Love this decluttering story from one of you! Oh, and the e-book she mentions about decluttering? It’s now included in my new book How to Manage Your Home without Losing Your Mind!
I finished reading your book about decluttering a month or so ago. One of the tips about “would I know I had this if I needed it in the future” came into play today. We just had a party for my 4 kids’ ages 8, 5, 3, and 1. I was about to wash and store the candles until that thought popped in my mind.
Then I asked myself… Am I willing to hold on to these for a minimum of 2 years (or 3) until the next child in line turns that age?
Will my then 8 yo BOY want a purple glittery candle?
Will my then 10 or 11 yo GIRL want mis-matched number ‘1’s on her cake?
Will my then 5 and 3 yo BOYS want the same colors their older brother wanted? Who knows?
But the candles were .97 each.
I’ll just toss these and spend another 4 bucks on candles next year, and probably from now on. Thanks for having a brain like mine, and sharing so openly about how to make it more ‘normal-ish’.
Adding this decision to my list of ‘Things Normal People Don’t Worry About’.
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Go here to read about the decluttering question she’s talking about.
--Nony
I have thought about this often and have all the candles in my drawer. BUT I rarely use the numbers type. I think the single candles in the quantity of the birthday years are more fun to blow out, well, until you are too old to light and blow that many. I don’t have a problem with throwing those kind out.
I totally get where she is coming from! I always struggle between wanting to be frugal, and wanting to be clutter-free. My biggest dilemma is old gift bags. I hoard them like crazy. Last year I made myself use as many Christmas gift bags as I could, but I still have a ton of gift bags for baby showers. Unless my friends start having kids (boys specifically), I should probably get rid of those gift bags…
I can so relate to the gift bag dilemma! My kids (and all of their friends) have outgrown the age of so many of our cutesy gift bags!
Ditto here. I made myself use gift bags for things I would normally wrap because I have too many gift bags. Let’s just say that sometimes the bag didn’t quite go with the person but I was determined to use up bags.
One thought – buy/save only bags that are multi-purpose – that can be used for either male or female, or that are for male or female, but not specific to a certain type of event. It helps to reduce the amount “on hand”. 🙂 I’ve gotten some pretty non-holiday specific bags on sale after Christmas which can be used for various events and people – red glitter, blue holographic, etc.
I just gave a ton of still good gift bags to the thrift store. They may sell, they may not, but at least there’s the option for someone.
I use big gift bags for hauling stuff to donation. One of our Local places uses them to bag up purchases instead of buying plastic sacks like a regular store.
We never used the number type candles either. We just reuse the stick candles when we want candles to blow out. If you were one that wanted to keep them it would be good to keep them all together. I like the idea of a designated bin for birthday plates, napkins and candles! They could also go well with the cake decorating supplies like frosting, sprinkles and cupcake liners. Or near the birthday wrapping would work too!
Wow (hanging my head in shame) I have a junk drawer that has stick type birthday candles rolling around in the bottom somewhere and we are always trying to dig through random screw drivers, tape rolls, razor blades and what not to get them out on someone’s birthday. I guess I should toss them. And probably everything else in that drawer.
What everyone in our family really hates is my mother’s holiday napkin drawer. She will save the left over napkins and reuse them. On my 47th birthday we had 1 big bird napkin, two barney the dinosaur napkins, a dora the explorer…etc. Left over from my now 22 year old nephew’s birthdays. She has them for thanksgiving, christmas, you name it. We’re a family of hoarders. A couple dollars worth of napkins and candles would be worth having a whole extra drawer of storage free.
Don’t be ashamed! But oh how I love the mental picture of the Barney napkins at your 47th bday!
At least she was willing to use them as napkins rather than saving them (and expecting other people /family members to treasure them too). The idea of Barney and Big Bird at your 47th birthday only makes it better. What “special” things can you use for her next birthday?
