Purging Travel Paraphernalia
Dec 17th, 2005, 05:16 AM
#21
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"several never-touched boxes in our basement known as my husband's "gift boxes" (accumulated stuff to give to others)"
Oh, there's another one, Kate W. Gifts bought, never gifted. Especially the small and inexpensive kind designed to be stocking stuffers or given to office coworkers, etc.
We have: Bottles of spicy cooking sauce from Barbados. Coffee mugs from the British museum. Perfume bottles from Egypt (actually, that was a gift TO me, but I don't wear perfume). Fridge magnets from Hawaii - an odd choice of gift, but my spouse holds out hope eternal that amongst our friends and colleagues is someone who has a scarcity of such objects, that they would be delighted to receive more of them. (I acknowledge that the pictograms depicted on the magnets from Hawaii are unusual.)
"We don't wish to transport large quantitities of white powder" - LOL! I am reminded of the time an acquaintance was held up at customs when she tried to bring home some henna from her travels, when that hair product was in fashion. Maybe your movers knew of what they spoke. Sweet guy, is he?
Grantop - not a bad idea. People will buy anything if they can be convinced that the object might have some connection, howsoever faint, with some famous person.
"Polyester pants - guaranteed never worn by Andy Warhol"
Oh, there's another one, Kate W. Gifts bought, never gifted. Especially the small and inexpensive kind designed to be stocking stuffers or given to office coworkers, etc.
We have: Bottles of spicy cooking sauce from Barbados. Coffee mugs from the British museum. Perfume bottles from Egypt (actually, that was a gift TO me, but I don't wear perfume). Fridge magnets from Hawaii - an odd choice of gift, but my spouse holds out hope eternal that amongst our friends and colleagues is someone who has a scarcity of such objects, that they would be delighted to receive more of them. (I acknowledge that the pictograms depicted on the magnets from Hawaii are unusual.)
"We don't wish to transport large quantitities of white powder" - LOL! I am reminded of the time an acquaintance was held up at customs when she tried to bring home some henna from her travels, when that hair product was in fashion. Maybe your movers knew of what they spoke. Sweet guy, is he?
Grantop - not a bad idea. People will buy anything if they can be convinced that the object might have some connection, howsoever faint, with some famous person.
"Polyester pants - guaranteed never worn by Andy Warhol"
Dec 17th, 2005, 05:23 AM
#22
How about a Fodors Exchange/Re-gifting service? Attach a note describing why an article is significant, send the note and item to FodEx, they pick a random Fodorite to send it on to... presto, you've cleaned out the clutter, shared your experiences with others, and in turn who knows what you might get in your brown-paper parcel? I have a number of not-too-badly-stained beer mats from obscure regional breweries in Britain that would augment your collection. What, you say you don't collect beer mats? Here's your chance!
Dec 19th, 2005, 03:37 AM
#23
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Excellent idea. Now, if we could just figure out a way to transmit said gifts cybertronically (to avoid postage).
Are those mats signed by the personal consumer of the beer? Could raise their value.
I was on the verge of starting my purge (nice rhyme) when I was held up on a key point: should I begin with the oldest items (Vancouver guidebooks dating from the 1986 fair) or, given that these are now virtual collector's items (and I've got the collection to prove it) should I start with the newest? But then the newest are the most relevant.....
Decisions, decisions.... where to begin?
Meanwhile I need to figure out how to get aforesaid clothing items stolen. Better yet, a kind of closet 'hit man'...
Are those mats signed by the personal consumer of the beer? Could raise their value.
I was on the verge of starting my purge (nice rhyme) when I was held up on a key point: should I begin with the oldest items (Vancouver guidebooks dating from the 1986 fair) or, given that these are now virtual collector's items (and I've got the collection to prove it) should I start with the newest? But then the newest are the most relevant.....
Decisions, decisions.... where to begin?
Meanwhile I need to figure out how to get aforesaid clothing items stolen. Better yet, a kind of closet 'hit man'...
Dec 19th, 2005, 11:13 AM
#24
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Sue_xx_yy - "flat front floodwater pants" = pants that are WAY too short are "flood" or "floodwater" pants, i.e. appropriate during a flood, but not at any other time At the time the pants were disowned, flat fronts had not been in style for the prior ten years and pleated fronts had ruled the day. Approximately five years after demise of said pants, husband pointed out that flat front pants were all the rage and that he should've kept those pants! And, yes, he still would've fit into them! But they still had to go.....the marraige would not have survived them being kept.
