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So I moved into my mother in law's house, renting, and want to know what to do with everybodies junk. All the inlaws have long since moved out of state taking only what the needed and leaving everything else behind. What's the best way to approach this
Be VERY careful. It may seem like just left over junk to you, but to them, it's their treasures that they have lovingly left behind in a safe place.
Storing stuff in Grandma's garage is a time honored thing to do!
I would give them a nice long time-line - like six months - and tell them they need to get all their stuff moved. Then expect it to take closer to a year, since they will have to come from out of state. Be kind. Your mother-in-law allowed them to move the stuff into her house, and now you are the one changing the rules - so do it gently, go slow, and be kind.
If you try to do it quickly, or you're not receptive to their needs, you could end up with a lot of VERY angry relatives who will never forgive you.
Didn't they say what they expected you to do with it? Are they just assuming you're going to keep it indefinitely? I'm not trying to be rude, it just seems odd to me that neither side discussed what was going to become of their possessions.
Didn't they say what they expected you to do with it? Are they just assuming you're going to keep it indefinitely? I'm not trying to be rude, it just seems odd to me that neither side discussed what was going to become of their possessions.
It's like they packed up what they needed and left everything else behind. My wife's brother has moved in and out of the house about three- or four times. We have a three stall garage and it's so packed with their junk, not just personal items but actual trash that I have to climb through to get to my car on the far end.
Host a family reunion. Tell them to come with an empty U-haul.
I like this idea. Set the date for six months from now, giving everyone plenty of time to make travel arrangements. Call a caterer.
Emphasize that everything left in the garage a week or two after the family reunion -- set that cutoff date, too -- will be donated to charity, given away, or thrown away.
Get your car and anything that is yours out of the garage for the reunion -- rent a PODS if you need to for the weekend. Tell the family you want to see an empty garage!
Didn't they say what they expected you to do with it? Are they just assuming you're going to keep it indefinitely? I'm not trying to be rude, it just seems odd to me that neither side discussed what was going to become of their possessions.
I was going through some of my things, in my grandmother's garage a couple of years ago, and I found a suitcase that my aunt had left there since the early 1980's. It was like looking in a time capsule!
Point is, lots of families use Grandma's garage, or Grandma's spare bedroom as a place to store their things - and there is never any discussion of when they'll come get it. It's just an accepted fact that Grandma has space, and wants to help out, if you need to store something. My own Grandma was raised during the depression - so she hates to see anyone get rid of anything they might want later - and so she is always open to keeping something for you, if you need her to.
I like this idea. Set the date for six months from now, giving everyone plenty of time to make travel arrangements. Call a caterer.
Emphasize that everything left in the garage a week or two after the family reunion -- set that cutoff date, too -- will be donated to charity, given away, or thrown away.
Get your car and anything that is yours out of the garage for the reunion -- rent a PODS if you need to for the weekend. Tell the family you want to see an empty garage!
Sounds good but they all live out of state....way out of state. Perhaps when my mother in law comes over I can convince her to let me clean
Sounds good but they all live out of state....way out of state. Perhaps when my mother in law comes over I can convince her to let me clean
They wouldn't travel to your house for a reunion? Can you enlist your mother-in-law to help convince them?
See, this way they do all the heavy lifting, and you just clean up the rest!
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