Week Thirty-Nine, Items 361-370

Paints

I used these paints to make this sign for Seattle's Rally to Restore Sanity, but I have not used them since. When I talked about wanting to spend more time painting, this is not the sort of paint I meant. I don't need these, and I don't want them taking up space. Someone else could actually get some use out of them.


Blue tank top

I didn't wear this tank top all summer, so it can go. I love the color, but this just doesn't suit me. The ruffle is too big, and I don't like the way the back is cut. I have several other shirts in approximately this shade of blue; I don't need to keep one that I don't wear.


Luggage

This is a piece of hand-me-down luggage I received. It's basically the maximum size for a carry-on, and it's pretty heavy. I like to travel lighter than that. This has so many pockets that I used to use it as a file folder for sorting and storing magazines. But now that we've gone through and cleared so many magazines out of our house, we don't need this. We won't use it for luggage, and don't need it for storage.


Outdated sailing rules book

My husband and his family are really into sailing, so I understand that my husband has some sailing stuff. But a book of sailing rules for 2001-2004 is not going to do him any good. I had not even seen this book until he gave it to me to donate, so that's a clear sign that it can go. If I haven't seen him use something in the six years we've been together, it isn't something he needs to keep.


Bell

Another item my husband had but wasn't using. I am not sure how he came to own this bell; he's had it for longer than I've known him. But it's just been sitting around, taking up space on a shelf in his room. He said he doesn't have a use for it, so out it goes.


Travel mugs 1 and 2

Prior to this week, I hadn't paid much attention to the kitchen while doing my decluttering. A quick glance, though, revealed a number of things we don't need. For example, these two travel mugs. I bought them before Howard Schultz sold the Sonics. Since then, I have wanted nothing to do with Starbucks. So I'm happy to get these out of my house.


Steamer

I bought this in 2006 or 2007, when I first became interested in cooking. I can recall using it twice. We eat a ton of vegetables, but we typically eat them raw, roasted, or in stir fry or soup. We rarely steam them. If for some reason we want to do that, a pot will do the job just fine. No need to have a separate appliance—especially one that is so bulky.


Immersion blender

Another appliance we don't need. We have a large food processor that we love and use often. It is well worth the cupboard space it occupies. An immersion blender is a good idea, but it isn't something we need. It's not hard to puree soup using the food processor, so this immersion blender can go.


Large space heater

And another item that we don't need because it duplicates things we already have. With the way our house is laid out, we have found that space heaters are actually the most effective heating method (in conjunction with insulated drapes, which are actually really great at keeping heat out during the summer, and in during the winter). We have two space heaters that are very small, and one that is somewhat tall and skinny. This one is large and cumbersome, and not as efficient as the others. So it can go.


Progress: 370 items out of 400 = 92.5% done.

Week Thirty-Eight, Items 351-360

Various magazines 17-23

More magazines. (I think they must secretly multiply at night or something.) I'm sure there are more lurking around our house still, but I think we are mostly done clearing them out now. Phew! I can't believe that we had so many.


Curling iron

I bought this curling iron for my sister-in-law's wedding. She's not really into fashion or beauty, and so had few supplies for getting ready the day of her wedding. I kept it until recently, because I was a bridesmaid in another wedding as well. But that one was last weekend, so I don't need to keep this anymore. My hair is wavy/curly on its own, so I'm giving this to someone who uses curling irons regularly.


Flat iron

Another styling tool I don't need to keep. I sometimes get my hair styled straight after getting it cut, but I never straighten it myself. It takes me forever, because my hair is pretty thick, and I just don't think it's a good use of my time. I honestly cannot remember the last time I used this. Maybe 2007 or 2008? Clearly, it can go!


Notebook

This pretty little notebook was a gift, and I actually really like it. But the pages aren't lined, and I guess I am too left-brained for unlined paper. I'm a list person, not a doodle person. But I'm sure someone would love a pretty pocket-sized notebook of blank paper.


Progress: 360 items out of 400 = 90% done.

Week Thirty-Seven, Items 343-350

Old car manual

Talk about something we don't need! This car manual belongs to a car we don't even have anymore. It wound up stored with some maps we had. We always keep some maps in our cars, so I think I must have mistakenly included this when I put the maps from the old car away. Anyway, perhaps there's someone out there with a Lumina, but no owner's manual. Regardless, we don't need this.

Stray mancala beads

We do have a mancala game, but the beads for that are blue, not clear. I am honestly not sure what these belonged to. But I do know that we don't need them, so out they go!

Brown tank top

This used to be one of my favorite tank tops, but now it is too short for me. I guess more than seven years of washing & drying will do that to a shirt. I happen to know that this tank top is at least seven years old because I'm wearing it in one of my favorite pictures (the picture is of my dad and me in Greece, and we were there in the summer of 2004).


Ribbed tank top 4

I wear ribbed tank tops like this one often. They're comfy, and good for layering. But this one is too short for me. I have a different plain white tank top I can use whenever I feel like wearing white (which is not that often at all).


Makeup brush holder

This was a free gift with purchase a while back. It came with a set of makeup brushes, which I actually use regularly and find handy. But I unpacked them all from this holder and stored them in a makeup bag I already had. That one is the right shape and size, and it's also nice and plain. This one looks like it wants to pass as a purse. It's just not my style, so it can go.


John Grisham book 2

This was one of the first books I read that was intended for adults, not kids. I used to read a lot of John Grisham's books. I can't say that I am still a fan of his books, but I do still admire his work ethic. He was a lawyer before he became a famous author, and would wake up at 5 every morning and write one page each day. I admire that kind of consistency.


