Simplifying chores: Meal planning together

While we are really good at fast and simple dinner prep we also just rely on looking in the frig and freezer for ingredients each morning to plan dinner. Since that results in us buying the same basics week after week, we eat the same dinners a lot.

I suggested we chat on Monday to plan 6 main dishes before shopping on Tuesday. We each had to suggest at least one do I didn’t feel like it was my job each day to come up with an idea.

This week’s trial run includes leftovers as we like them for easy repeat dinners or lunch leftovers. Side dishes will be mood based. It did also make for a shorter grocery list this week.

• Garlicky shrimp and broccoli
• Beef stew x2
• Turkey meatloaf x2
• Bob’s Red Mill soup mix vegetable soup x2

Spring wardrobe - I know what to expect this year

I had to stand on a step stool for this! Add a full length mirror to the Want List.

The outfit above is part of my capsule and what I wore out to lunch for our anniversary Friday. This is the Berkeley area and jeans work for almost everything. BTW, the Greek restaurant was very good and the atmosphere lovely. 

WHY BOTHER WITH A SEASONAL CAPSULE WARDROBE? 

The reason I do it is similar to what Dawn at the Minimal Mom says. I want to have fewer decisions and less to manage for this part of my life. I want the clothes in my closet to be ones I like to wear and fit my body as it is right now.

My Spring capsule covers April thru June and is similar to Project 333. It does not include outerwear or jewelry though. It also doesn’t include exercise clothing or sleepwear. I do think of those 4 categories as their own tiny capsules although I am rarely wearing jewelry in my life here so far.

Do you join in the capsule wardrobe approach or not and why?

SPRING HERE IS NOT LIKE SPRING ANYWHERE ELSE I HAVE LIVED

Last year I found the spring weather here difficult to plan for but this year I am doing better. My “reverse engineered” capsule wardrobe has to encompass lots of weather variety but few levels of dressiness fortunately.

Right now it is still mostly pretty cool with some warm afternoons. Lots of pulling on the light down or heavy fleece jackets in the morning and evening still. We don’t get consistently warm to hot weather until August or September. The rainy season is slowly coming to an end.

CREATING MY CAPSULE THIS YEAR

So how am I “reverse engineering” a capsule wardrobe for this season? I’m adding items to my capsule as I wear them and they work for more than one day. 

So far I have 25 items that are all in my best colors or neutrals. As I try on items in my closet I am finding some to declutter as they are too worn or don’t fit well anymore. I am buying very little and only to fill gaps. Also the reality is that I will only do laundry once a week so the capsule has to cover that timeframe.

In addition to the outfit above I have 8 more tops ranging from a cashmere pullover to short sleeve v-neck, 5 toppers ranging from a medium weight pullover fleece to a linen jacket, and 3 more pairs of jeans.

The capsule so far also has 2 more scarves, 3 pairs of shoes and one purse. I expect more lighter weight tops, toppers and bottoms will be added as the weather shifts to more frequent warmer days

The orange top is “new” from ThredUp this season.

THE ELEMENTS OF A GOOD CAPSULE WARDROBE FOR ME

I have learned the key to a workable seasonal capsule wardrobe for me here in the Berkeley area is being able to layer different levels of warmth tops and toppers and being prepared for rapid swings in temperature every few days. I want a variety of colors, textures and styles within a casual relaxed somewhat classic style. Every top and topper doesn’t have to work together though and bottoms are simply in a range of neutral shades.  

Every item does have to be able to go in the washing machine. I am enjoying having a hand wash cycle on the machine in this house because I can even wash cashmere sweaters!

 

Hmmm, why do we tend to think more is better?

I am in the midst of listening to our CDs to decide which ones to keep and to bring music back into my life. I am finding ones that I hadn't listened to for years that I enjoy. I'm also finding that we have too many in different categories.

Yesterday I listened to 3 Frank Sinatra CDs. I enjoyed 2 of the 3 and found one to be of poor acoustic quality. The question that popped into my mind though was why did we have so many in the first place? Probably one would be enough but I kept the 2 good ones for now.

Today it is the 3 Cuban/Latin CDs. Tomorrow will be the 5 (!) Pancho Sanchez ones. I know why we have so many of those though. We went to an outdoor concert by him 25ish years ago and had a grand time so we loaded up on his music.

