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wi_sailorgirl

Where did all this stuff come from?

wi-sailorgirl
11 years ago

I'm in the midst of the arduous process of emptying out the cabinets so they can be removed and the new ones installed over the weekend. We have a small kitchen and I am shocked and amazed at the amount of stuff that is emerging from the cabinets. Dishes from college that haven't been used since (and that was a long time ago)! More cheap glass vases than anyone has business owning. At least a dozen sticks of Crisco? (I can't remember the last time I baked with Crisco.)

I have about eight boxes packed up and the entire kitchen table is covered with stuff to be given away/donated and I bet I'm only halfway done.

Did you all run into this or am I some sort of kitchen packrat? I'm a bit appalled at myself.

Comments (28)

  • Iowacommute
    11 years ago

    We're trying to sell our house so I have discovered this phenomenon throughout the house. I've tried to donate/recycle as much as I can, but I too wonder where it all came from.

    After our last move I would look around and think "Wow we really got rid of a lot of stuff. This will be an easy move!" Then we start the moving process and stuff just seemed to magically appear.

    Not that we're in a house that's twice as big as the last one I can't imagine what it's going to be like this time. Now we have DD's stuff and DH is reluctant to get rid of anything. : (

  • blfenton
    11 years ago

    We moved out of our house for 6 months to do a whole-house-reno. When we moved in 24 years ago we moved in with a 21 month old and a 6 week old and didn't have the time or energy to sort through things as we moved houses. This time around I had the time and I was mortified to discover that we had wedding presents that had never seen the light of day and were still in their original boxes. That just kind of happened.

    Pictures that were hung on nails that the previous owners had kindly left in the walls were still hung in the same spot as on moving day (with a 21 month old they couldn't be put on the floor so were just hung on the closest nail) , and the stuff that I found in the kitchen cabinets is even more embarrassing than that but your comment about the cheap glass vases rings true.

  • heidihausfrau
    11 years ago

    I hear you! I too am in the process of emptying things out. I keep comparing my cupboards to a clown car--- the amount of stuff coming out is amazing (and embarrassing). Yikes!

  • a2gemini
    11 years ago

    Oh Dear - I have this great book that explains why you can never get everything packed - the gnomes come out at night and fill in the cabinets again, etc.
    Stay with the program - you will succeed!
    PS - Don't try to open the carbon-dated Crisco- it will be quite rancid!! Don't ask how I know this....

  • debrak_2008
    11 years ago

    I got rid of stuff when I unloaded the cabinets. Got rid of more stuff when I moved into the new cabinets. Now a few months later, need to reorganize a few cabinets and plan to get rid of more stuff. It never ends!

  • Mizinformation
    11 years ago

    That's one nice thing about having the extended renovation due to surprises along the way: we've decided to only move stuff into our new kitchen if we're using it in the temporary kitchen. Everything else (OK, mostly) is clearly not needed. On the other hand, there are cabinets in the basement that, seven years after buying the house, still have coffee cans full of rusty nails and mystery items from the previous 102 years of owners. I'm disinclined to go through them, and kind of like the creep factor of passing them along when we sell in 15 or 20 years.

  • Mizinformation
    11 years ago

    That's one nice thing about having the extended renovation due to surprises along the way: we've decided to only move stuff into our new kitchen if we're using it in the temporary kitchen. Everything else (OK, mostly) is clearly not needed. On the other hand, there are cabinets in the basement that, seven years after buying the house, still have coffee cans full of rusty nails and mystery items from the previous 102 years of owners. I'm disinclined to go through them, and kind of like the creep factor of passing them along when we sell in 15 or 20 years.

  • lolauren
    11 years ago

    "Did you all run into this or am I some sort of kitchen packrat? I'm a bit appalled at myself."

    I am quite the opposite. I hate holding on to things I am not using and regularly get rid of unneeded items. As such, my kitchen has plenty of leftover storage room. I suppose it helps that I have moved a lot, though.

    Mizinformation ----- the history geek in me really wants to look in those basement drawers! :)

  • williamsem
    11 years ago

    I'm not too surprised at what I'm finding. I'm pretty sure the people that make all the laundry while we're at work also put things in the cabinets after I organize them.

