Downsizing Time But First Organizing

In our journey to move into a smaller house it's time to get serious about downsizing.  

I got rid of 75 items in September.  Of course they were all food bank donations but I am counting them. 8-)  Today I am searching through all my Rite-Aid/Walmart/etc. buys/freebies that are candy and I have all this to give out for Halloween......

My bread mixing bowl filled plus 2 more bags of fun size bars/treats.  I also have about 50 full size candy bars and bags of gummies I can give out too if the bowl runs empty. 8-)))

A win for all the kiddies plus getting rid of ?? items in the house come Oct. 31st.

I have another food bank donation started.

That's another 50 items leaving the house this month.  I suspect I'll add to this before it gets hauled to the church on Friday.

Add that to the 75 item food bank donation Hubs took up in September.

Tomorrow I'll start gathering all the things in the house I will be listing on eBay and Facebook soon.

But first, I need to tame this mess.........

The right side of the room

The left side of the room.

Yep, that's all the leftovers from the stockpile sale plus everything I've gotten since then.  Some of this is Xmas presents too so not all stockpile items.  I just need to sort and put things away and add some of this to my food bank donation.

So besides washing and grooming the dogs, that's what I am up to lately.
What have you been up to in your corner of the world?

Sluggy

To-Do List......the February & March Updates

FEBRUARY

* Pay Bills   PASS

* Read 1 Book  PASS

I read this one.........

"Rivals Unto Death: Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr" by Rick Beyer

Not a big book but interesting about the love/hate relationship between Hamilton and Burr.  Sometimes they were friends and allies and at other times they were on opposite sides of an issue or down right enemies.  The term "frenemies" may have originated with these two.  If you didn't read the Ron Chernow book or you want more on this part of history then pick this one up.

* Organize Pantry  FAIL  Just didn't get to it.

* Hold Giveaway  PASS

* Mail Giveaway  PASS  It was mailed and received though I hear the chocolate didn't last long. lolz

* Clean out Inserts/Coupon Envie  PASS  

The stack of old expired stuff that got pitched.  Go me.

* Finish Editing Old Photos  FAIL  Didn't get to it all but I did a bit.

* Post about Old Trips  FAIL  Nope.

* Work on Genealogy  PASS  I was on fire in February with genealogy research!

* Re-Organize Toiletries Stockpile  PASS  The guest room/toiletries room got done.  I don't think I took a photo though(can't seem to find one anyway).  But with all the freebies I've got at R-A since then it's a big old mess again. sigh.

* Fill 6 more Giveaway Boxes  PASS  I didn't take a photo evidently but trust me, they are sitting stacked up on the floor of the dining room(well 4 of them that are left are).

* Roll/Spend ECBs  PASS  Yep, did that.

* Roll/Spend Bonus Cash  PASS  Yep, did that too.

* Clean my Desk  HALF and HALF  Cleaning my desk is an ongoing chore/project.  As soon as I pitch stuff and/or organize things it just accumulates more stuff.  I'll either keep this on EVERY To-Do list or just drop it altogether because we all know it's something that needs doing every danged month! ;-)

* Stay Warm  PASS  Yep, I managed to drop the heat a couple of degrees and donned a sweater or hoodie to keep warm without letting the electric bill get outta control!

* Eat down the Freezer/Pantry  PASS  We got down a level or two on the archaeology dig I call a freezer.  Of course, with new deals I managed to add back a new layer. lol

MARCH

* Pay Bills  PASS  Always at the top of the financial things to complete each month.

* Read 2 Books  HALF and HALF

Well I only read one book, not two.

"Hottest Heads of State Volume One: The American Presidents" by J.D. and Kate Robson

I totally misconstrued the title of this book when I bought it at Ollies(Good Stuff Cheap!).  I thougnt "hot" meant foul tempered, mean, rotten, etc. not "hot" as is handsome, a dreamboat or desirable as a mate.  lolz  My bad.

But still, it was a light, fun read full of sarcasm, which I like.  And I still learned a couple of quirky things from it.  It was fun and funny and a change of pace for me and parts of it did make me LOL.

* Have Financial Meeting  PASS  Hubs and I had two meetings in February.  The immediate issue was about taking a 401K withdrawal to cover some irregular bills like the taxes, etc.  That was the easy part.