I've also been listening to the ones I brought home from the 100s recently donated to the Friends of the Library. Those are easier to make decisions on. If I don't like the first track then it goes back. So far I have only picked 3 to add to our collection and I am waffling on one of those LOL.

For me at least as far as music goes 1 or 2 is better than 3 or more. I am a person who like variety and at this time can't stand to listen to music that isn't uplifting.

I think that often we think more is better when we like the initial item a lot. How many times have you bought more colors of a top or shirt when the one that you really liked was the first one you selected. More wasn't better then either. The same can happen in other areas of our lives. I am trying to notice what I do automatically that doesn't add value for me and this is one of those things.

Playing With Clothes Part 4: I've learned a lot that is helpful

At this point I am at day 26 out of the 31 days of challenge for Evolve Your Style. Well, that is if you don't count the three I have skipped and need to come back to. They involve makeup - which I don't own - and a dress. The only dress I own at the moment is my Mother of the Groom dress which I am going to try to style for a cocktail party/fancy event assuming it still fits.

However, this is turning out to be the best money I ever spent on my appearance. As Mette says in her summary post at her interesting blog, Evolve Your Style - my reflections and a review, the closed Facebook group for this challenge is a friendly, kind and helpful one where you get great suggestions and develop a sense of community with women from around the world. In an odd coincidence, someone I actually know IRL here in Atlanta just joined too which was a nice surprise.

So I'm not ready to do a full summary but here are my favorite outfits from last week and some key learning so far.



Wear flowers day - dressed to head to a funeral unfortunately



Wear a jacket with jeans - my only jacket and ever present jeans on the way out to dinner









One of the surprising things I have learned that is very helpful is the idea of contrast level. I think that when people age and say they feel they are fading away it is because of this issue of changing contrast level. If I wear the same color combinations then my clothes will take center stage and make me fade away or look outdated. I have to laugh when I realize my Mom never felt that way about her appearance but she was a blonde who still had just a few white hairs when she was 93. So I didn't learn this at home, but you can learn more about contrast levels on Imogen Lampore's blog (Getting your value contrast levels right).

 

I used to have dark brown hair which meant I had a higher contrast level than I do now. So I could wear a bright red jacket with a black and white stripe dress, etc. and it looked fine. This group helped me realize that the overall affect of my mixed white and brown hair is more of a dark blonde look which means my contrast level is low medium and I need to wear outfits that have less contrast. Bright colors are still fine they just are mixed differently and are more in the secondary color range. For example the jacket above is a yellow green not a primary green.

 

Evidence of my current low medium contrast level

So I tried "wear flowers" another day when I wasn't constrained by the etiquette of funeral attire and mixed grays with black jeans for another low medium contrast look. That is a charcoal gray sweater - I'm having trouble with color accuracy in my selfies.
.

 



Then there was style a skirt day and I took a chance on making a summer cotton skirt work for fall weather with this low medium contrast look. With tights it could work out but I'll probably keep it for warmer weather.

 

 

 

I haven't spent much money on this style challenge as my experimental purchases have mostly been from thrift shops. Yesterday I did buy a couple of sweaters that I am very happy with in terms of color and style. Shopping choices were easier with the knowledge I have gained as I passed by many items that appealed to me visually but wouldn't work with my contrast level.

 

Contrast level helps me understand in part why I didn't like the first outfit below although the color combination works and is something I have happily worn in the past. The second one is lower contrast in my opinion and I really felt good in it. I hope I have explained this correctly LOL.

 

 

 

 



When is just one enough?

Would you be happy with one pair of scissors? One frying pan and one pot? How about one car for the family? Or even one vacation a year?

I've been thinking about where in my life "just one" is enough. I go to the gym two times a week. Exercise clothes now are easy to hand wash and dry in a short time. One set of exercise clothes for each season (fall/spring, summer, winter) plus one jacket is enough. When I take walks I wear the same clothes I wear at home generally so that is all I need to exercise.

I'm not sure where else in my life "just one" is enough but I am thinking about it!

Got that off the to do list!

Yesterday I looked at the item that just kept getting transferred from one to do list to the next to do list and got realistic about the chances that I would actually do it!

I had items from my Mom's estate that still needed to be sold (old watches and jewelry) and thought I should put them on eBay. Yet I didn't do it.

Our cousin makes an early retirement income from managing estate sales and selling on eBay and at a flea market. He does a great job and recently handled my FIL's moving to assisted living sale. I decided to have him see what he could do with the items and help him out at the same time I could let go of the guilt of not acting.

