On 3/31/2012 6:25 PM, Jim Elbrecht wrote:
> On Sat, 31 Mar 2012 11:02:25 -0700, > wrote:
>
>> On Sat, 31 Mar 2012 07:02:52 -0400, Jim >
>> wrote:
>>
>>> I can vouch for the Ninja.
>>
>> How small is small? The blades look like it works like a food
>> processor. I've been thinking about replacing my well used cheapie
>> mini-processor because the blades aren't as sharp as they used to be,
>> which doesn't matter when I make dressing and it still chops garlic in
>> a snap, but I don't think it works as well on leaves anymore.
>
>
> I'd guess that total volume is just under 3 cups. It is the ideal
> size for a can of beans, some garlic, oil& a 1/4 of a preserved
> lemon.<g>

Funny, I just flipped through Consumer Reports and saw ratings
for food processors and choppers. The Ninja was the best chopper.
Can't say I remember even hearing about it before.

nancy

On Sat, 31 Mar 2012 18:25:03 -0400, Jim Elbrecht >
wrote:

> On Sat, 31 Mar 2012 11:02:25 -0700, sf > wrote:
>
> >On Sat, 31 Mar 2012 07:02:52 -0400, Jim Elbrecht >
> >wrote:
> >
> >> I can vouch for the Ninja.
> >
> >How small is small? The blades look like it works like a food
> >processor. I've been thinking about replacing my well used cheapie
> >mini-processor because the blades aren't as sharp as they used to be,
> >which doesn't matter when I make dressing and it still chops garlic in
> >a snap, but I don't think it works as well on leaves anymore.
>
>
> I'd guess that total volume is just under 3 cups. It is the ideal
> size for a can of beans, some garlic, oil & a 1/4 of a preserved
> lemon.<g>
>
> OTOH- it will practically scrape off the bottom so a clove of garlic
> will emulsify in a couple tbls of oil.
>
> [just checked it- 2 1/2 cups is full. 3 tbls of liquid covers the
> bottom blade]
>
> BTW-- the first one I got had 2 'vessels'. The one in the basement
> has 3 & I see Target sells a 3 'vessel' one. Not sure if the little
> ones are the same volume as mine.
>
Thanks for the info, Jim! 2-3 cups is fine. I'd be interested in
just a small one all by itself and if that was impossible, I'd move up
to the twofer. Too bad about Target, that's where I was thinking
about looking for one.

I see the Ninja Express is $25 (with shipping included) if I order
online from Walmart. Not happy about supporting Walmart, so I'll look
a little further - but $25 was the "number" I had in mind when I
googled so they hit my sweet spot. Before I order online, I'll call a
couple of local place to see what they have and for how much.

--
Food is an important part of a balanced diet.

Christine Dabney wrote:
> On Wed, 28 Mar 2012 23:57:59 -0400, "Jean B." > wrote:
>
>> Julie Bove wrote:
>>> I got rid of most of my books last year. I only kept a few reference type
>>> books, really old books and some cookbooks. With the Internet now there is
>>> no need for books. Not for me anyway.
>>>
>>>
>> Eeeeeeeekkkkkk!
>
> Double Eeeeeeeeekkkk!!! And an Aaaaaack!!!
>
> Christine, also a cookbook collector.

:-)

--
Jean B.

Christine Dabney wrote:
> On Wed, 28 Mar 2012 23:58:58 -0400, "Jean B." > wrote:
>
>> Cookbooks, are another story.
>>
>> --
>> Jean B.
>
> Same here, Jean. I go back to mine all the time.
>
> I am at home in NM right now, with most of my cookbooks surrounding
> me. I am running out of bookshelf space for them..so I am devising
> ways to shuffle bookcases around to allow for more.
>
> Today, I was looking through some for a technique...and went through
> several to just compare them. I saw some in my shelves that I had
> forgotten that I had. It was a pleasure pulling them out and looking
> through them again. And going through some of the classic books and
> series, reading some I got early on in my collecting. Some I pull
> out of the shelves just to reread as a story. Like The Auberge of The
> Flowering Hearth. I think that is one of my favorites of all time.
> Going through some of the food memoirs...like Craig Claiborne..
>
> Going through them, I start dreaming about dinner parties I would love
> to give and probably never will.. A dish will start me thinking about
> a whole menu planned around it, and then send me to other cookbooks to
> dream about the accompanying dishes.
>
> No, I could never give up my cookbooks. And I doubt I will ever stop
> getting new ones.
>
> Christine

Cookbooks can be so much fun, as you so vividly point out. I
slowed down for a while but seem to be back out there looking again.

