By Bonnie Brown
Columnist

I am in the post-holiday purge mode.  Maybe not so much purging as organizing.  

Getting organized used to be a necessity because it was necessary in order to incorporate all the new gadgets, appliances, toys, clothes, etc. 

 Our sons Dennis and Jeff had lots of stuff before Santa unpacked his bag at our house, so I needed to clean out and reorganize their closets, dressers, and other common space to accommodate the new items.  Plus, it was the right time to throw out, donate, and repurpose.  

I also got the uncontrollable urge to change the furniture placement, too.  I wanted an overall re-fresh, I suppose.  I am less energetic nowadays so I’m less likely to move the furniture around.  But I absolutely must reorganize the cabinets and closets.  

During the pandemic, we all stockpiled items when they were available.  If the local stores didn’t have TP, I found some on Amazon or on-line at Sam’s Club.  

I would send unsolicited, unexpected packs of paper towels and TP to our sons and daughters-in-law, fearful that they might be running low on these necessities.  Plus, what if they wanted to move in with us because they were?  

I  made it my mission to stock our own supply too.  My husband was unaware of how committed I was until he happened to venture up to the attic and was met with a wall of TP and paper towels.  Yes, I was a little out of control, but it seemed justified given that I entered the period of the pandemic with only a small 4-pack of TP.  

So, I started organizing the pantry yesterday.  I removed every can and jar from the shelves and armed with my trusty magnifying glass, I examined each one for the ever-elusive “best by” date.  Why do they seem to hide this info on the jar or box?  And why in such small print?  

Well, I’m here to tell you that I was determined to clear out the out-0f-date items that had somehow been hiding in the back.  At least one item since 2019!  

Luckily, I was successful in my purge and with a little bit of guilt, I lugged the heavy bag of out-of-date items to the garbage can.  My husband thinks that I did a masterful job of reorganizing the pantry and hopefully doesn’t realize the bulk of items that I wasted.  

One of my practical resolutions for 2023 is to use the many cans of green beans before they expire and not allow myself to get out of control with my purchases.  

But, alas, the two-day shipping gods have disappointed me of late so I’m going old school with in-store grocery shopping.  

So, on to my husband’s closet.  You don’t think I’m really going to toss out any of my stuff, do you?