freebird
Drama Llama
'cause I'm free as a bird now
Posts: 6,927 
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Post by freebird on Aug 13, 2019 1:14:18 GMT
Sorry I haven't posted the past couple weeks. I've been kind of busy AND couldn't think of good assignments!
I have a few though:
1. Time to get in the fridge and declutter some of those condiments. If it's expired, it gets trashed. If it's opened and you didn't like it, gotta go (maybe give to someone else if it's not expired). If it's not opened, not expired, and you never bothered to try it, you can donate it to the food pantry. While you have all your condiments out, wipe down the areas where they were.
BONUS: Get rid of all the other UFO's in there too.
2. Candles and candle holders. I think most of us have too many candles. It's ok to have a few emergency ones, but you don't need 25, especially if they are the cheap dollar store candles. Also toss candles that are almost burnt down (or finish them off), empties, tea lights you'll never use, and those decorative candle holders that will never hold a candle. Ever.
You can heat up the glass candles in a double boiler (I usually just put them in some boiling water for a couple minutes) to loosen the old wax and dump it in the trash then recycle of the jar (that doesn't mean put pens in it, it means out the door recycling) if that makes you feel better about it. Candle holders can go to goodwill.
3. Costume Jewelry: The rule of clothes apply. If you haven't worn it in a year, it's time to go. Give to a friend or donate. Maybe sell as a lot on the swap groups if you want to recoup your money. In the future, consider more timeless pieces that can be worn with many outfits!
Reducing consumerism:
I'm doing "ok" in this department. I think before buying little things. "do I have something at home, or can I make something instead of buying?" I've been spending a lot of money on experiences (travel) this year and I think that's ok, but I'm trying to be careful. We went on a trip and I bought several pieces of jewelry and took photos as my souvenirs instead of junk. I'm also not buying junk for others. We usually get gifts for the youngest granddaughter but decided to just get her a t-shirt (that she can wear to school) and a sucker with a scorpion in it instead of "things".
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LeaP
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,939
Location: Los Angeles, CA where 405 meets 101
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Post by LeaP on Aug 13, 2019 1:30:48 GMT
Last week my consumer crazy youngest kid left for Denmark for 10 months. I have been cleaning her room and de-cluttering what I mentally call flotsam. I have filled both the recycling bin and regular bin and have a growing pile to donate. Getting rid of foul smelling or smokey candles was part of it. We have 19 candles in our household. I did the condiment thing a couple of weeks ago, and have told Condiment Man (aka husband) to lay off the condiment purchases for a couple of years.
My daughter's remaining stuff fits in 8 banker boxes. She texted to tell me she went to buy shampoo and there were only two kinds to chose from. I'm hoping that we can embrace less going forward.
Thanks for the discipline!
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brandy327
Drama Llama
Posts: 6,353
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Post by brandy327 on Aug 13, 2019 2:25:39 GMT
Great tips!! I'm working on totally simplifying my house and trying to have a place for everything. I just went through my refrigerator and threw a bunch of stuff away. And then I took measurements for bins. I haven't made it out to get the bins yet though. I did buy a spinny thing for the top shelf for all the stuff that would get lost in the back. So far I'm loving that!
My biggest obstacle right now is that we are a family of 5 living in a 1400ish sq ft house. I feel like it's a really tight fit atm. I know in 5 years it will probably be just right. But for now, I'm struggling to find enough space.
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Post by ntsf on Aug 13, 2019 2:33:14 GMT
I don't know if I have any candles.. maybe one or two tapers. I do need to go through the fridge. I could organize my jewelry better.. but I have so little and wear it so rarely, I wouldn't want to get rid of any of it. I dress up two or three times a year.. other than cruises. then I wear something.
I raised 3 kids in 1600 square feet. it will get better. every space gets used and no one can hide out (we can all hear each other). now that we are retired, and only have one child at home.. it is great not to have too much space.
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Deleted
Posts: 0
Apr 24, 2024 16:42:48 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Aug 13, 2019 2:56:49 GMT
I have one candle that I keep around for power outages after dark.
We recently decluttered our camping supplies. We are not going camping again any time soon. I came across 5 cintrolla candles in varying stages of use. We do like to sit outside in the evenings and the bugs can be bad. I doubt they actually work but the glow is kind of nice so we will burn those down. No need to buy more.
I am working on buying only what we really need. I would love to have more shirts but I do not need more. I do need to stop buying yarn though. I need to do a destash of those. I do not knit as much as I think I do.
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lindas
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,146
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Post by lindas on Aug 13, 2019 3:27:29 GMT
Fridge: did that a few weeks ago.
