Thursday Thirteen
I remember maybe 10 or 15 years ago, there used to be a thing, Thursday 13. A blogger could make a list every week if they wanted, and go to the official Thursday 13 webpage and link, and folks would come by and see your list and say hi. Sometimes this was a way to meet new bloggers, sometimes you would just stop by once. There were hundreds of participants, I doubt anyone went and checked them all every week, but it was kind of fun. Anyway, Engie suggested the other day in a comment that she would be interested in seeing some of the items that I’m getting rid of during my ‘one thing a day’ decluttering project. So blame her for this. 13 things I’ve gotten rid of recently.
1. Books. I bought this book recently, The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois, but I ordered it online and didn’t realize how bulky it is. So I bought myself the download from Audible (trying to use up those damn credits so I can cancel my membership) and I put it in a Little Free Library. When I came past the LFL 20 minutes later on my way home, it was already gone. I hope someone loves it. I also gave away my copy of The Hobbit. It’s my favorite Tolkien, but I doubt I will read it again, and hopefully someone else will. My book culling so far has been a mixture of books that I have read and am unlikely to read again, and books that I haven’t read yet, but since I’ve had them for over a decade am unlikely to pick up.
2. Clothes. Not all are as professional looking/dressy as these, but yeah, I have some pretty things that just aren’t me, or don’t fit anymore, so away they go. I gave these away on my local Buy Nothing group. I donated a bunch more to Goodwill, which I found out recycles the fabric if it’s not deemed good enough to sell.
3. Random things part 1. The random list is long. Last year, we bought some BBQ sauce/rubs from a stand in front of the appliance store where we bought our washer/dryer. They came in these cute burlap gift bags. I saved them, thinking I might use them as little gift bags, but I didn’t. I stopped by the appliance store and gave them back to the gentleman selling the sauce. He was happy to use them again.
4. Random things part 2. 1 and 2 lb weights. I have no idea why I have these. Actually, I think I found them when I was cleaning out my Grandma’s house, and I was going to use them to increase my 5lb a bit…the 1lb weights are thin enough, I could easily hold them along with the 5lb weights, increasing the weight to 6 lbs. You know what? 6 lbs feels pretty much the same as 5 lbs. I bought myself some 10 lb weights, and gave these away on my Buy Nothing group.
5. Random things part 3. File this under VANITY. I bought this little device to try to stop wrinkles on my chest. The idea is that those of us with larger chests, the weight from our breasts when we sleep on our sides gives us deeper chest wrinkles. I tried it but didn’t use it consistently. It made me hot. I ended up buying a t-shirt with a built in shelf bra, and that worked and didn’t make me hot, and I shoved this into the back of the closet for a couple of years. Not pictured – spanx undergarments. I have no time for being uncomfortable anymore. Donated them to Goodwill, I had no other idea what to do with them.
6. Random things part 4. Old phones. I found these old phones while cleaning out my file cabinet. Why do I save things for so long? The white one was my last cell (and was my first smartphone) and it retired in 2020. Who knows how old the other one is. I recycled them by dropping them off at Verizon.
7. Green boots. Aren’t these cute? I bought them with birthday money from my dad one year, and wore them exactly zero times. Donated.
8. Office supplies. We have 3 staplers, and 2 3-hole punches. I kept 2 staplers (one upstairs, one downstairs) and the smaller 3-hole punch. I gave the 3-hole punch away on Buy Nothing*, the stapler went to Goodwill.
*Maybe – the guy who said he wanted it hasn’t replied to let me know when he can come get it. So I’m holding on a bit longer.
9. Glass decanter. We got this as a gift many years ago, but we never use it anymore. We gave it to Ted’s brother, who will use it.
10. Wooden photo album. Isn’t it pretty? It’s really worky and complicated though, so it’s in pristine condition, since I took one look at how worky and complicated it was, put it back in its box, and shoved it into the back of my closet. I donated it.
11. Satin hangers. When I went to Stockton in March to serve as an emotional support cousin, while my cousin tried to find a will for her late step-mom*, I decided these hangers were elegant and I should have some for sweaters and so on. You know what they are? Bulky. If you don’t have too many clothes even after a purge, maybe they’d be good for something, but not in my closet.
*Update on that, a will was found, probate is progressing, my cousin is going to be able to put the house on the market this week. Once it sells she can pay off her step-mom’s debts and finally put this whole thing behind her.
12. Shoes. Really, the ones in the middle are the only ones worth saving. The others are a bit too worn. I gave the Eccos away on Buy Nothing, and donated the others just in case someone else feels differently.
