How Much Junk do you Keep?

Nurses General Nursing

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A question for non-hoarders please :)

I've been sorting through stuff and reevaluating my relationship to things this year. I've gotten rid of a lot of stuff. Right now I'm going through a lot of old nursing training handouts, powerpoints and stuff from the last decade, some old stuff from school, other training I've had or continuing education. Some of it is obviously recycling, some is still good information.

I think I'm going to slowly read through the stuff that I've forgotten as a refresher for the next month or so, then probably ditch most of it. Perhaps certain information will point me towards things I absolutely should know and am rusty with now.

So it made me wonder about how much stuff other people keep.

-What do you keep?

-How do you keep yourselves current on information you don't use very often in your practice?

-Do you even bother?

-Are there other areas of nursing you're interested with and don't practice, but maybe like to keep more current?

I have been a nurse for 42 years. I have cleared out 2 houses from in-laws and parents who died, and "inherited" those just can't give away things. I still have some science books, like A/P (does that change or just the sand in the body move), chemistry (for those days I can't get something clean and don't want to blow the house up). Each house clean-out was a major toll on my mind and back. I swore I would never put my kids through that. We have lived in our house 40 years, 40 years of our memories. And now I have started going through and reducing, minimalizing, giving away, selling, any thing I can do to get the accumulation down. But do you just throw text books away, who wants old ones? And then I find books from the 1800's, a family bible from the late 1700's, coins from the 1870's, I can see my kids tossing these, but there comes a point where I just want to toss too! WE actually got rid of a storage shed and sold a lot of things. But there is so much left to go. And I can't look at my sister's house without thinking I hope I go first (it will be up to her son and me, and they are both hoarders). Becoming a minimalist is a cold-hearted job, but someone has to do it!

Specializes in EMS, ED, Trauma, CEN, CPEN, TCRN.
If it really is that much paperwork, then many of these shredding services can come to you in a large shredding truck. Call around to see if they offer such service.

It's really just three or four of those banker's boxes. Probably not enough to summon a truck! But enough that my poor shredder (already on its last legs) can't handle it.

Specializes in OB.
I have been a nurse for 42 years. I have cleared out 2 houses from in-laws and parents who died, and "inherited" those just can't give away things. I still have some science books, like A/P (does that change or just the sand in the body move), chemistry (for those days I can't get something clean and don't want to blow the house up). Each house clean-out was a major toll on my mind and back. I swore I would never put my kids through that. We have lived in our house 40 years, 40 years of our memories. And now I have started going through and reducing, minimalizing, giving away, selling, any thing I can do to get the accumulation down. But do you just throw text books away, who wants old ones? And then I find books from the 1800's, a family bible from the late 1700's, coins from the 1870's, I can see my kids tossing these, but there comes a point where I just want to toss too! WE actually got rid of a storage shed and sold a lot of things. But there is so much left to go. And I can't look at my sister's house without thinking I hope I go first (it will be up to her son and me, and they are both hoarders). Becoming a minimalist is a cold-hearted job, but someone has to do it!

My husband's parents are only in their early 70s, in moderate health, but I'm already dreading the day when they are both gone and we have to go through their crap-infested house and toss everything. My MIL still has dusty old baby clothes and toys from the 1970s (that she offers to us for our toddler on a regular basis!). I am a ruthless purger and hubby gets some packrat tendencies from his parents (though not as bad). Keeps life interesting!

As for old textbooks, I've actually put them in the recycling in the past if they were not able to be sold or given away. They're just paper and cardboard, right?

Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
If it really is that much paperwork, then many of these shredding services can come to you in a large shredding truck. Call around to see if they offer such service.

I took mine to the UPS store, a little at a time. The charge was minimal, and after I had burned out two shredders doing it myself, it was worth it.

Specializes in EMS, ED, Trauma, CEN, CPEN, TCRN.
I took mine to the UPS store, a little at a time. The charge was minimal, and after I had burned out two shredders doing it myself, it was worth it.

I saw that both the UPS stores and Staples offer this locally. But even better - some of the local credit unions offer free shredding events! I just missed one a couple of weeks ago, but there is another in January. I will see how much I end up with to shred, I might just want it gone.

I am going to agree and start tossing in there. Found several boxes of Bead It magazines (in my sister's stash, she died, too.....husband thought I would enjoy them, I think he has changed his mind). She also decorated eggs.....oh, it just goes on and on! Recycling, think I will just crawl in the bin! Thanks goodness son works for a document shredding place:)

Specializes in Psych (25 years), Medical (15 years).
Hey watch it, I happen to like Eddie Money. :laugh:

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Specializes in LTC.

I only kept my med surg book. Everything else got tossed.

Specializes in Retired NICU.

Yes, a shredding service is terrific!!

Specializes in Surgical, quality,management.

Check your local recycling centres and dumps they often have free collection days. I managed to dispose of paint cans, my local Aldi has a free battery recycling bin.

Maybe a pet store would have a shredder for rabbits, hamsters etc. bedding?

Specializes in NICU/Mother-Baby/Peds/Mgmt.

I finally got rid of all my nursing books about 20 years after graduation, and several moves. It was hard, especially thinking how much they cost but I felt so good after. So much was outdated and every unit I worked in had more up-to-date books (pre-Internet).

Specializes in Pediatric Critical Care.
Went from 2200 sq ft 4br 2ba house with two barns and a cellar chock full of crap I didn't even remember I owned...to a 1000 sq ft condo, well organized and brutally pared to necessities and a few nice items. I could move in two days flat now.

I just up-sized to an 1100 sq ft condo, and I have stuff that I want to get rid of...but I feel like I can't because I already don't have enough stuff to fill this much house! :lol2:

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