Rag Muffin

Rag Muffin

What Was I Thinking About Unwanted Items

 

We all hoard junk. I have had a poke through my cupboards and have come up with some items that I just can't bear to throw out and probably ought to. But why was I holding onto them in the first place? What was I thinking?

I'm probably not alone in this hoarding habit. We all do it – it's human nature, especially if you're thrifty or have experienced poverty – or even if you don't like the throwaway disposable culture that has led to so much pollution. See how many of the items below ring a bell with you.

1. An old, frayed alpaca wool jersey that's full of unrepairable holes. I keep meaning to unravel it and roll the wool into balls for re-use. After all, it's lovely soft grey alpaca wool and it would cost a packet to buy it at the shop... The jersey has now been sitting up there for two years. Verdict: either get on with it and unravel the jersey, or else bite the bullet and take it down to the local rag trader/charity so they can recycle it how they see fit (some charities and volunteer organisations do unravel old jerseys and knit blankets for foreign aid organisations).

 

2. A pair of blue curtains with pink and white flowers that don't fit any of the windows in my house and I don't particularly like the look of. These were given to me and it seems a real waste to just throw them away. Besides, my mother was on the lookout for second-hand curtains for the house my parents have just built and I'm keeping them for her. Verdict: give them away or give them to your mother this weekend.

3. Some articles and magazines aimed at the parents of babies - and the younger of my children is now eight years old. They seemed really helpful at the time, but I haven't looked at them for ages and can hardly remember what's in them. Verdict: scan over them to see if I can reuse the material for another article Anyclean can use, then chuck the articles and the magazines in the recycling bin.

4. A fountain pen with no ink cartridges left. Cartridges are expensive if all you want is plain black or blue, and I always seem to get ink all over my fingers when I use the pen. However, the pen's a very good one and looks stylish. Verdict: look out for some fancy ink cartridges or ink (you can refill a fountain pen cartridge with bottled ink by using a syringe, if you have one handy) and learn to write more neatly. Then use the pen with the fancy ink for signing cheques like a high-flying corporate.

5. A cornflower blue sweatshirt that is too small for my husband and that I used to wear but now have rejected as being unflattering. It does cover a lot up when doing dirty jobs like domestic cleaning London or painting the house – and I've got the paint on it to prove it. Keep it for this purpose, but don't keep any other old clothes with the same excuse. One cover-up's enough.

6. Empty yoghurt pottles, the one-litre variety, with lids. They're very handy for freezing things and storing leftovers. I got into the habit of keeping them when a friend of mine with five children was hospitalised with cancer and all of us were rallying around the family with meals. The pottles could fit food in easily, I could freeze things in them without any trouble, and because they were "free gifts with the purchase of a litre of yoghurt", I didn't have to worry about getting them back from my friend later, like I would with a "good" dish. However, my friend's now out of hospital and has even got a good crop of hair back, but I'm still saving large yoghurt pottles, which are starting to pile up. Verdict: keep some for freezing things, but get rid of the rest – preferably by sending them to the plastic recycling depot or by giving them to a charity (women's refuge? food bank?) with something in them.

7. Ziplock bags from the bulk-bin department at my local supermarket. They're great for packed lunches. Sandwiches can be made up in bulk and frozen ready to go, along with a muffin – they thaw out without any bother, unless they contain lettuce or something else that will go soggy. If you're not fussy, this won't matter. The crumbs can be shaken out and the bag can be washed and re-used. Vegetables and fruits can also be block frozen for later use (e.g. peas, beans, stir-fry mixes, berryfruit and chopped up rhubarb).

　

About the Author

Nick Vassilev is the founder of successful carpet cleaning London and window cleaning London businesses delivering quality cleaning services to thousands of clients.

Why does my daughter's rag a muffin boyfriend?

Think that being from Louisiana automatically qualifies him as being a certified stud
Even though his hair looks like someone forgot to ring the mop out after the oil spill?

she does that because she love him and if you think you don't like that tell her explain things to her maybe she will not listen but at least you've try and you did what a mom will do

Silvester 2010 in Bonefeld / Rag a Muffin