It's Day 28 - CD Holder (Not the Cat)

There may be some in the household who wish the cat to go but that's not happening (at least, not today!)  I've had this CD holder for more than 20 years!!  I long ago outgrew it, but I kept it around thinking that one day I'd use it.  I haven't used it for at least 10 years.  It is not in the best shape and it has been gathering dust for a long time.  But dust gathering it will do no more.  The CD holder goes.  The cat stays...for now!!

On the 27th day - Tuxedo Jewelry

While going though a cupboard looking for stuff to throw out I came across this little box.  In it were tuxedo cufflinks and studs.  I had long forgotten about this little box.  I mean, I haven't owned a tuxedo for... for... for 15 years?!?!  I threw the tux out long ago but I guess I kept these thinking I might buy another one.  Not gonna happen.  Uh-uh.  If ever I need a tuxedo, I'll rent one.  I don't need these.  Out they go!!

What is #26?? - BOOKS!!!

OK... anyone who knows me knows that I probably ... er... definitely have a pile of books.  (We had to have the foundation of the house reinforced!)  With just over 11 months to go on this project I really do have to start getting to the books.  Here we go.  From deep inside my bedside table:
     * Random House Book of Jokes (They aren't funny)
     * Handbook of English (1975 version! From my university days)
     * French for Oral and Written Review (Liz' university text book)
     * On This Day (Daily history that I can find online easier)
If you want one of these you have 4 days to let me know!!  Maybe I should start an online book sale?!

Item #25 - A Sweatshirt

Christmas is 10 months away!  I've got to start clearing out the clothes closet to make room for all the new sweaters that are being made in China, Thailand and Vietnam as we speak. Actually I was in a rush to find today's item for tossing out.  I raced into the closet and it wasn't too hard to find something.  You wouldn't believe the number of sweatshirts, t-shirts and short-sleeve shirts I have.  Wait a minute!  Go to your own closet.  Open your eyes.  You'll become a believer.  I bet you've got lots too.  Out goes this sweatshirt.  With more to follow in the next 11 months.

#24 - Pile of Wood Flooring

A number of years ago Kimberly  decided to take up tap dancing.  In the house we had lots of carpet, lots of ceramic, and some wood flooring which we didn't particularly want to be tap danced into toothpicks.  So, I went out and bought the absolute cheapest tongue-in-groove flooring I could find.  I made a mini tap dance floor and, voila, we were ready for Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers.  But, as happens with most tap dancers, the time came to hang up those metal clingy shoe things and move on.  We played taps and took the floor apart. But, of course, I saved it.  I mean, who wouldn't save some fairly decent, used, cheap flooring.  Maybe I would take up tap dancing in my retirement??!!  Or...maybe not.  I think I'll switch to needlepoint as my next hobby.  We can, therefore, say good-bye to this pile of cheap, old tap dancing memories..

Day 23 - An Uncomfortable Pair of Sandals

OK, we got into clothing yesterday.  Let's add this old pair of sandals to the pile.  I have to tell you that I never liked this pair of sandals.  They did the job but they were just plain uncomfortable.  I should have gotten rid of them long ago!  But it's hard to part with something that is in perfectly fine working condition, even if they are uncomfortable as sin.  I'm kinda happy to be rid of these puppies!!

22nd Piece of Stuff Thrown Out - A Vest

It's a winter vest.  A warm vest.  A comfy vest.  The only problem is that it is a vest that I don't wear!!  I'm not much of a vest man, actually.  (Gotta watch your typing on that!)   This one's a beaut but I might only wear it maybe twice a year.  I really don't need it.  Why not pass it on to someone who might use it more than me? Good idea!! 

You know what?!  This is the first piece of clothing I've pitched out, other than my favourite pair of running shoes on the first day.  (Still smarting over that one!)  I know I've got lots more clothes to dispense with.  But there's still more than 11 months ahead of us.  Bye bye vest.  You really were the vest!

