Tuesday, February 18, 2014

Trash Day Tuesday: Electronics



Yaye, Trash Day Tuesday is back! I love this series. I love getting rid of items that no longer serve my needs!

Ok, let's get this post rolling.

Let's start where we always start- reevaluating the electronics that you own. As many electronics/electrically operated items are plugged in and used, you are going to have to take an inventory of everything that you use. I mean it- go into every room and write down EVERYTHING you have, its frequency of use, and your plan for it. Dig all your electronics out. If you are brave enough tackle everything you store in your basement, garage, and attic. Here's my inventory:
This might seem crazy to you but being this thorough helps you be more honest
about your needs. I decided to omit the hallways (we have no electronics there)
and the kitchen (I want to tackle the kitchen another day). On a side note, isn't
it crazy how many electronics we have?! I know this is all for a family of four
but somehow it still seems ridiculous to me, especially if you keep in mind that
some of these items have many components. 

Once you have sorted out the things to remove from your house, the work gets MUCH easier. If you are feeling generous consider donating your working electronics to Goodwill, Oxfam, the Salvation Army, etc.  Whatever doesn't work or doesn't work well can be recycled responsibly through ANY electronic manufacturer or dealer. Seriously, free of cost to you, the company HAS to provide a way for you to recycle your electronics. I believe this is the case for most US states- I don't know if any similar laws exist internationally but I am sure there are some sort of organizations that deal with recycling e-waste. It gets better, most manufactures/dealers offer incentives to customers for taking part in such recycling programs. In my personal experience Apple, Verizon, and Best Buy all have trade-in-programs where you get monetary credit for items that they determine have value to them.** If they don't offer money for your products they will at least take the product off your hands and recycle it. If they don't accept your particular electronic, give 1800RECYCLING a call/Google search. In total, I recycled 11 items which is awesome even though mom and dad wouldn't let me toss everything that I wanted to toss. All about compromise I guess. :)

How many unused electronics did you have? Were you able to take advantage of the various trade-in-programs?

** Please note that the company determines the value of your product. Not everything you hand in will be worth money. Everything but the Canon camera was worth absolutely nothing, which I didn't mind- more important to me to get these unused/broken items out of my house and recycled responsibly. Make sure you delete all personal or sensitive information from your electronics- I had to smash my hark drives with a hammer because my computers were lemons and didn't turn on to be cleared.

Sunday, February 16, 2014

Travel Pill Case

 I am lucky enough to not have to take medication on a regular basis but I do like to carry some sort of pain reliever with me in case that time of the month decides to body slam me. So when I came across this ADORABLE travel pill capsule at The Container Store, I couldn't resist buying it! It's portable and actually fairly sturdy. It firmly closes but also easily opens when pressure is applied. It is small enough for my needs and is easily recognizable in my bag. I can even see this capsule being useful during vacations in addition to everyday use.

Isn't it adorable? A pill shaped pill case. The
Container Store has a variety of color
combinations, I liked this one the best
because it seemed the most calmest to me.
An upcoming post will show how I
organize this pill capsule in my bag,
so stay tuned. :)
The Container Store has 2 sizes- I picked
the smaller one. It comfortably fits four Aleve
 liquid gels, which is all that I need. 
The only thing that worries me is the badly
painted interior. I hope the paint doesn't
chip off and stick to my pills. On a side note,
does metal affect medication? It is safe to cary pills
in metal containers, painted or not?
Let me know if you know anything about that. 
Do you carry medication with you? How do you store your to-go medication?

Saturday, February 15, 2014

Life Update

Hello everyone. I just wanted to write a quick note about my absence. I have taken the past month or so to reevaluate my life, my relationships, my goals, etc. Lucky for me, I have been sick quite often so I had the time to do all this. :) Without going into any specifics, I am glad and extremely happy to say that I have been able to let go of everything that has been causing me anxiety or unhappiness.  Decluttering isn't only for objects- it's for everything in your life. I know suffering and struggling are important parts of life yet during such times, reevaluating your life is equally as important. I am just happy to say that I am in a more stable and peaceful place than I was months ago. That said, I hope to resume posting on a regular basis soon. I have lots of awesome projects that I have completed during my time off and lots of ideas that I want to try out- can't wait to share them with you!!

Hope you are having a blessed day.