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.

Week Thirty-Two, Items 254-264

Africa pin

This pin was included in the package of information I got when I signed up to sponsor a child in Africa. I feel fortunate that I was able to make a difference in someone's life, but I don't need to keep this pin. The feeling of having made a difference is what I need—not the pin.


Set of buttons

More odds and ends out of the house! I have no idea what these are from. The only thing I can think of is that they were spare buttons for one of the Christmas sweaters from our annual, intentionally-tacky holiday party (we have kept some, but gotten rid of others).

Orange damask necklace

Yet another instance of thinking I could get myself to branch out (and failing). I rarely wear orange, and I rarely wore this necklace. It's not exactly my style, and it's definitely not a color scheme I go for. Maybe if this had been in different colors, I'd have given it more of a chance.

Cat magnet

Years ago, my husband got me a two-pack of magnets. One of them is funny, and this was the other one. It might make sense to keep it if we had a cat, but we don't. My husband doesn't even like cats. So we don't need to keep this magnet.

Red gift box

I have lots of pretty little boxes and pouches; my parents lived in Beijing for three years, and used boxes and pouches like these for gift-giving during that time. I use them to store jewelry, but don't need to keep all of them. I don't really like red, so I definitely don't need to keep the red ones.

Red gift pouch

Another little gift pouch. This is pretty, but I have other ones in colors I like better. Also, this one is tiny. It's about the size of a penny. It's cute, but I can't really think of anything to do with it, so it can go.

Ribbed tank tops 2 and 3

I wear ribbed tank tops pretty frequently, so I have a lot of them. But I have not worn either of these in ages. The black one is too short for me, but I had kept it because I like it—it has some sparkly threads (just like this gray one. I got the gray and black tank tops at the same time). The olive green one fits, but the color looks awful on me. So these both can go.

Ruched tank top

In going through the clothes I have, I've realized I used to wear lots of things with hoods, ties, ruching, etc. Now I hardly wear those items. This tank top is ruched down each side and has ties at the bottom. It's just not really my style anymore.

Blue capris

These capris are a really lightweight material, which is nice. I used to like them for traveling, because they are neutral and don't take up much room. But I'd just much rather wear a skirt or a dress than capris. So I don't need to keep these.


WSU t-shirt

I am a big Washington State fan, but this shirt is too small for me. It's too short, so I don't ever wear it. But I am okay with getting rid of it because I have two other Wazzu shirts. Besides, there must be a fan out there with a shorter torso who could use this. Go Cougs!

Progress: 264 items out of 400 = 66% done.

Week Thirty-One, Items 246-253

Storage boxes 1-5

We used to store our DVDs in these cases, but when we got a new TV stand—which has lots of nice, deep shelves—we moved all of our DVDs directly onto that. This tower of storage bins has just been sitting, unused, in my office since then. In theory, we could use these for something else. But, because we haven't by now, I think it's unlikely that we will. Besides, getting rid of these gets some plastic out of our lives—that's always a good thing!

Lighter

I have never smoked a cigarette in my life, and my husband never has, either. So how did we end up with a lighter? Well, I bought it when I needed a way to light candles for a spur-of-the-moment birthday celebration. Definitely not the best purchase I've made in my life. And this is definitely not something we need to keep.

Charades game

Charades is a great game for people who are really outgoing, creative and dramatic. I, frankly, am much better at word games! In fact, I was recently at a baby shower where two word-related games were played. I won the first one, and then pretended that I didn't also win the second one. (I did actually win, but thought it would be unseemly to win both games.) Anyway, this game belongs with someone who will enjoy playing it. Charades is just not for me.


Armband

I had no idea I still had this! This was an armband I wore during a Take Back the Night march at my college. Take Back the Night is an organization that began in the 1970s; its mission is to end sexual violence against women. Anyway, it's a wonderful organization with an important goal, and I am fortunate to have been able to participate in one of their events. All that said, I do not need to keep the armband I wore in the march.


Progress: 253 items out of 400 = 63.25% done.