tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526768924178592295.post7507148295940631653..comments2024-03-28T18:48:53.744-07:00Comments on Rural Revolution: The urge to purgePatrice Lewishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06012022335047974670noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526768924178592295.post-74639607391530388602011-06-23T20:22:16.288-07:002011-06-23T20:22:16.288-07:00About emptying those shampoo bottles, there is an ...About emptying those shampoo bottles, there is an easier way to do it. I just add a little water to them and then use it on my hair. You can get two or three washings by making the shampoo thinner and therefore easier to access. Then I just throw away the empty bottle.<br /><br />Even though I've gotten rid of a ton of stuff and organized my house, there seems to be one truth in this world: I can never get rid of enough stuff to satisfy my hubby!mollohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02899024514499000340noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526768924178592295.post-26974163775554490942011-06-20T13:00:39.723-07:002011-06-20T13:00:39.723-07:00Five years ago I moved into my house with a toothb...Five years ago I moved into my house with a toothbrush, towel and a futon. OMG it is hard to believe how much junk accumulates!<br />My solution: made a deal with the local Disabled American Vets and Goodwill to come every 2 weeks for a pickup. Now one or the other comes every week. They don't mind if it is a light week or if tons of stuff are piled in front of the garage. Knowing that someone will be there early Tuesday morning has been a great motivator and I like knowing that I am benefiting good causes.<br />Now I have room to add preps after they haul away old clothes, kitchen gadgets, wierd gifts, ancient electronics, etc.<br />Love your blog.Dee in OKnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526768924178592295.post-66873924035914048432011-06-20T12:30:49.131-07:002011-06-20T12:30:49.131-07:00I am geneticly unable to declutter. Really, my gra...I am geneticly unable to declutter. Really, my grandmother had a stuffed full house, my mother's house looks like a hamster nest, and my house needs a shoehorn to get anything into it. If I move some stuff out, I get more stuff to take it's place. I have at least one of everything you could think of, and if I don't have it my mother does. <br /><br />Spring form pan? I have it. Spare cat dish? Under the sink. C clamps? Bottom shelf in the garage. China glue? Yeah sure, china cabinet drawer. <br /><br />I do not keep half-empty bottles of anything. Old bottle MUST be empty before opening a new one. But if the world falls apart and we need mouse traps-- they are in the can next to the deep freeze. I have everything, and your share too.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526768924178592295.post-90546716700099978712011-06-20T11:10:45.386-07:002011-06-20T11:10:45.386-07:00For those donating purged items in good condition ...For those donating purged items in good condition to a charitable organization - a little advice. I prepared taxes for 10 years and would always tell my clients that, if you ITEMIZE your taxes, keeping a list of your donations is a very good way to legally/honorably/fairly deduct the value of your contributions.<br /><br />When preparing for a donation, I gather everything up and make a written list. For example: Boy's Tshirts and quantity (I use hashmarks), Girl's tennis shoes and quantity, Men's jeans and quantity. Then I take the whole list to Turbotax.com and use their FREE "It's Deductible" software under "Tax Calculators & Tips". Full disclosure - I worked for their competition, and love the Turbo Tax tool. You enter the charity, address, date of donation, date of purchase (normally "various" in this situation") and start adding items. For fair market value, I typically estimate 4 x the resale value. Print the form, staple it to the receipt from the donation and file for tax season. Since I'm extra cautious, I also take a few digital photos of the items being donated before hauling them to Goodwill. <br /><br />If you have more than $500 in non-cash contribution, you do need to fill out an additional form (8286), but it's well worth it to correctly claim the resale value of the items, rather than lumping a huge bag of clothes as "$50". If you take the standard deduction on your taxes, the above is not necessary. ;o)<br /><br />http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=106990,00.html<br />http://www.moneybluebook.com/how-to-value-your-clothing-donations-and-get-a-tax-deduction/<br />and<br />http://turbotax.intuit.com/personal-taxes/itsdeductible/index.jsp<br /><br />Becky (not the troll) :o)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526768924178592295.post-5353459798313625282011-06-20T05:18:45.198-07:002011-06-20T05:18:45.198-07:00Oh, Patrice, you must have rummaged around in my b...Oh, Patrice, you must have rummaged around in my brain as a *full house purge* is what I am about to do here! The fella and the kids are about to go visit family in California and I will be here, alone, with just the dogs, chickens and goats---for 4 days! <br />The worst offenders here are...BOXES! They save every box. They have boxes for items they no longer own!I don't know why they save every single box, but they do!Lambhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04083153173061255844noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526768924178592295.post-88358398655939257272011-06-20T03:15:19.847-07:002011-06-20T03:15:19.847-07:00I have these fits of clean..in my garage. It's...I have these fits of clean..in my garage. It's rare but I have this everchasing dream of converting my two car garage into a man cave, complete with workout gym, tool bench, and lazy boy recliner infront if a big screen. <br /><br />The only way to get there is by uncluttering. Achieved the wall shelves project this weekend. Now I have more places to organize my stuff.Ronhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06848643822308909132noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526768924178592295.post-60683772945336848162011-06-20T00:26:12.827-07:002011-06-20T00:26:12.827-07:00I probably would try to bake a cake with that Iris...I probably would try to bake a cake with that Irish Cream. I bet it was still good. Probably add 12 oz of the good stuff to 1 box cake mix and bake according to directions. I've added 1 can Diet Coke to 1 box chocolate cake mix-turns out great... good low cal recipe. <br />We made your recipe (Irish Cream) at Christmas and it WAS excellent!!