That Is a Lot

My only contribution of late to tidying my life has been getting the basement ready for a new washer. I have removed, through today, 9 bags of garbage, real honest-to-goodness, garbage. It really was a case of boxes of packing peanuts or something else tipping over and me not having the will or desire to sweep it up. Add to that, the occasional episodes of seepage when we get inches of rain in a small window of time, and that just breeds decay. Over the years, boxes of stuff have gotten wet and I just didn't mentally want to deal with it, so the stuff sat and sat and sat. 

That all changed when I knew I needed a washer. I couldn't shove or relocate things to another part of the basement because there wasn't another part of the basement. So, I started cleaning in May and finished a clear path to the old machine the last weekend of June. I have a large pile of things for Carole, a pile which grows and grows each time I attack yet another section of the basement. She's going to need a moving van for all this. 

Then the washer came and I have the warranty information to file away. I wanted to see, for sure, when I bought the replaced washer so I pulled out my "Receipts for Major Purchases" file folder from the filing cabinet. It's fat and heavy with instruction manuals and receipts and proof of warranty. It's also one of those things that needs to be gone through and cleaned out. 

After going through the pile, this is what needs to be chucked. At the risk of jinxing myself, I have the receipt from the stove; purchased from Montgomery Wards in 1984. I also have the receipt for the fridge; again purchased from Montgomery Wards in 1994. I have receipts for two long gone lawn mowers and Apple computers. I have receipts for a dust buster and three, count 'em, three irons. There are two phones, a VHS player, and jewelry I no longer have. I also have the receipt for the clock radio that wakes me up every morning and the record player/cassette player that sits in the living room. The warranty for this "boom box"? That can be pitched. I don't remember when that broke and we pitched it. 

This stack is half of what was in the folder. There were quite a few memories and quite a few, "I have no idea to what this belongs" moments. The only things in the folder now are the warranties and receipts for things I still have. Yes, I kept the warranty information on the 20+ year old clock radio. Do they even make those anymore or are people using their phones? The Art of Tidying talked about how that extends to paper and I have known, for awhile, that my files are filled with stuff I no long need. One folder at a time. It felt very, very satisfying to dump all this paper into the recycling bin.

Beverage:  Coca-Cola

Deb