Shredding Checks
Seriously, shredding checks. That's what I've been doing today. I'm slowly (see 3 years and counting) cleaning, organizing and hauling junk out of the basement. I do a little all the time. It's just too overwhelming to tackle it all at once, but I'm making progress.
Some things are hard to let go of, I being a genetically engineered pack rat and all. I find it interesting that I don't really hold onto many things for sentimental reasons. Don't get me wrong I'm sentimental, but that's why I take pictures and write. I like memories. I don't really need the stuff that goes with it, unless that stuff is really, really special.
No, I hold onto stuff because I might have a use for it. I have a very difficult time getting rid of things I might be able to use one day. For example, today I found a pair of kid swimmies (floaty things you stick on a kid's arms) arms, still in their box. I've never used them. Never even opened them. Letting them go was hard. I just kept thinking "maybe someday we'll have another child. That child won't be able to swim. We'll go to the pool and I'll wish I had these swimmies." Nutty, I know.
Today I also found a box of all our old checks. I decided those were not useful and I could part with them. They needed to be shredded, however. Turns out that little project is going to take quite a while. As I shredded it was kind of fun to look through them and see how we used to spend our money. I learned a few things about myself:
1. My tithing check used to the same amount as my electric bill - $26. 10% of your income on electricty. That seems crazy.
2. I paid $10 in fast offerings throughout college. That doesn't seem like very much, but maybe it was a lot then.
3. Our insurance copay used to be $10. Those were the days.
4. In the days before debit cards I routinely wrote checks for less than $5.
5. I've apparently always liked to eat out :)
Ultimately, I learned that in 12 years with a house, 2 cars, 2 kids, etc - my life has become much more expensive. It was a fun little exercise, but not hard to get rid of all those old checks. Now the ones we never used...those were a little more difficult to shred. :)
Some things are hard to let go of, I being a genetically engineered pack rat and all. I find it interesting that I don't really hold onto many things for sentimental reasons. Don't get me wrong I'm sentimental, but that's why I take pictures and write. I like memories. I don't really need the stuff that goes with it, unless that stuff is really, really special.
No, I hold onto stuff because I might have a use for it. I have a very difficult time getting rid of things I might be able to use one day. For example, today I found a pair of kid swimmies (floaty things you stick on a kid's arms) arms, still in their box. I've never used them. Never even opened them. Letting them go was hard. I just kept thinking "maybe someday we'll have another child. That child won't be able to swim. We'll go to the pool and I'll wish I had these swimmies." Nutty, I know.
Today I also found a box of all our old checks. I decided those were not useful and I could part with them. They needed to be shredded, however. Turns out that little project is going to take quite a while. As I shredded it was kind of fun to look through them and see how we used to spend our money. I learned a few things about myself:
1. My tithing check used to the same amount as my electric bill - $26. 10% of your income on electricty. That seems crazy.
2. I paid $10 in fast offerings throughout college. That doesn't seem like very much, but maybe it was a lot then.
3. Our insurance copay used to be $10. Those were the days.
4. In the days before debit cards I routinely wrote checks for less than $5.
5. I've apparently always liked to eat out :)
Ultimately, I learned that in 12 years with a house, 2 cars, 2 kids, etc - my life has become much more expensive. It was a fun little exercise, but not hard to get rid of all those old checks. Now the ones we never used...those were a little more difficult to shred. :)
Comments