Week Nineteen, Items 146-155

Ribbons 3-7

We had a bag of odds and ends sitting around, and I finally went through it. It included this little stash of ribbons, tinsel and tulle. There are some people who are really crafty, or really into upcycling, who could probably use these ribbons in some way or even transform them into something cool. But I just am not one of those people.

Gift bag

I've mentioned before that I like gift bags because they are convenient and reusable. But this one is small and sheer, so it seems like it would work better as storage for some little items than as gift wrap. But we've got plenty of storage options already, so we don't need this.

Green spiral

Another entry from the assorted odds and ends. The only use I can think of for this is demonstrating the concept of a phone cord to kids who, growing up in a wireless world, might not have seen one before. Perhaps someone has another idea? Anyway, it can go.


Travel toothpaste

Yet another item that was just sitting around, not being used (actually, I got rid of an identical tube of toothpaste back in Week Two. This isn't the same one, I promise!). While we aren't into the dirty hippie zone just yet, we do use a natural brand of toothpaste rather than this one. So this can go to someone who is less particular.

Travel case

At my last dentist appointment, my dentist gave me a new toothbrush and a couple kinds of floss in this little pouch. I will definitely use the floss and the toothbrush, but I already have enough travel cases. So I don't need to keep this one.

Plaid shirt

This shirt of my husband's is too big for him now. He has said that, when he was younger and still living at home with his parents, his dad would swipe this shirt from him and wear it a lot. Now that it no longer fits my husband, he is planning to see whether his dad will want it.

Progress: 155 out of 400 items = 38.75% done.

Week Eighteen, Items 139-145

Sonicare DVD

So, apparently our toothbrush came with an educational DVD. I can't decide whether that's a sign that a) the toothbrush is too complicated or b) the company simply has little faith in its customers. Either way, we don't need this. We've each been able to use the toothbrush without watching this DVD. I'm going to go ahead and say we should get gold stars for that.


Playing cards

This sheet is supposed to be cut up and used as a deck of cards. That would be great, but we already have a few decks of cards. We don't need to go through the effort of cutting these up because we don't need another deck. Someone else could use them, though.

Headbands 2 and 3

I've already donated one headband like this (way back in Week One). I was surprised to come across two more in a travel bag the other day. These two, just like the first one, are too big for me. So they need to go to someone else.

Puzzle ring

Definitely one of those single-use items we're trying to cut back on. I only have four rings I ever wear (my engagement ring, my wedding ring, a ring that belonged to my grandpa and a ring that belonged to my cousin), and this is not one of them.


Puzzle die

Another single-use item. This particular little puzzle seems like it would be frustrating in large part because of its small size. I don't think trying to manipulate a puzzle the size of a standard die seems like much fun. Perhaps there's a surgeon out there who would love this, though.


Warsteiner hat

Warsteiner's slogan is "A queen among beers." Still, as nice as the crown in their logo is, my husband hasn't worn this hat. There's a German pub we love and go to regularly, and I think he's holding out to drink enough beers there to earn one of their hats instead. (They give out hats, shirts, steins, etc. at various milestone liters of beer.)

Progress: 145 out of 400 items = 36.25% done.

Week Seventeen, Items 132-138

Magnet

Recently, I heard a great quote from William Morris. "Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful." That is definitely what I'm striving for. As for this magnet, well, it's obviously not beautiful. Magnets are useful objects, sure, but we will still have enough magnets if we get rid of this one. So it can go.

Wine plates 

These items were part of a great wine-themed gift basket we received. But we have not used this pair of appetizer plates. We are trying to reduce the amount of plastic we have and use in our lives. So these can go to someone else.

Slow cooker cookbook

I don't know how in the world I ended up with this cookbook. I like slow cookers, but this cookbook is full of the kind of recipes I never make. Few are vegan; none are worth adapting. I can appreciate that it aims to be simple, but the few ingredients called for in each recipe are processed foods. There are only a handful of recipes that don't include canned cream-of-whatever soup. It seemed so dated that I checked the publication date; this came out in 2004. I didn't think anyone ate like that anymore.


GOP shirt

This was another item we bought at a thrift store for the Hick Party. After we purchased it, though, we realized it could inadvertently offend someone. As I mentioned before, people dress up as hicks at this party; we didn't want someone to think we were poking fun at Republicans or the military community. That's not what we were going for. So, back to the thrift store this goes.


Coral shirt

I have two other shirts with similar detailing to this one, but they both have tonal buttons. I prefer those to this one with its beige buttons, so I will keep the other two and this one can go. Having two similar shirts seems reasonable to me, but having three things so similar to each other just seems excessive.

Teal shirt

I love the color of this shirt, and the idea of blouse-y peasant tops. They have a kind of '70s vibe that I like (not that I was around in the '70s). But I think I like them on other people more than I like them on me. I feel like the loose sleeves of this top make my arms look big, when they definitely aren't. I'm no Michelle Obama, but I don't need clothes that create problem areas where none exist.

Striped sheet set

I recently came across an awesome tip, which is to fold up sheets and store them in their corresponding pillow case(s). But I could not get this sheet folded that small, so instead I just tucked the pillow cases into the folded sheet. Maybe I just need a little practice. Anyway, this is a perfectly fine sheet set; it's just that we have too many of them, and I prefer solid sets to printed ones. (Honestly, I didn't think of myself as a particularly print-averse person until I started this decluttering project!)

Progress: 138 items out of 400 = 34.5% done.

Week Sixteen, Items 125-131

Lip gloss samples 1

Yes, more samples in bubbles. I cannot figure out who decided that these were a good idea, or how they became so popular. Open bubbles of lip gloss might be less messy than open bubbles of perfume, but I imagine it's not by much.


Lip gloss samples 2

Yes, more samples of lip gloss! These, at least, come with a little applicator brush (you can see it to the left of the lip glosses). At least someone out there is trying to turn sample bubbles into practical objects, but they're not there yet. There is still way too much product for one use, and besides, I don't wear lip gloss anyway. Unless I am in a wedding, I just wear lip balm. So I really don't need any little bubbles of lip gloss.


Mirror

This pretty little compact has mirrors inside, and is meant to be carried in a purse. It's cute and shimmery, but I always have a pressed powder compact in my purse. Those always have mirrors, so I don't need this. It could be useful for someone else, though.

Mints

These mints were given out in favor bags at a party. They are Starbucks mints, though, and I don't have anything to do with Starbucks. I have intensely disliked Howard Schultz since he sold the Sonics, and I want nothing to do with the company.

White shirt

I have two long-sleeved white shirts. Unlike my variety of gray long-sleeved shirts, though, the white ones are pretty similar to each other. This is the one I wear less often, so it can go. I don't need to have two nearly-identical shirts.

Gray tank top

I have about a dozen ribbed tank tops like this, and I wear nearly all of them frequently. But I haven't worn this one in a long time. I've had it for more years than I should probably admit publicly, and after years of being washed and dried, it's a little too short for me. I've kept it because I like it (it doesn't really show up in this picture, but some of the threads are a little bit shimmery), but it's silly to keep something and not wear it.

Moulin Rouge

This is one of my favorite movies. In paring down our movie collections to only those we truly want to own, this movie will make the cut. But this particular copy will go, because my husband and I both have it. As much as I love the movie, we don't need to own it twice.


Progress: 131 items out of 400 = 32.75% done.