What new cookbooks have appealed to you, Christine? I was in B&N
a few weeks ago, thinking I'd have a hard time winnowing my wants
down. I only went through the Asian section then, and there were
no real "must-haves" for me. That is probably a good thing. I
thought I'd want the "Asian Tofu"by Andrea Nguyen, but found I
could resist that. And I REALLY didn't like Nina Simond's new
book (Simple Asian Meals). I need (or don't need) more time to
look there.

I did find some nice antique cookbooks elsewhere PLUS a diary from
1857 that was devoted to recipes, so I'm as happy as that
proverbial clam.

Oh, also, I was looking for something in my library network and
found four new-to-me Asian cookbooks to go through. Yum! I saw
that one of the Thai cookbooks was volume 4 in a series and am not
pleased that I can't locate the other volumes. Still...

--
Jean B.

Julie Bove wrote:
> "Christine Dabney" > wrote in message
> ...
>> On Wed, 28 Mar 2012 23:58:58 -0400, "Jean B." > wrote:
>>
>>> Cookbooks, are another story.
>>>
>>> --
>>> Jean B.
>> Same here, Jean. I go back to mine all the time.
>>
>> I am at home in NM right now, with most of my cookbooks surrounding
>> me. I am running out of bookshelf space for them..so I am devising
>> ways to shuffle bookcases around to allow for more.
>>
>> Today, I was looking through some for a technique...and went through
>> several to just compare them. I saw some in my shelves that I had
>> forgotten that I had. It was a pleasure pulling them out and looking
>> through them again. And going through some of the classic books and
>> series, reading some I got early on in my collecting. Some I pull
>> out of the shelves just to reread as a story. Like The Auberge of The
>> Flowering Hearth. I think that is one of my favorites of all time.
>> Going through some of the food memoirs...like Craig Claiborne..
>>
>> Going through them, I start dreaming about dinner parties I would love
>> to give and probably never will.. A dish will start me thinking about
>> a whole menu planned around it, and then send me to other cookbooks to
>> dream about the accompanying dishes.
>>
>> No, I could never give up my cookbooks. And I doubt I will ever stop
>> getting new ones.
>
> Most of the recipes in those old cookbooks are on the Internet and there are
> websites that have the pages of the old cookbooks there. Some of my books
> were literally falling apart because the paper had deteriorated so much.
> And I simply don't have the room to store them. I kept only what will fit
> on two shelves. And I never ever used them or even look at them any more.
>
>
Still eeeeeeeeking. Sometimes, actually OFTEN, looking for a
specific recipe and going through cookbooks are not the same
activity. One gets, *I* get, so much more out of cookbooks. One
can just READ them, handle them. Not the same at all.

I am also reminded... Back when I was first online, I spent
almost ALL of my time looking for recipes. (I was taking care of
my demented father and therefore had MUCH time at home.)
Sometimes I would find very esoteric foreign sites, which later
disappeared. I am REALLY glad I saved many files (I think more
than 200 files, of ca 100 pages each) of such recipes.

--
Jean B.

Christine Dabney wrote:
> On Wed, 28 Mar 2012 22:10:01 -0700, "Julie Bove"
> > wrote:
>
>> Most of the recipes in those old cookbooks are on the Internet and there are
>> websites that have the pages of the old cookbooks there. Some of my books
>> were literally falling apart because the paper had deteriorated so much.
>> And I simply don't have the room to store them. I kept only what will fit
>> on two shelves. And I never ever used them or even look at them any more.
>
> I don't have them just for the recipes. I have them for the stories
> inside. I think that is the way of most other cookbook collectors as
> well.. If we wanted just recipes, yes we could get just recipes.
>
> I think you have to have the mind of a cookbook collector to
> understand where we are coming from..
>
> Christine

Yes! These can be fairly different activities.

--
Jean B.

Nancy Young wrote:
> On 3/29/2012 12:02 AM, Jean B. wrote:
>
>> Don't even MENTION screwdrivers. I bought a nice set some years ago. My
>> then significant-other lost or abducted most of them. Just tonight my
>> daughter was hanging some curtains she made for me. I went to look for
>> screwdrivers and see that more had disappeared before we moved. Now I
>> have my tools in what I THINK is a safe spot, but I need to get more
>> screwdrivers so I will have what I need when I need it.
>
> It's rather maddening. Screwdrivers aren't the worst for me, I
> can usually find what I'm looking for, and I have my own personal
> screwdriver with the changeable bits (from Lee Valley).
>
> But don't get me started on utility knives, trowels and hose
> nozzles. I must have a dozen of each but can I ever find one
> when I need one? Grrr.
>
> nancy

Grrr is right. Now I have my tools up where I can keep an eye (or
an ear) on them. But that is like closing the barn door after the
animals have escaped.

