Kat, I see that eBay has sent out one of their missives with new rules and policies. I haven't read it yet, but I guess we shouldn't be surprised. I don't get many payments by check or money order, but I offer it. eBay wants to get their cut of all of the payment transactions, and they don't get a PayPal fee if someone spends the price of a stamp to send a check. I listed a camera and gear this morning, and have a couple of other things to go soon, when I finish the research.

Liz, can you get rid of enough stuff in other rooms that you can then move everything out of a small room into those new spaces? It is a slower, Chinese puzzle approach, but unless you pile it outside on the sidewalk I think that's what you'll have to do.

MAG, folding laundry is a good start. Amazing how much temporary clutter can build up. I have a couple of baskets full on the living room sofa--we've had rain for several days so I had to use the dryer. When I hang laundry on the line it gets folded as it comes off of the line and is ready to put away. Though it has that step of taking it outside that seems extra, it seems to make the process more efficient. Enjoy the museum, but don't buy any souvenirs.

Becca, I got rid of a lot of shoes after the bunion surgery. If a shoe isn't flat or with a very slight incline, out it goes. If it doesn't feel perfect the first time I try it on, no buying it and hoping it will stretch out a little with wear. I want no new or returning bunions, and this may also head off a possible hammertoe.

Maryanne, I'll take a look at the upholstery fabric in my nearby Joann's and see if there is something that is nicely neutral that would work on at least one of these chairs. One was reupholstered probably 15 years ago in a pretty floral pattern. The cat sleeps on it on a pillow. I could pull that out and put one of the ones needing work for the cat. My favorite one that sits in a corner but isn't used needs to be re-done to support weight (my aunt's household had several very heavy people who stressed out the webbing inside). The can can have that one for a while.

On a small note of personal accomplishment (on paper), after 8 years of trying, the life insurance pool at the university has let me back in. Uterine cancer surgery in 2000 made me a "bad risk" and when I asked they offered lots of hoops to jump through and doctors forms to have filled out, only to deny the addition of extra coverage. I was stuck at the level of 2x my salary from when I was first eligible. During open season this year I again signed up, wanting 3x my salary, and it worked.

SRS