Then we talked about what made sense for us in terms of starting to take Social Security.  Now since I'll be claiming on Hubs since mine would be much lower than half of his we need to figure when he should claim since I can't claim until he his.  If he waits until full SS at 66 years and 10 months that pushes my claiming back until I am 66 and 1 month.  We did some calculating and with all our savings(401K/non 401K)and our annuity we actually will be more than fine if he claims later this year(and then I can claim too).  Still stewing some stuff over but right now that's the plan.

* Organize Pantry  PASS  Yep, I finally got to straightening the pantry out.  Now I just have to straighten out the stockpile in the garage....again.

* Hold Giveaway  PASS

* Mail Giveaway  PASS

It got mailed out quickly and received in a timely manner and was much appreciated by the recipient.

* Clean out Inserts/Coupon Envie  PASS  No photo of this clean out but enough inserts got pitched as to fill up my small wastebasket. 

* Finish Editing Old Photos  HALF and HALF  I did edit a few photos on the computer but I worked more on scanning old family photos from my mom's scrapbooks to digitize them.  Here's an example.....

This is my maternal Great Great Grandfather(my mother's paternal Grandfather), Robert William Harper taken in 1950.  Born in 1881, Robert had a hard childhood with both of his parents dying before he turned 15.  He outlived his wife, 7 sisters and a daughter as well.  He was 69 in this photo and had written on the back "Looking good for 69.".  He died before I turned 2 so I have no memories of him.  I'll have to ask my brother who is 6 years old then me what he remembers the next time I see him.

* Post about Old Trips  FAIL  Nope.

* Work on Genealogy  PASS  See the item above on photos. lolz

* Roll/Spend/ECBs  PASS  I managed to extricate myself from the CVS merry-go-round in March.  No more ECBs to roll and I don't plan on going back(at least until Black Friday if their deals tempt me enough). ;-)

* Roll/Spend Bonus Cash  PASS  Yep!

*Clean my Desk  PASS  I did clean it good in March.

* Eat down the Freezer Pantry  PASS  We had a low spend month again in March and managed to eat from the freezer/stockpile a good bit instead of bringing more into the house(besides Ibotta deals).  Go us!

So now I am caught up at least for a few days until April ends. lololz

Sluggy

2020 To-Do Lists.........January Edition

Here's how the January To-Do List turned out...........


JANUARY

* Pay Bills  DONE  It's always done early or on time each month..

*  Read 1,2 Books  DONE 
I read this one........

"Tethered Citizens:Time to Repeal the Welfare State"
by Sheldon Richman

I am going to use an excerpt from an Amazon buyer's review here as it sums up my feelings so well about this book.
By A. Locke.....
"'Tethered Citizens' is truly an eye-opener.  Sheldon Richman illustrates persuasively and with much historical evidence why our welfare system fails and why it will always fail.  He shows that in fact our welfare system, which many believe helps the poor and uneducated, in fact tethers and enslaves them to the state.  He proves convincingly that welfarism does not work no matter where it has been implemented and in what fashion.  He also shows how the idea and methods used to implement welfare are inherently wrong and inhumane.
I especially enjoyed Mr. Richman's detailed historical examples which help to brilliantly illustrate and prove the point he is making.  Not only does it show the blunder that is the welfare state, it also proves that it is a blunder created not by one of the two major parties, but equally by both......"

I was given a stack of this book by one of the Porcfest speakers, Jacob Hornberger, when I attended his lecture last June, with an eye to distribute it among my readers who wished to read it.
If anyone would like a free copy of this book, email me.  I'll send them via media mail until I run out.  Just pass it along after you read it if you want or keep your copy.

And this one...........

"The White Princess" by Philippa Gregory

At Bosworth Field, Henry Tudor(later King Henry VII of England)defeats King Richard III of England. One is affiliated with the House of Lancaster, one is of the Houses of York and these and additional cousins have been battling over the crown of England, also known as the War of the Roses(Lancastrian sides' emblem was a red rose, Yorkist sides' emblem was a white rose-thus the name given to their ongoing struggle over who ruled England in that time).

