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Urge to Purge 

1/15/2013

10 Comments

 
January brings on my urge to purge. Once the holiday decor is back in storage, there's something about that suddenly spacious feeling in the rooms after all the festive clutter has been put away that soothes my soul. I start eyeing other areas - closets, paper piles, spouse-stuff - that would benefit from some major purging.  

Unfortunately this is not a yen my husband shares, especially in regard to the spouse-stuff.  Spouse stuff is my polite term for G's collections of "necessities" that grow like dollar weed in the spaces he habitually occupies. During my first visit to his apartment when we were dating, the sheer volume of framed photos and certificates on electric orange floral-papered walls assaulted my senses. Every inch of flat-surfaced furniture was "decorated" with things that seemed to function only as dust-collectors. This should have been a major indicator of potential home-furnishing conflicts, but I chalked it up to a single man making do with the rental unit available to him.

Fast forward more than two decades, and the Battle of Stuff Versus Less Stuff continues. G has at least 60 t-shirts piled up on his closet shelves. He wears the same ones over and over, but if asked to donate some to charity, he plays the sentimentality card. "I have to keep that one; I've had it since I was 10 years old!" If he's feeling conciliatory, he might part with two. He has enough underwear to get him through four months without doing laundry (or turning them inside out.) He peruses pawn shops, resale shops, and local flea markets for entertainment. The result is he has hundreds of DVDs and paperback books (of which he may actually read one or two per month.) He also has collections of miscellaneous stuff related to John Wayne, classic cars, Boston Red Sox, boats and lighthouses, and wolves.  

Since I've conceded that I can't change his collecting ways, I try to encourage respect for my need to keep clutter minimal in our common living areas. For example, he piles magazines and papers on the floor by his favorite chair. I provided a decorative basket to put them in. He filled up the basket and the overflow went on the floor. I provided an additional decorative basket with a lid to house the older stuff, which could also double as a "table" for his drink and TV remote. When lidded basket got filled - or inconvenient because it required lifting the lid - more overflow piled up on the floor. Happily the floor thing was resolved when Gracie, one of our recently adopted Corgis, let him know she assumes any paper products on the floor are hers. If I'd have realized G doesn't appreciate his classic car magazines having chewed corners and saliva stains on them, I might have chewed on some myself.

From experience I know my January urge to purge will dissipate before the month ends. I started strong the first week by cleaning anything resembling science experiments out of the refrigerator and freezer.  In week 2, I opened every item on the computer desktop, and either filed appropriately or deleted. Week 3 has begun. I'm debating between cleaning out my clothes closet or attacking the mushrooming paper piles that need culling. Neither is sounding too appealing. I may just shut some doors. The second of my triannual purge urges should hit around April.
 
10 Comments
cmk link
1/14/2013 02:19:28 pm

I witnessed a few of my mother-in-law's urge to purge moments and it wasn't pretty. She never kept anything that hadn't been used in the last week or so (only a SLIGHT exaggeration) and kept nothing out of sentimentality. My father-in-law never touched a thing that he wanted to get rid of--and this included the plastic ends of his cigars and cut-up cigar boxes! Purge day was not a happy time in their household and I often wondered how the two of them managed to stay married 50+ years due to this difference in their personalities, at the very least.

Whenever we go to an event/concert/play/trip, I buy at least one t-shirt. At this time, I have garbage bags full, but plan on making a (or more than one) quilt using the shirts. I haven't started yet and I think I have enough shirts to make at least three king-sized quilts. I must get started on them one of these days.

My want to purge hit me just before Christmas, as it did last year. Thankfully, I actually did some of the purge when it hit last month. Last year I figured I had enough to do before Christmas and put the purge on hold until the holidays were over. I actually got back to the job last month. I learned my lesson--just DO what needs doing and don't put it off. ;)

Good luck on your purging!