At the time the pants were disowned, flat fronts had not been in style for the prior ten years and pleated fronts had ruled the day. Approximately five years after demise of said pants, husband pointed out that flat front pants were all the rage and that he should've kept those pants! And, yes, he still would've fit into them! But they still had to go.....the marraige would not have survived them being kept.
Dec 20th, 2005, 03:34 AM
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Re - other travel mistakes with white powder.
My father is a brilliant engineer but sometimes a little too innocent for the world. One day, he drove down to the US border crossing on his way to a pulp mill site where he was doing some consulting. The agents decided to search his car and found in his trunk, quite prominently displayed, half a dozen baggies containing a fine white powder.
"What's that?" demanded the agent.
"It's powdered styrofoam cups", replied by my dad, quite innocently. "I need the powder to conduct an experiment at a pulp mill. I want to test the effectiveness of its effluent treatment facility."
Needless to say, dad's car was hauled off for an inspection. When the inspectors returned they told the agent, "It really is powdered styrofoam."
"I told you so," said my dad.
The agent let him go, but commented "You do know we have styrofoam cups down here in the USA, sir."
Dad acknowledged that was true but pointed out that, until the inspectors messed with his baggies, he knew exactly how much powdered styrofoam cup was in each bag and now he was going to have re-weigh the baggies before conducting the tests.
On his way back, he gets stopped at the border going into Canada. This time they find large pails of muddy water in the back of his car.
"What's this?" ask the Canadian agents, politely.
"It's dirty water full of powdered styrofoam cups."
Not surprisingly, he was a little late getting home.
My father is a brilliant engineer but sometimes a little too innocent for the world. One day, he drove down to the US border crossing on his way to a pulp mill site where he was doing some consulting. The agents decided to search his car and found in his trunk, quite prominently displayed, half a dozen baggies containing a fine white powder.
"What's that?" demanded the agent.
"It's powdered styrofoam cups", replied by my dad, quite innocently. "I need the powder to conduct an experiment at a pulp mill. I want to test the effectiveness of its effluent treatment facility."
Needless to say, dad's car was hauled off for an inspection. When the inspectors returned they told the agent, "It really is powdered styrofoam."
"I told you so," said my dad.
The agent let him go, but commented "You do know we have styrofoam cups down here in the USA, sir."
Dad acknowledged that was true but pointed out that, until the inspectors messed with his baggies, he knew exactly how much powdered styrofoam cup was in each bag and now he was going to have re-weigh the baggies before conducting the tests.
On his way back, he gets stopped at the border going into Canada. This time they find large pails of muddy water in the back of his car.
"What's this?" ask the Canadian agents, politely.
"It's dirty water full of powdered styrofoam cups."
Not surprisingly, he was a little late getting home.
Dec 20th, 2005, 05:58 AM
#26
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KateW, that story is priceless! I can imagine what your Dad would have gone through had he taken with him the kind of balances needed to take those kind of precise measurements. In the world of customs officials, precision balances are used only to weigh out drugs, and those, of the illicit variety.
merritm, thanks for the clarification. Kate's story has inspired me to think of a ruse I once came up with, sewing Gucci labels into certain items of clothing I wanted confiscated by customs as 'knockoff items.' Then I realized a flaw with the idea of packing said items (which oddly enough, spouse does not bring with him on travels): It might keep us from being admitted to the country we wished to visit, on the grounds that we might infect the place with the dreaded polyester virus. (Worse even than the bird flu....)
Well, my purge is going extremely slowly. This, on account of excessive nostalgia - oh, to be able to pay 1991 prices in 2005....
merritm, thanks for the clarification. Kate's story has inspired me to think of a ruse I once came up with, sewing Gucci labels into certain items of clothing I wanted confiscated by customs as 'knockoff items.' Then I realized a flaw with the idea of packing said items (which oddly enough, spouse does not bring with him on travels): It might keep us from being admitted to the country we wished to visit, on the grounds that we might infect the place with the dreaded polyester virus. (Worse even than the bird flu....)
Well, my purge is going extremely slowly. This, on account of excessive nostalgia - oh, to be able to pay 1991 prices in 2005....
Jul 26th, 2006, 07:49 AM
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Sue, thanks for topping -
I'VE FOUND A HOME...
Aside from the usual Kleenex packs from Monoprix, ticket and museum stubs, cards from every business and restaurant I've set foot in, receipts for ten year old purses, just in case I want to return them to Samaritaine ;-(( paper napkins, an unopened plastic water bottle from Russia, menus, airplane footsies, paper and plastic store bags, hotel stationary and note pads (never used - too precious), hotel plastic key cards, do not disturb signs in every language, and boarding passes, I have a small collection of DIRT, that's right dirt (soil) in little baggies that I collected from everywhere we went in Israel.
