Nov. 16, 2006 - 3 Reasons to Get Rid of Your Cookbooks (part 2)
I did it! *sigh* Well, sort of. I started by taking out everything in my cookbook cupboard. This was the easy part because it actually all fell out! But then....I hesitated.....I began to find a compelling reason for each book to go back into the cupboard. And slowly it started filling up. I couldn't get it all to fit in an organized fashion...filling up with 28 cookbooks (I was close in my estimation of 24!) and a bunch of papers from recipes I've torn out of various magazines.
HALT! Hold everything! Remember the 3 reasons? I began chanting them until the mission was accomplished.
1) I could really use this cupboard for clutter from another part of my house.
2) There are millions of recipes (with photos!) on the internet.
3) The books rarely if ever get opened. If they do, it's for only those 1 or 2 recipes I use (which my husband is scanning for me so I can part with the book). Besides, don't forget that everyone I know has at least 28 cookbooks on their shelf I can go and browse should I feel the urge.
100 chants later my job is done! With some compromise, of course. I couldn't let myself down and not have some sort of compromise included! 7 of the cookbooks had a force stronger than my own and ended up back in the cupboard. I will revisit those 7 in a few weeks or months to see if the force has weakened and they can join those who perished before them.
As for the other 21. They didn't exactly perish. They went into a box (that was good) but ended up in the basement. So the clutter just got moved to another cluttered space. How I would love to know what my basement floor looks like! I will revisit this box in about 18 years.
I love my new cupboard, though! It is very neat and tidy and half empty! Today I will look around for something to clutter it up with! *smile*
Comments
Nov. 16, 2006 - Untitled Comment
Posted by CommunicationFUNdamentals
Good for you! I was forced to declutter when we moved. We moved from a 1500 sqft house to a 2500 sqft house and now I have cabinets with almost nothing in them!! Amazing! We do have a lot of boxes in the garage still to go through. I doubt we will ever do it though. I suspect 5 or 10 years from now when we move, I will either throw them out contents and all or just pick them up and move them sight unseen to the new house!! lol
JoJo
Who only has two cookbooks and never opens them either!
Nov. 16, 2006 - Untitled Comment
Posted by jengresak
It's Brilliant!!! I have loads of cookbooks myself. I use my Better Homes and Gardens with some regularity but the rest are never used. It IS hard to get rid of them , isn't it? I wonder why...I also have a box of leftover wedding invitations under my bed that I cannot force myself to throw away - ten years later. You don't have room in your basement for those by any chance, do you? LOL! Have a great day and thanks for stopping by my blog : )
Nov. 16, 2006 - Go you!!
Posted by NZCate
A+ for effort girl! Want to pop down to NZ & do mine next?
Thanks for filling up my c box too:-) I feel so much better hehe.
Now let your 3 year old know that my son's car is a "Big boy's car" - that seems to eat money with its constant need for new engines, wheels etc. If only we'd known before getting him into it!
