[AfterMyNap]

I've dropped about 35lbs!

Today is my scheduled 7-yr. shred day. It is filled with mixed emotions, triumphs, losses, accomplishments, foolish purchases, and high priorities.

This wave has, so far, had a significant emotional impact on me as I've finally relented and I dove into my undergrad files. What a strange sensation it is to watch years of my life slowly get gobbled up a semester at a time. Acceptance letter... FAFs & financial apps... scholarship award letter... registrations in triplicate... grade reports... clubs... loans... text book receipts ... Then, finally, graduation papers... payment statements... loan totals ... I stopped at the diploma and the paid-in-full letter.

Then the years of my gainful employment went by along with all the receipts, warrantees, check stubs, bank account statements... so many things, places, people. I mourned the loss of the physical & financial freedoms of those years.

I also made note that, all things considered, mine has been a pretty neat life and now my file drawer has lots of room for more unsightly pounds.

[SallyC]

Good News, AMN, I found your 35 lbs. Oh, weight, you were talking about your drawers.

[Kitty]

Congratulations! I was fixin' to get really envious of your weight loss......'cos I read the title as "shedding" and not "shredding".

That's an awful lot of shredding to do......I hope you have an industrial size shredder!

[TwoKidsTwoCats]

Shredder has been running here too! Three 33 gallon bags worth in the recycle bin. Four file drawers to go.
And that is just DHs stuff. I still have 2 file drawers and 2 cabinets of my own to clean out!

[AfterMyNap]

I hear you, Pam, isn't it amazing how much paperwork can pile up over time? I try to be good and do an annual purge of anything older than seven years but often procrastinate over the super huge files. Shredding is BORING! (hm... a lot like DM.).

Half a pot of SortKwik and a couple bloody Marys ago, I thought I'd never see my desktop again. C'mon, Hefty!

*wondering which suckah neighbor boy will be taking my trash out for me this week*

[ewizabeth]

I have seven years of corporate files in our basement AMN. Should we have an annual shred-fest at my house? I still haven't touched my college papers, after all, I put so much work into them! I must have 500 lbs or more.

[PolarExpress]

Isn't it amazing what we become emotionally attached to? I'd be embarrassed to tell ya what some of the papers/receipts, etc I've finally gotten around to throwing out were for..

[AfterMyNap]

Originally Posted by PolarExpress

Isn't it amazing what we become emotionally attached to? I'd be embarrassed to tell ya what some of the papers/receipts, etc I've finally gotten around to throwing out were for..

Quite right, Po, I have never had a real grip on why I was so reluctant to let go of all the college junk. I've never once looked through it since I stowed it all away. It's not like I will turn stupid without all the papers in a folder (I think).

The other thing that stung me a little was my printed resume/etc. files. The strange thing is that I'm kinda liking this not working thing— in fact, work cramps my style!

[Riverwild]

I do this in the winter when the woodstove is going.. It clears the files and heats the house too!

[tkrik]

(((AMN))) I can sympathize; actually empathize with you. I just moved in with DBF this past weekend and totally cleaned out all that stuff. I not only have my own to shred but DDs as well. Any identifying information on it is getting shredded. I actually have been thinking of just having a big bon fire because all that shredding is a little overwhelming and I want to get out of the apt. by Wednesday.

Happy shredding, my friend. I am right there with you.