Three rules and 10 things you can get rid of before you move

We are moving to Colorado in two weeks and I’ve come up with three rules for sorting stuff before packing:

1. Do I use it?
2. If not, will I use it in a year?
3. If not, is the sentimental value worth moving it?

This eliminates:
1. jeans that once fit
2. single socks with no mate
3. old phone books
4. makeup that is two shades too dark but cost so much you don’t want to waste money by throwing it away
5. the fourth casserole dish with serving basket
6. old towels kept for rags
(Wait – don’t throw those away. They’re great for wrapping glassware, and can be tossed after the move.)
7. old formals that your grownup daughter never wore and your granddaughter won’t either
8. the two-pint containers of turkey drippings saved from Thanksgiving for soup someday
9. padlocks that have no keys
10. dried up ink pens from Disneyland

Some of these items can be recycled through thrift stores or sold on Ebay, but probably not the turkey drippings.

I know I’m not the only American who has kept things that should have been tossed or given away long ago, so if you have anything to add to the list, I’d love to hear from you.