Outdated and Unused

It's time again for me to clear out the clutter. I'm getting an early start on Spring Cleaning, esp since the rain has kept me from going out to the beaches. At work, I'm very organized and keep to just the basic essentials; it helps me work faster and more effectively. My workspace is a model of efficiency. At home, it's a different story.

I'm a packrat. I tend to keep a lot of stuff, some of it I don't even need or use anymore. Part of it stems from my belief that I shouldn't throw out things that are in good working order. I don't like to waste stuff. Part of it is because I'm afraid that I might throw something out, only to need it later on. I often keep a lot things that are somewhat outdated. Some things I hold on to, because they have sentimental value.

I actually have jeans and shirts that I used to wear my last year of high school! I still have movie stubs and bus tickets from over ten years ago! I also have grocery receipts from last year, neatly filed away! I'm not sure why I still have those. But I need to get rid of them. I've also amassed quite an eclectic collection of plates and utensils from other people who gave them to me. I've got two slow cookers! And they both work great.

Every few months, I have to go through and sort out the things I've accumulated and try to get rid of the clutter and junk. I have enough old stuff lying around to open my own museum. And today, I'm going to show you some of that stuff.

Like this old telephone!



I don't even see this phone in office buildings anymore! I doubt many people even have it in their homes either! I found it in my first apt on the East Coast when I was living there many years ago. It works, so I keep it around. It's hardy, too. They don't make phones like this anymore! You can slam the receiver down hard or drop it and it'll still work. I still have a landline. It's useful, esp when the cell towers are down due to storms or power failures.

I've also got some old stuff that works but I don't use anymore.

Check this out.



No, that is not a laptop.

That is a word processor! Complete with a green screen and floppy disks! And it still works!



That thing is over ten years old! I haven't used it in ages, but I can't bring myself to get rid of it. It's the first major electronics purchase that I made, and it was very useful when I needed to type up papers back in the day.

And here's the printer that goes with it.



It's an old printer, too. How old? Just look at the connections. No USB, just a parallel port! It's the kind where you have to screw in the connections!



My stereo is old, too! Over ten years old! It can still play cassettes, which is good because I've a few on hand. I still have the original stickers on the front of the stereo! I kept them on after removing the stereo from its box.



I like to keep the plastic on things, just to see how long they'll last. It's one of my quirks. I still have the plastic covering on the keypad of the microwave and on my car stereo. It drives my friends crazy to see the plastic instructions still on the car stereo! They always complain when they see the plastic sticker still on stuff. And I like torturing them, knowing that they just want to rip the plastic sticker off but can't because it's not their car. The same thing with the microwave! Mwahahahaha!

Then I have new stuff that I don't use, because the old way still works for me.

I got this drink mixer from a friend as a gift.


It's still in the box. Still works. But I don't really need a fancy mixer to make a screwdriver or a milkshake. Actually, when I feel like a milkshake, I just melt ice cream and crumble cookies or cake in the cup. I'm not a milk drinker, so I don't use any milk.




I also got this rice cooker/vegetable steamer as a gift from some friends. They were horrified when they found out that I did not have a rice cooker. It's still in the box with the pretty, shiny bow on it.



I'm sure it works great. But I like to cook rice the old fashioned way:



That's right. I still use a pot to cook rice. It works for me.

I'm going to be busy over the next week tidying up and sorting through the things I've attained over the past few months. I've got some serious recycling and repurposing to do. I've got figure out what to donate and give away. I don't like seeing piles of stuff just taking up space. That just makes me feel claustrophobic and stressed out. It's my home, not a junkyard. And all that cleaning and decluttering actually leaves me feeling very accomplished and relaxed. Now if I could only figure out how to stop myself from getting a hold of all this junk in the first place.