I love that you've not only compiled a great list of things to get rid of, but that you've also provided how they can be reused! I've never heard of the Cell Phones for Soldiers program, but it makes so much sense!
1) Use a few of those plastic containers that you're planning to get rid of and keep some of the old paint for touch-ups.
2) Also go through and purge instruction manuals. We do every year or so and it's amazing how many items you no longer have but are still holding onto the instructions. Even better, search the internet for a pdf copy of the manual. Download & save, then get rid of the hard copy.
But if the paint no longer matches because what's on the wall has been faded by sunlight exposure, then using old paint will cause more problems than it solves. You'll end up repainting the entire wall to match the patch and probably have to buy more paint to cover the entire wall. You can buy tiny little samples of paint for touch ups and they'll actually match. Which is more wasteful?
Hey Matt, and to all our other Wise Bread readers. I did point out at the start of the post that by throw away, I also meant donate or recycle. It's a good point, worth reiterating. Many of the things you have no use for can be used by someone else.
I really like the leftovers tip. I went through some old notebooks I had saved recently, and I was surprised to discover that they were all only about half-full -- I totally could have used them for another year! Also, as it turns out, my creative writing from freshman year of college was maybe *not* worth keeping...
Does anybody have any other green back-to-school suggestions?
Mostly, we'll buy individual songs on iTunes, with gift cards we've received. If there's a whole cd that I'm interested in, I'll typically get a used one on amazon. A lot of times, I can still find shrink-wrapped/new cds listed in the used category, so it still saves me money.
Great article !
I've been taking No Doz just recently and was experiencing a case of the Monday Blues+extreme drowziness. So when I saw "1.No Doz" , that was a sign for me to get some from my car. And then I got to the end of your article to see that No Doz warning. Although ranting about great Philosophers doesn't sound all TOO bad, indeed No Doz does have a warning about the amount of pills one can take in a given hour-span.
thank you will. I will tell and forward this article to all my friends concerning the internal clock readjustment. they will get a kick out of it. also, I surprised at MIT's patent on 1mil<. is anything sacred nowadays?
As an FYI, you can send the front of greeting and holiday cards to St.Jude's Ranch http://www.stjudesranch.org/help_card.php and they will recycle the cards and resell. Of course donate as much as you can before sending to the dump. Thanks!
Hoarding is one of the worst things imo and most of us have excess things on this list that we can get rid of. I think a good rule of thumb is 6 mo.-18 mo.--if you haven't used these items in that time frame then it's probably something you can live without.
I have not seen any responses regarding exercising... I usually sleep much better when I exercise. Do not exercise right before bedtime. Get a good sweaty workout right after work; you will look forward to resting at night after a hot bath and a nice meal. Having highs and lows in physical activity shakes up that sedentary lifestyle and your body will appreciate the low recovery time when you should be sleeping.
I know a guy I work with that drinks this stuff and he is forever and ever going and going lol He's a beast at work does everything fast. I always wanted to try it.
To he point about Charitable donations dropping. I posit that they would go up because house prices would be lower. People would have more money every month instead of waiting for some big refund at the end of the year.
But without the MITD house prices would be lower. So to get those extra deductions you are paying a very hefty fee probably way in excess of your itemized deductions over the standard deduction. Let's face it any charitable donations above 500 get very close scrutiny by e IRS anyway.
Remember to get that deduction you pay $1 to get 30 cents back. Wouldn't you rather have the whole dollar and get nothing back?
First thing you may want to do is fire your family. Working overnights is hard enough, what part of needing to sleep during the day are they not comprehending? Have you tried a baseball bat? maybe that would help them understand?
Just kidding, of course. Simply sit them down and explain to them the health ramifications of you not getting enough sleep. Also, take matters into your own hands my using an eyemask and blackout curtains to ensure you're not getting too much light when you sleep, and use a sound machine and/or ear plugs to control for sound. As long as you do those things, if they'll just stay out of your room, you should be able to get some better sleep.
In all seriousness, this is too important to be polite about.
I will admit to being a sentimental card/letter hoarder. Letters likely fall under the description "contains something sentimental" (although not always) but cards... yeah, there are probably cards (and other stuff) I should get rid of, especially since my husband and I are moving soon.