I had planned, about eleven years ago, to make a shadow box with the dirt next to the memorabilia from each place. The baggies of dirt, and the empty shadow box, are still in a big bag - somewhere.
Last year at Baccarat after making a purchase to be shipped home, I asked the salesman for 'a few' shopping bags. He lead me into the bag room and asked me how many I wanted ..... silly silly man. I now have a complete asssortment, (circa 2005) of every size of thick red shopping bag that Baccarat had at the time. In fact, I have at least three sets. Someday I will add them to the thick red, shiney Bacarrat bags from almost 25 years ago. The bags were much nicer then!
I read in an article about tea that if you still have souvenier tea that you purchased in London at the time of Charles and Diana's wedding - it's time to throw it away.
A few years ago we were staying at the fabulous Wickinish Inn in Tofino, British Columbia and one of the employees told me that the supply room was unlocked and that I could go in and help myself....BIG MISTAKE. It was full of every type of Avida product known to man - creams, lotions, bath salts, etc.. I _almost_ had to throw away some of my packed clothes for the trip home. In my defense, I have used SOME of the products. Not because I don't love them, well.... you know why.
As a fellow needlepointer once told me, "I had to stop collecting tote bags when I ran out of door knobs to hang them on" .... funny, but that hasn't stopped me.
Great thread, keep on going...
Nina
I'VE FOUND A HOME...
Aside from the usual Kleenex packs from Monoprix, ticket and museum stubs, cards from every business and restaurant I've set foot in, receipts for ten year old purses, just in case I want to return them to Samaritaine ;-(( paper napkins, an unopened plastic water bottle from Russia, menus, airplane footsies, paper and plastic store bags, hotel stationary and note pads (never used - too precious), hotel plastic key cards, do not disturb signs in every language, and boarding passes, I have a small collection of DIRT, that's right dirt (soil) in little baggies that I collected from everywhere we went in Israel.
I had planned, about eleven years ago, to make a shadow box with the dirt next to the memorabilia from each place. The baggies of dirt, and the empty shadow box, are still in a big bag - somewhere.
Last year at Baccarat after making a purchase to be shipped home, I asked the salesman for 'a few' shopping bags. He lead me into the bag room and asked me how many I wanted ..... silly silly man. I now have a complete asssortment, (circa 2005) of every size of thick red shopping bag that Baccarat had at the time. In fact, I have at least three sets. Someday I will add them to the thick red, shiney Bacarrat bags from almost 25 years ago. The bags were much nicer then!
I read in an article about tea that if you still have souvenier tea that you purchased in London at the time of Charles and Diana's wedding - it's time to throw it away.
A few years ago we were staying at the fabulous Wickinish Inn in Tofino, British Columbia and one of the employees told me that the supply room was unlocked and that I could go in and help myself....BIG MISTAKE. It was full of every type of Avida product known to man - creams, lotions, bath salts, etc.. I _almost_ had to throw away some of my packed clothes for the trip home. In my defense, I have used SOME of the products. Not because I don't love them, well.... you know why.
As a fellow needlepointer once told me, "I had to stop collecting tote bags when I ran out of door knobs to hang them on" .... funny, but that hasn't stopped me.
Great thread, keep on going...
Nina
Jul 26th, 2006, 12:33 PM
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I'm far better at not acquring junk than I am at getting rid of it once it's here. Mind you, you should see the room i'm sitting in now. Disastersville.
But books? Books are for keeping. Preferably all of them, but DEFINITELY the good ones.
2000? nah; maybe 20,000
(incidentally, I'm a solicitor(Attorney) and in this part of the world we sell houses too. My staff always say that they can tell my clients becuase there are books in evey photo.)
But books? Books are for keeping. Preferably all of them, but DEFINITELY the good ones.
2000? nah; maybe 20,000
(incidentally, I'm a solicitor(Attorney) and in this part of the world we sell houses too. My staff always say that they can tell my clients becuase there are books in evey photo.)
Jul 26th, 2006, 06:33 PM
#31
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So, Nina, you collect dirt? I can introduce you to a friend who collects driftwood from the places she visits. (She wishes to point out that your dirt is probably easier to pack than driftwood, so just look how practical you are....)
I have a wonderful collection of sachets, full of Provence lavender and made of colourful Provencal printed cotton. I bought them for gifts because they didn't take up too much room in my luggage. Unfortunately I forgot I had them until after the scent wore off. So they are now useless as sachets and therefore as gifts. But those cotton prints are so pretty...perhaps your friend could store them in her embroidered tote bags...