Yes to the other things too. I have places where I put things and
where I look for them to be. It does not help when they are put
elsewhere.

--
Jean B.

Nancy Young wrote:
> On 3/29/2012 9:21 AM, Dave Smith wrote:
>> On 29/03/2012 8:32 AM, Nancy Young wrote:
>>
>>> But don't get me started on utility knives, trowels and hose
>>> nozzles. I must have a dozen of each but can I ever find one
>>> when I need one? Grrr.
>
>> Ain't that the truth. I have at least 4 sets of screw drivers and could
>> never find the one I wanted. I finally bought and mounted a set of tool
>> racks and it took two of them to hold all my screw drivers. I have all
>> the slotted in one section, then the Phillips and Robertsons in another,
>> along with a half dozen pairs of pliers. It is a recent enough project
>> that I am still returning them to their proper spots when I am finished
>> with them. It does save me a lot of time.
>
> That's a good thing. I'd be happy if I don't have to spend 10 minutes
> digging through the toolbox to (not) find one, but it's not a perfect
> world. Heh.
>
> Another thing, drill bits. I got a new drill and a set of bits.
> Woe be it if I open that case and the bit I want is missing. Part of
> it is, if I'm looking for drill bits or screwdrivers, I'm already
> on edge because I have some project to do I'm not sure of.
>
>> While cleaning up the basement I found several hose nozzles that weren't
>> there last summer when I was looking for them.
>
> Probably left them there the last time you were hosing out the
> basement? Harr. I swear gremlins are real. And they laugh at us.
>
> nancy
>
At my last house, the previous owner had tools on a pegboard, and
he had colored outlines for all of the tools. I really liked that
idea, and am still thinking about doing such a thing here. It
would beat searching through a toolbox.

--
Jean B.

David Dyer-Bennet wrote:
> It's harder if you have a serious interest in unusual literary areas.
> I'd read all the science fiction in the town library before I got to
> highschool, and the school libraries didn't have all THAT much
> different. It helped a lot that my 8th-grade English teacher had a
> large SF collection; he'd drop half a dozen papergacks on me Monday
> morning in class.
>
> That's also probably how I got in the habit of re-reading books.

I can see that. Do you hunt for SF now? I actually do see SF in
some of my haunts, but I have NO idea what is unusual and what is not.

--
Jean B.

Jim Elbrecht wrote:
> On Sat, 31 Mar 2012 11:02:25 -0700, sf > wrote:
>
>> On Sat, 31 Mar 2012 07:02:52 -0400, Jim Elbrecht >
>> wrote:
>>
>>> I can vouch for the Ninja.
>> How small is small? The blades look like it works like a food
>> processor. I've been thinking about replacing my well used cheapie
>> mini-processor because the blades aren't as sharp as they used to be,
>> which doesn't matter when I make dressing and it still chops garlic in
>> a snap, but I don't think it works as well on leaves anymore.
>
>
> I'd guess that total volume is just under 3 cups. It is the ideal
> size for a can of beans, some garlic, oil & a 1/4 of a preserved
> lemon.<g>
>
> OTOH- it will practically scrape off the bottom so a clove of garlic
> will emulsify in a couple tbls of oil.
>
> [just checked it- 2 1/2 cups is full. 3 tbls of liquid covers the
> bottom blade]
>
> BTW-- the first one I got had 2 'vessels'. The one in the basement
> has 3 & I see Target sells a 3 'vessel' one. Not sure if the little
> ones are the same volume as mine.
>
> Jim

I like that "OTOH". It sounds like this would be good for making
Thai curry pastes. I have previously used mini-blenders, but this
sounds better.

--
Jean B.

"Jean B." wrote:
>
> Sometimes, actually OFTEN, looking for a
> specific recipe and going through cookbooks are not the same
> activity. One gets, *I* get, so much more out of cookbooks. One
> can just READ them, handle them. Not the same at all.

I do the same. I read in bed every night and sometimes I'll browse through
a few cookbooks just for future meal ideas. Cookbooks with pictures are
nice.

Gary

On Sat, 31 Mar 2012 19:44:34 -0400, "Jean B." > wrote:

> It sounds like this would be good for making
> Thai curry pastes. I have previously used mini-blenders, but this
> sounds better.