13. Empty gelatin capsules. I take a generic antibiotic as a treatment for my rheumatoid arthritis, because the name brand is no longer manufactured. The name brand is time release and is supposed to be the gold standard, as it gets further into your gut before becoming absorbed. (Not sure that’s the right science.) Some folks on the Facebook group for this treatment have used this ‘hack’, putting their generic capsule inside another, thus maybe helping the pill get further down before it is available. I tried it, but didn’t really notice a difference, so out they go. No one wanted them on Buy Nothing, so I put them in the green compost bin.
If you lived nearby, would you have wanted any of these items? What’s the strangest thing you’ve ever given away/donated? Have you ever done a Thursday 13?
36 Comments
Elisabeth
I LOVED THIS POST.
I had never heard of a breast support system like that before. I learn something new every day.
I’m so glad you’re finding so many ways to recycle items so they can live on.
J
Elisabeth, that’s where the internet comes in…I had a problem, did a search and found a ‘solution’, and wasted my money on it. LOL.
AC
13 things would be a lot to do every week. It would be a lot for me once, but it worked well in this case.
We managed to finally stop Audible akthugh now if we want a book like the upcoming Strike or Lynley, it will cost. We put the $ saved into YT Premium,
Now, as far as getting rid of The Hobbit, we need to talk. ?
J
I know, I love the Hobbit…but I am trying to shift my thinking, and keep books that either are VERY close to my heart, or that I honestly think I will read again.
Thursday 13 was fun, you could do a list of 13 favorite songs, 13 favorite books, 13 favorite photos, 13 songs you hate, whatever.
StephLove
Congrats on your decluttering. Sounds like you were very intentional about how to get rid of things. That’s often what stops me, not wanting to put things in the landfill and not having the energy to find new homes for them.
J
That’s why this is working so well…I gave myself the grace of only getting rid of 1 thing a day. Most days I get rid of more than 1 thing, but when it’s limited like that it’s much less of a mental load.
nance
I loved the boots, and I’m sad that you never found a chance to wear them.
The summer that I went into menopause and had my last (19 day!) period, I gave away my jumbo box of tampons at the lake’s bigass garage sale. I just put it on a table with HBA items and marked it FREE. A college student grabbed it up, and rather excitedly.
This was a fun post!
J
I loved those boots too, and it made me kind of sad that no one on Buy Nothing wanted them. I hope someone buys them at Goodwill!
Kat
The blouses/dress are so pretty! Love the deep plums and ruffled neckline. I donated brand new hip waders and a men’s belt some yrs back as they were accidentally sent to me in lieu of a sweater ordered from LL Bean. A few wks later I got an invoice for $150 for said items from LL Bean bc apparently I was supposed to mail those items back! I had misunderstood the instructions. I called customer service and they agreed to cancel the invoice. Given it was their error I was a little perturbed to realize in retrospect that the onus was on me to return the items, and then be charged when I didn’t! Strange policy, most stores write that off. But it worked out.
J
I’ll bet someone was pretty happy to get those brand new items! I’ve returned to LL Bean too. Most companies write it off, you’re right.
Diane
“I took one look at how worky and complicated it was, put it back in its box, and shoved it into the back of my closet”
That made me laugh out loud.
Your list is SO inspiring. It makes me want to get rid of all the little random things taking up space in my house and my brain. I’m so intrigued by the breast support thing. I can’t even picture how it would work or attach or what not.
Alright, the other thing I thought as I was reading your list? “Boy, this looks like the prop cabinet at work.” We have a whole closet full of the most random things that may or may not be useful in a show. Like decanters! Definitely will be used. Old cellphones? We have a whole drawer of those.
I did read the Love Songs of W.E.B. DuBois – it *is* hefty. I think I only read it while at home because it was too big to carry around. But I wanted to read at least one big book this year, and that was it.
J
The breast support thing has straps that go around your back, kind of like a bra or a swimsuit. It wasn’t uncomfortable, but I didn’t like it enough to use it. Just enough to let it live in my closet for years and years.
I wonder if maybe your blog is where I read about ‘Love Songs’? I think it’s 28 hours on Audible!
PocoBrat
The breast support thing looked very iffy and alien and I wondered if it might be some weird sex toy… haha
I love that you took those burlap bags back to the person who would definitely reuse them.
I would have borrowed the Love Songs book and the plum blouse with the ruffled collar (It’s our school color so I keep a lot of blouses in that color to wear for special school ocassions. I already have several though, so it’s good that it’s going somewhere else.)
J
LOL, no, not a sex toy.
I was pretty happy about the little gift bags myself!
Good thing those tops are gone, because I totally would have mailed that to you.
