Keeper of the spices

Hello, my name is Ginger and I'm somewhat of a pack rat.  Okay, I pretty much AM a pack rat.  But I'm NOT a hoarder.  There's a difference.  Hoarders keep junk and garbage and don't clean up nothin'.  I keep spices and makeup and clean constantly.  It's not my fault, though!  My mama raised me to not waste stuff and never throw away or get rid of things you can still use.  I keep my house immaculate and there was a method to my madness.  Everything was neat, organized and in tidy little containers.  There was just a LOT of it.  So in my quest to make room for man stuff as well as put my money where my mouth is as far as my wanting us to live more minimalistic in our small condo, I spent the weekend cleaning out cabinets!  Friday, I tackled the kitchen cabinets and was mortified to learn that a bottle of oregano that I STILL used from time to time expired two years before I even moved here.  Which means I brought it with me.  Expired.  And was still using it ten years later.  It was still good!  I promise!!  I threw everything out and was left with nothing but a box of kosher salt, a tin of black pepper, a bottle of iffy lemon pepper and a bottle of vanilla extract.  My spice cabinet was absolutely full.  To the point that you had to close the door real fast to keep stuff from falling out full.  And everything in there was years past their prime.  Oy.

I took down my "good" china with the pretty little blue and pink rosebuds, washed it all, dried it and put it back in a nice, clean cabinet and found all kinds of dishes and bowls and serving platters that I forgot I had!  I cleaned out my pantry and tossed several bottles of vinegar and cooking wines that had seen brighter days and I even organized my candle cabinet.  Yes, I have a candle cabinet.  When the electricity goes out around here, honey, we are set.

Yesterday, I did the bathroom cabinets and medicine cabinets.  I cleared out so much makeup, bath stuff, lotions, hair products (oh, yeah, I pack rat me some hair products, too!), pedicure stuff, you name it, I had it.  But I never used it.  I have all the things I use stored in the other bathroom.  So, I boxed all that stuff up and set it out by the curb on top of the trash can and within ten minutes, it was gone.  The two girls who live two houses down swooped down and got it!  Yay!!  I made one big trip to the Salvation Army Thrift Store and dropped off the rest, mostly household items and kitchen things I don't use anymore.

I cannot tell y'all how free and liberated I feel!!  Just knowing I could pack up both of my bathrooms, towels and all, in fifteen minutes now if I had to makes me happy happy happy!!  I went to the store and got some new spices and seasonings to fill out my sad little spice cabinet and now the things in there are manageable.  I can find what I need without something falling out on my foot and making me talk ugly.   

This was a very productive weekend at the Schneider Condostead!  You'd think my having held on to that stuff so long (years, I'm talking!), it would have been hard for me to part with it.  Nope.  Not at all.  

I have a list of things I want to do before Larry comes home and I'm almost halfway through the list already!  He's only been gone three weeks.  I'm waaaaaay ahead of schedule!!  He called me Wednesday and I told him we only have 8 1/2 months now!  He laughed at that.  It sure was good to hear him laugh.  

Now on to the closet!!