There's really nothing more depressing than moving all of your stuff across town and up three flights of stairs, only to discover that what you moved was broken or no longer useful, and you just have to box it back up, walk it back down three flights of stairs, and give it or throw it away.
Whenever I move (which has been a lot), I go through all of our hangers and sort them by type (much like socks, even if you intend to buy the same kind, you often end up with odd sets). I bundle them together and throw them in a big trashbag for ease of transportation (the bundling helps with retrieving them later). Any that are broken or just not good quality get thrown out *before* we move. :) It's worked pretty well over the years.
I worked the 11PM to 7AM shift and have to sleep during the day. I can never get more than 3 hrs of sleep at any one time because my family does not understand that I need to sleep during the day. The late in the evening I get about 3 hours of sleep from 7 to 10PM before I need to get ready for work. I am always tired and even on my 2 days off, I never geet enough rest. I will have to quit this job because my health is now suffering. I tried to have my hours reduced to part time but the employer will not let me do this. So I will need to retire. I am 73 years old and I thought I could work a while longer but I can't.
I can't believe you actually recommend adding a scoop of ice cream to breakfast!!!! This is the exact opposite of what you want in the morning to wake up. A good breakfast consists of protein (eggs, yogurt, nuts), some carbs (not pancakes) and healthy fat like avocado or more nuts. Consuming too much sugar in the morning is what makes you crash. If you aim to keep your blood sugar level more consistent throughout the day you will reduce grogginess and be healthier!! The best thing you can do is completely remove sugar from your breakfast and limit it throughout the day. Please don't add to our obesity problem by encouraging unhealthy snacking before you even get the day started.
Great list. One thing to consider with respect to all those old wire coat hangers: many dry cleaners will accept old wire hangars to recycle/reuse. About twice a year, we drop a big box of hangars off at a local dry cleaner -- it's been a great way to get back some hanging space in our closets!
I love that you've not only compiled a great list of things to get rid of, but that you've also provided how they can be reused! I've never heard of the Cell Phones for Soldiers program, but it makes so much sense!
I frequently have difficulty staying asleep all through the night. I am interested in trying the fitbit tracker. How much do they cost?
Tweet: http://twitter.com/#!/JSGiveaways/status/105713385445933056
I usually listen through YouTube.
Two things I can think of --
1) Use a few of those plastic containers that you're planning to get rid of and keep some of the old paint for touch-ups.
2) Also go through and purge instruction manuals. We do every year or so and it's amazing how many items you no longer have but are still holding onto the instructions. Even better, search the internet for a pdf copy of the manual. Download & save, then get rid of the hard copy.
But if the paint no longer matches because what's on the wall has been faded by sunlight exposure, then using old paint will cause more problems than it solves. You'll end up repainting the entire wall to match the patch and probably have to buy more paint to cover the entire wall. You can buy tiny little samples of paint for touch ups and they'll actually match. Which is more wasteful?
Hey Matt, and to all our other Wise Bread readers. I did point out at the start of the post that by throw away, I also meant donate or recycle. It's a good point, worth reiterating. Many of the things you have no use for can be used by someone else.
I really like the leftovers tip. I went through some old notebooks I had saved recently, and I was surprised to discover that they were all only about half-full -- I totally could have used them for another year! Also, as it turns out, my creative writing from freshman year of college was maybe *not* worth keeping...
Does anybody have any other green back-to-school suggestions?
I ended up postponing the pie and making homemade Twinkies instead...and they turned out great!
Mostly, we'll buy individual songs on iTunes, with gift cards we've received. If there's a whole cd that I'm interested in, I'll typically get a used one on amazon. A lot of times, I can still find shrink-wrapped/new cds listed in the used category, so it still saves me money.
Great article !
I've been taking No Doz just recently and was experiencing a case of the Monday Blues+extreme drowziness. So when I saw "1.No Doz" , that was a sign for me to get some from my car. And then I got to the end of your article to see that No Doz warning. Although ranting about great Philosophers doesn't sound all TOO bad, indeed No Doz does have a warning about the amount of pills one can take in a given hour-span.
thank you will. I will tell and forward this article to all my friends concerning the internal clock readjustment. they will get a kick out of it. also, I surprised at MIT's patent on 1mil<. is anything sacred nowadays?