Candles: down to just a few holiday ones so they will be used soon and then gone.
Costume Jewelry: that I really need to do. I have way too much and even though I wear it I could easily part with about half of it.
Reducing consumerism: failed at that one this week but in my defense it's because I bought the reusable produce bags that were mentioned here a few days ago. Also bought some nice, heavy duty reusable grocery bags since my state is banning plastic next year.
Decluttering has become my middle name. With the amount of stuff I've hauled out of this house to the trash or to donate I'm sure my neighbors must think I'm getting ready to move.
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Post by LavenderLayoutLady on Aug 13, 2019 10:42:07 GMT
Thanks for the thread!
I don't buy a bunch of condiments that just sit. We use them up pretty quick. I did wipe out the fridge before putting away groceries yesterday.
I don't have decorative candles at all (we don't burn them due to the fire risk). I have five emergency candles in the cabinet, as yet unburned.
I don't have much costume jewelry at all. I was never much into it.
Reducing consumerism :
With back to school shopping, I've bought a lot, because I had to. And I had to suddenly replace an air conditioner that stopped working this week.
So all my shopping has been necessary items only.
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Post by Spongemom Scrappants on Aug 13, 2019 11:13:49 GMT
This is the second time you've posted an assignment that I had already done just days before - great minds think alike?
I tossed a bunch of condiment and pickled stuff from the fridge the other day. Easier to clean and to see what we have.
I have very few candles any more as my husband gets headaches from many of the scented ones. I do have a lot of tapers for the dining table, but will probably eventually use all those up.
I need to add jewelry to my list of items to sort and purge. All of that is contained in the closet so I tend to skip over it in favor of more pressing things to do. But there's much work there to be done, so thanks for the reminder.
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Post by mikklynn on Aug 13, 2019 11:54:25 GMT
Great suggestions! I have some costume jewelry I haven't worn in years. It's going out.
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Post by monklady123 on Aug 13, 2019 11:55:06 GMT
Last week my consumer crazy youngest kid left for Denmark for 10 months. I have been cleaning her room and de-cluttering what I mentally call flotsam. I have filled both the recycling bin and regular bin and have a growing pile to donate. Getting rid of foul smelling or smokey candles was part of it. We have 19 candles in our household. I did the condiment thing a couple of weeks ago, and have told Condiment Man (aka husband) to lay off the condiment purchases for a couple of years.
My daughter's remaining stuff fits in 8 banker boxes. She texted to tell me she went to buy shampoo and there were only two kinds to chose from. I'm hoping that we can embrace less going forward.
Thanks for the discipline!
hahaha I remember my own culture shock when I first came back from living overseas and went to our grocery store...omg, the cereal aisle! and cookies!  |
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Post by monklady123 on Aug 13, 2019 11:57:41 GMT
I accept the condiment challenge! omg my dh and mustard.  Then to make it worse, he buys mustard in these cute little mugs...like a very small beer stein. And of course he wants to keep them. But the thing is, who drinks beer in something that small? And we don't need yet another glass in our cupboards! I sneak them out the door into the recycling bin when he's not looking. He never asks about them. Anyway, I will do condiments today. Don't have much costume jewelry. Dd has a TON of candles so I should suggest she do something about that. |
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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 13, 2019 13:20:30 GMT
Did the fridge last week before shopping. I have a side by side and it was great to free up some space!
Candles. I only have 2 sets of 3 battery operated candles. I decided a few years ago that I was done with the fake smelling shit in my house and got rid of all my bath and body works stuff smelly stuff including the wall flowers. I did buy one pine scented candle at Xmas but I burned it down to nothing.
Costume jewelry. This has never been a problem for me. I only have like 12 pairs of earrings, 5ish necklaces and 5 pandora bracelets.
My dd is moving and she has stored a lot of her stuff here. She is taking stuff to her new place which is freeing up space in my basement. It's wonderful not to have all of her clutter. Today she comes to get the last of it. She certainly has issues stuff, specifically makeup and clothes, but she doesn't listen to me. Says she likes choices. I told her to find something she liked and stick with it! LOL!
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moodyblue
Drama Llama
Posts: 6,170
Location: Western Illinois
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Jun 26, 2014 21:07:23 GMT
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Post by moodyblue on Aug 13, 2019 14:00:25 GMT
Good choices to target.
I was just thinking that I needed to check the condiments in the fridge. I also need to check the pickles and things like that that don’t get eaten much any more now that it’s just me. They are taking up a bunch of space in the fridge.
I have a ton of candles and candle holders. Don’t know that I’ll get to them right now but it’s a reminder to go through those cabinets. I don’t burn many candles any more, although I used to.
