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Post by dewryce on Aug 8, 2019 17:22:25 GMT
We traveled with 5 different suitcases and a small duffle but I have always packed so that we only have to bring in 1 suitcase and the duffle on our overnight stops. Always. And the bad thing is the mask and the cord weren’t in their case together. Have you considered packing cubes for each day, rather than separate suitcases? Buy different colored cubes (they come in many sizes) to differentiate each day, then put into a single suitcase. It would make your travel life much easier I think! I would also look into a small duffle that is specifically for the CPAP machine, rather than tucking it into various empty spots in other bags. You know I’m obsessed with organization so I am going to go into detail here if anyone wants to offer any suggestions they are more than welcome and would be very appreciated! One of my favorite pieces of traveling advice actually came from a pea. It was to use a collapsible laundry hamper in our hotel room. I hate clothes everywhere, but bending over at the end of the day to put them in the laundry bag we always carried wasn’t always possible with my stiff and painful back, and frankly DH was too lazy. This takes up practically no space and is a lifesaver for us. We pop it open, put in a huge laundry bag that doesn’t slip out of place, and put it in the closet. He even uses it every time. At the end of the trip we usually put the bag into the empty clothes suitcase. Though sometimes it won’t fit so we end up toting the laundry bag down on the luggage trolly. I am looking for reusable compression bags so we can avoid this in the future. I did use the cubes we had, though we need more. One of the best things I did was pack all of the clothes we needed after our overnight trip home in one, and put them in bag #5 below. When we got to the long-term hotel I emptied the overnight duffle from our trip up and filled it with the stuff from the cube for the trip home and that was that. We were packed for the trip home clothing wise and didn’t even need to look at those items again or worry about accidentally wearing those clothes on another day. The seperate suitcases for our clothes were only because we had so much, we often just share a suitcase. It was a 7 day trip, for a triathlon, and I’ve never been accused of traveling light. We had 3 big suitcases (2 of which we had to borrow), 2 carry-on suitcases and the small duffle. 1) Biggest suitcase ~ Held all of his gear needed for the triathlon and workouts/rides prior to the race. It was stuffed. But this is usually many different bags and things to keep track of so I loved having a huge suitcase to hold all of it, much easier getting in and out of house/hotel/car with just the one thing to keep track of. Had to borrow the suitcase but I am seriously considering buying one because it worked so well. We are also considering a locking hard case for the top of the SUV to give us more room inside, but then we’d run into the same problem, several different bags and pieces of gear to keep track of in and out of the hotel instead of one. So I’m undecided. 2) Other large suitcase~ Typically this is our “everything but the clothes” bag, this is the one we always take with us and there hasn’t been a problem until this trip. Both CPAPS, toiletry bag, electronics bag, jewelry box, meds container, hair styler, shoes, first aid and the slim side pocket holds everything I use to organize our space in the room, our first-aid kit and an electric heating pad. Most of these items are pre-packed so we can grab them, throw them in the suitcase and go. I even have a shelf with the pre-packed items (toiletries, electronics) and need to pack bags (like for CPAPS, jewelry, meds) so that we don’t forget anything. I know just by glancing at the shelf, because it should be empty. The room organization stuff and first aid actually lives in the suitcase. No matter the purpose for or duration of the trip we always take this bag and a clothes bag. Unless it is overnights and super casual then we can cram in one outfit for the next day. And this bag is packed the same time after time. How I missed my CPAP I will never know. I think maybe the introduction of the 5th suitcase for other non-clothes items confused me. I decided to take and laminate a pic to a) help DH pack it since he isn’t a Tetris master like I am and b) make sure I don’t forget again! 3 & 4) The carry-ons One for his clothes and one for mine. This is where I wanted more cubes to help keep his outfits together until they were needed, down to the light underwear that wouldn’t show through his white checked shorts like the black ones he ended up wearing Plus, matching clothes are nice. I would have preferred we share one big suitcase but these are what we had. But I have already picked out the additional packing cubes I want, am just waiting for a sale. 5) Misc long trip stuff ~ This was a long trip for us so I wanted my robe and needed my weighted blanket. 7 days of no sleep is no good. Our steam iron to try out because I hate ironing, this worked out so well and saved us so much time it will be added to our permanent gear to pack. Ironing hurts my back so DH gets stuck with most of it, but this I could easily do! I actually have a travel size one I will test out but I suspect it won’t work as well and will be donated. Plus items like my bag for his triathlon, massagers and good heating pads and ice bags for him after the race (it was a half-Ironman so we anticipated lots of pain), shoes that didn’t fit in the other bag, our sound machine, 2 rolls of good TP, and an additional purse. I’m sure I’m forgetting a few things. It sounds like a lot, okay it is but we used and appreciated having everything except my hair styler and some of the massage/pain tools for him. He got a bad sunburn so we couldn’t use them. The one thing I looked at and decided not to bring? Aloe. I even closed the cabinet door on it and opened it again. Should have trusted my instincts, we had to buy some in the way back to the hotel. So, it’s on the permanent list for our first aid kit, will put it in a small travel bottle. And that first aid kit got quite the workout, we even needed a larger quantity of some items in there. I did decide I need a new container for it. Know of any that have zippered pockets to organize things? It doesn’t have to be a designated first aid bag, though the red color would make it super easy to identify. Right now it’s in the same box we take our medication in so that they would stack neatly together. But that was a PITA every time we opened it. All of the bags I can find only have those half pockets that don’t zip that I know from experience everything falls out of. I’d like it to be fairly small, but not those tiny ones. I’m picturing something like 8x6x2 would hold everything. Anyway, hit me with your best ideas and constructive criticism, I am always looking for ways to be more efficient, organized and improve my processes!
