Company's coming I need to clean!

I am cleaning out my guest room for a cousin that is coming to visit for a few days. truthfully, I told her not to come. She would be better off renting a hotel room. I know, rude. But my cousin loves me and said -"clean the room so i can walk to the bed and stop worrying about it." originally she was bringing her daughter and a friend -but the friend fell thru.

I really needed this -to get me moving. Retirement is so relaxing and I have gotten so lazy in the two years since i stopped working full time. It is really wonderful -but i am so unmotivated to clean out this house. So far I have found cash in a Christmas card from my parents/gotten 7 bags of shredding (all my old checks)/30 years of Income tax returns/At least that many bags of trash/ a sewing machine serger/gifts brought and never given because they were lost in the mess/a scanner/copier/fax modem/VCR movie camera/savings bonds/boxes of pictures and got rid of craft stuff I was really into at one time. I now know why I have no money. smile :)). I would gather up all the stuff off my kitchen table and throw it into a bag and toss it in the back room -when anyone came over -thinking I would go thru it later -I never did.

I also threw away years of Christmas cards I saved -except -what do you do with all the pictures people send with their cards? I have some pics that i would never even recognize -if i hadn't saved the envelopes with return addresses.

I would like to sell my house in two years. Maybe rent around the country -six months here and there. I always wanted to live on the west coast in Oregon. A storage unit near my brother for stuff I want in my old age but can not lug around the country. I know i will have to get rid of a lot then -but I am trying to reduce my clutter now.

i seriously think I may be doing it backwards. I should take out the stuff I want and then let the rag man (recycle guy?) go thru what is left and give me cash. It might be better in the long run. Less drama. But I never did anything the smart or easy way. :)) This way is sort of fun and very, very rewarding. I just found four scratch off lottery tickets in the Christmas cards. I will not scratch them off until I find out if they are still good!!!!!

The thrift shop of the ARC in Rio Grande -is the beneficiary of all my downsizing frenzy. I was spreading the stuff around. But i decided to concentrate on one shop.


It makes it easier -if i need to buy something back. :(((((((((((((