Jewelry is all pretty well contained - necklaces are in a box on the dresser. Bracelets, which I wear more of now, are in a long wooden bread bowl - easy to access and see what I have. Not really looking to get rid of any of either type yet.
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freebird
Drama Llama
'cause I'm free as a bird now
Posts: 6,927
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Post by freebird on Aug 13, 2019 17:15:30 GMT
Great tips!! I'm working on totally simplifying my house and trying to have a place for everything. I just went through my refrigerator and threw a bunch of stuff away. And then I took measurements for bins. I haven't made it out to get the bins yet though. I did buy a spinny thing for the top shelf for all the stuff that would get lost in the back. So far I'm loving that! My biggest obstacle right now is that we are a family of 5 living in a 1400ish sq ft house. I feel like it's a really tight fit atm. I know in 5 years it will probably be just right. But for now, I'm struggling to find enough space.
My house is a little under 1500 sq ft. This weekend my nieces came to spend the weekend with us (ages 6 and 4). They kept telling me they wanted "a tour of the house" so I showed them. We have 2 bathrooms, 4 bedrooms and a dining room. One bedroom is my laundry conversion and the other is my office where I paint. After we were done (3 min) they said "is that it?"
LOL. There house is about double the size of mine, maybe more.
Bigger house, more crap to organize.
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The Birdhouse Lady
Drama Llama
Moose. It's what's for dinner.
Posts: 7,144
Location: Alaska -The Last Frontier
Jun 30, 2014 17:15:19 GMT
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Post by The Birdhouse Lady on Aug 13, 2019 17:42:09 GMT
I cant wait to do the fridge part of this challenge. I'm in a throwing out mood. Thanks for the permission to throw stuff out that I opened and didn't like!! I know I have that in there for sure. Like why is it still in there, I am NEVER going to use it!!
I did my jewelry earlier this summer. Man, was that a task! I am so happy with what I kept and haven't missed a single piece I got rid of.
Thanks for this thread!
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Post by tentoes on Aug 13, 2019 18:02:31 GMT
I raised 3 kids in 1600 square feet. it will get better. every space gets used and no one can hide out (we can all hear each other). now that we are retired, and only have one child at home.. it is great not to have too much space. I can relate. I raised 4 kids in 1300 sq feet! (started out as 1200, then we bumped out into a patio area a bit!) Now that I'm here alone (husband died late last year) I feel like I could live in a lot less area. I'm finding it difficult to keep up with the normal upkeep, so may downsize sometime soon. |
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Post by flanz on Aug 13, 2019 19:55:16 GMT
Reducing consumerism:
I'm doing "ok" in this department. I think before buying little things. "do I have something at home, or can I make something instead of buying?" I've been spending a lot of money on experiences (travel) this year and I think that's ok, but I'm trying to be careful. We went on a trip and I bought several pieces of jewelry and took photos as my souvenirs instead of junk. I'm also not buying junk for others. We usually get gifts for the youngest granddaughter but decided to just get her a t-shirt (that she can wear to school) and a sucker with a scorpion in it instead of "things".
I appreciate these threads and I really appreciate the sentiments in your last paragraph. NO MORE JUNK! I am visiting my elderly mum and my sister and I did deep clean/ declutter of her fridge last week. I have so much to do back at my own house, and your threads will help me, I'm sure. TIA! Do you happen to know if there's been a thread discussing low plastic/ packaging cleaning and toiletry items or recipes? |
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brandy327
Drama Llama
Posts: 6,353
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Post by brandy327 on Aug 13, 2019 20:06:00 GMT
Great tips!! I'm working on totally simplifying my house and trying to have a place for everything. I just went through my refrigerator and threw a bunch of stuff away. And then I took measurements for bins. I haven't made it out to get the bins yet though. I did buy a spinny thing for the top shelf for all the stuff that would get lost in the back. So far I'm loving that! My biggest obstacle right now is that we are a family of 5 living in a 1400ish sq ft house. I feel like it's a really tight fit atm. I know in 5 years it will probably be just right. But for now, I'm struggling to find enough space.
My house is a little under 1500 sq ft. This weekend my nieces came to spend the weekend with us (ages 6 and 4). They kept telling me they wanted "a tour of the house" so I showed them. We have 2 bathrooms, 4 bedrooms and a dining room. One bedroom is my laundry conversion and the other is my office where I paint. After we were done (3 min) they said "is that it?"
LOL. There house is about double the size of mine, maybe more.
Bigger house, more crap to organize.