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Post by dewryce on Aug 8, 2019 17:32:26 GMT
freebird - one of your disciples has lost their way! dewryce - good luck with your decluttering. It's an ongoing project for some of us, self included. I'm on it. I haven't had anything good the past couple weeks! Yay! I’ve been busy getting ready for and going on our trip so it worked out well, I didn’t get behind.
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Post by **GypsyGirl** on Aug 8, 2019 20:40:01 GMT
Anyway, hit me with your best ideas and constructive criticism, I am always looking for ways to be more efficient, organized and improve my processes! I'm probably not the best person to give you advice, since I am about to take a 4 week trip with just a 22" carry-on suitcase and a tote bag that will fit under the seat! DH will be traveling with the same, and will have a CPAP machine mixed in with his stuff. After many years of travel worldwide, I now subscribe to the theory that "less is more". It's a rare place that doesn't sell what you need if you get there and find you just have to have it. Check out eBags for a good assortment of packing/compression cubes. Lots of different types and ways to use them. Here are some Travel First Aid Bags that are empty. This should give you an idea of what's out there. Maybe something will work for you? For dirty clothes, we travel with a lightweight bag that can be hung on the back of a door, or from a pants hanger in most hotel closets. We get one in a wild print so that it jumps out at us as we are packing the room to leave and don't forget it.
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Post by dewryce on Aug 8, 2019 23:01:12 GMT
**GypsyGirl** that is exactly where we are getting our cubes, love that site! I know most people don’t like the slim ones but they will be perfect for DH’s outfits. Ha, DH’s CPAP is so big he could take that and maybe a couple of outfits in his carryon. I am fortunate in that I don’t like the humidifier portion so mine is tiny and fits in a corner. (Just have to put the mask and cords bag somewhere ) Part of our issue is that money is tight so buying what we forget isn’t ideal. We’d rather have the money towards a nice meal or show. The other is that we are not standard sizes so having to buy clothes is a PITA. I know this because one Christmas he left all of my hanging clothes for our trip to see his family hanging right where I had gathered them to carry downstairs. That was an expensive mistake as the only things I put in drawers is lingerie and around the house clothes. Plus, he has size 15 feet. We often go to fine dining so we have to pack some nice boats for him to wear. That’s almost a quarter of a carryon right there, we make sure and put socks, belts, tie inside them so as not to waste space. He hates flying so we avoid it, but when we go international we know we have to save enough to help pay our baggage fees. We used to do the same with a dirty clothes bag but hanging it the hole would close due to weight and putting it on the back of a door handle still meant leaning down to put things in it. I have almost zero bending mobility on bad nights.ours is bright, obnoxious purple! You and his mom could be travel buddies. She took her kids to Hawaii and she told them they could each pack a backpack, I thought she was insane. I assume you are washing clothes on location? Or are you sending them out to be cleaned? All of DH’s shirts have to hang to dry or they get too short for him. We are apparently just very difficult, LOL. I found an empty one that might work from your link, thanks! Never even considered looking for empty ones. If it doesn’t, I found some hanging cosmetic bags that might, they have lots of different sized zippered compartments and roll pretty small.
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Post by mikklynn on Aug 12, 2019 12:49:23 GMT
I went through all my craft (non-scrapbook) supplies today. I purged nearly all of it. I don't need all that random ribbon, googly eyes, beads, etc.