Sheila - 20,000 books - ah, but are they all travel related? Meanwhile, I'll raise you another thousand or so and counterbid in the equivalent in fridge magnets - which ARE all travel related. Magnets from Hawaii. Magnets from Barbados. Magnets from Lisbon. London. Limoges. They each took up so little room in my luggage, you see.
All of these magnets on my fridge hold notices. When I get around to it, perhaps I'll read the notices...
I have a wonderful collection of sachets, full of Provence lavender and made of colourful Provencal printed cotton. I bought them for gifts because they didn't take up too much room in my luggage. Unfortunately I forgot I had them until after the scent wore off. So they are now useless as sachets and therefore as gifts. But those cotton prints are so pretty...perhaps your friend could store them in her embroidered tote bags...
Sheila - 20,000 books - ah, but are they all travel related? Meanwhile, I'll raise you another thousand or so and counterbid in the equivalent in fridge magnets - which ARE all travel related. Magnets from Hawaii. Magnets from Barbados. Magnets from Lisbon. London. Limoges. They each took up so little room in my luggage, you see.
All of these magnets on my fridge hold notices. When I get around to it, perhaps I'll read the notices...
Jul 26th, 2006, 07:41 PM
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I had forgotten the fridge magnets. They really don't count because they find a home immediately and stay out of everybody's way. The leek and the carrot from Albi, the Russian dolls, the restaurants from NY, the tucan from Mexico etc... you mean you are suppose to put notes under them?? Well I'll be darned - you learn something new everyday.
Nina
Nina
Jul 27th, 2006, 06:59 AM
#34
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I save Harrod's bags. Hey, I don't spend that much on tea just for the tea...
Nina
I have just done a partial fridge inventory.
photo of self weighing ten pounds more than presently;
2 ancient grocery receipts;
church program my mother wants me to save;
4 business cards;
postcard from Gulbenkian museum I couldn't bear to mail to anyone because I liked the photo too much;
8 years old photo of self and nephew on a rafting trip;
gee, no notes.....well, I'll be darned....
Nina
I have just done a partial fridge inventory.
photo of self weighing ten pounds more than presently;
2 ancient grocery receipts;
church program my mother wants me to save;
4 business cards;
postcard from Gulbenkian museum I couldn't bear to mail to anyone because I liked the photo too much;
8 years old photo of self and nephew on a rafting trip;
gee, no notes.....well, I'll be darned....
Jul 28th, 2006, 12:12 PM
#35
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For the polyester pants, find a church that has a food pantry/clothes closet. They will take anything, and you can tell your DH that he has helped someone in need. Then someone else can throw them out.
I treasure my pale green Laduree bag.
I treasure my pale green Laduree bag.
Jul 28th, 2006, 02:15 PM
#36
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A hurricane cleaned out ALL my belongings. That was 11 years ago & I have newer old stuff I can't get rid of. In fact, I think losing it all made me even more of a packrat. I guess it's like Depression era people who save everything. 
Jul 28th, 2006, 11:58 PM
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Sue ---- aside from I don't know how many magnets, I have a big calendar right in the middle of the upper freezer door with an attached small white board next to it. What a pain to remove everything to clean the outside of the fridge - you are suppose to clean it occasionally aren't you?
Sometimes I write appointments etc.. on the calendar, and sometimes I even remember to read them and to turn the page each month.
Carolyn, I love my small mint green Laduree shopping bag, I have an unfinished black crocheted scarf in it, along with the hook and yarn. In one of my Baccarat little red shopping bags, I have another unfinished crocheted black scarf, hook and yarn. And in another shopping bag from Paris, I have .... well you get the picture.
DH's cousins and their two kids from Germany are coming in two weeks, so a lot of this stuff will have to find a temporary home during their visit. Do you think they'll look under the bed or inside of my already packed closets?
I buy oodles of TP and paper towels when they are on sale. I fill up my car bringing them home. DH has a 1965 Alfa Romeo coupe wedged into our garage between the washing machine and the mail box. It is his dream to restore it and race in the antique races. Time is the major reason it has taken him over ten years off and on to get it ready for the races - although it is complete and has run since the day that he bought it.
It sat in one spot for over 10 years and I finally said that it had to pay it's way for taking up so much room. It is now filled, seating area and trunk, with my lifetime supply of TP and paper towels. DH has been a good sport about it, but is embarassed when he is showing off the car to somebody.
Does this give you an idea of how much I pack for a five week trip? I love being surrounded by 'my things'. Makes me feel all warm and fuzzy - or maybe that feeling comes from the dust bunnies.