In order to unite the country Henry Tudor must take as his bride Elizabeth of York, reported to have been Richard III's lover before his death in battle, and the oldest sister of the 2 Princes(Edward and Richard)who were locked up and purported to have been murdered by Richard III.
But even after wedding Elizabeth of the enemy's camp, Henry VII can't unite England, due to the unknown nature of whether the 2 princes are dead or merely in hiding.  The House of York supporters plot to put a York on the throne and it drives everything Henry VII does as king. (Spoiler Alert-Henry VII was NOT a popular king. lol)
Elizabeth is torn between her familial ties(she was also the daughter of King Edward IV-my 1st cousin, 18 x removed)and her new role as a Tudor Queen and her children, including the future King of England.

I enjoy reading these English historical fiction books by Philippa Gregory and this one didn't disappoint either.  After all, the subject of this one, the White Princess aka Elizabeth of York is my 2nd cousin, 17 x removed.  Her husband, Henry VII is also my 3rd cousin, 17 x removed.
They were the parents on good ol' Henry VIII whom everyone is familiar with(as well as his 6 wives). 8-)))
These Gregory books are an easy and enjoyable way to expand your historical knowledge of the ruling class of distant English history.  They are part history and part filling in all the details of all those interpersonal relationships/emotions that are lost to history but are plausible, the fiction part.

*  Hold Giveaways  DONE

2 Giveaways were held.

* Mail Giveaways  DONE
Both were mailed, one on Friday and the other on Saturday.  Still waiting to hear from Wendy if she got her box a ok.

*  Go to Louisiana  DONE
We drove to LA for the wedding.  Between the cost of flying and getting to the airport and driving and those costs it was a lot cheaper to drive there.

*  Wedding  DONE

It was a lovely evening and my daughter glowed.  More on the wedding and our trip another time.

*  Come back from Louisiana  DONE
We had some fun both on the way to and on the way home but of course there was a clusterfu**k on the last leg of the journey since of course this is how my life goes. lolz  More on that later too.

*  Put Christmas Away  DONE
It took about a week to get it all put away once we got home so mid January before this got accomplished.  But then again, we were in no hurry.

*  Declutter Linen Closet  DONE
With Hubs and Ex-CB shoving stuff in there all willy-nilly the linen closet had become unmanageable.  So I tackled that mess.
Before......

After.....

It's more organized now, stuff taken out and other stuff put in and more stuff moved around to make better sense.

*  Declutter Pantry  FAIL
I didn't get around to this item so it goes on February's To-Do List.

*  Clean House  PASS  
While I didn't get a deep clean accomplished between  putting Xmas boxes away, cleaning the living areas and a bit of garage reorganizing most of the house saw a good deal of cleaning.

*  Prefill Giveaway Boxes  DONE
I couldn't finish cleaning the living and dining rooms until I finished this item since filling them meant spreading toiletries and candy all over two rooms. lolz

But it's done now and I have 7 giveaway boxes ready to deploy when needed.
Added bonus(ie-cleaning....all the giveaway items left after filling these 7 boxes fit into 4 Rubbermaid tubs and are neatly stacked away.

*  Clean my Desk Area  FAIL
Again, parts got straightened up but it's still a mess.  I may need a better system and just less stuff kept there.
And I didn't take a picture of this mess. lolz

*  Celebrate my Birthday YAY!  DONE

It was a nice low key celebration....a cake, a steak dinner out and a matinee discount movie.  That was plenty for me though. 8-)

*  Have Dixie Fixed  FAIL
Well this didn't get accomplished due to not being able to book an appointment with the vet until February.  It's scheduled and getting done in February though.

*  Have a Financial Meeting  DONE
We got the meeting about our finances finally done right before the month ended.  With so much going on in January I didn't get the 2019 calculations finished until mid to late month, then we both needed time to sit down separately once I had all the numbers written out to ponder areas we needed to take action in.
But it's done and at any time in 2020, if we feel the need to reevaluate and change course that will happen too.

*  Plan Goals for 2020  IN PROGRESS
I am still working on what Big Goals need accomplishing in 2020.  Mostly these would be home repairs/improvements to get the house ready for market, any big trips/vacations, and some projects I need to progress on....more of those later in another post.

So it was a pretty good month with many things accomplished.
Three fails but one is not my fault. lolz

Onward and upward to February!  I still have some items to add to my To-Do List for this month.

Do you keep a To-Do List?
How did you do knocking items off your list in January?