<br />--K in OK <><Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526768924178592295.post-70639021676971777652011-06-19T22:44:07.351-07:002011-06-19T22:44:07.351-07:00"Since the economy has gone south, the number..."Since the economy has gone south, the number of people shopping at thrift stores has skyrocketed. As a result, stores are begging for donations." <br />This is so true! I've been a thrift store shopper since high school, long before it was trendy, and it's served me well as a SAHM of eight. A couple of months ago, I stopped into the Goodwill in the small town that my oldest daughter and her family live in, and I was shocked to see the shelves three-quarters empty. I asked the checker and she said that business had increased so much that they couldn't keep the shelves stocked, and yes! she did ask me to bring in my donations! <br />Another day, I visited a much larger Goodwill in another town on a Sunday, and was hard-pressed to find a parking space. Inside, the store was wall-to-wall people; I've never seen anything like it. <br />So glad my family has long been accustomed to shopping second-hand, we have better things to spend our money on!<br /><br />BirdyAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526768924178592295.post-55418623850812629202011-06-19T22:27:20.085-07:002011-06-19T22:27:20.085-07:00Steve is lucky his wife hasn't gotten rid of t...Steve is lucky his wife hasn't gotten rid of the couch....yet....<br /><br />:)naturegirlnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526768924178592295.post-62297189326866648702011-06-19T21:10:30.280-07:002011-06-19T21:10:30.280-07:00Bah! Look at all of you heaping praise on Patrice...Bah! Look at all of you heaping praise on Patrice for her accomplishment. Hogwash! Just let her try to actually find anything now that she's cleaned it all up! Hahahahahahaaaa!<br /><br />That's why, whenever I get this feeling, I grab hold of the couch, lay down and nap until this feeling goes away. Works everytime.<br />(Tongue in cheek snark of the week)<br /><br />Steve Davis<br />Anchorage, AlaskaAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526768924178592295.post-85660680310891095652011-06-19T21:09:30.530-07:002011-06-19T21:09:30.530-07:00(sigh) Men don't know about purging? Bunk!
I...(sigh) Men don't know about purging? Bunk!<br />I grew up in gated communities (chuckle) - Air Force Bases!<br />We moved every two to four years. Not only did I have to make new friends with every move, but I had to decide what NOT to take with every move! I can de-clutter with the best of them!<br />OTOH, my wife lived in the same small Missouri town here entire life. No problem at all with saving a "keepsake" from third grade!<br />After we married we moved to California - she stored all of her keepsakes with her mom & dad.<br />Years later, we've moved back to Missouri - and we're still getting rid of the clutter!!!!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526768924178592295.post-26172647581372070302011-06-19T19:08:21.368-07:002011-06-19T19:08:21.368-07:00We've also been decluttering our home. My old...We've also been decluttering our home. My oldest daughter will be moving out soon, so she is trying to decide what is important enough from her high school/college years to keep and what should be given away. Fortunately, she has decided to rid herself of 3 extra large super sized giant bags of old (nice) tshirts, and other clothes. Unfortunately, they've been piled in my hallway now for 3 weeks. Any tips for that?? :)Marilynhttp://mylifeoncedarlane.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526768924178592295.post-15539245705740404372011-06-19T17:36:16.184-07:002011-06-19T17:36:16.184-07:00I have a love hate deal going with cleaning up the...I have a love hate deal going with cleaning up the clutter, I love when it's done but hate that it keeps coming back. my HUGE project this past fall was the attic, it took me over a month of working a little each day to finially get it all completed but I now have a home for all the non parishables we are putting back for a rainy day.Debbyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17319991952705204675noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526768924178592295.post-43602915005801057022011-06-19T17:02:16.627-07:002011-06-19T17:02:16.627-07:00You speak of exactly what we are spending our days...You speak of exactly what we are spending our days doing. We are finally making our way up to N. Idaho in August. I am so darn excited to finally be making the move! But, first things first. And the first thing: Get rid of every last belonging that isn't worth hauling all the way up there. Including the hair pins with no plastic at their tips. ;) <br /><br />Goodwill has received at least 20 large bags of goodies from us so far. Good goodies, not plasticless hairpins. ;)Aubreyhttp://www.thisblessedlife-aubrey.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526768924178592295.post-12420091865391817872011-06-19T16:31:05.374-07:002011-06-19T16:31:05.374-07:00My parents and grandparents were "savers beca...My parents and grandparents were "savers because of the Depression" and I was raised surrounded with all that clutter, and some really odd things like boxes of string and bags.....With the exception of the craft/art inventory (which I admit I have no power over throwing any of it out, no matter what it is) the rest of my house was always "lean and clean" - because one day I just said "No more" to the way I was raised and just did a mass clear out, LOL.....It does make you feel so much better, with all of that gone (not to mention it's easier to clean more regularly).....<br /><br />I've noticed the first thing that the professional organizers do is load people up with baskets and containers....nice touch but it always encourages people to keep (or add) more stuff to them "so they're full" (LOL).......<br /><br />Anyone who doesn't move very often, and/or lives in a big house ends up with alot of stuff....if you don't get in there and weed it out now & then, pretty soon it overtakes you! Or else you can't find what you're looking for (and end up buying another one or two or four since it tends to get lost repeatedly)......<br /><br />Another lesson I've learned over the years is if you are the type of person (or family) that takes good care of things then they tend to last for decades.....so the need for 5 of em, when you still have the very first one, is excessive.....Prepping things excluded, of course....LOL....naturegirlnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526768924178592295.post-18198479338984192752011-06-19T15:32:56.337-07:002011-06-19T15:32:56.337-07:00Just a quick little idea. My mom use to put a 1/2...Just a quick little idea. My mom use to put a 1/2 of maraschino cherry on the top of each oatmeal raisin cookie before she baked them. Just a little decoration for the cookie and a extra sweet taste in the middle of the cookie. We use to eat around the cherry in the middle and the best was saved for last. They were really good. :)Ritahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07287238810628574373noreply@blogger.com