21st Day - Shampoo bottles

It's Family Day in Ontario so I thought I'd get two of my daughters to help me out.  Here are 10 empty  shampoo bottles from the bathrooms of my daughters.  How it is possible to accumulate so many empty shampoo bottles is beyond me, but I am not a teenage daughter.  Throwing these into recycling is not a big deal but I am sure glad to be rid of them.  What else lurks in those dark, mysterious, forbidden bathrooms?  Do I want to know?  Probably not!  But 10 empty shampoo bottles??!!  Sheesh!

Hate to do this but the 20th item - Speakers and a Mouse

At the end of 1 month I'm going to go back and look at all I've thrown out.  I've got a fairly confident feeling that most of it is electronic stuff.  I cannot be-lieve how much computer stuff we've got lying around this house.  I came across these ancient speakers and this ancient mouse.  We're talking museum pieces here.  They must be at least... oh... 15 years old!!  Time flies when you're talking tech.  They now leave the comfort of my house and head to Wastewise, our Region's electronics recycler.  Thanks to this blog I'm now best friends with the folks at Wastewise!!

Day 19 - A Couple of Lawn Chairs

While removing yesterday's computer desk from my garage I came across these two lawn chairs.  We've got more lawn chairs than bums, including the bums of family and friends!  They're a little rusty and a little ratty, but they're not quite ready to be given away.  But we don't need them.  I'm finding there's a lot of stuff that we don't need that we hang on to.  I'll give these to our local waste recycler.  And I am confident they will find a couple of nice bums to fill these lawn chairs for years to come.

Here's the 18th item - A Computer Desk

This computer desk belonged to my parents but they moved into a retirement home in November and didn't need it.  I put it my garage during the move.  I guess it's not really mine, but possession is 9/10ths of the law. or is it, the hot potato stopped in my hands.  It's been in my garage since November.  If not for this blog it might have been there until November 2023 (that's the year I retire!)  Think about your garage, your basement, your locker.  Do you have any stuff that belongs to someone else?  I bet you do!!!  Get rid of it!  (Say...notice the snow not there??!!  Spring is coming!)

Day 17, Item 17 - MORE electornic stuff!

You know it had to come.  Yes, believe it or not, there is still more electronic stuff in my basement.  Today I'm pitching out an old router.  We got a new one a long time ago and we saved the old one because... because... because...?  Exactly!  I'm also throwing out a bunch of old software CD's, more computer manuals, another floppy disk, and boxes from other tech stuff.  A lot of stuff for the blue box.  Some to our region's electronic waste recycling program.  I'm a bit amazed at how much electronic/computer stuff we have.  Incredible!  But it's great to get rid of it!!

16 days. Today? An Old Binder and an Old Atlas

Here we go.  The first in what will definitely be a theme in the next 12 months.  Office stuff and Books!!  Out goes an old binder that had really served me well over the years.  And out goes an old atlas.  When I got this atlas it had an extra map inserted because the Soviet Union had broken up just after printing!  I've picked up a huge desktop atlas recently so this one can go.  But do we need atlases anymore with Google Maps??!!  This is a start, though.  The first of many, many books that I really do need to get rid of.  The throwing out is starting to hurt.  Not my books, not my books!!!!

Half a month of Stuff Thrown Out!! - Today Another Laptop Computer Bag

On the 15th day of this exercise I am pitching out another Laptop Computer Bag.  Five days ago I talked about giving a laptop bag to the Diabetes Association.  They make money from clothing and household items. A friend at church saw the post and said she needed a laptop bag.  Oh no! The Diabetes Association had been by just 1/2 hour before.  No problem!  I've got another bag I need to get rid of.  So here you go.  From my house to yours.  Now, if you see anything you'd like, just let me know!!  I've got a very nice computer desk ready to be tossed out.  Anyone interested??

14th day, 14th stuff - 4 Inches of Paper!!

