Days 78 - 82 Lots of Stuff

I had MAJOR Internet problems this week.  Everything has finally been resolved but it took a LOT longer than I might have hoped.  Quite amazing to see how much you rely on the Internet and email!!  On the positive side, I got to talk to lots of interesting Bell technicians in many different parts of the world!!

So.... I need to do some catching up on reporting my throwing stuff out!  Here goes...  We've got an old router that we no longer need.  (One of the things Bell sent along was a new modem whereby I don't need an extra router!) 

Then there's a travel clock that I have never, ever used.  I take my cell phone with me everywhere.  Who needs an extra clock?  The battery is dead, I don't need to buy another one!

Another foot of books!!  There will be many more feet of books we're not reading and don't need anymore.  Future movers of the Ivany household are thanking us now!!

A couple of pairs of socks that I've been meaning to get rid of for awhile.  Have you got any socks that need to be pitched out.  These are beyond darning...if anyone darns socks anymore!

And finally, a broken bicycle pump.  We've got another one.  We bought it because this one broke down.  But it never made it to the garbage.  Not sure why not, but out it goes now.

So, there you have it, caught up, faster internet connection, slightly emptier house!!

77th Day - One Big Honking Pile of Used Clothing

The girls are getting in on the blog.  Jilli has somehow expanded her  'space' to two rooms our our house now that Kimberly has flown the coop.  Jilli has an incredible pile of clothes.  And I mean PILE!!  (She's a teenager after all.)  But she said she wanted to get in on the throwing out act.  Here it is. Thank you, Jilli. We send this kind of stuff to the Diabetes Association.  They make money off it (good for them!)  We're happy to get rid of it.

Here's the 76th item - A Mass of Old Wires and Plugs

I was tempted to go looking for a trombone to toss out (76 trombones led the big parade...  Do you know Music Man??!)  Instead I will chuck this mass of old wires and plugs and chargers.  I'm tossing out plugs here for devices I can no longer find and no longer remember.  Raises a good question.  How much more junk do I have that is totally, completely useless??  The answer is  "LOTS!!"

75th Piece Of Junk To Go - A Couple Of Old Lights

When we moved into our first house in Brampton in 1987 these lights had been left by the original owner.  I used them for a few years but when we moved in 1996 we just didn't need them anywhere anymore.  I have no use for them.  I'll send them to the local recycler and see if someone else in town can make use of a pair of 30 year old lights!!

On Day 74 - An Old Doggy Lamp

This lamp was on our kitchen table in Vancouver in the 60's!!  Who knows where it was before that??!!  I had it in a bedroom in Regina for a number of years.  Another bedroom in Willowdale.  And then the dining area of my first apartment in Brampton.  But it's shot.  Wires stiff and just worn out.  It hasn't worked for years.  It must be put to rest!!  Woof, woof!

Bag of Bolts on the 73rd Day!!

This is where things could get interesting.  Allow me to be sexist and say that any guy with a garage or basement had got to have bags and boxes and drawers full of screws, bolts, nuts, washers, and assorted doo-dads.  I, like every other stereotypical guy, have tons of that stuff.  I came across this bag with nuts and bolts (most of which are bent!), and some ancient, and I mean ancient washers for a tap.  They were so brittle I could snap them with my fingers!!  Bye-bye bag.  You've got some brothers who will be joining you soon.  I think I have WEEKS worth of useless stuff like this!!

Day #72 - Motorola CB Speakers

You never know what treasures you'll find when you're looking to throw stuff out.  Here are a couple of speakers that I picked up when I was working for the City of Hamilton Stores Department back before I was married, back in a summer job in the early 80's!!  They were replacing all the CB radios in the maintenance vehicles and there were speakers left over.  I've used them through the years for outdoors speakers when we have a party but the sound is getting pretty awful.  They served their purpose in life well.  Now, off they go to Motorola heaven.

71st Day - Dining Room Table Wheels

OK... we are settling into a nice routine with throwing stuff out.  Someone wondered how I could just throw one thing out at a time. They'd be more inclined to pitch a whole bunch of stuff at once.  To each their own.  For me, one day at a time, means I'm throwing out stuff that's been sitting around here for a long time and it's all pretty painless.

Here are some wheels from a dining room table that we got rid of a couple of years ago.  We took the wheels off 20 years ago when we picked up that ancient, through not very antique, dining room set.  I have had these flipping wheels in my garage for 20 years!!  The table is long gone.  And now these are just gone.

For the 70th Day - Two TV Antennas

The plural for a TV antenna is antennas.  In biology it would be antennae.  Here's more from the garage!!  A couple of  TV antennas that I used years ago when we didn't have cable TV!  The kids were young.  We didn't have time to watch much TV.  It's a slightly different world today when it comes to cable or digital TV or the internet.  I don't think I'm going back to needing a TV antenna anytime soon.  Out they go, after sitting in the garage for years!!!  But like John said today, "Watch out, you'll throw something out and then find out the next week that you need it!"  I just can't see needing these antennas very soon!