That led to making decisions about more old jewelry, etc. that I had sitting in drawers. Most of it was items my Mom had given to me that had belonged to her, her parents or her grandparents. They meant something to her but not enough to keep them and I only used about 5% of them over the last 20 to 30 years. I packed them up too and shipped it all yesterday. Consider that project 37 completed out of the goal of 52 for the year.

I feel relieved.

I also decided that I need to look at other unfinished and optional projects the same way.

- Am I actually interested in finishing this project or do I just feel guilty for having it unfinished for so long?

- If I really want it done, can someone else do it for me?

- If I really don't care, then what am I going to do with the half finished project and supplies?

There are enough things in life that truly have to be done. Laundry, meal prep, cleaning, yard work, bill paying, exercise, preventive health care, etc. There are enough worthwhile and fun things to fill the rest of the days.

The decluttering of part of my Mom's stuff also led to going through a bit more of the things I had brought home from her house. Do I need Christmas cards sufficient for the next 10 years? I kept the ones I really like and the rest will go in the Friends of the Library book sale. Still have other things to go through but the progress felt really good.

Do you take care of your belongings and do the chores you can?

It's been a while since I thought about where my "do your own chores", use it up, fix it, make do, etc. mindset came from. Not that I don't know! My Mom and Dad really believed this as well as having to do so for many years earlier in their marriage do to financial concerns. Later on it was more due to being perfectionists! Fortunately my Mom has accepted that she has to hire people to do things for her at this stage of life but that is another story.

There was a point where we hired a housecleaner. We had a preschooler and a teenager who were involved in assorted activities that we supported, worked very long hours and just wanted some time to do other things that were more fun. We quickly found that the cost was not worth the time savings for us and went back to doing it ourselves. Of course both sons were also trained in all housekeeping skills and helped out and as adults they continue the tradition of doing most things themselves.

So what have we done lately that is just routine for us. I mentioned renting the right saw so that Hubby could take down the damaged fence sections in the woods. I fixed a small hole in a favorite shirt so it will last another year hopefully and hand washed an alpaca sweater rather than having it dry cleaned. I used a box we had plus drawing paper for packing to ship a book sold on Amazon. Due to decluttering I was able to repurpose a small plastic storage container to hold small kitchen items making a drawer less cluttered.

What to we outsource? Mostly things that are beyond our skill levels or current physical capabilities. There is a crew taking down our at risk trees. There will be a crew building a new retaining wall. However we first try to think through if there is a way we could do the work such as when we rented a saw rather than hiring someone to do the work.

I am much less of a perfectionist than my parents yet continue to live this tradition. I wonder how many of you were raised the same way or, if not, have come to do for yourself for other reasons?

Weekend reading

Some sites to explore and enjoy this weekend.

The myth of ownership - Courtney Carver does it again!

The Guardian's no food waste challenge - I have to admit I love reading the comments

6 easy ways to save money by getting organized - The comment about finding duplicates is right on in my experience. When I corralled all of my scissors together I had so many that I got rid of 2 or 3. Then I redistributed the remainders to their most used place.

10 alternatives to clingfilm - The idea of using leftover glass jars goes into the "Why didn't I think of that?" category for me. I'm going to start saving some.

3 ways to fix your stuff - I activated the "spare parts" strategy this week when I went back to the place that made our shower door and asked if they could sell me a new slide in piece of plastic flange for the bottom of the door. Seven years of wear and the original was warped and not working right. Well they don't currently have the exact one I need in stock but they are ordering it. Win!

Could you do this? For a year they only bought used except for food, toiletries, shoes for the kids and underwear. Alongside this, they made the decision that if something broke, and buying a new part meant that it could be fixed, then they could do that. This woman bought nothing new for a year

Helping us stop buying stuff we don't need (or even want really)

Trying to stop buying stuff you don't really need? For help understanding the impulse and some great questions to ask before you spend that money check out this post at Wisebread about why our brains want to buy new stuff even when we don't need it?

Here's another article that may help - Great Depression Saving Tips. I especially like this part:

"Apply the stranger test to purchases. Picture a stranger offering you the cash value of the purchase or the purchase to you, and figure out which one you would pick. If you pick the cash over the item, then you should seriously reconsider buying and just make do with what you have instead."