I'm really starting to get into this now, journeying into the bowels of the house to find stuff to throw out.  Do you have any boxes of stuff just piling up in your basement, your garage?  Full of papers, souvenirs, manuals, news-clippings, hockey cards, old photographs?  I seem to have a number of those boxes.  I went through one and cleared out about 4 inches of paper (how many centimeters is that?)  Some of it was stuff that I actually thought to be very important at one time.  Many more boxes to go through. Feels kinda good filling up the blue box with stuff I don't need.  Don't worry, though, I did not pitch out any hockey cards!!

The 13th item - Floppy Disks and Old Software Manuals

I often bring a blue bag to church with something special to show the kids at Children's Time in worship.  Today I brought old floppy disks, CD's, and some USB flash drives to show how computers and computer memory have changed.  I'm pitching out the old floppy disks and also some genealogical software I bought back in 1996!!  All the updates come from the Internet now.  I don't need this anymore!  Good bye floppies.  Good bye old software.  Need to go through some CD's now.  Mountains of them here.  Do I need them all??!!  You know the answer.  Watch for them here!!

12th day - More Electronic stuff

I know, I know, you're wondering how much techie stuff one person can throw out.  Well.... go look through your own stuff!!  I was away today.  I'm just getting in with 1 hour and 20 minutes to spare on a Saturday evening.  And what I'm throwing out is a earphone/microphone thingy for a cell phone.  Never used it.  Wondered why I got it.  Now getting rid of it.  Made it under the wire.  Whewww....

And On The 11th Day - A Book About The Empress of Ireland

My grandfather survived the sinking of the Empress of Ireland on May 29, 1914.  His parents and his sister perished.  There are many books written about the event and this is one, but I'm not really throwing it out!  I'm returning it to Joan Gauthier, a member of Norval United Church, who also had family die on the ship.  OK, so I'm not throwing it out but I've had it a while and I am now getting it out of the house.  There is a fair bit of our stuff that is other people's stuff!!  Do you have the same...uh...blessing, challenge, problem?!

Item #10 - A Laptop Computer Bag

You can never have enough laptop computer bags, right?  Wrong!  A quick glance around the house revealed 3 of these vital pieces of luggagery.  Considering that there is only 1 laptop for 3 bags we probably have a bit of leeway for getting rid of one of them.  So, this is it.  Oh, this bag is very nice.  Even if we don't use it for a computer there might be something else we could use it for, like... like... like... yeah, right.  Put it out with the stuff for the Diabetes Association.  They'll take it and make some money for the organization.  1 bag down, probably need to get rid of another one!!

9th Day - A Printer

Not sure if this counts but we'll make it count.  It's a printer that belonged to my parents but when they moved to the Mountainview Terrace they didn't need their computer or printer.  The computer was one I had given them so I took it back (and gave it to the church) but I didn't need the printer.  It was old.  It was cheap.  I think it was one of those "buy a computer and get a free printer" printers.  Great deal, only the toner costs more than buying a new printer!  How does that work anyway?  This printer has been in my garage since November and it was starting to get pretty comfortable, so I'm getting rid of it TODAY!!  And I'll put a sign on my garage.  "Space available for lonely printer."

#8 - 3 Garment Bags and 6 Shoe Bags

It's been a week of throwing something out every day.  And here we are.  You knew it had to come.  A journey to the clothes closet!  Da-da-da-daaaaah.  The first foray yields 3 garment bags and 6 shoe bags.  I know, I know.  No big deal.  But, ya gotta take baby steps.  Clothes are coming.  This is pretty good, though, don't you think?  I could have made all this stuff last over 9 days!!  But out it goes together.  I know there is much more lurking in the shadows of the closet.  Suits, ties, shirt, t-shirts.  Oh no... Tough job, but someone has to do it.  You got any garment bags and shoe bags to pitch?  No?  Consider yourself lucky. 