Item #69 - Old Spot Lights

Spring has come to Georgetown.  I was  taking down my Christmas lights today.  One neighbour said "Wait, it's only April!"  Another said "Why not leave them up till Christmas?"  Gotta love your neighbours!  When putting the lights away I came across these two spot lights.  Haven't used them for years.  Paint is peeling, wires are fraying, they're a safety risk.  If I'm not going to use them I don't need to keep them in the garage.  I gotta tell you, there's a whole pile of stuff in the garage that needs to get thrown out.  (Please note: the picture was taken OUTSIDE!  It was warm outside today. Woo-hoo!)

Day 68 - 16 Inches of Books

Some of you who know me know how much I LOVE books.  So throwing out 16 inches of books is a BIG deal.  Some of these will go to the church.  The rest will go for recycling.  Books are interesting these days.  With the onslaught of the Internet, e-readers, Google scanning millions of books, etc. you wonder just what will happen to the book.  But I know what will happen to these books.  I don't need them anymore.  And let me give you some advance warning...over the next 297 days you'll be seeing many more inches of books finding a new home!!

It's Day 67 - Old Keyboard And An Old Toque!!

I thought I had pitched out all my electronic stuff but came across another ancient keyboard (the techies will note that this one doesn't even have a USB plug, it's that old!)  And I thought I had pitched out all my old toques, but Liz came across another one, this delightful green chapeau.  Winter is finally over in Southern Ontario.  I won't need any more toques and I haven't worn this one for years.  A keyboard and a toque.  Not sure how they go together, other than they are leaving my house together!!  The toque to the clothing recycler; the keyboard to the electronics recycler.

#66 - Very Dusty Ceramic Pancho Villa

I know what you're saying.  Every house needs a ceramic Pancho Villa.  Well, let me buck the trend.  My parents lived in Mexico for 5 years and I'm sure they are the source of dusty Pancho.  But they've been back in Canada over 20 years now.  Pancho just doesn't have the same appeal to me for some odd reason.  Out he goes.  Adios, Pancho!

Someone commented that I've got 300 items left to throw out in my year long quest.  That's a lot of stuff yet to go!!  I wonder if I'll make it.  I mean, how many Pancho Villa's can one man own??!!

65th stuff on the 65th day - A Bunch of DVD's

While picking up a DVD for a study group at church I came across a great deal.  $10 gets you as many DVD's as you can watch in a month, you just take them out one at a time.  This is Blockbuster responding to Netflix!  But then Liz saw a deal where you bring in any DVD and they'll give you a $3 or $4 credit!!  We have TONS of DVD's that we don't watch.  Liz took these ones in, got a nice little credit, and pre-ordered the Justin Bieber movie with the credit.  Oh nooooo...  You realize what this means, don't you?!  That's right.  I'm moving out!  Maybe I can clear out some more DVD's, get a huge credit at Blockbuster, and live there.

Caught up from my Holidays!! Day 64 - Items 61 - 64!!

Well, well, well...finally caught up and out goes a nice little pile of stuff.

1.  A bunch of card games we don't play anymore.  (Actually we had 3 Uno games!) 
2.  Parts for a freezer ice maker
3.  DVD games we don't play
4.  A game of Dogopoly that we never played and a puzzle that we've done enough time.
5.  An old set of keys that I think we gave to the girls to play keys with!!
     This is a total of 5 blocks of items but I'm just counting it as 4 because I had to catch up on things.  Hopefully I'll be back to 1 item per day.  I'm starting to notice emptier shelves, cleaner shelves!  Let's hope we don't fill them up again.

Day 62 - Items #57, #58, #59, #60 Check it out!!

OK, I'm catching up.  I figure I'll be all caught up tomorrow!!  Here are the latest items to find their way OUT of the Ivany household!  You've got an old mouse that I've had in a drawer in my desk for years because...you never know when you'll need a replacement mouse.  And then there are three speakers that are part of a surround sound system that we got rid of a long time ago.  Kept these because...you never know when you'll need some extra speakers.  And then there is a pile of old Mexican pesos.  These are pre-1993 when the currency was re-valued.  They are worth nothing.  But I kept them because....you never know when you'll need some extra pesos!!  And finally, some Christmas light nails and hangers for a style of lights that we haven't used for years.  But I kept them because...you never know when you'll need some extra Christmas light nails and hangers. 

There's a bit of a theme here.  In the past I've hung on to all kinds of junk because I never know when I might need them.  The reality is that a lot of the stuff I save, I'll never, ever use!!  Lesson learned.  Junk gone!!