  • cookncarpenter
    11 years ago

    At the moment, while we re do our 27 year old 10'x10' kitchen, the contents fill two 12'x12' spare bedrooms ...

  • EATREALFOOD
    11 years ago

    wi-sailor- You are too funny. I threw out miscellany(old spices and ugly plain glass casserole dishes) before the cabs arrived and tossed a vase I had wanted to keep BOO HOO BOO HOO.
    Now when I organize I try to do it slowly but then I get impatient and just start tossing. It's an all or nothing thing with me. Slow to do it and then all hell breaks loose. I can't even stand to keep donations in eyesight so they get brought to the garbage cans too. I want the boxes OUT.
    I am far behind...never heard of crisco sticks...

    "I keep comparing my cupboards to a clown car--- the amount of stuff coming out is amazing"
    love this line heidihaus

  • Gooster
    11 years ago

    I think more than one cheap glass vase ended up in our yard sale pile. And, I think we found one packet of curry mix that we carbon dated to 2003.

  • aloha2009
    11 years ago

    Sounds like I'm a lot like Lolauren BUT the last time we moved, we knew it was coming up about 4 months prior to the actual move. Though I tried to keep from buying too much, it took us MONTHS to get through our overstock. In the kitchen we used what we already had on hand except for fresh foods. We got very creative with our dinners.

    Now that we're here (3 years), I've gotten much better. We have ALL of our excess toiletries in one drawer. Last place between the teenage kids bedrooms on a separate floor it was amazing the overstock of items. I think I counted about 8 containers of floss. I think after 3 years, I actually saw it on our shopping list.

    We're down to about 1/4 shelf in a 24" wide pantry. My goal is to get it down to not needing any extra food storage. I could move what little is left to another kitchen cabinet, but figured, I'd just let it empty over time.

    I think people would be amazed, how long they could go w/o buying anything but perishable foods. Even though I had much, much less then the average person, we had a lot!

  • EATREALFOOD
    11 years ago

    "My goal is to get it down to not needing any extra food storage."
    What ? sacrilege. Some people here cannot live without a garbage disposal or a tap master. Me, I need my canned tomatoes: cherry, crushed, diced, fire roasted or San Marzano-whatever variety. I also must have sardines, anchovies and olives--and macaroni. If I don't see it on my open cupboard-I get really hungry.
    You are right though, now is the time to use up the green split peas while the weather is still mucky--Last snow of the season coming down right now...

  • eleena
    11 years ago

    I was sure that emptying the cabinets would be easy as I *surely* didn't have much stuff because I donated to charities or gave dishes/cookware to friends pretty regularly...

    I was shocked to see how long it took and how much space I needed for all the stuff that came from my - seemingly - half-empty cabinets. I didn't have time to sort through then but I'll be VERY careful about what I am putting back. Everything else will go in the garage or to friends (I only have really good stuff left at this point but just too much of it).

  • Linda
    11 years ago

    Gnomes! Magic "clown car"!! That explains it all! I thought the stuff was secretly reproducing in there!

    I had the same situation with my recent move. The stacks of packed up boxes kept getting bigger and bigger, but the amount of stuff left in the cabinets to be packed didn't get any smaller!

  • rkb21
    11 years ago

    I'm totally dreading the next step of packing up the kitchen. I've been getting rid of things over the past couple of months one or two drawers at a time in preparation, but I guess those gnomes must have been restocking :)

    It's great knowing I'm not alone going through all of this!

  • maryl1
    11 years ago

    I love this thread! I thought I was among the minority with such a huge problem of having too much stuff. I live in a small house! How did I squeeze so much into all the available hiding places? I am trying to be much better. We are eating through our overstock as well, but I don't seem to be making much of a dent. I still have boxes of possessions from my latest renovation that I can't find a new home for. Does this mean discard more ruthlessly? Thanks for sharing your stories!