Lunch box book

Thankfully, my husband and I are not the collecting types (it would certainly make decluttering harder if an entire group of items were deemed off-limits). But any collector of lunch boxes would probably love this book. It's full of pictures of nerdy lunch boxes, ranging from Batman and the Green Hornet to a NASA-themed one with a Thermos that looks like a rocket.

Crocheted daisy

One of my crafty former colleagues (by which I mean she made things, not that she was some sort of duplicitous trickster) made this for me ages ago. I appreciate that she made me something cheerful to have in my cubicle. But if I kept everything that everyone had ever given me, I'd be just drowning in stuff. And I've come to value space over stuff.

Progress: 350 items out of 400 = 87.5% done.

Week Thirty-Six, Items 321-342

Gaming magazines 1-20

I enjoy many nerdy things, but I am not really a gamer. My husband loves video games, but he tends to read about them more than he actually plays them. Still, he decided that he did not need this stack of 20 gaming magazines. I cannot believe how quickly magazines add up!


Headband 5

I got this as a gift, and I really wanted it to work out. I love the person who gave it to me, and I think it's really preppy and cute. But, again, I just am not a headband person. I think they look great, but I find them extremely uncomfortable. So I am giving this to someone who wears them.


The Lost Symbol

I know, I know. I'm ashamed that I even bought this (on the plus side, I paid nowhere near full price). While Dan Brown is not known for high-brow, well-done literature (or even interesting characters or unpredictable plots), I expected this to be better than it was. Or at least more entertaining. He definitely had the page-turning pacing down in his previous books. That was desperately lacking in this one.


Progress: 342 items out of 400 = 85.5% done.

Week Thirty-Five, Items 303-320

Paintbrushes 1-13

My dad is an amazing painter. While I did inherit his appreciation for art, I did not inherit his talent, unfortunately. I know I would get better with practice, and that is something that's on my to-do list. But when I get to it, I will use some of the supplies he's given me, which are of a much higher quality than these.

Clip-on earrings

I love colorful enamel jewelry. I bought a vintage enamel necklace from Etsy once, years ago, and these matching clip-on earrings came with it. They are cute, but a) I'm not into wearing matched jewelry sets and b) I have pierced ears. But I have someone in mind who would enjoy these. So I will pass them on.

Chicken cookbook

My husband recently went through a box of books that he's had sitting in his room for ages. Unsurprisingly, it contained some books he doesn't need to keep. He said he thinks this cookbook was a hand-me-down. But I'm a vegan and he's a vegetarian, so we have precisely zero need for this. 

Crepe cookbook

This cookbook is seven years older than my husband. He thinks this one was a hand-me-down as well. He does love crepes, but if he wants to learn to make them, the Internet is probably a better resource than this cookbook.

Sign language dictionary

I have had this book for years; I think I was in middle school when I got it. But I can't remember the last time I actually opened it. Besides, if there's a sign I want to look up, a video on the Internet would be much more useful than a short description accompanied by a less-than-helpful illustration (which is what this book provides). I'm not trying to knock this book; I just think videos are sometimes much more effective. (And I say this as a staunch book lover who refuses to get an e-reader.)

Alarm clock 2

This is an old alarm clock that my husband has had sitting around, going unused. And yes, the clock does appear to be upside-down. He took the base off, flipped the clock over, and re-attached it that way. But you know what they say—even an upside-down clock is right twice a day!

Progress: 320 items out of 400 = 80% done.

Week Thirty-Four, Items 285-302

Various magazines 1-16

Quite the assortment of magazines here. From Vanity Fair and Sports Illustrated to Reader's Digest and Better Homes and Gardens. As with the InStyle issues from last week, I tore a few pages out of some of these (just a few recipes—one for a vegan meatloaf, which I can't wait to try). But I certainly don't need to keep this entire stack.

The Birth of Venus

I don't read a lot of historical fiction (notable exception: the Plantagenet trilogy by Sharon Kay Penman, which is remarkably well researched and written. I dive into those books and don't come up for air until I am done), and books like this are precisely why. Though it is set in Florence, Italy (my second-favorite city in the world—behind only Seattle, of course), I thought this book fell flat. I own enough wonderful books that I have no need to keep the ones I find underwhelming.

Silver chain

I was given a pendant as a gift, and this extra chain came with it. I like the pendant on the ribbon it's on so much that I've never worn it on the chain. This chain has just been sitting around in its little box, but I am sure someone else could put it to good use.

Progress: 302 items out of 400 = 75.5% done.

Week Thirty-Three, Items 265-284

InStyle magazine issues 1-17

As fashion magazines go, I like InStyle a lot. It has a good mix of affordable and aspirational pieces, and each issue also includes useful sections on interior design and entertaining. There's also a monthly column by Rachel Bilson, whose style I love. But I don't need to keep this entire stack of magazines. They take up too much room! I (carefully!) tore out several pages of particular interest to save, but this big stack can go.


Silver bead strand

This shiny strand of silver plastic beads seems like it has potential as some sort of holiday decoration, but I was never able to find a really good way of using it. It can go; I don't need it. And maybe someone else will have a great idea to put it to use.


Heart garland

We wound up with this heart garland when it was used as gift wrap, in place of tissue paper. But as holidays go, Valentine's Day is low on our list of priorities, so this hasn't been used since. We definitely don't need to keep it.


White dress

This eyelet sundress is cute, but it doesn't fit me as well as other dresses I have. This one would be better on someone whose torso is a little shorter than mine. Also, I think I should have worked at the Gap at some point when I was younger—I am awful at folding things nicely.

Progress: 284 items out of 400 = 71% done.