I have 0-9 in a box in my cupboard, my kids are 24, 14, and 12. We have made a game with the number candles. For my dad’s 55th birthday we used a 5 and a 4 and then 1 single candle, 54+1=55. He got the biggest kick out of that and so did the kids. When my youngest turned 11 she reminded me to use the #1 and 0 plus one candle, I think that was what she looked forward to most about her birthday and her friends thought we were nuts. My # candles are getting to the point now they are so melted the number doesn’t look like the number any more but my kids and niece and nephew love them so much that I keep using them birthday after birthday.
A neat freak friend of mine has a great question to help with this dilemma: is the replacement cost worth the storage cost? Is that space in my drawer worth more than a dollar to me? It really helps me. Not to mention, I usually forget when I’m at the store that I have the number 3 candle at home anyway. 🙂
I have no problem throwing away the big number candles, but I’ve got to stop holding on to the stick type candles. Every birthday, I’m not sure where they are, or how many, or what color, so I just buy a box when I’m at the store. I need to just toss ’em when the birthday is over. (plus my kids are 16 and 17, so they almost need a whole box as it is!)
I can totally relate to this! As another commenter said, it’s this line we walk between clutter free and frugality/not wanting to be wasteful. I think this is quite normal! 🙂
I’ve coupled my “hoarder” “reuser” selfies into one on this topic: take used candles, wash off cake/frosting, store in recycled glass jar. As for the number candles, I love Shelly’s family’s solution. If I can find mine, I’ll try that next birthday party!
For those with gift bags, if you also have craft supplies, try combining them into a one day project making decorated used gift bags. Then donate that project to your thrift store. My local TS has a regular supply and while they go for more than the usual $1 (maybe they charge $2) they are unique and valued vs. “hoarder fodder”.
My boys are 32 and 35, and I still have the birthday candles. I probably haven’t used them in going on 20 years. But they are SNOOPY candles, which compounds my angst!
Oh how funny! I keep moving the candles around in my large candle box but I know that I should get rid of them but they came in handy when my son turned 31 so I had to use more then 2 candles. My family just think that’s normal.
I save my daughter’s candle until the next birthday. Then we burn down the old one until it burns out, toss it, and keep the new/current one for the upcoming year. So we have her 4 candle until she turns 5.
and of course the $64,000 is “Will I be able to find the @#$ candle on the birthday when it applies”.
Unfortunately I’ve been saved a few times from “I totally didn’t think about candles”, because I “oops I forgot to throw these candles away.” That it makes it a little bit harder to throw out the things I should.
I know that should I ever become the kind of person who just throws things out when she should doesn’t not mean I will become the kind of person who buys things when she should.
I was so glad when my son destroyed the Diego and Mickey Mouse cake candles that I had (for some unknown reason) saved for more than two years. It was such a relief to feel no guilt at all about tossing them in the trash. Why did I ever worry about feeling guilty about tossing a used candle? I’m glad to hear I’m not the only one!
one of the things I have been doing for a while is using freecycle. It is amazing in that so often there are people who want what you ‘don’t want to just throw away because it cost …..etc’.You feel good about not tossing AND donating to a worthy person. Win win situation.
By the way i have just found your site and am thrilled about that
Great job and love how you thought this through before you decided what to do with the candles.
This is probably only thing I have been organizing for years and can always find ….
I saved the round tins from 3 different brands of the Danish cookies…
Stack smallest down to largest so they don’t tip over.
Tins are stored in same location/ same shelf in the pantry over 20 years – EVERYONE knows this is their home and recognizes whats in the container by the Tin design even when its out on the counter.)
Tin 1 – candles only – stick, shapes and numbers, 1 book of matches ,,,
I can peek quick and know if have right color/ number of candles
Tin 2 – tubes of cake decorating gels ( so can write HAPPY BIRTHDAY ! ) …
Tin 3 – assorted small dispensers of sprinkles – can use for either cakes or ice cream sundaes
We give used birthday candles to the kid’s playdough toy box or sandpit – kids LOVE making playdough or mud-pie birthday cakes, especially the Master Chef fan kids!
It hadn’t occurred to me to do this until my child was old enough to ask, and I was “um, ok, sure!” she had hours of fun = priceless.
Her friends and her had a master chef cake decorating competition in the sandpit last summer – too cute!