Things you dont use anymore.

Cooking books.....

I remember my mother having a full row of them dating back to the fifties (it was taught in school back in the days). Until she moved and decided to get rid of most oft them because she hasn't used them in years.

Every now and then some people gift me with cooking books because I like to cook. But they don't do much besides gathering dust. If I want to cook something specific I either improvise or look for it online (and then improvise because I don't agree - seriously, one clove of garlic is never enough).

 

I think books in general have become less used, I've got a stack of gardening books and others I've not looked at in years.

 

Yes, I remember that well. We had two teachers, Mrs Pugh and Miss Bugg. The latter was engaged to a super chef in London and taught us about foreign food. I remember making a Quiche Lorraine which obviously I did not cook very well because on the walk home it ran all down the front of me and my new blue suede coat! I did improve and wrote a cookery book (private printing) called Foul Play in Victoria's Kitchen and another called A Sticky End in Victoria's Kitchen.

 

I was looking at mine the other day,...... well actually I fell over it, and wondered if I will ever use it again.

 

I'm hooked on cooking books. Not that I follow the recipes but they are just so nice to browse. The best finds are 70s and 80s ones from charity shops, I love the nostalgic taste trips to my youth when anything on a toothpick was the grooviest thing ever

Older Italian cookery books are also great. "Take one onion, a rabbit, half a litre good oil and..."

 

I can understand wanting to give one's bunny a nice massage, @Selleri, but whatever is the onion for?

 

I tend to try to repurpose lots of things but last year I decided I had too much old work (drapery hardware) inventory so went through it. Not only was most of it old, it was obsolete! I did use some of the brackets and metal poles as hangers for solar panels but other than that, it was a load of old rubbish. I bragged about getting rid to one of my sons and he said, "don't worry Mum, when the day comes, we'll just hire a dumpster to bin the rest.." This is the same son that informed me that since I am such a good Mum that when I need to go to a care home, he'll make sure it's a nice one!

 

And as @Victoria has mentioned, keeping clothes from taking over your house is time consuming. I used to have clothes that were a little "tight" so now I have a set number of hangers. I get something new, I have to get rid of one old. And I hang everything other than underclothes, pajamas and socks. No drawers with sweaters or blouses. Just looked. Maybe I've got too many hangers!