Sluggy

Goings On Around Chez Sluggy Lately

Oh, where to start.

My drug regime shake up has had some positive results on me.....well, after my angioedema/hives episode happened.
First off I had ENERGY last week!  That's something I've had none of most of this year.
I am actually getting things accomplished that I've wanted to do for months.
Go me.

Last week I........
* Cleaned out my painting supplies(plus washed the tubs I keep these in).
* Cleaned out the pantry
* Cleaned out the cabinet to the left of the stove
* Did some reorganizing in the garage/stockpile
* Cleaned the bookcase next to my desk
* Got together a Food Bank Donation
* Got a Salvation Army Donation ready to go
* Went through some files and purged a bunch of paper
* Cleaned and vacuumed my car(This is something I NEVER do!)

All this was in addition to my usual routine of cooking/laundry/shopping/blogging/etc.

And all this moving around has had me losing weight too, 8 lbs. so far.  I suspect one of the meds I was on that I am now off of was hindering me dropping weight.  Has to be a combo on exercise and off the drug as my food type/intake has not changed at all.

And then Daughter got sick and shared her grunge with me.
Ugh.
This week has been spent in a brain fog and 1 activity.....just trying to be able to breath out of my nose. ;-)
I suspect if this thing doesn't loosen it's grasp on me by Monday I'll be sitting in the Urgent Care early next week.

Another thing I got done last week was to prepare a whole slew of Giveaway boxes......

The open box is for December's Giveaway and the stack contains goodies for 6 Giveaways for 2017.
As long as the blogging ad revenue continues to come in(in drips and drabs)and I can cover the postage to mail these boxes with that tiny income stream(and I get stuff for Free to use as prizes)the Giveaways will continue!
Rah.

So barring catastrophes I am well ahead of the game for at least half of next year on this score.
I just need to figure out where to store these boxes in the house until needed. First world blogger problems, eh? lolz

Putting these boxes together came out of cleaning the dining room.  I had a large box of toiletries in there that needed to be moved out before Thanksgiving as we'll need that room then.  This box was overflow from the toiletries stash in tubs up in Hub's man cave room.  So instead of shoving them goodness knows where in the house and then trying to dig it all out to make up prize boxes for Giveaways I just "got 'er done" now and that potential job is off my plate.  I can just photograph the contents and write up each Giveaway post as needed next year.  I think I have room under the daybed that the dog spends her days napping on in the living room to tuck these away until needed.  This hiding place will be easy to access too.

Here is the Food Bank donation I gathered so far......

Assorted foodstuffs and 10 bottles of shampoo

I'll probably add to the food component before I take this all in next week, as I will be reorganizing the stockpile in the garage some more and will most probably find more "goodies".

And speaking of the garage, next week once I am feeling like myself again I need to concentrate on going through stuff in the garage to donate to charity.  Between the stockpile, Daughter and BF's stuff and all my old eBay selling days stuff out there it's just too, too much in there and I am ready to let go of more crap!

I want to do at least another 4 Salvation Army donations before the end of the year(not counting the one ready to go this weekend).  I've still got lots of new/unused toys and gift wear and this is the time of year that sort of stuff is highly sought after for gifting in the charity stores.
I'd rather donate and take the tax write-off(if we hit the threshold this year-last year we didn't)than spend lots of time and energy on eBay attempting to sell it.
There are a few items if I get the "umph" that I will try to sell....mostly items I know I can get a good price for(to make the hassle worthwhile).

Ok, I am off to breath and maybe get some more cleaning/organizing done today.
Oh, and a trip to Rite-Aid too if I can sustain some energy long enough to do that. 8-)))

What are y'all up to today?

Sluggy

Toiletry Porn & Decluttering....Don't Stop Me Now!

I just wanted to explain to all my readers who come here to see what I get from Rite-Aid(for free or almost free)why you haven't seen me shop there since something like January or February of this year.

Yah see, I really don't need to buy any toiletries right now.
And I probably won't need any for a few months more.

The last week or so I have been making trips to my storage locker and have gotten the last of my tubs of spare toiletries I was keeping in there.
Yes, I am down to my last 5 tubs of toiletries stockpile items.....well, if you don't count all the toilet tissue. ;-)

And I finished clearing/cleaning out the Daughter's bedroom.  Got a box of items to ship off to Salvation Army, paired down what it stored in the closet and got both dressers cleaned out.
The dressers are now filled with toiletries.....

