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Location: Tampa Bay`·.¸¸ ><((((º>.·´¯`·><((((º>
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It is hard to get rid of all that stuff we accumulate thru the years, but it is much betTer if We do it than to have our inmediate family take it to Goodwill!
Will you truly not have a place for your collectibles when you move? The things I collect are also part of my decor and I am not having a problem w/ finding a place for them. The only thing in boxes would be Christmas decor and that is always going to be boxed up and in the attic at the end of the season.
If you literally have no place to put things where you can enjoy them, then you are very smart for tackling it now. Also, taking photos is a great way of keeping the memories.
It only makes sense to sell what you would either have to store or give away.
It is an arduous task if one has collected over a lifetime.
And yes, big difference between collecting and hoarding!
Just an aside . . . my Aunt died recently and she had been a lifetime collector. She gave most of her porcelain baby dolls to her daughter decades ago -- and daughter has them displayed in a guest bedroom- some on the bed, some in a wicker pram, one in a rocker . . . if you really want to hang on to the dolls for a while, you might consider working them into your decor.
I don't feel that I have the right to dispose of "family heirlooms" that my mom passed down to me. Most of it is "junk" to me. As a guy, I could care less about tea sets, plates, etc. These things go back a bunch of generations and I owe it to my ancestors to either pass them on to my daughter, if she wants them, (she doesn't); or to my nieces and nephews. None of it has any monetary value, but it is not up to me to trash or sell them.
We will be retiring in the next 3-5 years, so there's no urgency in getting rid of some stuff. However, I just feel its time to let go of some things. Depending on the circumstances, we may be moving in another year, anyways. I have many trinkets, etc, some from my mother, some I've purchased over the years, that I've now decided to re-evaluate to decide if I really want to go through wrapping, shipping, storing, yet again. Many items haven't been opened for years. I'm listing some things on Ebay, especially Christmas stuff that's traveled around the country with me encased in bubble wrap for years. Some things I can never part with, like the little tree angel my Grandmother gave me. Others are just things taking up space, like my collection of Hallmark Ornaments. We've found it to be too much of a hassle to unwrap, display, then wrap and store year after year, and those years go by so much more quickly now Seems like we just take the stuff down and its back up again, its become more of a burden than a joy. This is the best time of year to part with such.
Some things have sentimental value, others are just things. Like my DD collection of American Girl Dolls, clothes, etc. I feel a bit of a pang listing them for sale, but she's outgrown them, of course, and I doubt she would want to pass them on to her daughter. In the meantime, just storing them would become a burden to her. She would probably just sell them on Ebay, I might as well sell them now and put the money towards something for her, like college, etc.
As I go through my "memorabilia" I realize I am downsizing in anticipation of retirement, empty nest, etc. Some things I wonder WTH I ever bought in the first place, like LLadro figurines, Savorski crystal, just dust catchers. They should bring a good price, especially since they are still in original box and discontinued. Better I get something now than have them go to the Goodwill later if someone has to clean us out. Obviously, its somewhat painful, as I look one last time on memory-catchers from my past. If something holds a lot of memories, I take pictures and am making a scrapbook, sort of a Reader's Digest" version of my life. Other items are just stuff, if I can get some money and free up the space, so much the better.
I ask myself what would it be like if I had to get rid of everything at once? Some family event forced us to downsize, and we had just a weekend to prune and sort our lives in trinkets. It would be so overwhelming and stressful. Getting rid of at least some now spares me the pain of disposing of everything at once.
No, I'm not a hoarder. Every move I've disposed of a ton of stuff, and make regular donations of used items to charities, etc. I don't hang onto every little thing. But, we're people, who have lived about 2/3 of our lives, and you do collect stuff along the way. Its now time to let some memories go.......
I remember when my parents moved, they had over 30+ years of mementos, etc, in their home. The move was sudden, due to circumstances, and the emotions of sorting everything at once nearly broke them. Sadly, much was lost in the process. At least this way I have some control, and hence less of a sensation of loss.
Well, just taking a break, now, back to pruning, sorting, listing, selling........life goes on, we can't stay tied to things!
There are things you can do now to help you feel better about things technology wise. Take many digital photos of everything you may want to reflect on at some future point. Digital photos take up no physical space and you could store thousands of them cheaply too. You can easily make video recordings now too.
The other thing to think of, is how much joy someone else is going to get out of those things.
I figure every item I dispose of now is one less I will have to consider when "the time comes".
Yes, the suggestion to make a scrapbook with pictures, stories, etc is a good one! Actually, that's what I've been doing. Its a long, slow process, mainly because of the memories it brings back. There's only so much emotionally one can go through in a given time period.
My parents had to move suddenly, to make a long story short. Much of their stuff was boxed up and put into storage. My mother passed suddenly, and guess who got everything? Imagine having a moving van pull up to your house with 30 years of stuff Ok, I don't mean to criticize my mother, she wasn't dirty, like those nut cases on that TV show. Everything was organized, but.....so much of it! We had to turn around and rent yet another storage unit, for about a year, for all the boxes I thought I would never see the end of those boxes! We'd do a few a week, sort, sift, it was like going through layers of my life. My childhood toys, my mother's hostess dishes, Dad's hunting stuff, old letters, photos, ........finally we sorted all the boxes. Sadly to say, I just donated or ditched most of the stuff. Yes, I know, could have sold stuff on Ebay, Craigs List, Garage Sales, etc, but it was simply too overwhelming. I just wanted to put an end to it and bring closure to my parents' passing. I never want to leave such an awesome burden on my children.