  • boops2012
    11 years ago

    Its been since June of last year since we moved the kitchen into the living room in anticipation of the kitchen remodel. While packing up the small kitchen,16 x8, found all the McCormick spices shoved to the back of the cabs. There is a spot at the McCormick website that you can enter the code on the jar and it will tell you how long ago it was manufactered. Some were from the 90s! Kinda gross. Its amazing what you find. Did I need 6 spatulas? And 4 wire whisks? I also got rid of the extra blenders/ parts, the bread maker, the waffle maker, stuff I used m
    ybe once a year. And the garage is full of boxes as is the spare bedroom. More going thru is clearly needed before the kitchen is reloaded.

  • boops2012
    11 years ago

    Its been since June of last year since we moved the kitchen into the living room in anticipation of the kitchen remodel. While packing up the small kitchen,16 x8, found all the McCormick spices shoved to the back of the cabs. There is a spot at the McCormick website that you can enter the code on the jar and it will tell you how long ago it was manufactered. Some were from the 90s! Kinda gross. Its amazing what you find. Did I need 6 spatulas? And 4 wire whisks? I also got rid of the extra blenders/ parts, the bread maker, the waffle maker, stuff I used m
    ybe once a year. And the garage is full of boxes as is the spare bedroom. More going thru is clearly needed before the kitchen is reloaded.

  • annkh_nd
    11 years ago

    Our kitchen remodel will begin in June, so I have a few months to purge cupboards. We've lived in this house 24 years, so I'm sure I'll discover some treasures! Our church has a big rummage sale every spring, so I have an incentive to get extra stuff cleared out sooner rather than later. I do not want to put old, unneeded junk (at least to me) back into sparkly new cabinets.

  • schoolhouse_gw
    11 years ago

    Learned to purge when my pieces of my bedroom ceiling fell and I had to do a complete remodel asap. In the process of moving EVERYTHING next door to another room, I was shocked and sometimes embarrassed at what was revealed. I vowed not to drag it all back into the new bedroom - and I didn't. Even some furniture pieces went to relatives, another room (only 1 piece), and to the curb where other people came along and took it to clutter their house.

    After that, the kitchen remodeling purge was a breeze - toss and donate. Then the library, no remodel, but another toss and donate. Totally liberating.

  • Karenseb
    11 years ago

    I used to have a very small kitchen and I kept only essentials. Well, I now have at least twice the space and it is all filled up. If I clean anything out, the space gets filled again.
    -- Sometimes I think I would like to totally declutter my life by downsizing to a small area again with just the essentials. We are getting ready to move and I have cleaned out the closets at least two times and when we start to pack, I will try to get rid of more "stuff".
    I have one sister who is constantly remodeling and always getting rid of things. Her closets look so organized.

  • iroll_gw
    11 years ago

    Our old kitchen had very little storage space; about the only decluttering was the stuff way in the back of the blind corner cabinet. ("Wow, I haven't seen that since we moved in 15 years ago!")
    I actually had to go to the basement and bring things to their new kitchen homes: dog food, the huge cutting board, the crockpot, the clay baker.
    I'm still reveling in having everything in the kitchen.

  • cathy725
    11 years ago

    Yes, my name is Cathy and my cupboards are filled with junk! I'm emptying out cupboards and purging. It's amazing what all is in there. My biggest problem is DH who thinks everything should be saved and if we get rid of it, we should sell it. Well what he doesn't know won't hurt him. The thrift shop should love me with everything I've donated. I'm sure I'll get rid of more when the kitchen is done and I unpack and decide I can live without a lot that has been packed for a month or more.

    I love purging but my DH is the worlds biggest packrat.

  • mopsmd
    11 years ago

    I'm pretty good about culling from my clothes but have a hard time giving away dishes or kitchen items, especially if any item has some memory attached to it. When we moved out of the house to remodel and I did some purging, several trunk loads of stuff (not just kitchen things). I have to say, though, that after I sold a few things at a yard sale I regretted it. I still think about some of those items...sigh.

  • artydecor
    11 years ago

    I keep cleaning out stuff, new stuff creeps in overnight. Then the one thing I need immediately is something I hadn't touched for years and just donated .

  • a2gemini
    11 years ago

    But every time I get rid of something, I need it the next week....

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