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When we moved I gave all the porcelain dinnerware and crystal glasses to my daughter in law, if she hadn't wanted it I would have put it on consignment somewhere but from the research I did it's not worth much anymore, people want stuff they can clean in the dishwasher. I scanned all my old photos and slides and put them on a portable hard drive & got rid of the originals. I took photos of the kids baseball and football trophies (they wanted to keep them but not in their own homes lol) and got rid of them. It's amazing how much stuff I got rid of that I have never missed in the 5 years since we moved, we went from 2900 sq ft to 1400 so it was easier than it would have been if we were going to live in a tiny condo but after the experience I'm pretty sure that we are still living with a ton of stuff we don't need.
I've stopped scanning photos for the time being, but have thrown many away. Scenery, people that I don't remember, duplicate prints were the first to go.
When I rented the house, it had been empty for a year, and there were 18 rosebushes that had not been cared for. In the five years I lived there, I brought them back to their full beauty and health. But they weren't mine, and I had to leave them.
Who is going to feed the humming birds? I'll miss the butterflies, too, and the bumble bees.
MQ, that is good way to consider that space. It will be my space to use as I choose.
I helped clean out my father-in-law's house and was in charge of my mother's hoarded stash. I don't want to be that person.
My mother is still living in her house at nearly 91. She and my father had the house built in 1957 and moved in nine months before I was born. About ten years ago, when she was in better strength than now, she started cleaning out the attic and the basement and telling us to come get anything that was ours or it was going. She's still got some things but she got rid of a lot of junk.
The only thing she hangs onto (and has asked us if we want them and we all said no) is a collection of snow babies, those little figurines. My late brother used to give one to her on Mother's Day and I think she doesn't have the heart to give them away now that he's gone. He has a daughter who can figure out what to do with them.
I'm moving from 2000+ square feet to about 850 in a couple of weeks, and I'm having nightmares about being stuck in tight spaces. I have no idea what to do with this. The move is inevitable.
Have you moved to a small space and felt cramped or hemmed in?
so the question is about stuff you have or about being claustrophobic, I don't understand.
Being claustrophobic is a totally different issue, which might explain the nightmares of being stuck in tight spaces.
Moving is a nightmare in general. Even if you move from a small place to a bigger one. Crap tends to accumulate. How many times did I tell myself that from now on I'll only buy books on kindle?
We had to move Mom (age 92 at the time) from a nearly 3000sf house with a barn and shed, all crammed with stuff, to an 850sf two bed, one bath apartment. We spent weeks placing furniture on a scale model, so she could envision what she could and could not fit into the new place. Then we went through the kitchen and pantry item by item, forcing her to decide what could fit into the new place. It was exceedingly painful for her, but we finally got it all down to a reasonable amount of stuff.
As soon as we moved her in, she decided to send a truckload of stuff back to the house and into the estate auction. Once in a while, she mentions a particular item she no longer has, but in general she's been very happy not having all that stuff crammed into every closet and shelf. She even has empty shelves in her china hutch, which we've noticed and are not about to mention to her...
In the two years since that move, she's gotten rid of even more stuff, and discovered old treasures that had been buried and forgotten in boxes. She's down to only eight boxes now, all genealogy and photographs. As she cleans up a particular family tree, it goes into binders and on a bookshelf, and the box goes away.
Of course, she needs a new bookcase, but there's room for it now.
All that grief certainly spurred me into getting rid of our own junk. Why keep something we don't use, merely look at (and dust)? Take a photo, upload it, and let the item go to someone who can use it. Our local thrift store knows me by name...
I'm moving from 2000+ square feet to about 850 in a couple of weeks, and I'm having nightmares about being stuck in tight spaces. I have no idea what to do with this. The move is inevitable.
Have you moved to a small space and felt cramped or hemmed in?
Hmm, for my personal tastes, I think 800 to 1250 sq ft is the "sweet spot". I've lived in 500 sq ft studio apartments before, and it wasn't bad since I came from living with roommates, but now have a smaller area all to myself. However, I've gotten used to larger areas. Anything 1300 sq ft and bigger is nice, but wasteful in terms of extra rent, mortgage, taxes, utility bills, and on philosophy.
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For yourself, is there any claustrophobia or similar conditions involved?
Also, do you actually need that space? I know some people have art supplies, musical instruments, tools, etc. so they'll naturally need more space then myself.
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About ten years ago, when she was in better strength than now, she started cleaning out the attic and the basement and telling us to come get anything that was ours or it was going. She's still got some things but she got rid of a lot of junk.