Most of it costs about a dollar, should I ever need to replace it! I got rid of 4 boxes of crap.
I have a huge pile of random home decor, books, and crafts to take to Goodwill today.
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ddly
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,946
Jul 10, 2014 19:36:28 GMT
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Post by ddly on Aug 12, 2019 13:36:23 GMT
I cleaned out our shed this weekend. I divorced 3 years ago and the past two summers that I have been with now dh, we have worked at going through stuff. It was jam packed with ex's garbage. This weekend was the final go through and now it is really usable! It was a lot of work, but so worth it. DH just left for the dump with most of the trash we pulled out. Yesterday we put out 2 older weed whackers, a set of tire chains, an a/c we stored in the shed and a few other misc items free. They were all picked up. That much less to get rid of!
There is still some stuff to go to the dump, but the shed is done!! I have all my garden tools hung up on one side. We store our winter/summer tires and they are easily accessible. The lawn mower and weed whacker fit in nicely and you can still move around. Other than those things, there is some spray paint, car stuff and a other things in a hanging cabinet. Once it gets cold, all of our deck furniture will fit in nicely! It's going to be so nice to not have to climb over crap to look for something. There is so little in there that I know exactly everything that is in there and where it is. What a relief!
I also started going through all my sb/crafty stuff. I had 2 3 drawer things and I got rid of enough that I only need 1 and it is mostly stuff to make cards. DD took about a drawer full, I dumped about a drawer full and I packed up a drawer full of punches to be donated. I have about 3 shelves of stuff to continue to go through but I'm doing it in the evening and we are working on space to move it into the office so I can craft again. I still have tons of paper and I don't know how I'm going to go through that. I love it so much! LOL! I have been very judicious about what I've kept so I'll have to do the same.
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Post by Florida Cindy on Aug 12, 2019 13:44:14 GMT
Can I join? Are there any rules?
I am in the process of planning my decluttering. Had emergency surgery 4 weeks ago for retina detachment. I can finally do a few things with the time I have on my hands.
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Post by **GypsyGirl** on Aug 12, 2019 14:09:08 GMT
Can I join? Are there any rules? I am in the process of planning my decluttering. Had emergency surgery 4 weeks ago for retina detachment. I can finally do a few things with the time I have on my hands. Welcome! No rules, just a place to share our goals and decluttering successes, as well as offer support and advice. Sorry to hear about your surgery. Take it easy and realize that it's not a race to get it all decluttered and organized. What project are you hoping to work on first?
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mich5481
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,500
Oct 2, 2017 23:20:46 GMT
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Post by mich5481 on Aug 12, 2019 15:39:27 GMT
I'm going to jump in! Here are my goals for August: ✅ reorganize my DVDs and CDs into new storage boxes [for the most part - I need to find some that are scattered throughout the house] ✅ hold a garage sale at my friend's house on 8/10 ✅ donate anything left over from the garage sale that afternoon • pack up at least 1 box of books each day • pack up at least 1 box of scrapbooking supplies each day • pack up at least 1 other box each day • prepare a list of minor repairs that need to be made before I can list my house for sale • have each room ready for real estate photographs by the end of the month Glad the yard sale is finished! Between this one and the one on 7/27, I walked away with $241. This total is after I went for a pedicure after the first one, and it excludes meals after both of them. I was closer to $300 before those expenses.
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Post by LavenderLayoutLady on Aug 24, 2019 17:27:23 GMT
With the beginning of the school year right around the corner, I feel compelled to have everything neat and organized.
My bedroom is currently storing 4 grocery bags of school supplies, separated by child, and each item individually labelled (down to each pencil).
I also have a bag of kid clothes to donate, but my thrift of choice is closed until Sept. 1st.
As for organizing, this morning I sorted the handmedowns for my youngest, and sealed them in xxl storage bags, labelled them by size, and put them neatly in the kids' closet.
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Post by dewryce on Aug 24, 2019 17:53:37 GMT
I will be dumping off a couple of containers of items for donation today, as well as taking a box for BFF so that feels good.
I’m working on paperwork...again. It’s my biggest nemesis in this area. It feels good to be able to say “I don’t need that” and get rid of it...but doesn’t make much of a visual impact. I have been shredding and recycling as I go. I should have just made stacks so that I can see the real impact when I am done. Ah well. I have serious memory problems so sometimes I feel like I have to keep everything. But when you never look at it again how does that help? Getting rid of it is a huge weight off my shoulders.