That's part of it.
There are 5 more drawers I didn't pull out to photograph.

There are also 2 tubs in the hall linen closet which I think I can combine into 1 tub now as some items have been used up in those.

And on tonight's agenda is reorganizing and going through the hall linen closet.

On the Decluttering Front--
We sent a broken inflatable bed(had to be re-inflated every 4 hours!lol)and an old lumpy futon mattress to the garbage last week. 
Then #1 Son took my oak Queen Anne leg, butler-style coffee table back with him when he left this morning(pardon the dog hair tumbleweed in the photo)......

He and his GF can use one and this one is small so it will fit better in the apartment they will most probably rent.  Hubs kept his mother's coffee and end tables when she died(which have been living in a bedroom upstairs)so we'll use that coffee table in the den now.
I have another smallish Asian style coffee table which may or may not go in the redone living room. but I am not ready to part with it yet, just in case.

I am not a big fan of coffee tables anyway, because we are "horizontally surface challenged".....meaning-we see a flat surface and we can't help ourselves but pile it with crap.  8-)

This morning, since I was on a "roll" in the getting rid of stuff department, I also boxed up a set of 8 Christmas themed drinking glasses and a Wizard and Dragon Votive candleholder from the kitchen and the dining room hutch, respectively.  Now Hubs has room to put his beer glasses in the kitchen cupboard and I don't have to have them sitting out on the counter 24/7.  I swear, some days with the barware and the empty bottles, my counters look like they need an intervention by the Bar Rescue Guy.....

I have decided to make the curtains for the living room out of that lime green bolt of fabric I have.  Hey!, they may end up being loud compared to the other colors in the room, but I'll like them. ;-)

And I'm taking all those drapes/curtains I bought back to BB&B for a credit on my card.  That's $150 back in the wallet to spend on something we need/want more.


So what has everyone else been up to in their copious free time this past week/weekend?


Sluggy

Stockpile Cleaning can be Hazardous to Your Health

So after almost 2 weeks of doctoring, my shoulder is finely feeling back to normal.  I guess it was a bout of bursitis like the doc suspected.  I hope to heck I never have bursitis again!!
Not.
Fun.

And I hear you asking, just what did I do to bring on this painful malady?
I'll tell you.
It all started while I was decluttering and working on the stockpile in the garage.
Yes dear friends, couponing can be hazardous to your health! ;-)

With the assistance of hubby and surly teens(well, not so much their help!), I have made some headway on both projects using only my left arm.

Here are some things I have pulled from the stockpiles and am sending from my house either via freecycle &/or food bank donation....

There is another couple of boxes of food in the trunk I have to get photos of as well before I drop them off.

I didn't take but 1 before photo in the garage.....

Now, after 2 weeks, here is what this area looks like with everything put away and some things pulled out to donate......

And the shelf next to it.....

I moved all the pasta from the top of the shelf into the pantry in the kitchen onto the top shelf there.  I had been storing condiments/marinades/spices/and other small jarred items up there but with it being so out of sight, it was hard to find these small items up there if they weren't right in front.  That space is much better stoarge for large boxes of noodles....

The Wacky Mac, Egg Noodles and Ramen are still all out in the garage stockpile since there isn't enough room in the pantry if I want that noodle shelf organized.  I could jam it all up there but then I'd have "can't find it" syndrome again.

I got the soap/cleaners closet in the garage some what organized now too....

And the Big shelves are looking a tad less disheveled....

Top Shelf--Crackers, Cold Cereal, Rice
3rd Shelf--Sauces/Marinades, Ramen/Wacky mac, Bread Crumbs, Stock/Broth, Canned Beans, Canned Pasta, Popcorn, Pudding

2nd Shelf--Pasta Sauce, Fruit, Tomato products, Chili, Hash, Jelly, Peanut Butter
1st Shelf--Salad Dressings, more Fruit, Mustard, Ketchup, Mayo, Oils

Bottom Shelf--juice boxes, Seltzer Water, Vitamin Water, Juice bottles
In front is some overflow of Pasta Sauce, Ketchup and Applesauce.  I don't know why a bottle of Olive Oil is down there.....the kids doing probably!lol

And here is another set of shelves with lightweight items....

