and only needs 2 sets, and the trundle twin bed only needs 2 sets. So lots were donated. I got rid of half of the towels and still have plenty for me and guests (which I do not get much). I seemed to have more pillow cases than sheets so there they went--to donations. I had enough travel cups for 20 people, so thinned down to 5. I got rid of a lot of clothes as well. It is good to declutter!
ReplyDeleteGreat post. I am a sheet snob and I admit it so I only have one fabulously luxurious set. I wash them and they go straight back on the bed. I've never liked how sheets (in my house anyway) don't smell fresh after they have been stored for any amount of time. My hubby has a problem with mugs. He is the only one who drinks coffee but has 8 mugs and I can't tell you when or how they get into the house. As for bath towels we each use one for the who week and I have one extra in the cabinet. Hand towels and wash clothes get changed out daily. The same goes for kitchen towels and washcloths.
ReplyDeleteI can so relate to this. Sheets I've finally narrowed down to 3 for our bed. 2 for guest bed. Towels, I still struggle with...and do NOT get me started on mugs/cups. I've paired down many many times, and still they multiply! I had to laugh with your affinity for blankets.....I'm a hoarder in that regard too...you can't have too many....and I can't seem to part with them. :)
ReplyDeleteLoved this post!
Totally with you Sarah on the towels lol. We have spots for our towels to go, then extras are in the linen closet, untouched, forever!! I do however hoard small bowls. My husband jokes I have about 85, but I think I have more like half of that lol. But still. He's right!
ReplyDeleteAntonella | www.loveyourhomeblog.blogspot.ca
Btw.....Human society can usually use towels.....just a thought!
ReplyDeleteHow funny and timely! I just did the cup purge this past weekend. When you get hit in the head with a sports bottle when you open the cabinet, it's time :)
ReplyDeleteWe only have one set of sheets for each bed. Is that weird? I just wash them all on Mondays and they wear out after about a year so it gives me an opportunity to get a new color or pattern! :) I'm assuming that once my kids get older and we start having more accidents I will need another set for the beds. Also, we have 4 towels and 4 hand towels in each bathroom….I change them every 3-4 days and wash once a week. We never have enough cups! They go missing….it is weird. I just have one set of mugs and glasses but our zippy cups are out of control and missing half the lids--I need to sort and throw out some of those. I can DEFINITELY relate to you on blankets though! I am like an old woman with my blankets, I always need one when I'm sitting on the couch although we tend to use the same two. The rest are piled in closets for extra warmth on beds but we never use any of them….I also have trouble giving them away because so many were given to us! I am horrible at giving away anything that was given to us…even if it was just second hand and not a gift.
ReplyDeleteIt's funny how attitudes change with your position in life - from those just starting out to having kids to growing older. One friend has two daughters about to move into the "just starting" stage, so I have a box for them to look through and a box for "the next group that calls for donations".
ReplyDeleteMy problem is related to many years of being active in a sailing club - I have lots of t-shirts, hats, glasses, trophies, etc that are all labeled with logos. Hard to get rid of, so I am slowly returning them to the club with a "free stuff" sign. We recycle the trophies for the youth sailing.
A friend had a huge pile of old t-shirts from regattas, bike rides, kids events that she couldn't toss because she wanted to do a quilt sometime in the future. I took a rotary cutter to the shirts, saving the logos and tossing the rest of the fabric. It sure was easier helping a friend get rid of stuff.
Thank you for the tips! I just went through and did some purging because of this blog post!
ReplyDeleteI have noticed that we tend to hoard coffee mugs and flower vases. Oh boy - need to tackle those next. Don't even get me started on the bins and bins of baby clothes for our "someday we might want baby #3"....
Towels! Cups! Blankets! We downsized to half as much house in a move two years ago. 43 towels for 2 people!!!im still purging slowly, my closets bulge and those dang throw blankets keep creeping into the house!
ReplyDeleteGreat blog! Just a hint....our animal shelter loves to get old towels and sheets as donations! Try your shelter! Kathy - Greensboro, NC
ReplyDeleteEVERY single one we have a problem with too! The last time I pared down the cups you would have thought I took away their birthday. I was surprised how attached they were to their mugs so I let them choose one to put back. Have they used it since? No.
ReplyDeleteI will have to be more sly next time ;-). Love to read your blog! Jean S.
Yes! Blankets and sheets and towels are weaknesses for me. The cups just kind of sneak into the house when I'm not looking. Coats and purses tend to congregate in my closet as well. I did a lot of purging when we moved, but I'm sure I'll need to do more once we get everything out of storage. Looks like it'll be almost a year by the time we get moved into our new home. Surely if I can live without it for a year, I don't really need it?!
ReplyDeleteThis is a great post! When we moved from Florida to Kansas last year, I seized the opportunity to get rid of many of these same duplicates. The cups/mugs was probably my largest purge. Having visited Central Florida theme parks countless times, we had stacks and stacks of souvenir cups. At ten bucks a pop, I could never bring myself to throw them away until the big move.