I've asked my dd about the dolls, she truly doesn't want them, she never played with them much, anyways. However, she is still attached to her 300+ stuffed animals! Maybe she can inherit them, and they will serve as memory catchers.......
Guess I've reached an end point for today, got to go make dinner. Right now I'm sitting here staring at a little trinket box I found among my mother's things. Its a little brass box with a glass lid. I use it to keep stamps, rubber bands, paper clips, etc. I honestly don't remember it, perhaps it was something she acquired after I moved away. Then, I saw one similar on Ebay that sold for $95! It Ormolu, some sort of coated brass thing. I hate to get rid of things that have memories and sentiment, but I honestly have no recollections of this thing. I'd rather have the money---we could all use $90+. See, to me its just a thing, not a part of my past. OTH, I hang onto some items because they are a part of my past.......
That's my point, these decisions do take an emotional toll, at least sometimes. So, 'm wanting to keep the emotions down as I sort. Oh, and believe me, I'm NOT a hoarder. You should have seen the tons of crap got rid of n my last 3 moves, not to mention all my mother's stuff. But people do have stuff, we can't be expected to live like a nun in a bare cell
I was just reflecting....30+ years ago, we got married and bought a huge house, 4 bdr, 3 bath, 2800 sq ft, because it was such a great buy. It cost 80,000 (yes, back then, you really could buy a house for just 80K). we put down 20K, took out a 15 yr mortgage, made double monthly payments, had it paid off in 7 years and rolled with the equity ever since! But, there I was, in a huge house without hardly a stick of furniture, let alone clutter. Well, we gradually filled it up with essential furniture, then, I started acquiring "decorator items" to personalize it, make it feel cozy, inviting, etc. Now many of those very items I'm pruning.........how did that time go by so fast? But the main thing we managed to keep from the past----our "equity"
When our mom passed my wonderful 'organized' sister who had been living with her, & those of us able to help, went through, organized who had given what to her, sorted the rest into 'who wants what' piles, and we had a family get together a few months after she passed. Whatever wasn't taken was boxed and given away.
But what a job! We couldn't do it while mom was alive as she had dementia towards the end and having been raised during the depression, she hung onto everything.
We're ALL downsizing now so our kids do not have to go through that. It's a wonderful gift you will give your family to do it yourself before they need to.
BTDT, and am still doing it after starting one of these threads here about a year ago. You are smart to start now. I spent about a year and that wasn't even enough time. I used all, giving to thrift stores, Freecycle, Craigslist, Restore, and best of all, my neighborhood private facebook page. If it had been my DH, he would have had a dumpster in the driveway. At least I feel my stuff went on to places needed. Then, the first thing I did once we really got moved was to find a local thrift store connected with a church and continued the giving of stuff that came and shouldn't have made the move. My next pile of that will be Christmas decorations I know I don't need. Taking digital pictures was a definite help in all of this, even of my kids school posters and sport trophies. Yes, I even found someone to donate the old trophies who recycled them.
One word on eBay, it's not always as easy, or quick as you think. We are doing that now. While we are able to get rid and sell stuff there, things I have no idea why someone buys, it takes time. Listing and selling isn't that hard but it takes time to take decent photos, then to do the research to really know how to price things. I've been surprised at things that have sold but still have lots that have no interest. We also realized we had to watch the timing so we weren't waiting for a payment to ship when we were leaving on vacation. Still, it's fun to see bidding on little things and know someone is happy to get it.
I had the experience of helping to disassemble my mom's household, and even in her smallish condo, there was lots of stuff. I don't think she knew what she had. She had a tendency to keep things out of neglect or laziness. It was quite a job, but I had two sibs to help.
When we moved from our last house, we got rid or enormous amounts of stuff in a matter of weeks. And we had gotten rid of much more a couple years before. So, we really did purge. I did ebay searches for some things, and if the item has value, I tended to keep it. I rotate accessories around my house, and I need a few seasonal things. I do think that I will need to purge more things as time goes on. I think it is sensible to try to sell them if I decide to get rid of them, or give to family. But most family members don't want your stuff, IMO.
But when you have to do a big purge all at once, you end up just donating things. You don't have time to sell things.
There are things you can do now to help you feel better about things technology wise. Take many digital photos of everything you may want to reflect on at some future point. Digital photos take up no physical space and you could store thousands of them cheaply too. You can easily make video recordings now too.
The other thing to think of, is how much joy someone else is going to get out of those things.
Yes, I also think like that. Let someone else enjoy them now!
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Seems like we just take the stuff down and its back up again, its become more of a burden than a joy. This is the best time of year to part with such.
Ok, I don't mean to criticize my mother, she wasn't dirty, like those nut cases on that TV show. Everything was organized, but.....so much of it! We had to turn around and rent yet another storage unit, for about a year, for all the boxes
I thought I would never see the end of those boxes! We'd do a few a week, sort, sift, it was like going through layers of my life. My childhood toys, my mother's hostess dishes, Dad's hunting stuff, old letters, photos, ........finally we sorted all the boxes. Sadly to say, I just donated or ditched most of the stuff. Yes, I know, could have sold stuff on Ebay, Craigs List, Garage Sales, etc, but it was simply too overwhelming. I just wanted to put an end to it and bring closure to my parents' passing. I never want to leave such an awesome burden on my children.