Nina
Sometimes I write appointments etc.. on the calendar, and sometimes I even remember to read them and to turn the page each month.
Carolyn, I love my small mint green Laduree shopping bag, I have an unfinished black crocheted scarf in it, along with the hook and yarn. In one of my Baccarat little red shopping bags, I have another unfinished crocheted black scarf, hook and yarn. And in another shopping bag from Paris, I have .... well you get the picture.
DH's cousins and their two kids from Germany are coming in two weeks, so a lot of this stuff will have to find a temporary home during their visit. Do you think they'll look under the bed or inside of my already packed closets?
I buy oodles of TP and paper towels when they are on sale. I fill up my car bringing them home. DH has a 1965 Alfa Romeo coupe wedged into our garage between the washing machine and the mail box. It is his dream to restore it and race in the antique races. Time is the major reason it has taken him over ten years off and on to get it ready for the races - although it is complete and has run since the day that he bought it.
It sat in one spot for over 10 years and I finally said that it had to pay it's way for taking up so much room. It is now filled, seating area and trunk, with my lifetime supply of TP and paper towels. DH has been a good sport about it, but is embarassed when he is showing off the car to somebody.
Does this give you an idea of how much I pack for a five week trip? I love being surrounded by 'my things'. Makes me feel all warm and fuzzy - or maybe that feeling comes from the dust bunnies.
Nina
Jul 29th, 2006, 02:30 AM
#38
WE've found a job for our daughter [aged 18 and in between school and ?] - to sort out the last 20 years' photos and associated ephemera and arrange what we are keeping in photo albums. If that doesn't get her galvanised into job/university hunting, I don't know what will!
Jul 29th, 2006, 07:41 AM
#39
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annhig - if she still hasn't found herself by the time she's done with your pictures, I'll gladly let her do the same for us.
In fact, she may have found a career for herself. She might not earn much, but she'll get to see the world (thu the pics) and most folks would throw in room, board, and a tour of their own city.
Once our old photos were organized, what would we do with the empty photo boxes, bags and drawers? As if I couldn't fill them up again in a flash (no pun intended).
Of course now that we have the digital camera, no more negatives, really bad pictures, or duplicate shots that should have been tossed. Now they are on the little chips or hidden away in DH's laptop, probably never to be seen again. When we bought the printer, he swore that he would print out the best shots, right after we returned home .....RIGHT.
I miss the the time when I anxiously waited for my film to be developed. Like a hungary bear, I would rip the envelopes open before leaving the store. DH always wondered why there were never any pics of me, even though he knew that he had taken a few ;-)
I feel like I am at an AA meeting - Hello, I'm Nina and I'm an overpacking packrat.
Nina
In fact, she may have found a career for herself. She might not earn much, but she'll get to see the world (thu the pics) and most folks would throw in room, board, and a tour of their own city.
Once our old photos were organized, what would we do with the empty photo boxes, bags and drawers? As if I couldn't fill them up again in a flash (no pun intended).
Of course now that we have the digital camera, no more negatives, really bad pictures, or duplicate shots that should have been tossed. Now they are on the little chips or hidden away in DH's laptop, probably never to be seen again. When we bought the printer, he swore that he would print out the best shots, right after we returned home .....RIGHT.
I miss the the time when I anxiously waited for my film to be developed. Like a hungary bear, I would rip the envelopes open before leaving the store. DH always wondered why there were never any pics of me, even though he knew that he had taken a few ;-)
I feel like I am at an AA meeting - Hello, I'm Nina and I'm an overpacking packrat.
Nina
Jul 29th, 2006, 08:00 AM
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Hi all: Great thread!
Dirt? check [ok sand really]
Driftwood? check
Rocks? check
On our honeymoon, I found this gorgeous white "rock" on the beach. It was acutally a big coral lump that had been massaged to perfection by the ocean. "Oh honey!" I cried. "Can't you just see this in our living room?"
Needless to say my husband added the 7-lb piece of "art" to his bag and lugged it around for 2 weeks.
For the last 8 years it has proudly anchored loose newspapers next to our fireplace and I smile everytime I see it.
Dirt? check [ok sand really]
Driftwood? check
Rocks? check
On our honeymoon, I found this gorgeous white "rock" on the beach. It was acutally a big coral lump that had been massaged to perfection by the ocean. "Oh honey!" I cried. "Can't you just see this in our living room?"
Needless to say my husband added the 7-lb piece of "art" to his bag and lugged it around for 2 weeks.
For the last 8 years it has proudly anchored loose newspapers next to our fireplace and I smile everytime I see it.