What's a mini-blender? I've heard of mini-processors, but not mini
blenders. I've used jars in place of the regular blender container,
but I didn't know it had a name if that's what you meant.

In any case, my local Target carries the Ninja Express at $19.99 and
it's in stock - so I'll buy it locally. It even comes in a choice of
colors.

--
Food is an important part of a balanced diet.

"Jean B." > writes:

> David Dyer-Bennet wrote:
>> It's harder if you have a serious interest in unusual literary areas.
>> I'd read all the science fiction in the town library before I got to
>> highschool, and the school libraries didn't have all THAT much
>> different. It helped a lot that my 8th-grade English teacher had a
>> large SF collection; he'd drop half a dozen papergacks on me Monday
>> morning in class.
>>
>> That's also probably how I got in the habit of re-reading books.
>
> I can see that. Do you hunt for SF now? I actually do see SF in some
> of my haunts, but I have NO idea what is unusual and what is not.

At this point, it's so easy to find any specific thing online once I
realize I want it. I never really did get into haunting used
bookstores; the return rate was too low. I didn't have access to any
good ones until my own collection was already pretty large, so there
wasn't the stage where nearly every trip would provide me with some
"treasure".

So no, not really.
--
David Dyer-Bennet, ; http://dd-b.net/
Snapshots: http://dd-b.net/dd-b/SnapshotAlbum/data/
Photos: http://dd-b.net/photography/gallery/
Dragaera: http://dragaera.info

Gary wrote:
> "Jean B." wrote:
>> Sometimes, actually OFTEN, looking for a
>> specific recipe and going through cookbooks are not the same
>> activity. One gets, *I* get, so much more out of cookbooks. One
>> can just READ them, handle them. Not the same at all.
>
> I do the same. I read in bed every night and sometimes I'll browse through
> a few cookbooks just for future meal ideas. Cookbooks with pictures are
> nice.
>
> Gary

That they are! They can be eye candy!

--
Jean B.

Christine Dabney wrote:
> On Sat, 31 Mar 2012 19:29:02 -0400, "Jean B." > wrote:
>
>> What new cookbooks have appealed to you, Christine? I was in B&N
>> a few weeks ago, thinking I'd have a hard time winnowing my wants
>> down. I only went through the Asian section then, and there were
>> no real "must-haves" for me. That is probably a good thing. I
>> thought I'd want the "Asian Tofu"by Andrea Nguyen, but found I
>> could resist that. And I REALLY didn't like Nina Simond's new
>> book (Simple Asian Meals). I need (or don't need) more time to
>> look there.
>
> Well, I have a huge long wish list on Amazon these days. No money to
> buy any books, but a huge list.
>
> Francis Mayes has just come out with The Tuscan Sun Cookbook, which I
> really want. I have read her other books and the writing alone can
> make you want to have that food, and to serve it to others.
>
> I also want The Barcelona Cookbook. No, it is not new, but it is
> calling my name now. For one thing, an old RFC'er (Ninette Enrique)
> highly recommended it to me. She is on the FB group now..and she
> became friends with another old RFC'er, Andy Pforzheimer (he has
> joined the FB group as well). Andy is the co-author of this book, and
> is the co-owner of the Barcelona Restaurants. Well..I was just poking
> along about getting it, and then about a week ago I read that Jeremiah
> Tower sold most of his cookbook collection to Omnivore Books in San
> Francisco. However, he kept a few of his favorites, and The Barcelona
> Cookbook is one of those. Well, I highly admire Jeremiah..and if he
> likes it, I decided it has to go on my short list. Do you already
> have this book? It has been out for a number of years now...

I don't THINK so. I rarely get European books in normal stores
now (meaning I sometimes pick up older ones at various sales). As
we were saying elsewhere, housing the books becomes a problem.
>
> I have been collecting Nigel Slater lately..and his newest in his
> vegetable/fruit series is coming out next month. I really like his
> writing,plus he does wonderfully simple imaginative food.

I am not sure I have any of his.

>
> And I love anything by Jacques Pepin. I think I have almost all of
> his books so far..except for one he did near the beginning of his
> teaching career. Essential Pepin is on my list..

I don't know if I have that one. I do have quite a few of his books.
>
> I like Melissa Clark's books a lot... Do you have any of those?

I don't think so. See! as I have occasionally said, we tend to
get different things, and you have a lot more of the newer books
than I do.

