RUG HOOKING BLOG

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I'm a mother of four grandmother of seven and great grandmother of three. I live with my husband in the house that we built with the help of my brothers and will have been married for 57 years this February.

Saturday, February 13, 2016

TOO MUCH STUFF IS WORST THAN NOT ENOUGH

Welcome to my new follower. Blogger has ceased to remove followers from my blog and it's nice seeing my number go up by one this week instead of going down...



I'm continuing on my goal to declutter... I got a spurt of energy this week and I started to go through my recipe books one by one at every opportunity I got and slowly but surely as I put them in boxes and bags, I became totally detached from them. They will find a new home with The Salvation Army. They are good people and they helped us during the big flood when we had to move our cattle.

I used to love going through my cookbooks and trying to come up with some yummy meals but I would get overwhelmed by the choices and I realized that more often than not, I would end up making my old comfort recipes. I wish I could wiggle my nose and taste from the cookbooks but in reality it would only taste like paper.

Another thing I realized is that we are  basically using the same list of ingredients on a continuum but we rearrange them in different ways and cookbooks are OK but they are a money making businesses. I'm not a foodie but I love and appreciate a great variety of food including ethnic food.

I've wasted hours and hours going through those big full color cookbooks over time and enough is enough. I really don't need another recipe. Even though this is my second purge, I still have more than enough. I'll never live long enough to try them all, so as I kept going through my cookbook stash, I became less and less enticed by the beautiful pictures and the promising good taste, it was like I was too full and nothing looked appetizing anymore.

I still have more cookbooks to go through and will cull some more but I can live with less and live better. It actually already feels good to get rid of them. I won't be buying anymore. I bought the majority of those cookbooks at Value Village during their book sales and whenever I would see one that I must have.

I can find any recipe on the internet if I need to  find one for free.

Thanks for visiting and leaving your comments. I so appreciate them. HAPPY VALENTINE DAY everyone.
Hugs,
JB

22 comments:

  1. Good for you I have been cleaning out also and it feels great
    Cathy

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  2. Cleaning out must be in the air! I've gone through cookbooks too and gave many away to my nieces who love to cook. I collected Christmas ones for years and still have some of those to get rid of. Jack and I are going through our basement storage areas now and throwing stuff out and burning old papers...whew, it's a job but I know that, like you, I'll feel better and freer when it's done! Happy Valentine's Day to you too!

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  3. I'm having a break from moving stuff, so tired having been packing and noting stuff for almost 12 hours. I can fully concur with your post title. Really experiencing that right now!!!Xx

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  4. That's a lot of cookbooks!!!
    I've gained a few followers, too. Sure does feel good.
    Happy Valentine's Day.
    Hugs :)
    Lauren

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  5. Oh, Julia! Sorting through my cookbooks is just a difficult task! I have a difficult time parting with them! xo Nellie

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  6. I'm jealous girls, I've only gained two since the slaughter of followers started. Like you I'm not as adventurous now being single as I was trying (HA!) to keep my then husband happy. Soups are my staple but limit my other meals to fish, chicken and vegetables. Ethnic is good since any can be made with loads of veggies and both meats.

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  7. Where's that Salvation Army??? Not that I need any more cookbooks, lol...I have over 4,000!!!

    I am also decluttering though Julia. I guess it's just that time of year, lol...

    Keep up the good work and thanks for sharing...

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  8. I so wish I had the will power to cull my cook books....I have so many and I never cook from half of them and they are old so some of the ingredients that they call for are not even made anymore. There is some sort of attachment I can't seem to break. Please keep telling me about your journey and maybe soon I can join the purge... SANDI.

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  9. I love cookbooks but I have to admit I don't remember the last time I used one. I just google a recipe on the internet now

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  10. It is a great feeling to 'let go' of 'things'! I decluttered a lot last year and found that many of the things I kept were there because I felt guilty about buying them and had this notion that I couldn't justify their disappearance unless they had worn out or fallen apart! charity shops are a great place to take these things - somebody elses treasure!

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  11. Good for you having a spurt of energy Julia, not like you didn't have energy before this. You put me to shame. I have done away with my cookbooks a while ago and got me a cook instead. Maurice loves cooking and now does the meals for 15 of us 5 times a week. I have news from home that I will share with you in your e-mail. May God bless you and take care. I love you. HUGS!

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  12. "Live with less and live better"! That's the perfect way of saying that! It is so much easier to breath and relax without having so much "stuff" requiring maintenance... and yes, there are plenty of recipes on the internet. I'm sure that someone will appreciate your donations very much! Have a beautiful Sunday!

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  13. I think the decluttering bug must be in the air because I've been doing that too. After a few cleaning sessions p it seems the house is breathing easier.
    R

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  14. That's a lot of cookbooks. We haven't bought a cookbook in years. I sometimes look at a cookbook for a recipe, but these days when I want a recipe I just do a search on the internet. I generally find 4 or 5 recipes for the same dish, and then create one that has what I consider the best features of each. I sometimes take recipes from magazines that I see.

    But all of this talk makes me think I'd like to bake bread today. It would make the house smell nice.

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  15. Happy Valentine's Day sweet Julia. I went through the cookbooks I had gathered over the years awhile back. I had used very few of the recipes and most of the books I had never even looked through. I gave away all that I had but I think five. I am doing a lot of going through things and getting rid of things I never use, don't need or that just collect dust. Best of luck on your cookbook culling sweet friend. Hugs

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  16. Happy Valentine's Day, You are so right! I feel the same about cookbooks. I use to get all the Taste of Home cookbooks, but I found they were the same recipes.
    I love trying new recipes - but I have found I like to find them on blogs I read. I just made some bars that a blogger posted. They were a huge hit!
    Good luck cleaning.
    Carla

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  17. Wow! That's a lot of cookbooks! I have a few. One shelf is full and they are all sort of sentimental. YOU are doing a good job of paring things down, JB! YOU are a good and determined housekeeper/farmkeeper!

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  18. I did that too, and I still have a ton of cookbooks. I need to do it again. I think it is always good to declutter. I always feel so bad when I know I am just a hoarder inside. It looks very nice Julia.

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  19. Good for you! I'm in a stage where any accumulation makes me crazy! It's so much easier for me to let go of "things" than it used to be. I love moving books on to our library for the big sales in the fall and spring. Good luck with it all!

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  20. Wow that is a lot of cook book. I like finding a recipe on the internet and printing it out.

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  21. Julia--- I feel your cookbook pain- lol. I've been through mine probably 3 times-- giving them away. I still have too many. I agree that you can now find any recipe on the Internet. I can't remember the last time I looked through my cookbooks for a recipe-- I need to just take the plunge and get rid of them. Easier said than done though!
    Vicki

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  22. I used to have many cookbooks and gave away the ones with complicated recipes.

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