Tuesday, September 08, 2009

Getting Ready

Following up on my last post -- I've made a list and checked off most of it this weekend, slowly but with determination, as I've had the energy to do it.

Time-wise, I'm a little off kilter from not working for five days (combination of illness and the long weekend, which, for once, I had off.) My sleep schedule has been thrown off from sleeping late and napping when I needed to do it.

However, I've made some good progress in the paring-down department. Unintended, I wound up cleaning out 2/3 of my canned food because it was out-of-date. I was stunned. Some of it expired before I ever moved here, two years ago. What's left now fits on one shelf of the cupboard and I will be keeping a careful eye on iy, making sure I use it before it expires, too. And I've learned I don't need to stock up on things I won't use right away. I can buy what I need, when I need it.

I've made grand progress on cleaning my kitchen, with the dishes 97 percent clean (I found some crystal pitchers and stuff when I unpacked some of those boxes and those still need to be cleaned.) Stuff like that also will be going in a garage sale or charity donation within the next month -- one way or the other. I won't wait forever to have a garage sale. If it works out, and I make a buck, great. If not, I'll donate this clutter and get it out of here and feel free and wealthy knowing I don't have to hoard things. They do not make me happy and I do not need to surrender my space to things I do not love.

I should go to bed now because I don't exactly know what I'll be facing tomorrow when I return to work. I have a very negative vibe about it -- I hope I am wrong and that things are just back to business as usual. I'll keep you posted.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

You know I can't resist giving advice when it comes to food storage... ;)

1. When a sale is on, stock up on the things you know you use regularly. Like around here, we use a lot of canned pineapple and mandarin oranges, spaghetti sauce, canned beans, green beans, and corn. I always buy some of those things when they're on sale.

2. Keep a Sharpie in your pantry or cupboard. (I prefer the retractable kind because I can use it one-handed). Write the expiration date, month and year is good enough, of the item on the front of the label--not the top of the can. For boxed items, write it on the side that faces out when you put them away, if that's an edge, that's where you write it. Do that each time you're putting groceries away so that you're consistent. That way when you're looking in your pantry you see right away which cans need to be used first, or are getting close to expiration. I put an "X" in front of the date so I know that's when it expires. If it doesn't have an expiration date, I just write the date I bought it, no "X", so I have an idea how long it's been sitting on my shelf.

3. I keep a list of items and their shelf life in my pantry so I can refer to it if I'm wondering about an item. I don't need that so much anymore, most companies are putting dates on their products.

:)

Anonymous said...

And a BIG way to go on the decluttering!!! :)

Trixie said...

EXCELLENT advice, Frenzied! Thanks!

SBB said...

FF, you need to come to my house and help me!

Trixie, you're doing great! I'm so impressed.

Anonymous said...

Tech, help you with what?? I just said it all right there! ;)

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