>
> My newest ones are packed away in my car...and I am trying to remember
> what is in those boxes... The new one by Paula Wolfert is in there,
> which is actually a revised edition of her classic Couscous and Other
> Good Food from Morocco. It is now called The Food of Morocco, I
> think.

Mmmm. Okay. Now I am drooling. (I do have her old book, of
course.) Last time I was in B&N, I only had time to look at the
newer Asian cookbooks. I THOUGHT I'd have to get Nguyen's new
book, Asian Tofu, but I found I could resist it. I could resist
the other ones too. This is good, because I only have one gift
card, so my purchasing at any such venue is pretty restricted.

>
> Michael Ruhlman has a fairly new one out, called Twenty. It is
> garnering a lot of attention and praise these days..he is up for a
> James Beard award.

Ah yes. That is an interesting book. I just saw it won the ICAP
award in the Technical Category.

Speaking of those awards, I don't think I have even SEEN Tasting
India.
>
> Oh, and Lisa Fain's book, Homesick Texan is good. It is derived from
> her blog of the same name. She writes well...and her food looks
> very good.

I'll take a peek at her blog.

>
> My mind is going blank now...I know I have quite a few others that are
> really appealing. Maybe that comes with having all these
> cookbooks...

LOL! That is a laugh of recognition, of course.

>
> I am going through some of my older ones these days... I pulled out
> Jeremiah Tower's New American Classics and have been enjoying it a
> lot. And I have been delving into some by Richard Olney. Plus a
> ton of others. This is why it is so much fun to keep them around...I
> re-read them for pleasure, and to encourage me to cook other things..
> Christine

Yes, it is a pleasure. BTW, if some of your books have been
packed for a LONG time, opening those boxes and seeing them again
is almost like Christmas!!! (Whispers: I am still doing that.
Yeah. Bookcases are good.)


--
Jean B.

David Dyer-Bennet wrote:
> "Jean B." > writes:
>
>> David Dyer-Bennet wrote:
>>> It's harder if you have a serious interest in unusual literary areas.
>>> I'd read all the science fiction in the town library before I got to
>>> highschool, and the school libraries didn't have all THAT much
>>> different. It helped a lot that my 8th-grade English teacher had a
>>> large SF collection; he'd drop half a dozen papergacks on me Monday
>>> morning in class.
>>>
>>> That's also probably how I got in the habit of re-reading books.
>> I can see that. Do you hunt for SF now? I actually do see SF in some
>> of my haunts, but I have NO idea what is unusual and what is not.
>
> At this point, it's so easy to find any specific thing online once I
> realize I want it. I never really did get into haunting used
> bookstores; the return rate was too low. I didn't have access to any
> good ones until my own collection was already pretty large, so there
> wasn't the stage where nearly every trip would provide me with some
> "treasure".
>
> So no, not really.

It does get increasingly difficult to find old books that you want
and don't have. True, true, true. I did have a great find today
though: a bound volume 2 of Boston Cooking-School Magazine. Even
the single issues are extremely hard to find, at least the early
ones (before the name was changed). Unfortunately, it started
pouring, and I left it in the car, so I can't look through it
tonight.

--
Jean B.