ReplyDeleteThe second major purge was sheets and towels. I am embarrassed to admit that I had nearly a dozen twin sheet sets when nobody in our house had slept in a twin bed for a decade, and countless ratty towels from the last century!!
Love your blog!!!
Even though I live alone, I still struggle with two of the things on your list. Towels and cups/mugs. Even saying that, It takes me so long to get enough dirty dishes to justify running my dishwasher, that my cup shelf is empty because I just keep grabbing for a clean one. I really struggle with the extra towels. Heaven forbid what would I do if my wishing machine, dishwasher, or water heater sprang a leak? Yes, I need all those towels. Yes I do. Here's a great reason for hoarding blankets....what if there was a blizzard in your area, the highways were closed down, and people had to stay in private homes just to survive. You would be well prepared.
ReplyDeleteI always keep extra pillowcases around - if my grandkids are over, nosebleeds, spilled hot cocoa, etc. Plus, I like to change them several times during the week in the summer. Makes me feel better. I have 2 quilts per bed (I'm cold natured), plus 2 for the guest room. I finally have all mattresses the same size in the house, so I'm down to 5 sets of sheets. They're all pretty and soft, so won't get rid of anymore yet. Now coffee mugs - I trash those every 6 months or so. Currently, I have over 12 and I've been downsizing like crazy. But as everyone knows I'm a coffee and hot tea drinker, that's always a filler in any baskets or bags I receive for gifts.... Have to use them at least a few months before I give away. :)
ReplyDeleteI have to comment on this, I also am at fault for having to many of these items as well. My reason is that I am always changing my decor so I have to buy new matching sheet sets,and throw rugs for the bathrooms as well with matching towels. I also have a lot of table cloths and place mats. I change my curtains a lot as well with the seasons so I also have a lot of them. I just might be on the hoarder side. I have been purging my stuff and donating to a women's shelter. Thanks for your article it has inspired me to get back to decluttering.
ReplyDeleteHow did you get the shoe organizer up in the coat closet? I ordered one for my step mom and the dimensions fit; however we had to take out the shelf and rod and still had to place it vertically instead of horizontally! I'm wondering what I did wrong? Jodie
ReplyDeletewww.jtouchofstyle.com
Great post! We did a lot of downsizing this year, too. And cups and linens are definitely the things that were gathering dust.
ReplyDeletetotally with you!!! felt like I wrote this myself!!!j just did my closet and cabinets after taking down Christmas stuff!!! where does all the stuff come from?? I couldn't possibly have brought all those cups and mugs home? could I?
ReplyDeleteHow about all the crystal you received as wedding gifts! I could get rid of all the candleholders. Yes, what it is with glasses and mugs! I seem to clear a bunch out and them more seem to appear out of nowhere.
ReplyDeleteSo funny! I just did the same thing at our house yesterday. I cannot stand having clutter and holding on to things that we don't use. It felt awesome taking a trunk load to Goodwill today! I have to say the cup cabinet was a battle with my husband. Why he won't let go of his vacation beer glasses is beyond me... He only drinks his beer from the can or bottle so why do we need to keep two beer glasses from Las Vegas and Gatlinburg?! Oh well... I put them WAY back in the cabinet where I can't see them.
ReplyDeleteI feel like I've had this same conversation with a friend recently. When my husband and I got married three years ago, our mothers packed up all of the glasses and mugs at their house that were ours. We had already received glassware from our registry, so we ended up with four boxes of glassware and mugs! We have a whole cabinet devoted to drink ware, and I've even had to "hide" additional glasses in other cabinets and the pantry--we still have a box of mugs and glasses, unpacked in a storage closet. I have since donated many of the glasses and mugs that I brought from my parent's house, but I can't get my husband to part with his. Granted, one set of glasses was a gift from his mom, but the decoration is scratching off. One day I will have just one set of matching glasses, and I can really feel like a grown-up!
ReplyDeleteIt's unreal but none of these is a problem for me. I am so ridiculously picky about my sheets that it takes forever to find what I like so i never have more 2 sets at a time. Since mom made us kids use plastic cups i dislike them enough to not own any. Living in South Florida means no mittens, gloves or hats...not one. and the only blankets are our inherited quilts and the throws on the sofa for when the AC gets turned down low ;-) as for towels it seems we never have enough. I think our kids pack them in their suitcases when they leave! Pamela
ReplyDeleteI just got rid of some soft things too: I changed my comforter at the beginning of December and got rid of all the sheets and pillowcases that went with it.
ReplyDeleteAnd I was just so tired of some towels I had had for years so I threw out all but the 3 newest ones. I live alone. I don't need 10 towels.
You're right. It makes things feel lighter somehow.
Your "to go" pile makes me think of the pride I always have every time a pile like that
ReplyDeleteleaves my house. It's been pretty often lately. I feel so proud of myself! And lightweight, I guess. So, well done, Sarah!
Chrissy
I just helped my mom go through her sheets and towels, we ended up donating them to the local animal shelter! So not only were we cleaning out her house, but also helping out animals in need which made us feel really great on both fronts. I agree with you about the cups though, I need to go through mine as well!
ReplyDeletexoxo, SS
The Southern Stylista