When the girls' boyfriends came over yesterday(it was the first time they've been here), I heard one daughter say "I'll give you a tour of our tiny house". It kind of hurt my feelings but I also know of 4 families(her bf's family is one of them) that have a house that's roughly 4000 sq ft and they're all looking to downsize. We have 3 bedrooms upstairs and 2 full baths. We finished the downstairs and have 1 bedroom plus a combined office/gym/TV & sitting area for the kids. If you include the basement, we probably have more like 2400 sq feet. But it still feels tight. LOL |
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Post by ntsf on Aug 13, 2019 20:12:04 GMT
in our 1600 sq ft house we have a basement/garage, but it is full of stuff, not finished, not dry totally so no useable space. some how we survived with one tv in the house.. though everyone had their own computers. due to the tax structure in CA, you can't really downsize without some big expense. so our starter home is our forever home. hopefully, now that dh is selling his boat, and is retired, we will have more time to continue to fix it up. need 5 more windows, one leak taken care of , new door, new handrail, and some major clutter busting in the basement. waiting for my son to get his stuff out of there.. as he just moved apartments..
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Post by dewryce on Aug 13, 2019 22:17:19 GMT
Yay, glad to see this thread back, thank you for taking the time! Would you like some suggestions for small problem areas for future tasks so it isn’t such a chore for you? I always appreciate the motivation and am happy to help  I imagine the 1st two will be very easy for me this week, as these are things I don’t really keep a hold of. Condiments have never been a problem but candles used to be. But as usual I bet I will come across an item or two I’ve been ignoring. Costume Jewelry. This one will be harder dang you  My sister and I both make (made) a lot of jewelry and while I loved it and wore it at the time, I haven’t in a while. Part of the reason is it was made for specific outfits that I no longer own. The other part is that my tastes have changed. So this will be my struggle this week, but a needed one! Do y’allkeep and wear jewelry even if it isn’t in style? I have some stone pieces I made that were probably never in style that may look dated, but not 90s choker necklaces dated. Reducing Consumerism: My personal issue with what you stated, trying to make do with something from home, is that for a permanent solution I want one that is kind of perfect for my need. I’m thinking organization type items because that is what I’m in the mood to shop for right now. I’m okay with having tons of different baskets I use temporarily, but if it is a long term solution I want things to match and fit my needs exactly and I don’t know how to work past that. When possible and appropriate we try to gift experiences rather than things, unless I know someone could use and really wants the thing. If we had tons of money this would be much easier! My mom’s birthday is in almost a week so I am looking for a concert or show we would both love. That’s doable. Christmas with a huge extended family? That’s a little more difficult. |
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Post by dewryce on Aug 17, 2019 3:34:51 GMT
I have done my homework for the week! Not a lot going out, but some needed items and it also got me in the mood so I worked on other areas. So I will definitely consider it a job well done and give myself a pat on the back. When we did books I did not go through some recipe books I have been wanting to. So far 10 more of those gone. 7 to donate and 3 I cut recipes out of for my binder so they are recycled. I know, sacrilege! But the system works for us I am down to about a dozen to go through I think. Started out with I’m guessing 50 so this is pretty exciting for me. I had been avoiding picking the project back up again, so thank you. Also been going through a lot of my school supplies and have a bit to give to a teacher friend. I finally stopped shopping for myself during the month of August a few years ago, but I still need to pare down. Is this where I admit I ordered some new supplies? While going through paperwork I found I needed some small binder clips, and found some with winking faces...in my basket they went! Plus I need more page protectors for my recipe binder. However, we avoided buying a new product when my husband fixed our shredder when I was about to tear out my hair and ready to replace it. Go husband. But I did reuse a lot of old organizational items to corral my supplies even though they don’t fit perfectly rather than buying new. While going through this week's items I came across a potential future area to declutter: vases. I have pared down quite a bit but could still probably pick out a few more to donate. Other ideas, gift wrapping supplies (paper, bags, tissue, ribbon, tags). Panties and bras, we deserve to wear nice items let’s get rid of all but a few cycle panties and anything that is worn, ill fitting, or just don’t make us feel good. Office supplies since school has started and we’ve probably all been going through them. Picture frames! Do you truly enjoy so many around the house or even notice the photos in them anymore? Maybe update with new photos, move to a different place in the house, create a gallery wall. Plus, we are scrapbooked I am willing to bet a lot of us have a selection of blank frames somewhere that we have never gotten around to using. Condiments. Only 1 bottle of honey mustard, dang it. Candles & Candle holders. An area I have worked on in the past, so not much. A couple of pillar candles and some pink votives. I have a votive holder for them I am keeping, but they are a) pink and b) scented. Since I only ever use them for romantic dinner lighting they get to go. Costume Jewelry. I knew going in this would be the hardest one, even though I have worked on it several times before. But I culled out about half a dozen necklaces and sets of earrings each. And a few James Avery sets of earrings that I just never find myself wearing. I decided that if I can’t (quickly) sell them on eBay I will sell them for their metal content and buy a ring I’ve been coveting that they decided to retire. I like this method for a lot of decluttering, it is especially motivating for DH. Get rid of 20 old, crappy t-shirts and buy a nice new expensive one. Sold. |
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MsKnit
Pearl Clutcher
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Jun 26, 2014 19:06:42 GMT
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Post by MsKnit on Aug 17, 2019 12:42:37 GMT
I will check the condiments in the fridge. Those I tend to go through every couple of months. It's kind of like the medicine cabinet in the bathroom, I go through it while I brush my teeth. The condiments are done while I have a few minutes waiting on something to finish on the stove. I never do a big refrigerator clean out. When a shelf is close to empty, I wipe it and the surrounding walls down. If I can easily move items from a different shelf, that one & the surrounding areas are wiped down, too.