I am also working on DH’s triathlon stuff. He only has one more race this season and just had his biggest one yet so we learned a lot of about what he needs, doesn’t need, where he needs it, how to best travel with it, etc.
And it sounds silly but first aid kits are a thing for us right now. I always have one somewhere but we really used them a lot this trip and in doing so learned what works and what doesn’t. So I’m in the process of revamping all of ours; home, car, travel (lives in luggage piece we always use) and in various places in hi triathlon gear. While slowly going through our baskets of misc crap in the garage I found a lot of first aid stuff and brought it in to deal with it, so that feels good. A lot of things we had had expired so I got rid of them.
And the other area I’m working on pretty regularly right now is recipe books. We have made a system that works super well for us, but took quite a bit of time to set up. We just changed how and what we eat in the last few years, towards a kore whole eating and only good carbs approach since we were both diagnosed with diabetes. Which means all new recipes. When making a meal plan we would get super frustrated having so many different sources to look through, online in many places, printed in different places, recipe cards from family, and tons of recipe books. So I made a ‘To Try’ binder and a ‘Favorites’ binder and a ‘Meal Plan’ binder. Old favorites automatically went into that binder, anything we wanted to try went into that one. And when I meal plan I look at only those two sources. Need a chicken recipe? A divider in each binder. When I find it I take it out and put it in the meal plan binder. That way everything is together in one place to make the grocery list and when it is time to cook. One binder to grab. Anyway, they have to get into the ‘To Try’ binder somehow. Printing online stuff is easy. But the millions of cookbooks? Has been quite a task. I started it ages ago and am just now picking it back up. I am down to 10 books I think. I go through and grab only the recipes that look really good, or that show me new healthy ways to prepare veggies because we are trying to learn to like them. Anyway, I just went through 3 books the other night and am hoping to be done within the week.
I know working on one area at a time would give me faster results, but my brain is too scattered to do that right now. So I have tables set up with each of my projects and I work on whatever I am feeling at the moment. So I am hoping to be done with Triathlon stuff, first aid and recipe books within the next week or two, unfortunately not by the end of the month. I know the paperwork is going to be ongoing for a while and that’s ok.
Would love any thoughts on sports gear, corralling recipes, and first aid in various circumstances!
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Post by tentoes on Aug 24, 2019 18:30:08 GMT
I got my pantry cleaned out and all expired food out of it this month. Also one kitchen cupboard has been detrashed. It doesn't sound like a lot, but it was!!
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Post by LavenderLayoutLady on Aug 24, 2019 18:50:48 GMT
dewryce I have no experience with sports stuff, and actually have zero cookbooks because I just look stuff up online, but I do have lots of med stuff in house. Are all your first aid kits the same, or do you pack different stuff for different places in the house/travel destination? I keep two identical kits upstairs & downstairs. Fever reducer, otc pain med, bandaids, antibiotic ointment, benedryl, anti itch cream, Pepto Bismal, cold & flu meds, throat drops. Then I have bandaids & antibiotic ointment in my purse. Then we have all other healthcare items, like rubbing alcohol, peroxide, gauze, burn ointment, vaseline, oragel, etc on a shelf outside the bathroom.
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Post by LavenderLayoutLady on Aug 24, 2019 18:52:59 GMT
I got my pantry cleaned out and all expired food out of it this month. Also one kitchen cupboard has been detrashed. It doesn't sound like a lot, but it was!! Oh, I totally know how much a cupboard can hold, and how much can be declutter from it! You did great!👍
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Post by dewryce on Aug 24, 2019 19:06:18 GMT
dewryce I have no experience with sports stuff, and actually have zero cookbooks because I just look stuff up online, but I do have lots of med stuff in house. Are all your first aid kits the same, or do you pack different stuff for different places in the house/travel destination? I keep two identical kits upstairs & downstairs. Fever reducer, otc pain med, bandaids, antibiotic ointment, benedryl, anti itch cream, Pepto Bismal, cold & flu meds, throat drops. Then I have bandaids & antibiotic ointment in my purse. Then we have all other healthcare items, like rubbing alcohol, peroxide, gauze, burn ointment, vaseline, oragel, etc on a shelf outside the bathroom. The house stuff is pretty easy. We have a two story so pain, stomach, allergy meds, bandaids and antibiotic ointment and thermometers on both levels, placed where we use them. Pain meds are in my nightstand LOL. Then all of the other first aid stuff is in a container in the cabinet where we keep the rest of our meds downstairs. The others are all different sizes so they differ a bit from each other. The car and hotel are largest so can hold the heat and ice packs, bandage for a sprain, etc. along with typical first aid stuff. There are a few differences, like I don’t keep meds in the one in the car because of the heat, but I do keep a small package of emergency toilet paper. I keep extra pain meds in the hotel one to refill my purse meds container as needed. The ones for his triathlon are geared towards quick fix for injuries and pain and have bare minimum in quantities. Just enough to keep him in the road, or for larger issues, to get him to the next aid station. But he takes a blood thinner so if he starts to bleed he needs more gauze than the average bear. Those are harder for me because I tend to over prepare and I really have to minimize what goes in there. But dang it, I dot want a stomach issue to take him out of a race he prepared 6 months for if I could easily include a couple of Imodium.