As an FYI, you can send the front of greeting and holiday cards to St.Jude's Ranch
http://www.stjudesranch.org/help_card.php and they will recycle the cards and resell. Of course donate as much as you can before sending to the dump. Thanks!
Hoarding is one of the worst things imo and most of us have excess things on this list that we can get rid of. I think a good rule of thumb is 6 mo.-18 mo.--if you haven't used these items in that time frame then it's probably something you can live without.
Nice list but I do not agree with the books and paints
I have not seen any responses regarding exercising... I usually sleep much better when I exercise. Do not exercise right before bedtime. Get a good sweaty workout right after work; you will look forward to resting at night after a hot bath and a nice meal. Having highs and lows in physical activity shakes up that sedentary lifestyle and your body will appreciate the low recovery time when you should be sleeping.
I know a guy I work with that drinks this stuff and he is forever and ever going and going lol He's a beast at work does everything fast. I always wanted to try it.
To he point about Charitable donations dropping. I posit that they would go up because house prices would be lower. People would have more money every month instead of waiting for some big refund at the end of the year.
But without the MITD house prices would be lower. So to get those extra deductions you are paying a very hefty fee probably way in excess of your itemized deductions over the standard deduction. Let's face it any charitable donations above 500 get very close scrutiny by e IRS anyway.
Remember to get that deduction you pay $1 to get 30 cents back. Wouldn't you rather have the whole dollar and get nothing back?
if you're prone to depression, stay as far away from melatonin as possible.
First thing you may want to do is fire your family. Working overnights is hard enough, what part of needing to sleep during the day are they not comprehending? Have you tried a baseball bat? maybe that would help them understand?
Just kidding, of course. Simply sit them down and explain to them the health ramifications of you not getting enough sleep. Also, take matters into your own hands my using an eyemask and blackout curtains to ensure you're not getting too much light when you sleep, and use a sound machine and/or ear plugs to control for sound. As long as you do those things, if they'll just stay out of your room, you should be able to get some better sleep.
In all seriousness, this is too important to be polite about.
I will admit to being a sentimental card/letter hoarder. Letters likely fall under the description "contains something sentimental" (although not always) but cards... yeah, there are probably cards (and other stuff) I should get rid of, especially since my husband and I are moving soon.
There's really nothing more depressing than moving all of your stuff across town and up three flights of stairs, only to discover that what you moved was broken or no longer useful, and you just have to box it back up, walk it back down three flights of stairs, and give it or throw it away.
Whenever I move (which has been a lot), I go through all of our hangers and sort them by type (much like socks, even if you intend to buy the same kind, you often end up with odd sets). I bundle them together and throw them in a big trashbag for ease of transportation (the bundling helps with retrieving them later). Any that are broken or just not good quality get thrown out *before* we move. :) It's worked pretty well over the years.
I worked the 11PM to 7AM shift and have to sleep during the day. I can never get more than 3 hrs of sleep at any one time because my family does not understand that I need to sleep during the day. The late in the evening I get about 3 hours of sleep from 7 to 10PM before I need to get ready for work. I am always tired and even on my 2 days off, I never geet enough rest. I will have to quit this job because my health is now suffering. I tried to have my hours reduced to part time but the employer will not let me do this. So I will need to retire. I am 73 years old and I thought I could work a while longer but I can't.
I can't believe you actually recommend adding a scoop of ice cream to breakfast!!!! This is the exact opposite of what you want in the morning to wake up. A good breakfast consists of protein (eggs, yogurt, nuts), some carbs (not pancakes) and healthy fat like avocado or more nuts. Consuming too much sugar in the morning is what makes you crash. If you aim to keep your blood sugar level more consistent throughout the day you will reduce grogginess and be healthier!! The best thing you can do is completely remove sugar from your breakfast and limit it throughout the day. Please don't add to our obesity problem by encouraging unhealthy snacking before you even get the day started.
Great list. One thing to consider with respect to all those old wire coat hangers: many dry cleaners will accept old wire hangars to recycle/reuse. About twice a year, we drop a big box of hangars off at a local dry cleaner -- it's been a great way to get back some hanging space in our closets!