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My husband and I, as well as both adult kids, are sentimental, and enjoy living with some inherited items. Along with that, we are all interested in genealogy. My Millenial kids enjoy going to vintage car shows and model railroad shows. They both want my father's American Flyer train set to put around the Christmas tree -- it will go to the older one, who married a fellow whose dad also has an American Flyer train, so they can switch around the transformers, tracks, and cars.
But, the couples did buy a new sofa from Ikea......
I took a few pieces of nice furniture that worked with mine. I have 3 brothers, so it was easy for us to divide and distribute the “stuff”. No one had to be over burdened. My mother had downsized, so her “stuff “ was all pretty nice.
I inherited a group of blanc de chine porcelain that I treasure, oriental bronzes , several listed artworks, as well as silver that I enjoy using. I took her furs, because I live on a mountain, (they are old but beautiful and I remember each time my father gave them to her), and her Chanel purses. Also my mother’s, grandmother’s and great aunt’s jewelry. I’ve already passed some of the jewelry down to my daughter in law and granddaughter. We did not downsize-so we had room.
My husband’s parents passed way too young. We did use some of their furniture, early in our marriage. My husband’s sister used most of their furniture and home goods also early in her marriage.
We also have most of the family photos-which we are slowly scanning.
I don’t know if my son will really want any of our stuff— but he should be able to sell much of it.
No, I throw stuff away. I’m not sentimental about things. But my sister is a pack rack, she took everything my father’s nursing home back to her house. She has no space even. When she finds out old fridge doesn’t work, it’s kind of a waste in storage.
I don't know why my parents didn't put their foot down and say "no" to all this stuff.
Probably for the same reason I didn't. They didn't want to hurt anyone's feelings.
Sometimes people make requests that are just unrealistic. I remember when my MIL insisted I take all of her Reader's Digest Condensed Books and distribute them to nursing homes. Yeah, except they were filthy and bug-ridden, with holes chewed in the pages.
I tossed a few of them in every garbage bin I encountered that day and felt no guilt at all.
No, I throw stuff away. I’m not sentimental about things. But my sister is a pack rack, she took everything my father’s nursing home back to her house. She has no space even. When she finds out old fridge doesn’t work, it’s kind of a waste in storage.
I helped them get through this mess today. For awhile, the third bedroom was used as an office/work space when I was in high school. Once I was grown and gone, mom started to use that as a storage area for anything she bought.
When I moved back from Indy, I lived there for about eight months. That third bedroom was waste high in her purchases from Kohl's, Penney's, etc. I cleaned all that out in a day when they took a trip out of town, and placed things into bins for "keep, trash, donate." It was fine. That was in 2/2017. That room is now even more hoarded. She has so many clothes that the closest is inaccessible, there is a rack on wheels that stretches across the room that is full, the window is not accessible, and there is no visible floor but right at the door. She's also filled up their master closet and has confined dad's clothes to a small closet in the master bath.
I was very, very surprised today that mom was willing to let stuff go, given her hoarding habits, and dad was leafing through every binder and thing I pulled out of the living room.
The vast majority of that stuff needs dumpstered. When I cleaned out the bedroom a few years ago, the cats had defecated in the pile, etc. I'm sure the same thing has happened again.
Probably for the same reason I didn't. They didn't want to hurt anyone's feelings.
Sometimes people make requests that are just unrealistic. I remember when my MIL insisted I take all of her Reader's Digest Condensed Books and distribute them to nursing homes. Yeah, except they were filthy and bug-ridden, with holes chewed in the pages.
I tossed a few of them in every garbage bin I encountered that day and felt no guilt at all.
Dad has this stupid idea that this stuff can be donated.
I talked about this a couple weeks ago on another thread regarding donations. I'm not going to donate something that in horrible condition or that I wouldn't personally want to use. Something covered in cat hair that can't be vacuumed off in a reasonable amount of time or torn down to the frame is not something to donate. Donate things in good condition - not anything that is lying around in awful condition.
My office is moving while I was moving. I had to work from home from my parents' two Fridays ago because I didn't have internet in my apartment yet. The water heater flooded the garage area, and at least two of those rockers were sitting in water.
This stuff needs to be dumpstered/incinerated. There is a room in the basement that served as a fourth bedroom for the previous owner and was a gym area for us, but with the humidity and flooding issues, now has visible black mold on the sheet rock and drop ceiling tiles. There is a full size bed that was placed down there when I moved back and was never taken out when I left nearly two years ago. I'm sure that mattress in the black mold room would be wonderful to sleep on.
I recently sold my condo and have moved most of my day-to-day stuff into an apartment in the new town I'm working in. I have some furniture that's too big for my apartment at my aunt's condo, my kayak and other bulky outdoor type stuff in my uncle's business house, and a lot of the stuff I need more frequently at my parents' house since I get over there more often.
I got some stuff out of my parents' house today and they wanted some help rearranging a living room. As my mom's aunts/uncles and some family friends died over the years, they ended up with more furniture and other "stuff." A neighbor of my grandmother's moved, and gave my grandmother three rocking chairs. Those rocking chairs have ended up with my parents. Other things have "come in" that way.
As you got older, did you get more stuff coming in from friends and family passing away?
No.
1) I like my own stuff, and definitely do not want more that would be useless anyway.
2) I don't have any "family and friends" that have things that would come to me anyway. I mean, I have a huge family, but they all have their own children and close relatives to pass things to, if they were of any value.
My parents are still alive, and they have a crap TON of stuff in their house. It will NOT be coming into my home when they are gone. We'll have an estate sale.
I now have five generations of stuff but I got it down to maybe ten pieces. I only keep the functional stuff. I stopped thinking about it as heirlooms as no one wants any of it passed to them. Houses are too small for the big stuff anymore and I got rid of most of it the last time I moved. I think my wife's great grandmother's blanket chest is the oldest. I have photo albums out the wazoo.
No.
1) I like my own stuff, and definitely do not want more that would be useless anyway.
2) I don't have any "family and friends" that have things that would come to me anyway. I mean, I have a huge family, but they all have their own children and close relatives to pass things to, if they were of any value.
My parents are still alive, and they have a crap TON of stuff in their house. It will NOT be coming into my home when they are gone. We'll have an estate sale.
That's a common refrain. What if it's junk and people don't really want it?
You have stuff all over - your kayak at your uncle's place. Your furniture at your aunts'
Get rid of it. If you are not using it now, you don't need it.
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