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Post by LavenderLayoutLady on Aug 24, 2019 19:17:20 GMT
dewryce I have no experience with sports stuff, and actually have zero cookbooks because I just look stuff up online, but I do have lots of med stuff in house. Are all your first aid kits the same, or do you pack different stuff for different places in the house/travel destination? I keep two identical kits upstairs & downstairs. Fever reducer, otc pain med, bandaids, antibiotic ointment, benedryl, anti itch cream, Pepto Bismal, cold & flu meds, throat drops. Then I have bandaids & antibiotic ointment in my purse. Then we have all other healthcare items, like rubbing alcohol, peroxide, gauze, burn ointment, vaseline, oragel, etc on a shelf outside the bathroom. The house stuff is pretty easy. We have a two story so pain, stomach, allergy meds, bandaids and antibiotic ointment and thermometers on both levels, placed where we use them. Pain meds are in my nightstand LOL. Then all of the other first aid stuff is in a container in the cabinet where we keep the rest of our meds downstairs. The others are all different sizes so they differ a bit from each other. The car and hotel are largest so can hold the heat and ice packs, bandage for a sprain, etc. along with typical first aid stuff. There are a few differences, like I don’t keep meds in the one in the car because of the heat, but I do keep a small package of emergency toilet paper. I keep extra pain meds in the hotel one to refill my purse meds container as needed. The ones for his triathlon are geared towards quick fix for injuries and pain and have bare minimum in quantities. Just enough to keep him in the road, or for larger issues, to get him to the next aid station. But he takes a blood thinner so if he starts to bleed he needs more gauze than the average bear. Those are harder for me because I tend to over prepare and I really have to minimize what goes in there. But dang it, I dot want a stomach issue to take him out of a race he prepared 6 months for if I could easily include a couple of Imodium. Where on his body might he start bleeding during a triathlon? If it is a wide enough place (leg, arm, back, etc, as opposed to toes/foot areas), use a small menstrual pad or panty liner (can be folded in half to minimize length) under the gauze wrapping (of course wrapping with bandage to cover from view). It is made to be extremely absorbent.
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Post by dewryce on Aug 24, 2019 19:34:12 GMT
The house stuff is pretty easy. We have a two story so pain, stomach, allergy meds, bandaids and antibiotic ointment and thermometers on both levels, placed where we use them. Pain meds are in my nightstand LOL. Then all of the other first aid stuff is in a container in the cabinet where we keep the rest of our meds downstairs. The others are all different sizes so they differ a bit from each other. The car and hotel are largest so can hold the heat and ice packs, bandage for a sprain, etc. along with typical first aid stuff. There are a few differences, like I don’t keep meds in the one in the car because of the heat, but I do keep a small package of emergency toilet paper. I keep extra pain meds in the hotel one to refill my purse meds container as needed. The ones for his triathlon are geared towards quick fix for injuries and pain and have bare minimum in quantities. Just enough to keep him in the road, or for larger issues, to get him to the next aid station. But he takes a blood thinner so if he starts to bleed he needs more gauze than the average bear. Those are harder for me because I tend to over prepare and I really have to minimize what goes in there. But dang it, I dot want a stomach issue to take him out of a race he prepared 6 months for if I could easily include a couple of Imodium. Where on his body might he start bleeding during a triathlon? If it is a wide enough place (leg, arm, back, etc, as opposed to toes/foot areas), use a small menstrual pad or panty liner (can be folded in half to minimize length) under the gauze wrapping (of course wrapping with bandage to cover from view). It is made to be extremely absorbent. LOL that’s an excellent idea but I’m not sure he would go for it. He buys them with zero issues like the pro he is, but wearing one in competition? Might be pushing it! But I am for sure going to keep that in mind for home. The last time he sliced his finger they had to cauterize it to stop the bleeding. Blood was everywhere. There is actually a sponge that is made with ingredients to help with clotting so that is in my Amazon cart. Powder too, but I want to read up on it a bit more. The bleeding threat comes from falls mostly, especially on his bike and it’s not uncommon. But what would be just a simple scrape for most isn’t for him. That’s the only discipline he actually carries his first aid. That’s because a) it can go in his bike saddle bag and b) the aid stations are only every 15 miles if that. Otherwise I keep a small one in his tri bag to grab things during transition (where they change out gear for the next leg of their race).