Day 7 - I'm Giving Up Gambling

Well...not quite.  But it's not that I'm a gambler still!  I'm just throwing out a deck of cards.  We had friends over, pulled out a deck of cards with pictures of cutesy beagles, but the cards were all dog eared (Sorry, couldn't resist!)  Why were we playing crib with worn-out, torn-up, dog-eared beagle cards?  I mean, we probably got them on sale at the Dollar Store!  Pitch them.  Fear not, though, 15-2 will still be counted in the Ivany household.  We've got lots of other decks of cards, maybe a few that should be pitched as well!

Day 6 - More Electronic Stuff

Man, there's lots of electronic stuff lying around the house!  Today I'm getting rid of two things.  One is a broken charger for my daughter's phone.  For some reason it has been sitting in a drawer for weeks!!  The other item is a battery charger that I got at a golf tournament a long time ago.  It never worked.  Not at all.  But I saved it!  Why??  I have a feeling that will be a common question over the next year.

Now... some people are asking when I'm going to get to some big stuff!!  Have no fear.  It will come.  There is lots of stuff that I need to throw out.  Stay tuned.  Be patient, eh?

5th Piece of Stuff Thrown Out!!

What is it today?  It's the Manual for the kids Roller Coast Tycoon game for the computer.  I was going through a drawer looking for an envelope and wondered what was further on down the drawer.  Scary some of the things I found!!  This was one.  My kids don't play the game anymore but they never looked at the manual anyway.  Seems kids and men refuse to read manuals.  So why was I keeping it all these years?  Who knows??!!  No one will miss it.  To recycling it goes.  But I tremble as I think of all the other manuals lurking in dark drawers in the Ivany household.  Probably your household too.  Banish them, I say, banish them!! TTFN.

Item #4 - A digital camera

     Here's a picture of you looking at me looking at you.  Or is it me looking at you looking at me?  Is the picture the moment, in the camera, when the shutter opens and closes?  Or is the picture the specific image of what the camera sees at a distance?  A question worthy of Plato or Aristotle.
      Bottom line...the camera chews through batteries like a gorilla eating peanuts.  Out you go!!  I'll take it to Norval United Church where we have a recycling program for digital cameras, toner cartridges, and cell phones.  The program is called Think Recycle and it makes the church money!

Day 3 - A pumpkin. "A pumpkin?" Yes, a pumpkin!

OK, you're thinking, "Why is he throwing out a pumpkin?"  Or may be you're thinking, "Why am I reading this silly blog anyway?!"

This pumpkin has been sitting on my garage floor since Halloween!  When carving the jack-o'-lanterns I love to bake the pumpkin seeds with a bit of garlic and then munch on them for weeks.  Tasty AND they're good for your prostate. (Who'd a thunk?!)  This year I thought I would save a pumpkin or two so I could have seeds later in the year.

But...time goes by.  The weather gets cold.  Pumpkins on garage floors get mushy.  Rather than save it until Spring, off it goes to the green bin now.  And there's a little more space in the garage!  Shouldn't you be checking your garage for rogue gourd-like squashes of the genus Cucurbita and the family Cucurbitaceae?

Item #2 - Cell phone car battery charger

It's amazing the amount of electronic stuff we have!!  It sort of piles up in the basement, in drawers, under cats.  This is a car charger for a cell phone we don't even have anymore.  The phone left, the charger stayed.  How'd that happen??  Time to send it to WasteWise in Georgetown where they take care of everything electronic.

Day 1, Item 1 - Favourite pair of running shoes

Well, here we go!  I had some...uh...quizzical looks from family members when I told them what I was doing.  But all the world's great ideas faced opposition, persecution, doubts, and discouragements.  I will soldier on!!

OK, enough melodrama.  Here's the first item I'm throwing away on this year long journey - my favourite running shoes.  Man, start off with a tough one, eh!!  They were soooo comfortable but they started falling apart.  I did the glue thing and that worked well until I walked in them!  I've kept them for a few months hoping the shoe fairies would appear overnight but...sigh...nothing.  So out you go!!

Farewell faithful foot protectors.  We have walked many miles together.  Thus endeth Day 1, Item 1.  Not feeling the catharsis yet, but it'll come.