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Natine
1/15/2013 12:58:45 am

Your in-laws seem like quite the characters! My parents have been married nearly 65 years; it's fascinating to observe relationships that have endured so many decades, isn't it? Thinking about attacking make-up drawer today...I'm pretty sure some of the stuff is o-l-d, but it feels like throwing out $ if I trash it. Oh wait...it IS throwing out $. Hahahaha...

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cmk link
1/15/2013 02:12:01 pm

While my in-laws have passed, I always will have fond memories of them--and many stories to make sure I tell my girls. I never could have imagined being married as long as them--or my parents (60 years next January)--but The Husband and I will celebrate 40 years in October. WHERE does the time go?

My dear, you are singing my song when it comes to throwing 'stuff' out. I seems like such a waste of money. I agonize over throwing things away--even (for example) expired canned food! ;)

cmk link
1/15/2013 02:14:21 pm

SO SORRY for the multiple posting of the same comment! It said that there was an error in posting and to try again, so I did. Four times. I'm nothing if not persistent. :D

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Natine
1/16/2013 07:58:06 am

Hahahahaha...seeing all those new comments got me excited there for a moment! No worries. Hope it won't be issue from the site...

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Tamara
1/17/2013 03:23:43 pm

Hi Natine,
Just getting the first opportunity to read the blog. WOO HOO. I love it. I am so happy you are doing this.

As for this post--I can relate. I am a January and April purger myself. When Bree was just back from college I made her take a van full of stuff from her room to Goodwill. I am definitely in down-size mode too. Being very poor this past year put so much in perspective. For Christmas this year we were on a VERY limited (barely existent) budget but to our surprise we both LOVED it. We didn't buy any junk for people--especially for our kids.

And the other benefit--the kids loved it, too. Everyone of Riley's friends got some kind of technology--11 year olds getting IPhones. She got a new softball glove and some books. Happy as could be.

I look around my house and say "where did this come from?" Of course the peach, the phallic lamp, the billy beer can are all WOW memories I could just never part with. :)

I swear I could live out of an RV with no problem. Or maybe in a van down by the river.

Keep it up!

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Natine
1/20/2013 12:26:53 am

Oh THANKS for checking it out, Tam! (Cannot believe Bree is in college...when did THAT happen??!!) Yeah for you on Christmas! Have some stories on that too -- I have some WOW stuff too that is going nowhere soon (even though I was sure I would get rid of Big Boy within a year!) Hugs, N

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Sharon
1/18/2013 10:53:48 am

First of all, I am very proud to know you!! It is awesome that you are blogging! I have blogged on the Weight Watchers site, but I feel that I am just another blog. LOL I opened a weebly account to start blogging on, but I can't figure the damn thing out!! LOL So I asked for a new journal for Christmas and I have been blogging in there. Someday I will put it all in a blog or a book!!!!

As you know, this past year I turned 50 and my mother passed away. I wrote a whole essay about people saying, "I lost my Mother". What is that about? I didn't lose my mother, I know where she is."
But I digress. I purge clothes, knick knacks etc. I collect furniture and books. I also keep dolls and clothes from Savannah's childhood to give to my grandchildren. I feel that I am hard pressed to throw anything away and I hate garage sales. So I donate to the needy who pay big bucks to the Salvation Army and Goodwill for what I consider crap. My mother-in-law is downsizing from two huge homes to a rental house. She's got some stuff and I hope I am the recipeant of alot of her crap. Its expensive and antique. It will work perfectly in my Port Saint John!!!
My husband has boots that his mother purchased for him in the 8th grade. He has resurfaced them and cleaned the leather. He has threatened divorce if I throw them out!! I can eliminate any of his 600 t shirts if I check with him first.

That's how we purge around here.

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Natine
1/20/2013 12:28:35 am

Am totally laughing, Sharon! Seems like some purge story-swapping will be on Saturday's agenda. And yes, you DO need to be pretty by 7am! Hahahahahahaha...(I can help w/Weebly - it's the only website host I'm familiar with!)

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Shel Harrington link
1/20/2013 02:58:40 am

I WANT to purge. I PLAN to purge. Maybe I'll start with Steve's stuff and see how that goes!

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