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ronbre

duplicates

ronbre
14 years ago

does one really need 5 brooms, 3 dust pans, 3 dusters, 2 powered floor sweepers, 2 mops and other stuff..all on the one rack behind the laundry room door..

nope..

today i will tackle that and remove all but the best broom, best dust pan, best duster, etc..and maybe the door will actually open all the way that way.

Comments (22)

  • des_arc_ya_ya
    14 years ago

    Well, good for you!! LOL Man! You have a lot of equipment!

    The five brooms just amazes me! LOL

  • bspofford
    14 years ago

    What about 4 hair dryers, 5 water-piks, 6 electric toothbrushes, 5 makeup/toiletry travel kits, 12 brand new hand toothbrushes, 17 tubes of toothpaste, and don't even ask about 36 sets of queen sized sheets.........now all sorted, combined, etc.

    In reference to the sheets, I will be forever grateful to the person that told about putting the folded sheets and one pillowcase inside the second pillow case. What a godsend!

    Barbara

  • pammyfay
    14 years ago

    Well, I dunno about the brooms and dustpans.
    I have a broom I use to sweep the LR floor, and I need to sweep the front outside steps occasionally, but I would never want to use my "inside" broom. Maybe I'm strange (yes, I AM strange!), but I don't want to risk any little tiny spiders or other bugs catching a ride on my "inside" broom!
    Dustpans, too-- I have a larger one for when I'm trimming bushes and need to sweep up tiny azalea bush leaves.

    Now MOPS! Yeah, I have a few different kinds. Nothing I buy seems to really work well for cleaning my kitchen's linoleum or vinyl floor--I don't know what it's made of. Some of the mops are too hard on my hands to wring out; the swish-around mop with the sponge-like ribbons doesn't do diddly; the Swiffer with the wet pads is too lightweight and I can't do a good scrub with it.

    They're all relegated to the basement...

    (And I do have several sets of sheets, too! What can you do when some beds/sofabeds are full-size, some are queen? I have a mere ... 12 sets. For my bed, I wanted white sheets, in a stripe or other woven-in pattern, and I wanted a few that were all the same so I could just grab a fitted sheet and some pillowcases and know that everything matched. So I bought a few sets at the same time. For the other beds, I want to be able to change for the seasons--a muted blue/chambray, a pattern, a different solid color. OK, I'm sure I could do just as well with half that number--I actually spotted 2 still-in-sealed packaging at the top of my closet and returned them to the store for credit.

    Linen-buying job done--for my lifetime! It's one thing I'll never have to buy again. I wish there were more things I could buy like that: buy a few and never worry about again...)

  • jannie
    14 years ago

    I can't begin to inventory my supplies. I know I have three brooms, one in the kitchen, one in my daugter's bedroom and one outdoors on the deck. I have three snow shovels, all piled next to my garage. I can't go on. My MIL had a set of cleaning tools on each floor of her house (three stories) so she didn't have to lug a heavy vacuum up and down the stairs.

  • ronbre
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    oh all those brooms were hanging on one rack..there are other brooms in other areas of the house and outside in the sheds and porches..2 on front porch several in closet at other end of the house, 2 on back porch, 2 in shed, 2 in boiler room, 2 in garage..etc.

    my husband is obsessive compulsive personality disorder and has a shopping disease..he love to buy things we don't need..he also has a head injury and won't listen to reason from anyone..i have to hide the $$..we have a similar problem with rakes, flashlights, dustpans, towels, not so bad with sheets as we only have 2 queen size beds but there are about 4 or 5 sets..there are certain things that Ron is obsessive about buying new all the time..that we don't need, garden tools and cleaning tools are the huge one..as well as snow shovels..but we also have like 4 or 5 wagons, 2 wheelborrows, etc etc etc..oh and the hair things too, like you said, we have 5 hair dryers and only he uses them, tons of lotions (i never use) ..combs and brushes..i use one of each, mirrors, magnifying glasses, vitamins !!! omg..etc..i could go on all day

  • kathleenca
    14 years ago

    Oh, ronbre, you are so patient. Here I was thinking you had a broom obsession. :(

    Good luck with your clean out.

  • clg7067
    14 years ago

    I have an upstairs vacuum and a downstairs vacuum, but only one broom. Most of my cleaning supplies are duplicated upstairs, also.

  • reyesuela
    14 years ago

    You might want to keep an outdoor broom! I like having 3--a wide outdoor broom, a narrow one, and an inside broom.

    I carry, not duplicate, but I but extra so I don't run out.

    Have you tried giving him lists of anything at all you buy? Can he stick to that, or will that encourage his shopping?

    Can he be restricted to cash-only (thru durable power of attorney)? Given an allowance for his complusions?

  • mustangs81
    14 years ago

    I thought of this thread when I was going through my DH's suitcase this morning. We keep our suitcases packed with the exception of clothing. I was putting his suitcase away and found:
    5 razors
    5 toothbrushes
    3 tubes of toothpaste--big ones not even travel size
    3 cans of sunscreen
    2 bottles of lotions

    He is a college coach so he is frequently on the road with his team -- wasting precious time and space blindly packing every trip.

  • jannie
    14 years ago

    We have two rakes and two outdoor pushbrooms, but I know exactly how it happened. We had landscapers do a fall clean-up last year. After they left, I couldn't find our rake and broom. I figured the landcsapers took them by mistake. So I went out and bought new ones. Several days later I found the "originals' tucked away in the garage.