I'd skip the part about saving things to use later though. Unless you have a specific use in mind it just add to the clutter of stuff to deal with in your home.

In the spirit of this post, I am using up categories of items before I buy another.

Getting closer to "enough"

Note: I started "52 Weeks of Decluttering" and "52 Weeks of Adding Stuff" lists on December 1, 2013. If we are replacing something one for one it is not on either list. Groceries, medicines, routine household supplies are not listed nor are other consumables. You can follow along on the pages on the blog home page and in periodic updates. 

This is the update for the first 5 weeks. I am curious to see if by the end of 52 weeks I have reduced the number of items we own or simply created a more useful set of items.

Although I am sure we will reduce our possessions even more drastically in a few years when Hubby retires and we move across the country as planned, in the meantime I continue to try to get to the "enough" that fits our life and home right now. I am finding that I am decluttering small, odd, or hidden away things mostly at this point. Generally I am finding them in the course of cleaning house,  looking for something else or just going about daily tasks.

WHAT HAS LEFT THE HOUSE - 55 items and counting
Week 1 - 12/1-7/13: Six Christmas cloth napkins
Week 2 - 12/8-14/13: Eleven cloth napkins & 10 place mats
Week 3 - 12/15-21/13: A plastic serving tray
Week 4 - 12/22-28/13: A pair of earrings, 5 out of date batteries, orthodontic supplies
Week 5 - 12/29/13-1/4/14: 6 fluorescent tubes, light fixture, 5 out of date spices, book, plastic container, thermos, stirring rod, 2 forks, spoon

What has been added are things we are using and enjoying right now.

WHAT HAS ENTERED THE HOUSE - 15 items and counting
Week 1 - 12/1-7: One pair yoga pants
Week 2 - 12/8-14: Five soup/pasta bowls - thrifted
Week 3 - 12/15-21: One water bowl for dog - thrifted
Week 4 - 12/22-28: 5 books, 1 coffee mug, fabric for 2 skirts - all Christmas gifts
Week 5 - 12/29-1/4: Nothing

52 weeks of reducing the stuff you own to clear space for more happiness in your life

Just choose one and get started! From a blog post I've listed before - 101 physical things that can be reduced in your home - here's the list. I'm going to pick one area a week and post a picture of what leaves the house. I will also remove the items from our home inventory.

I started December 1st and am sending these 6 Christmas napkins to my DIL who does entertain over the holidays and said she would like them. They will make good padding in the box of presents I need to mail LOL. My Mom made them many, many years ago and I am glad they are going to a family member.

Next week is to continue on to deciding what to do with placemats that aren't used. I think then I will be able to move the remaining tablecloths, placemats and napkins to an empty shelf in the linen closet in the bathroom rather than having them stuffed in a kitchen cabinet. That will enable me to move some other kitchen things around to make them easier to access.

What one thing would make a noticeable difference in your home if your reduced the amount you own?

1. Glassware
2. Cookbooks
3. Kitchen gadgets
4. Kitchen appliances
5. Pots / pans
6. Mixing bowls
7. Tupperware
8. Water pitchers
9. Magazines
10. Newspapers
11. Books
12. Over-the-counter medicine
13. Make-up
14. Barretts / hair clips / ponytail holders
15. Cleaning supplies
16. Personal beauty appliances (hair dryer/curlers, electric razors)
17. Bottles of shampoo/conditioner
18. Photos
19. Photography supplies
20. Sewing supplies
21. Craft supplies
22. Scrap-booking supplies
23. CD’s
24. DVD’s
25. Decorative items
26. Candles
27. Figurines
28. Crystal
29. Vases
30. Audio/visual components
31. Audio/visual cables
32. Computer equipment
33. MP3 players
34. Furniture
35. Video game systems
36. Video games
37. Video game accessories
38. Shirts / shorts
39. Pants
40. Coats
41. Dresses
42. Hats
43. Clothes hangers
44. Shoes
45. Winter gear
46. Jewelry
47. Purses
48. Coins
49. Pillows
50. Towels
51. Linen sets
52. Candle Holders
53. Televisions
54. Items on your bulletin board
55. Magnets
56. Artwork
57. Mirrors
58. Home office supplies
59. Pens/pencils
60. Old batteries
61. Tools
62. Hardware
63. Rolls of duct tape
64. Coolers
65. Manuals
66. Phone books
67. Coupons
68. Sporting good supplies
69. Sports memorabilia
70. Aluminum cans
71. Glass bottles
72. Automobile fluids
73. Automobiles
74. Scrap pieces of lumber
75. Brooms
76. Rakes
77. Shovels
78. Garden tools
79. Plant containers
80. Empty cardboard boxes
81. Board games
82. Puzzles
83. Decks of cards
84. Unused wedding gifts
85. Baby clothes
86. Baby supplies
87. Old schoolbooks/papers
88. Army men
89. Bath toys
90. Toy balls
91. Toy cars/trucks
92. Toy musical instruments
93. Stuffed animals
94. Plastic toys
95. Childrens’ old school papers
96. Suitcases
97. Soda
98. Alcohol
99. Processed foods
100. Christmas / seasonal decorations
101. Cable channels

