Tuesday, May 29, 2007

Life Management

So the neighborhood yard sale is coming up next weekend. I've been toying with what we should rid ourselves of. It's a tantalizing prospect... selling off all the things we don't need, giving them away if necessary, and clearing up some much-needed storage space.

The problem comes when I stop to consider my completely inexplicable need for redundancy.

Front/Back 2 seat stroller? Check. Side-by-side 2 seat umbrella stroller? Check. But which one to keep and which one to sell? See, the side-by-side is so much easier for street walking, and easier to get the kids into and out of. The front/back combo is much better for mall applications, as the width of the side-by-side makes me a moving target for the unbridled HATE! of people attempting to walk by me through the too-narrow mall hallways. You see my dilemma?

Same goes for the 2 blenders. Now, we have used our blenders (one of them, actually) a total of perhaps 3 times since receiving them as wedding gifts. Only one of those times was for the preperation of frozen beverages -- theoretically the only reason to have more than one. (Daquiris AND margaritas, people!) And yet? We don't actually make frozen drinks. Like, not ever. Except that one time. But the thought of being rid of the extraneous blender makes my palms break out in a cold sweat. What if I suddenly decide to make bulk sno-cones for a birthday party or something?

This all comes, you see, of having parents who are mad collectors. INSANE collectors. Collectors of metal detectors that might sorta work, maybe, sometimes, but were an awesome deal at a yard sale and who could pass that up? Seriously. The fact that I understand the NEED to own a metal detector just because you will never find one for so great a price again? Scares the bejeezies out of me. Because I know how crazy that is. And yet? I own no less than 2 sundresses that I bought at Target and will never wear, but THEY WERE ON SALE. (Is there a therapist in the house??)

So the only solution I can come up with is to convince myself that we should go ahead and sell off the excess stuff and, should a dire need for some object thus extracted from our private cache arise, I will have unhindered go-ahead to purchase a new one.

If nobody can offer a better solution, I'm gonna have to go with this. And so, I'm emptying out my basement of my college dishware, those groovy (but very old and now dilapidated) chairs shaped like sea-shells that we got at the salvation army store for $100 about 5 years ago, and the various sizes and shapes of glass vases for holding flowers. And should the need arise for me to find housing for 15 bouquets of flowers all at once? I'll just have to buy some more. I've given myself permission.

Yup.

3 comments:

Allie said...

I could have written a post almost exactly like this. I know EXACTLY how you feel.

Anonymous said...

I find that for the most part, I never miss the stuff I sell or get rid of. I do appreciate getting rid of the clutter. Good luck!

Anonymous said...

I learned that those vases not only can hold flowers, but if a pipe under your sink bursts, you can use them to help bail the water out of the cabinet into the nearest water absorbing location. They're pretty handy.