Top Shelf--more Cold Cereal
3rd Shelf--beverage central(tea bags, coffee, and some jello overflow)

2nd Shelf--Hot Cocoa, Oatmeals, biscuit mix, Jello, taco shells & 1 can of beer(DH didn't want-will use for fondue or rarebit)
1st Shelf--Bisquick, boxed potatoes, Nutri-Grain Bars, cracker overflow

I still have a second massive shelving unit to work on after I go through and purge more items for donation.  I'm hoping to get that done sometime this week.
Here's a tiny preview of that mess.....

It was neat and tidy at one time but then we just started piling stuff on top.
Ugh.

So now can you understand why I haven't been to the grocery store in 2 weeks and why I am in no hurry to make a trip there still??

Sluggy

This That & the Other Thing

Today is yet another dreary rainy grey day in the Northeastern part of the USA.

After the winter we just had with not many 'Snow Events', we sorely need this rain! But combined with the low temps, this continuous rain pushed back our planting dates here. We were finally able to plant last weekend but this week's rain & cold is keeping my seeds from reaching out their tender shoots from beneath their snuggly dirt blanket.

The only things I have above ground are the transplanted tomato and pepper plants. They are looking a bit scraggly still but I hope to see them make strides toward vigorous health by the end of the month. We have 3 veggie beds planted and these are the only things growing so far.

My little Lemon Magnolia Tree bloomed about a month ago. It was early by our standards, due to a 2 weeklong heat wave here in early May. I never got the camera out in time to snap a photo of it in full bloom, darn it! Then the cold weather came back and we had frost one night. My poor little tree dropped it's flowers and most of it's leaves have shriveled up. It looks like heck now. *sigh* I hope it will recover...

The only thing in bloom now is the Collossal Rhodedendron. I keep hacking it back and it keeps taking over the side flower bed. It overgrew the little fir tree next to it to the point the fir tree's growth has been stunted on one side. It's the bully of the bed & I've been at war with it for years.lol



I've been trying to clean the house, as hubby's sister arrives early Sunday for a week long stay. Hubby's other 2 siblings and the kid's cousin will be here on Monday too for the Graduation Festivities. It's been difficult planning a family party, as the graduation is at 6pm & then there is something called a LOCK-IN from 10 pm to 8 am at the school for the Seniors. It's an all-night party to keep them off the roads/away from alcohol, so there are no Graduation night drinking/partying deaths on the roads. A great idea but the timing leaves me no time to have a family get-together. Well I could have it AFTER the graduation but the Guest of Honor-the Graduate won't be here.lol

I can't wait and do it on the weekend because all but 1 sibling will be gone, as they don't live in state, much less in town here. I'll be hosting a late lunch BEFORE the graduation exercise instead.

At any rate, I have to clean this pigsty up by Sunday am. Remember all that stuff I bought in April AND May from Price Chopper as part of those 2 Unilever Cat Promos?
Guess where all those items I bought are still sitting?
Go ahead.....I dare ya!

Yep.....covering my dining room table!LOL
We haven't had a reason to use the big honking table since Easter dinner, until NOW!
I just put off having to make room in the stockpiles for those things since it wasn't in anyone's way where it was.
Well, NOW it IS in the Way!!!lolol

If ya'll don't read from me by next Wednesday, send a Search & Rescue Party out to PA, k?

Here's a pic of the graduating Senior after the Awards Ceremony that the school held on Tuesday. He won an Academic Award(some ugly pewter plate with a name plaque-no Cash Monies dang it!lol) and got a Pin for Academic Honors(since he already won a Letter & Jacket for Athletics last year, they don't give duplicates of those for Academics even if the kid earns them, so he gets another pin). He then got a different pin at some ceremony during school on Wed. for something he didn't tell me what, and 2 pins for Wrestling. #1 son is gathering quite the collection of Bling before he leaves high school.lol They did the big class photo with everyone in their robes this morning, so he is officially D-O-N-E! except for 'the walking'! ;-))

Gee, it is usually ALOT MORE BORING around here! I can't stand all the excitement and forgive me for rambling on & on. I'll try to be more boring next time.

Ok....I'm off to vacuum & then move cereal and spaghetti sauce and peanut butter and shampoo and body wash and bandaids.........

Sluggy