good for you, Lee
"Julie Bove" > wrote in message
...
> We got rid of quite a bit of stuff. I had 4 potato mashers. 5 if you
> count that giant Amish type that I got some years ago. I actually kept it
> because I think it is funny. And it can be useful if I am making a ton of
> potatoes. I found something that appears to be a cake or pie server. I
> have no clue where it came from. Maybe it was a gift. It is certainly
> nothing I would ever buy. Tons of whisks. I rarely ever use whisks. And
> 5 sets of tongs. I bought those for a birthday party. Also had some of
> those large, clear disposable serving spoons, again bought for a party.
>
> We also had several cheap plates and serving dishes bought for various
> parties or backstage at recital. And a bunch of divided trays that I
> thought would be fun to use when we eat our food outside. And they are,
> but... They are more designed for little kids. They have too many
> compartments on them for them to be useful to us unless we are doing one
> of those clean out the refrigerator days where everyone gets two bites of
> a leftover. And we rarely ever do that sort of thing. Little kids love
> trays like that but we have no little kids who come to the house. Those
> things are cheap at Walmart. No sense keeping stuff that we no longer
> use.
>
> Got rid of a lot of old plastic containers. I think those things just
> multiply in our cupboards. There are always the ones with no lids or the
> lids with no containers. And then there were the things that sounded good
> at the time. The tomato keeper, the onion keeper. I also had some sort
> of slicer. I think it was for eggs or mushrooms. Never used.
>
> I even got rid of my food processor! I was going to use it tonight to
> prep the veggies for the meatloaf only to discover that not only was the
> blade beginning to rust but it looked like the rust had seeped down into
> the plastic. It was a cheap one. Hamilton Beach I think. The Big Mouth
> kind. I needed a food processor when I was on that raw vegan diet. But
> now? I rarely use it.
>
> I had a Magic Bullet that I bought on clearance at Costco last summer.
> Box never opened. Now I had to use it. It didn't work quite as well on
> some of the veggies. Particularly the onion. There were still big pieces
> in there that I just attacked with the kitchen shears. But it worked
> amazingly well on the spinach so long as we put some V8 juice in there. I
> have had to modify my recipe since we can no longer use some of those
> herbs, the flax seeds or the oats. I have seasoned it with salt, pepper,
> parsley and oregano but there are plenty of onions in it. Have mixed in
> ketchup and will be covering the tops (making individual ones) with HoMade
> chili sauce (yes, I know there will be comments on that). Have used a
> small amount of potato flakes in lieu of another starch. Yes, I could
> have used bread or cracker crumbs and I will do that next time if this
> doesn't work. But I screwed up and bought a box of potato flakes that
> expire in April. My bad. I just bought them too. I want to use them up.
>
> I actually didn't have to throw out much food today. I have been trying
> to keep on top of it but... Daughter found enough canned/jarred goods in
> the cupboard a couple of weeks ago to fill a paper grocery sack. Some of
> that was her fault. She insisted that we stock up on things that only she
> would eat. And then she quit eating them. Yes, I know some canned goods
> are fine to use beyond the pull date but we opted not to. Winter is over
> (hopefully) and we no longer fear being snowed in for a week. So I can
> buy most of these things as needed. We will still buy some things at
> Costco.
>
> Husband will be home for good in July, assuming he finds another job here
> locally. He will be retired from the military. There! I said it again.
> Retired. As in will be having probably TWO retirement parties. They will
> have one for him in CA and we will be having another for him here. So
> once he is home, buying things at Costco will not be a problem. When my
> daughter and I are home alone we seem to eat far more lightly.
>
> Ah, my timer is going off. Must go take the cooked down veggies which
> hopefully have now cooled and put them in the meatloaf mix for tomorrow.
>
> Tonight's dinner will be my own creation. Sort of a small calzone but
> with no cheese inside. Just some seasoned ground beef with perhaps a
> touch of thick pizza sauce to help hold it together. And pizza sauce to
> dip it in. Yep. My pizza sauce expires next month. For the next week or
> two we are buying minimal groceries and mainly concentrating on consuming
> what we have in the house already. Particularly the freezer. Because it
> needs to be defrosted. So off I go, to mix!
>
>
>

trust me when i tell you they will be grateful in years to come, and if you
decide to move to smaller accomodations you will already be half way there,
Lee
"Ophelia" > wrote in message
...
>
> "Julie Bove" > wrote in message
> ...
>>
>> "Lou Decruss" > wrote in message
>> ...
>>> On Mon, 26 Mar 2012 17:40:24 +0000 (UTC), tert in seattle
>>> > wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>>>I dislike cleaning and decluttering.
>>>
>>> i'd rather clean than de-clutter.
>>
>> I have since learned over the years. People who don't cook know I like
>> to cook and are continually buying me useless gadgets that they assume I
>> will like. It is a lot of those sorts of things I got rid of. I guess I
>> was being like my grandma. She would assume that the person who gave her
>> the item might come into the house and notice it wasn't there. She kept
>> the things she didn't want in a closet and would put them out just before
>> the person was coming to visit. I finally realized that there is no
>> reason to even bring such things into the house. Now when I get that
>> stuff I just put it in the giveaway box. The most recent thing was a
>> microwave potato chip maker. Which I thought was odd because I have
>> never been known to be a potato chip eater. Once in a while I will eat
>> some but I would never go out of my way for them. And I certainly
>> wouldn't bother to try to make them in the microwave.
>
> I don't think anyone would dare buy me gadgets I had a massive clearout
> some time ago and I love the space and ease of cleaning.
> The hardest thing to de-clutter was not my gadgets, but my books! But ..I
> don't miss any of them! I kept my absolute favourites and I am happy with
> them. My children were not too impressed because although they have been
> away for years, my house was storage !!!! It is surprising how they don't
> need 'stuff' any more now that they have to take it home)
>
> --
> http://www.shop.helpforheroes.org.uk/