if you give a mouse a cookie

There's a children's book called If You Give A Mouse A Cookie. It's a story about how doing one thing can lead to another and another.

That's what happens to me today.

I go to my closet to find a liquid soap refill that I'm pretty sure I bought ages ago.

This leads to a major clean-up of a large, primarily non-clothes, closet. 

I end up finding and tossing:

• Small little gadgets that I'm guessing attach to some unknown larger gadgets.

• Empty Lululemon bags (but a lot of them) that I keep just in case I'm looking for an empty shopping bag. But really, how many of these does one really need? 

• Boxes that hold accessories to cameras I've bought over the years. If I haven't used the accessories yet, I'm sure I never will.

• Lots of paper cups for entertaining large groups of people. Needless to say, I don't need these. And when I do again, I'll get new ones. They are taking up too much space.

I also find things I didn't realize I had.

• Many many rolls of toilet paper and paper towels. I have both Extra Strong and Extra Soft toilet paper types; I was buying whatever I could find.

• Four unopened canisters of once-coveted Clorox Wipes.

• A box of orange disposable gloves; I think I used one pair, and doubt I'll use these again. Still. I keep them just in case.

• And a Costco-sized box of Swiffer refills.

Then I come across a big box of Peet's Coffee Pods for a Keurig (22 pods in each box), with a best-by date of August 7, 2020. I stopped using my Keurig months ago, preferring instead to make coffee. 

And a box of 6, 32-ounce chicken broths from Costco. I haven't made soup in a while. These have a best-before date of February 11, 2021.

I am all set to throw out the coffee pods and soup; none of my friends want them; I ask. But I feel bad tossing what I know are still perfectly fine products. So I post on Craig's List under the category Free Stuff. I of course include the expired, or soon to expire, best-buy dates.

Within minutes, I am flooded with responses. And within hours they are gone. The soup to Helen at 2pm, and the pods to Al at 4.

I now have a clean closet. Have made two people happy. And have wasted no food.

Too bad I never did find the liquid soap refill I originally went hunting for.