Nicole MacPherson
Holy moley, look at you declutter! Colour me impressed! Too bad about the boots, but now someone else can enjoy them. I always try to think of Marie Kondo when I give away things I love, thanking them for their service and hoping someone else can get joy out of them. And it looks like you’ve really done that!
The breast support…I mean, I am not judging here because I wear either a soft sleep bra or jammies with a shelf bra to bed. But…how does it work? Where do your boobs go? I cannot figure it out!
J
I’m going to need to do a post about the breast support thing, clearly!
I do hope those boots find a happy home. And yes, hoping someone else finds joy in what I am giving away helps.
Birchie
I nominate this for best post of the week! I enjoyed seeing your “I’m not going to use this ever again” haul. I can’t quite picture how the chest dewrinkler is supposed to work, but yeah…at a minimum it would not be comfortable.
Congrats on your decluttering progress! Nothing is as fantastic as having a clean, orderly space.
J
Thank you, I’m finding a lot of peace in the whole thing.
Ernie
The chest anti- wrinkle thing is something I’ve never heard of or seen. I related very much to the cardboard box meme up there. And my garage has a million boxes to prove it. So funny. I am sure I have donated some wacky stuff, but I cannot think of anything off the top of my head. Of the things you donated, maybe I would’ve been interested in the Ecco shoes. I’m a size 9, so my guess is you are not my size.
J
I’m an 8, so no, the shoes would not have fit you. They were cute, right? I almost talked myself into keeping them, but they HURT, so no.
Margaret
I love that middle blouse and the boots–but I already have four pairs of boots that I rarely wear and a bunch of blouses that I should get rid of.
J
Exactly my issue!
K @ TS
I agree; you need a post about the wrinkle reducer; I thought it looked like a strange pillow! And The Hobbit is also my favorite Tolkien book and I think I actually may have kept it in my purge (but maybe not, and I defintely gave away the LOTR series)! You really are cracking on with getting rid of stuff! Nice work. I am very proud!
J
Well, if you kept The Hobbit in your purge, I am sure that means mine will be wanted! I kept my LOTR, even though I know I will never read it again. It was a gift from 2 good friends, and they wrote in it. Maybe as I get more brutal with my purging it will go, but I doubt it.
Jenny
I like the idea of “Thursday Thirteen!” (Maybe an idea for NaBloPoMo?) Anyway- these are all good things to get rid of! It’s hard when things are nice, like the boots, glass decanter, and the photo album. But it doesn’t matter how nice it is, if you’re not using it, it’s clutter. Nice job!
J
Yeah Jenny, it’s kind of a paradigm shift. Just because it’s nice doesn’t mean I need to keep it!
San
Oh, it must feel so good getting rid off stuff that you no longer need! I purged a lot before we moved last year, but I am sure there’s lots more I could get rid off. I had never heard of a chest wrinkle pillow…. the more you know! LOL
J
It has been liberating to give away nice things that we don’t use. So many things I just keep because they are nice! I guess I’m adopting a Marie Kondo attitude.
Tobia | craftaliciousme
I am here for to. It is motivating to see what you get rid off.
That breast cushion had me laughing. I had no idea such things exist.
I might have enjoyed those ecco shoes.
J
I wanted to enjoy those Ecco shoes, but my feet can’t handle heels anymore. 🙁
Stephany
This was so fun to read! Doesn’t it feel so good to get rid of things? I consider myself a minimalist but when I was going through one bin to declutter, I realized I had SEVEN wallets. Why am I keeping so many wallets?! Gah.
I also really love how thoughtful you are with how you declutter and where you donate items. I’m guilty of just throwing everything in a bag to give to Goodwill because it’s easier, but maybe I should be a little better about searching for the “right” places to donate items.
J
I have nothing against Goodwill, a lot of things end up there. But I’m addicted to my Buy Nothing group. Might be more complicated if you live in an apartment building, I don’t know.
NGS
Count me in as someone who loved this post, too. I am fascinated that you gave away those amazing boots. I would wear them all fall! Maybe it’s because you live in a warm weather climate that you couldn’t find a use. I’d love regular updates on what you’re getting rid of!
J
Yeah, I really thought I was going to wear those boots all of the time, and then…I didn’t even wear them once. Sad, really.
Anne
I love decluttering and, right now, my focus is on photos and “treasures”. Why on earth do I need to keep all of this stuff? For photos, it’s mostly out of focus photos and/or multiple copies. I don’t need 14 pictures of the same sunset. I need one. Sheesh.
The, um, chest wrinkle reducer might be the most unique thing ever donated to Goodwill. I wonder if they knew what it was? 😉
J
Those treasures can be difficult, and YES, I ONLY NEED ONE.