  • donnawb
    14 years ago

    I keep one broom for the house and have one small and large one for outside.

  • graywings123
    14 years ago

    We sold our house and moved into an apartment for several months when building a new house. It was an eye opener to find out how many duplicates of things get spread around a house. In the new house, I converted a clothes closet to all shelves and made that the central location for the stuff that was scattered around the other house, such as tape and basic tools.

    It is counter-intuitive - you would think that lack of storage space would lead to having fewer things. But it was the lack of appropriate storage space in the first house that led to having multiples of things because there wasn't one specific place to keep them.

  • pammyfay
    14 years ago

    An idea for the poster whose husband travels alot (sorry if I'm "bogarting" this thread!)

    You wrote that you both keep your suitcases packed, with the stuff you always have to take every trip. But is that stuff just tossed in? Have one toiletries kit, just for him, that contains travel needs, and keep it stocked. When he comes home, if he's run out of something, he needs to get a refill and pop it in there. Keep it near the suitcases, and all he has to do is grab the toiletries kit and toss it in--the thought that there might not be toothpaste in the suitcase will never pop into his mind again and won't prompt him to put another tube in. That should keep the number of toothpaste tubes down to one--at a time!

  • mustangs81
    14 years ago

    Pammy, thanks for the input. This dear man is totally undisciplined when it comes to anything that doesn't take place on a ball field! His well-stocked toiletries kit was untouched; these duplicate items were thrown loosely into his bag -- each in different zippered pockets. Zippered pockets--that's another issue. He checks in at the airport with all the outside pockets unzipped!

    I should pack for him or stop complaining.

  • probookie
    14 years ago

    For the poster whose husband travels a lot: We like to keep our toiletries bags ready for travel too, but there are a few items (e.g., prescription medication) we have to be sure to add before leaving. I've found it helps to keep a list in each toiletry bag of what ought to be in there--a lifesaver if one of us has to rush off at short notice. (I laminated DH's list as he tends to splash a bit.)

  • ronbre
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    don't mind you "bogarting" (whatever that means) the thread.
    these threads are here for people to help people..so whatever works to help people.

    now that we actually have a charity nearby i'm going to start removing a few of the dulplicat items ..if i was to remove all the duplicates he would just buy more so i don't do that.

    but i also can't do it with his "awareness" that i'm doing it..it has to be on the sly or he'll just pull it back out of the mix. He does that if he knows i'm going to a charity..he continually does remove items. he figures if money got spent on it you can't give it away.

    well what he doesn't know won't hurt him..too much anyway.

    as I look through the house I find that MOST items have been duplicated..we have like 5 or 6 coffee makers too..small things are duplicated...large things are duplicated..some things i can see..like a snow shovel in the garage, front porch and back porch..but we have like 20

  • reyesuela
    14 years ago

    mustangs--you could type up a message and pin it to the inside of his bag--"CHECK your toiletry bag before buying more toiletries, please!" Some people need explicit, constant reminders.

  • gayle0000
    14 years ago

    I'm of the opinion it's okay to have multiples of something if there is a purpose to it, and they all get used (ie a broom on 1st floor, basement, and garage).

    If you get 2 or more of the same item in 1 place with no function or purpose, it's called a Collection. I notice "collections" in some people's houses...and it's like fire alarms are going off in my head and imaginary gnomes are jumping around pointing at the stuff saying "COLLECTION!!! COLLECTION!!!" That's no joke. I HATE multiples, and they serve NO purpose. It's stored junk.

    If you get 4 or more items in 1 place, they're called Kindling or Combustibles and should be removed before somebody gets hurt or the house burns down.

  • k9arlene
    14 years ago

    I'm so sorry that you and your hubby going through this ronbre. Perhaps you could make a list of all of the things that there are many multiples of and post them somewhere where hubby can see it as a reminder that you don't need any more.

  • ronbre
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    yeah i wish that would work, he is obsessive compulsive personality disorder, and it is like an obsession to buy things that he thinks he might use..even if he has a perfectly good one at home..right now i can honestly say we have 6 or 7 chainisaws, 3 vehicles, 7 lawnmowers, 7 vacuum cleaners, about 10 round point shovels, over a dozen snow shovels, tools too numerous to count, ive already mentioned the cleaning items and flashlights, he has way too many flashlights. he also keeps buying things like grooming items, hairdryers, tweezers, scissors, clippers, combs, brushes, etc..

    fortunately we are not hurting financially are out of debt and have NO credit cards so we are lucky there..

    it is getting better, as his head inujury is worsening enough to where he seldom leaves the house any more.

  • bspofford
    14 years ago

    ronbre,

    I know you are usually on top of things, and have a huge load on your plate right now. That's why I hesitate to mention this, because you may have already been there, done that. Have you been able to visit/join/consult any support groups related to your husband's injury? A former neighbor had a similar situation, and she found all kinds of coping strategies that worked with many of these same issues. A quick google will lead you the way if you choose.

    Nobody judges you, or him, because we haven't walked in your moccasins.

    Barbara

  • reyesuela
    14 years ago

    >have no credit cards

    WHEW! That's good to know!

    If he's a hider/hoarder, I'd do a credit check every so often.

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