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Post by LavenderLayoutLady on Aug 24, 2019 19:40:03 GMT
Where on his body might he start bleeding during a triathlon? If it is a wide enough place (leg, arm, back, etc, as opposed to toes/foot areas), use a small menstrual pad or panty liner (can be folded in half to minimize length) under the gauze wrapping (of course wrapping with bandage to cover from view). It is made to be extremely absorbent. LOL that’s an excellent idea but I’m not sure he would go for it. He buys them with zero issues like the pro he is, but wearing one in competition? Might be pushing it! But I am for sure going to keep that in mind for home. The last time he sliced his finger they had to cauterize it to stop the bleeding. Blood was everywhere. There is actually a sponge that is made with ingredients to help with clotting so that is in my Amazon cart. Powder too, but I want to read up on it a bit more. The bleeding threat comes from falls mostly, especially on his bike and it’s not uncommon. But what would be just a simple scrape for most isn’t for him. That’s the only discipline he actually carries his first aid. That’s because a) it can go in his bike saddle bag and b) the aid stations are only every 15 miles if that. Otherwise I keep a small one in his tri bag to grab things during transition (where they change out gear for the next leg of their race). curad clinical advanced super absorbent wound care pads
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Post by dewryce on Aug 24, 2019 19:44:40 GMT
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Post by tentoes on Aug 24, 2019 19:46:50 GMT
I got my pantry cleaned out and all expired food out of it this month. Also one kitchen cupboard has been detrashed. It doesn't sound like a lot, but it was!! Oh, I totally know how much a cupboard can hold, and how much can be declutter from it! You did great!👍 Oh thanks!! I'd HATE to tell you all how much got thrown out!! I hate wasting food!! Especially with so many hungry homeless people around! But some of it had been there since 2001!! Time to throw. I guess when I bought new stuff, it went in the front where I chose the food to use. Dumb, I know, but that is what I do, and IF I EVER BUY ANOTHER TEA BAG IN MY LIFE, PLEASE KILL ME!! I have a whole kitchen cupboard FULL of tea bags!! (there is also chocolate mix, ice tea mix, coffee, and chai mix in there), but mostly tea bags!! It DOES feel good to have it all organized though, and now I know where things are. To make myself feel better about wasting so much, though, I made a money contribution to my church food ministry. That helped me not feel as guilty.
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Post by dewryce on Aug 24, 2019 19:59:45 GMT
Oh, I totally know how much a cupboard can hold, and how much can be declutter from it! You did great!👍 Oh thanks!! I'd HATE to tell you all how much got thrown out!! I hate wasting food!! Especially with so many hungry homeless people around! But some of it had been there since 2001!! Time to throw. I guess when I bought new stuff, it went in the front where I chose the food to use. Dumb, I know, but that is what I do, and IF I EVER BUY ANOTHER TEA BAG IN MY LIFE, PLEASE KILL ME!! I have a whole kitchen cupboard FULL of tea bags!! (there is also chocolate mix, ice tea mix, coffee, and chai mix in there), but mostly tea bags!! It DOES feel good to have it all organized though, and now I know where things are. To make myself feel better about wasting so much, though, I made a money contribution to my church food ministry. That helped me not feel as guilty. What a great thing to do! And now is not the time for guilt. You found a problem area and cleaned it up. Good for you! Your old process didn’t work for you so decide now, before it can become a problem again, what would work. Putting new food items in the back? Meal planning by using what is in the cabinets and fridge before you make a grocery list? (This is what I do. We don’t keep much in the pantry, but I go through there and the fridge and freezer to see what we have left, writing it on a post it note, and pick recipes to use those items before they go bad. Then I look for other recipes we are in the mood for. We have so much less waste now, almost never have to throw anything away.) You have tons of tea bags, is that because they weren’t gathered together? I use cheap plastic baskets to gather a lot of like things in my pantry. Nuts, drinks, produce (don’t want it on my kitchen countertop), even cleaning supplies in like categories. On my baking shelf I have separate baskets for reactionary and flavor ingredients, they’re so small so it’s super easy to just slide forward the pull out the container and grab what I need. And way at the top I have a basket of extras because DH was in the habit of just buying spices and condiments (mostly) without really checking to see if we had them already. So now we have extras and have to check that basket before adding it to the grocery list. We are down from two big baskets though so there is progress!