Link love

Check these out -

101 physical things that can be reduced in your home is a great reminder that most of us have too much stuff no matter how much we declutter. We cleaned our upper kitchen cabinets and out went 3 items - it would have been 4 but I put the small thermos back LOL. Silly because I haven't used it since I bought myself an insulated travel mug. Next decluttering round perhaps.

Slow your home - I especially like the 2013 in 2013 declutter challenge.

The True Cost of Stuff and other interesting links

Head over to the mnmlist to read a thought provoking post about The True Cost of Stuff - how does it make you feel about shopping for new anything?

Want to store fruit and vegetables without plastic? Here's a guide from the Berkeley Ecology Center which also has lots of other interesting information. How to store fruits and vegetables

When the shopping urge hits you, read this instead How to be rich without a lot of money or stuff

Today's Decluttering Items
2 excess shipping boxes

Yikes! Lots of plastic touching our food

So how did that inventory of food related plastic turn out?

We buy lots of food wholly or partially packaged in plastic: Cereal, dried fruit, pasta, rice, legumes, bread products, crackers, chicken broth, canola oil, honey, brown sugar, maple syrup, baking powder, nuts, peanut butter, mayonnaise, ketchup, salad dressing, BBQ sauce spices, tea, mil, soy milk, nondairy spread, mustard, sun dried tomatoes, yogurt, hummus, cheese, lunch meat, meat, fish, frozen vegetables and fruit, frozen waffles and pancakes, veggie burgers, coffee, and lined cans. Toothpaste and mouthwash count too as they go in our mouth.

We store food in plastic containers, bags and wrap on serve it on plastic trays at times. We use plastic to prepare food: lettuce spinner, Teflon pans, nylon spatulas and spoons, measuring spoons and cups, whisk, pastry brush, vegetable scrubber, bowl, strainer, blender, food processor, waffle iron and ice bucket. Some of these items are rarely used or are hard plastic which I believe is less dangerous so they are low priority.

I did pull out some plastic containers that have the telltale sign of having microwaved tomato based food in them. They will be re-purposed to hold non-food items if possible and, if not, recycled.

So what is the plan? I am going to try to find substitutes for items as they are used up or in the case of plastic food storage slowly replace with non-plastic items. I started by moving three old Pyrex casseroles with lids that are never used into the food container drawer. I'm going to save a few jars to use to store items only available in plastic containers or to use for leftover food storage. I'll continue to reuse plastic produce bags and when they finally run out try to find non-plastic replacements. We do use plastic shopping bags as trash bags so I expect that will continue as will recycling what plastic we can.

First up on the research list is a glass orange juice container to replace the old plastic one.

Today's Decluttering Items
2 foreign coins worth a whole $0.08 and from an African country we never visited. Did you know you can send them to UNICEF as a donation?

I'm all prepared for a simple Christmas

This has to be the easiest Christmas preparations yet.

Presents were ordered online for the six people we send gifts to and were shipped directly to the recipient. Most of them sent specific wish lists which made it easy to shop.

20 Christmas cards sent.

Christmas Eve dinner reservation made.

Ingredients on hand to make easy cookies for 2 Christmas parties next week.

All that is left is to drive around some night and enjoy other people's Christmas lights.

Whew - I'm not tired at all! That leaves me with more Christmas cheer.

Our Christmas is simple - but not nearly as much fun as it used to be

Time to get on with the Christmas shopping! We have it pretty easy compared to the number of gifts some people give. A Harry & David order for my Father-in-Law. A flower order for my Mom. Our grown sons and their sweeties send us wish lists - and this year I managed to create my own Amazon wish list for them. We have things delivered by Santa's helpers, so no wrapping either.