Candles -- We have been working on going through the existing hoard of candles for a few years. It is finally down to a reasonable number. Funny you mentioned not using them for other things. DH's change jar is a cleaned out candle holder that has been in use for 25+ years. I recently started a FT job and have been personalizing my space. In my drawer of supplies, I repurposed 2 candle jars (nice, heavy ones) to store some of my things in. One being for my pens, pencils, etc... I am possessive of my pens and keep them out of reach. I do donate or toss most of the used candle jars, though.
Costume jewelry--Don't own any.
Consumerism--I've been a disaster over the last 2 months. With DH's job loss, I needed & found a FT job. I had been a SAHW/M for years. And, with the Fibromyalgia, I wore a lot of yoga pants. So, I've had to buy clothing and shoes suitable for the workplace. In addition, I have bought a few things to organize my supply drawer & to personalize my workspace. As I mentioned above, some of the containers have been repurposed. Yesterday, I found a signed pottery coffee mug at the Goodwill for $1. I will be using that for the pen holder on my desk. It's the right size to have a few pens available for other people to grab.
We have been eating home and staying home in general because of the impending job loss. We have been fortunate to have had 6 months notice. So, we have cut our spending drastically. The clothes & shoes were a necessary exception. Maybe that balances out the consumerism.
Thank you for keeping this going.
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Coffee Mom
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Dec 18, 2018 0:16:30 GMT
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Post by Coffee Mom on Aug 18, 2019 12:43:43 GMT
It has been a long time since I have participated in these threads! I had a baby. 😁 I have been on a roll though. I have been decluttering all of our excess “kid stuff”, prepping it for a consignment sale in a few weeks, and I have over 200 tags made. If I didn’t need the $$$ I’d just let it go.
Fridge: I actually keep this maintained pretty well. I can’t stand dirty fridges though and it’s one of the few things I really stay on top of.
Candles: Thank you!!! I’m getting rid of all but one or two (I need a flame for my fantasy film). We have flashlights. I have two rambunctious boys+husband and a “wild” cat. It’s a fire waiting to happen so I stopped burning them. 😅 They are going today!
Costume jewelry: Did this right before baby! I don’t wear jewelry much so got all of the basics down to a little travel sized box (I think my jewelry box was intended for children? Lol). I have a few special costume-y pieces left that fit in one of those little plastic 4x6 photo containers from Joanns.
Consumerism: Well it helps that we’re broke, lol. I just need to focus on slapping all the money I’m getting from selling junk towards the medical bills, instead of other temptations.
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Post by dewryce on Aug 18, 2019 12:47:28 GMT
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Coffee Mom
Full Member
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Dec 18, 2018 0:16:30 GMT
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Post by Coffee Mom on Aug 18, 2019 13:54:11 GMT
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Then to make it worse, he buys mustard in these cute little mugs...like a very small beer stein. And of course he wants to keep them. But the thing is, who drinks beer in something that small? And we don't need yet another glass in our cupboards! I sneak them out the door into the recycling bin when he's not looking. He never asks about them. 
My sister and I both make (made) a lot of jewelry and while I loved it and wore it at the time, I haven’t in a while. Part of the reason is it was made for specific outfits that I no longer own. The other part is that my tastes have changed. So this will be my struggle this week, but a needed one! Do y’allkeep and wear jewelry even if it isn’t in style? I have some stone pieces I made that were probably never in style that may look dated, but not 90s choker necklaces dated.