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Post by LavenderLayoutLady on Aug 24, 2019 20:14:06 GMT
Oh, I totally know how much a cupboard can hold, and how much can be declutter from it! You did great!👍 Oh thanks!! I'd HATE to tell you all how much got thrown out!! I hate wasting food!! Especially with so many hungry homeless people around! But some of it had been there since 2001!! Time to throw. I guess when I bought new stuff, it went in the front where I chose the food to use. Dumb, I know, but that is what I do, and IF I EVER BUY ANOTHER TEA BAG IN MY LIFE, PLEASE KILL ME!! I have a whole kitchen cupboard FULL of tea bags!! (there is also chocolate mix, ice tea mix, coffee, and chai mix in there), but mostly tea bags!! It DOES feel good to have it all organized though, and now I know where things are. To make myself feel better about wasting so much, though, I made a money contribution to my church food ministry. That helped me not feel as guilty. No guilt needed! But how kind of you to make a contribution. 😁 Always give yourself the grace that you would grant your best friend. You'd never shame a friend for tossing expired food, so don't do it to yourself. I bet it feels great having all that old stuff out. 😁 I know I love getting rid of baggage. dewryce I'm all about little plastic baskets in my cabinets too. Otherwise little things always get lost.
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Post by tentoes on Aug 24, 2019 20:15:56 GMT
What a great thing to do! And now is not the time for guilt. You found a problem area and cleaned it up. Good for you! Your old process didn’t work for you so decide now, before it can become a problem again, what would work. Putting new food items in the back? Meal planning by using what is in the cabinets and fridge before you make a grocery list? (This is what I do. We don’t keep much in the pantry, but I go through there and the fridge and freezer to see what we have left, writing it on a post it note, and pick recipes to use those items before they go bad. Then I look for other recipes we are in the mood for. We have so much less waste now, almost never have to throw anything away.) You have tons of tea bags, i s that because they weren’t gathered together? I use cheap plastic baskets to gather a lot of like things in my pantry. Nuts, drinks, produce (don’t want it on my kitchen countertop), even cleaning supplies in like categories. On my baking shelf I have separate baskets for reactionary and flavor ingredients, they’re so small so it’s super easy to just slide forward the pull out the container and grab what I need. And way at the top I have a basket of extras because DH was in the habit of just buying spices and condiments (mostly) without really checking to see if we had them already. So now we have extras and have to check that basket before adding it to the grocery list. We are down from two big baskets though so there is progress! I had some in the pantry, and some in the kitchen cupboards--so yes, they weren't together!! My dd was here for a visit so we went out and bought some cute baskets to sort things into and some good stackable containers for the flower and sugar and "stuff."They all match. Thanks for the suggestions too. I have had a hard time cooking anything since my husband died. I don't really "shop" right now--I run out for milk, or eggs, or strawberries, or bread. I am still having a hard time eating. I go to my son's house once a week for dinner--and my ddil packs up some leftovers for me to bring home. I have them over once a week or so and mostly all I've "fixed" is calling for pizza!! I did make hamburgers and hot dogs a few times. The kids are picky eaters, and pizza, hot dogs, and hamburgers are about the only thing that all of them eat without a fight. I go out to eat with friends once a week or so, and always bring home the leftovers--which is usually enough for two more days. I have started to feel a bit better lately, so maybe I'm finally starting to adjust. I will try in the future, though to take some of your suggestions on keeping the pantry and cupboard up to date.
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Post by dewryce on Aug 24, 2019 20:19:04 GMT
tentoes I’m so sorry for your loss. You sound like you are doing pretty well, I think I’d still be in the “not getting out of bed” phase. Is going through your cabinets part of your process or just something you are in the mood to do?
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Post by tentoes on Aug 24, 2019 20:44:49 GMT
tentoes I’m so sorry for your loss. You sound like you are doing pretty well, I think I’d still be in the “not getting out of bed” phase. Is going through your cabinets part of your process or just something you are in the mood to do? Thank you dewryse.