So that just leaves deciding on a budget, picking out what to give and also finding gifts for the two who have birthdays around the holidays. We'll also send out a few cards, find some holiday music to listen to, drive around and admire the holiday lights, go to the neighborhood holiday party, I'll go to my book club party, and the two of us will go out for a special dinner Christmas Eve. Not nearly as much fun as when the kids were little, but it is simple.

Do you make your holidays simple or go all out?

Simplifying post-vacation reentry to daily life

After a week long trip I have to say I am thankful to be home after being very thankful about spending lots of time with loved ones in sunny and warm Southern California for Thanksgiving!

Luckily we were so tired last night that we went to sleep just a bit later than our usual East Coast time. So although we are a bit jet lagged it's really not too bad. Even the dog was exhausted from a week at her foster family's house playing hard with their dogs and cat. In fact she is still sleeping.

The reentry challenge though is usually around household matters. We ate oatmeal and canned fruit for dinner last night and were grateful that the milk hadn't soured LOL. Although I hadn't gained any weight over Thanksgiving, which is a wonder, I was feeling the effects of a higher than usual sodium diet so oatmeal was great.

There are 3 loads of wash to do and food to be bought. I have an appointment this afternoon. Hubby made sure he didn't have any until afternoon so he could go in to work a bit late.

I decided to try to make this as easy on myself as possible. Only one load of wash today. Only the 2 closest grocery stores and I bought everything there that I would usually buy at the third. A reward stop for a latte and pumpkin chocolate chip bread. And did I mention the dog is still exhausted? So no need to walk the dog thank goodness.

It really isn't much of a challenge given that we are empty nesters but it is good to be kind to yourself when you can!

Thought for the day - Works for me

Project 333 - Fall Wardrobe

I started Project 333 on September 30th and am happily living with my 33 piece capsule wardrobe. Given how many months we have of hot weather vs. fall, winter or spring, mine is a 2 month project for fall and spring, 3 months for winter and summer will be 5 months. But the same idea applies. A wardrobe of 33 items not counting exercise, at home lounge, or sleep wear or underwear.

I never have had a large number of clothes but I like color and variety so it tended to be a jumble when I looked in the closet each morning. This capsule is working out quite well and I didn't have to buy a thing. In fact I have already donated quite a few things that just didn't deserve space in my closet. There will be more out the door as I create wardrobes for the other three seasons and there will be lots of shopping for the summer one as it spans 5 months and sometimes two outfits a day if I am outside. Got to love Hotlanta!

What do I have for our two lovely fall months (October and November)? 5 pairs of pants, 5 long sleeve shirts, 3 mid length sleeve shirt, 5 short sleeve shirts, 5 sweaters/vest, 2 pairs of shoes, a scarf, 4 pieces jewelry, 2 coats, a purse, and gloves. Turns out in addition to my basic colors of black, gray and denim, I had quite a few orange tops from blaze orange to melon. All mix and match.

I did have to swap a few things out as the weather cooled - heavy black cardigan, black slacks and a third pair of jeans were put instead of short sleeve black cardigan, black capris and denim capris. I also grabbed a suit jacket from the winter clothes for a business trip. That's it though.

I've already got the next capsule wardrobe pretty much figured out and a lot of these pieces will transition to the winter version. I'll post it when I switch on December 1st.

Have you tried anything like this with your clothes?

Are your files full of paper you no longer need?

I am slowly making the calls to find out if I need to keep the paperwork that accumulated in our life before the advent of on-line accounts and records for most financial aspects of life. Today it was 3 inches of paper that were records from IRAs long ago rolled over into the one IRA we each have. No need to keep it my tax adviser said. I suspect I could toss the paper copies of the investment contracts too but this is baby steps!

Financial record keeping is the hardest for me to be sure of in terms of requirements. I tend to over save which has produced a lot of files full of paper. I'm in the process of looking at it all carefully and removing what is not needed and then shredding the appropriate papers before they are recycled. Not fun but then I don't want to move all this paper when we finally do sell this house! Maybe I will reconsider those paper copies of investment contracts and verify what is online. I guess all we need is a list of the account numbers.

Onward.

Update: I decided to keep the paper copies of the contracts for now as I couldn't find the same info online easily. It's probably there but I needed to move on!