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I received some very nice Mission style furniture... asked the family if they had any plans for it and said yes... kindling or the dump... said I could have it but it had to be gone by the end of the day.
Insisted on buying it for $50 and got a signed receipt...
One person's trash is another's treasure.
The wife really liked Ikea furnishings and couldn't believe they got $50... said they were going out to dinner with the $50.
If everyone had the same taste the world would not be as colorful or interesting...
I received some very nice Mission style furniture... asked the family if they had any plans for it and said yes... kindling or the dump... said I could have it but it had to be gone by the end of the day.
Insisted on buying it for $50 and got a signed receipt...
One person's trash is another's treasure.
The wife really liked Ikea furnishings and couldn't believe they got $50... said they were going out to dinner with the $50.
If everyone had the same taste the world would not be as colorful or interesting...
If only the younger people were more like you! Mission style furniture may not be everyone's taste but it represents an important style in history and it was well made. I hope the wife who wanted to use it for kindling or take it to the dump enjoyed her meal. But much more, I hope the furniture will live on to be appreciated by others who have the sense to see the value of something that is quality and worth preserving.
Once Grandma is gone... do whatever you want... if accepting is a burden... just politely decline.
Sorry to keep coming up with these anecdotes...
Another friend was the only Grandchild close to her Grandmother... she was always sending little things home with her... a program from the Treasure Island Expo in 1939 or a menu from the place where Grandpa proposed...
Anyway... it was all graciously accepted along with the stories and memories attached.
When she passed... she left all her personal property to that one Granddaughter and the others were incensed... there were no strings attached other to say it gave her great comfort and she could do with it as she pleased...
You guessed it... the silver and jewelry and even the wedding rings were a hot topic... not because they belonged to Grams... only because they could easily be sold.
People come and go in your life and if a simple gesture provides comfort to a loved one... how can some people be so selfish and without empathy...
Since a young child... I have always been around a lot of older people... seen many go to retirement homes where no one visits... really can be sad when the sum total of your presence is nothing more than a nuisance to be expediently dealt with by filling a dumpster... and then complaining about it...
My son is 30, has his own house with his own furniture with his own style. Why would he want our stuff? Sure, he might take a piece or two (his father's favorite guitar, some of his father's tools, particularly those he likes and doesn't already have, my favorite of my mother's late 18th century clocks). Everything else he'd sell and with my blessing.
If only the younger people were more like you! Mission style furniture may not be everyone's taste but it represents an important style in history and it was well made. I hope the wife who wanted to use it for kindling or take it to the dump enjoyed her meal. But much more, I hope the furniture will live on to be appreciated by others who have the sense to see the value of something that is quality and worth preserving.
I'm an Engineer by profession and training and can really appreciate well designed and crafted items... simple can be very elegant.
Managing rentals for 30+ years I can say there never is enough room to haul out the mountains of trash generated... particleboard has a function... it doesn't travel well... plastic made in China toys and even bikes rarely lasts the year...
Things are made to sell and few think long term...
There was a time when unwanted excess would be sold... too often today it is simply seen as a nuisance that has to be dealt with and how sad it that... guess we really live in rich land based on what we trash.
I read all sorts of decor blogs, which are usually done by either female Gen-Xers or Millennials, generally with families. What many of these enterprising females do, is find old furniture from their grandparents' generation and they paint it! Sometimes they find pieces much older than that--and they paint them. And, it is not in style to buy an entire suite of bedroom furniture. Or, to have matching chairs for the dining table. And most younger people don't have room for large sets of china, or the inclination to hand wash heirloom dishes. So, times change.
My kids are Gen X and they have taken a few things from our household. But they won't want everything when the time comes to break up our household. Why would they?
After my mom passed, my sister could not give away her bedroom set to family members, which is actually pretty nice old furniture. I ended up taking it, but grudgingly, and only because DH said it was better than what we already had in the guest room. But I honestly don't care for it. I think my kids probably think the same about our stuff. I am seriously thinking about getting rid of some my collected pieces. I think I have too much. I am being very selective about bringing new things into the house. I have to get rid of something now to justify doing so.
I'm gen X but I can relate to this. I helped my parents move to a new house last year and they had so much JUNK it was insane. A 3400 sq foot house filled with knick knacks and 2 storage units filled with more junk. I can't believe how many boxes of christmas ornaments and other holiday decorations they had...and KEPT. Weird decorative fabric things you're supposed to put on a table, or something? I have no idea what those are even called, but my mom has a closet filled with those. My mom has like 5 sets of "heirloom" china she got from... somewhere? She doesn't really even have regular plates to eat off of. They just get take out or go out to eat every day.
What's kind of sad is they literally have nothing anyone would want. Not just me, or my siblings... but anyone. It's just all going to get junked. Seems so wasteful.
Anytime you're throwing away things that are still functional/useful but just not to your aesthetic tastes, it is wasteful.
But its wasteful on the part of the person who is throwing it away instead of donating it.
In nearly every city/town/county there is some sort of charitable organization that will take your donations, and sell in their store to raise money for their cause. That includes table linens of all sorts (doilies, runners, placemats, etc..) as well as miscellaneous china.
Good luck with the cleanout - I hope you find a place to donate these items you and your siblings aren't interested in.
Anytime you're throwing away things that are still functional/useful but just not to your aesthetic tastes, it is wasteful.
But its wasteful on the part of the person who is throwing it away instead of donating it.
In nearly every city/town/county there is some sort of charitable organization that will take your donations, and sell in their store to raise money for their cause. That includes table linens of all sorts (doilies, runners, placemats, etc..) as well as miscellaneous china.
Good luck with the cleanout - I hope you find a place to donate these items you and your siblings aren't interested in.
Yes, we gave tons of stuff to the Salvation Army when my parents passed and when my Ex's parents passed. We were already in our 50s and didn't need any of it, although we went through every bit of it and kept anything that had sentimental meaning or was of value. Some items had both sentimental meaning AND value. But we didn't need more furniture--I think we kept a nice Boston rocker and a small tea table. My MIL always said that the Salvation Army was the best and did the most good.
As for fine china, most women got theirs when they got married. Now people just don't want nice dishes. (I love pretty dishes.) I had a tiny apartment when I was first married but somehow I managed to fit that beautiful china into it. I just can't see how it can take up so much space, if that's the reason for not wanting it.
It would honestly depend on what it is. As far as I know, my close relatives have no furniture or possessions of significant value. We have no old cars, no antique clocks, no expensive jewelry, no expensive furniture, etc. These are just the trappings of working class life.
Would that mean I wouldn't want it? Absolutely not, as long as the item was in good condition and I had a use for it. There are items I would want for sentimental value, like my dad's chess table and chess sets, several knick-knacks I purchased for mom and dad over the years, a chair with storage under condition and a change table my grandfather had. I could see myself taking a rocking chair or so and maybe one of the couches, as well as some other miscellaneous furniture. Both my dad and grandfather have lots of useful tools I would take for my own use, but they have no sentimental value really.
What I hate is when a relative virtually forces an item on you that has dubious worth and that you don't really want. My maternal grandmother is trying to force this phonograph house in a handsome cherry cabinet on me. It is a nice looking piece of furniture, but it's probably several hundred pounds. I don't want to transport from TN to where I live now in IN. She said it's an antique, and it was purchased in the 50s-60s, but I googled its make/model one time and it's worth no more than $300. It's a decent looking piece of furniture, but no antique and nothing valuable. It could probably be gutted and house a small set of book end speakers plus house some of your AV rack stuff, but it would be a major effort. That's the kind of thing that is irritating.
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