My daughter had come for a short visit, and she wanted to help me "accomplish" something, so we chose the pantry. The cupboard was then included because we had to move some things from the pantry to that cupboard so we had like stuff in one place. Plus, I think my kids were afraid I had "bad" food in the pantry! The last time she visited, we went through the freezer and the refrigerator!! She said to think about her "next visit and what we want to do." My son is working with my lawyer and me trying to simplify the financial side. My ddil has helped me collect all my bills in one place, and make sure they are paid. (my husband had them all auto-pay) but it was with two check accounts--so we've changed it all to one account, and are trying to simplify all of that. He's helped me set up a family trust, and we're still working on all the paperwork for that. One of these days my kids will have me organized! They have all been great, but it all takes time an energy. Not sure what my long-term plans are right now. I'm kind of in limbo.
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Deleted
Posts: 0
Apr 20, 2024 12:19:53 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Aug 24, 2019 21:04:22 GMT
Also sorry for your loss, tentoes. You must be so proud of your children for helping you so much. So many of my friends children dont even talk to them much less visit and help. I cleared off a little of my countertop this week by making a little coffee bar out of a small desk. I haven't got all the kinks out yet, but my countertop looks much less cluttered
I didn't buy anything new, but used stuff I already had to organize it.
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Post by mikklynn on Aug 24, 2019 21:09:05 GMT
Where on his body might he start bleeding during a triathlon? If it is a wide enough place (leg, arm, back, etc, as opposed to toes/foot areas), use a small menstrual pad or panty liner (can be folded in half to minimize length) under the gauze wrapping (of course wrapping with bandage to cover from view). It is made to be extremely absorbent. When my dad was a fireman, they kept maxi pads in their first aids kits for this very reason. dewryce I always buy small packages of Immodium in the blister packs so I can carry a few of them in my purse. It's easier than toting a whole bottle.
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Post by tentoes on Aug 24, 2019 21:19:31 GMT
Also sorry for your loss, tentoes. You must be so proud of your children for helping you so much. So many of my friends children dont even talk to them much less visit and help. Thanks so much elaynef. Yes, I have some great kids, and grandkids. A lot of the family came over this spring and helped me prepare the yard for spring and summer. We weeded, washed windows, prepared the coolers for summer, trimmed the bushes, and got the sprinklers going. And we enjoyed being together too. We're having a fall clean up day the 7th or 8th of September. They have all be helpful. I have one daughter and her family that live out of state, so she hasn't been here. Part of that, though was MY fault. I was supposed to meet them half way but my dog got sick and I couldn't leave. I couldn't leave my dog with my son because they have a puppy so I didn't want my dog to make their dog sick,and I couldn't take him with me beause they were bring their pup, and I didn't want to make him sick either! Plus, traveling with a sick dog isn't that much fun!! I still plan to meet them half way sometime though. They have a townhouse (for my son in laws business) about in the middle so that is where we were going to meet.
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Post by dewryce on Aug 24, 2019 21:26:11 GMT
tentoes I’m so sorry for your loss. You sound like you are doing pretty well, I think I’d still be in the “not getting out of bed” phase. Is going through your cabinets part of your process or just something you are in the mood to do? Thank you dewryse.
My daughter had come for a short visit, and she wanted to help me "accomplish" something, so we chose the pantry. The cupboard was then included because we had to move some things from the pantry to that cupboard so we had like stuff in one place. Plus, I think my kids were afraid I had "bad" food in the pantry! The last time she visited, we went through the freezer and the refrigerator!! She said to think about her "next visit and what we want to do." My son is working with my lawyer and me trying to simplify the financial side. My ddil has helped me collect all my bills in one place, and make sure they are paid. (my husband had them all auto-pay) but it was with two check accounts--so we've changed it all to one account, and are trying to simplify all of that. He's helped me set up a family trust, and we're still working on all the paperwork for that. One of these days my kids will have me organized! They have all been great, but it all takes time an energy. Not sure what my long-term plans are right now. I'm kind of in limbo.
I imagine you are. Your children seem really wonderful! But I know it must be mentally exhausting doing all of this, even at a slow pace. I will keep you in my thoughts and hope things continue to go as well as they can for you. Keep us posted when you can. (((hugs)))
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Post by tentoes on Aug 24, 2019 21:32:11 GMT
I imagine you are. Your children seem really wonderful! But I know it must be mentally exhausting doing all of this, even at a slow pace. I will keep you in my thoughts and hope things continue to go as well as they can for you. Keep us posted when you can. (((hugs))) Thanks again. I appreciate it.
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