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What I find I have acquired now is lots of framed pictures, of relatives and ancestors, pictures I never knew existed. I am trying to pass some off to the brothers but still, it takes time to process them to that point.
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I recently got a boatload of that kind of item and did the only sane thing. I did a good job of scanning them, backed it up on the web, and sent all the paper back to my sister. Done.
I don’t know if I mentioned this, but there seems to be this thing with Depression era kids of keeping anything and everything, even when it is long past useful, not worth a lot, etc.
Of course. And some of us, the children of these Depression Era kids, tend to do much the same thing, as we were taught. It does make some sense to hang onto some things instead of just throwing everything away. Not junk, but well made items that could be useful. But Depression Era people kept string and rolled it up, they saved yarn by unraveling knit items. My mother said that when she was in high school she only had two dresses: the one she was wearing and the one that she was washing. No wonder they hung onto everything.
She saved wax paper to use a few times. I am not a wasteful person and I save paper if it's only been used on one side. Partly just to not be wasteful but partly because of how we learned to protect the environment.
I'll hang onto good, solid wood furniture and not buy junky new furniture. But I don't keep things just for the sake of keeping them like the Depression Era people did--I don't need to.
Of course. And some of us, the children of these Depression Era kids, tend to do much the same thing, as we were taught. It does make some sense to hang onto some things instead of just throwing everything away. Not junk, but well made items that could be useful. But Depression Era people kept string and rolled it up, they saved yarn by unraveling knit items. My mother said that when she was in high school she only had two dresses: the one she was wearing and the one that she was washing. No wonder they hung onto everything.
She saved wax paper to use a few times. I am not a wasteful person and I save paper if it's only been used on one side. Partly just to not be wasteful but partly because of how we learned to protect the environment.
I'll hang onto good, solid wood furniture and not buy junky new furniture. But I don't keep things just for the sake of keeping them like the Depression Era people did--I don't need to.
I'm kind of guessing this is where mom picked up her hoarder tendencies. Grandmother is much more organized with less clutter, but there is still a lot of stuff. Dad was leafing through binders of papers he hadn't seen in years Saturday. If they moved that bookshelf in there in 2014 and hadn't looked it since, none of that stuff was critical.
Accumulating junk is just normal it seems when you own a home. I have neighbors who park their expensive cars outside so their junk is safe in their 2 car garage. Amazing.
Partly just to not be wasteful but partly because of how we learned to protect the environment.
Amen to this! I just love getting lectured on how our generation didn't care about "carbon footprints" by my nephews, who then load up dumpsters with things that are still usable but are no longer trendy on HGTV. I try to tell them where they could take things for donation, but they don't want to be bothered. Times have changed, I guess. I'm still from an era where my trash can was always fairly light, even on the day before pick up, because we don't tend to throw things out until they're completely used (and we had a different definition of what completely used meant).
MIL passed five years ago, FIL wants to clean out house.
My OH wants practically everything from the house that was German mothers ( my MIL) and German grandmothers.
I cant see us filling the basement and we have a very small ( starter) ranch!
But everything has sentimental value to my OH.
There are a few craft items my mother did and a few select pieces of furniture at my fathers i want, the rest can GO.
MY OH is very attached to buildings too. Fortunately neither my OH nor i want FIL s house.we might want my father's ranch, but it is out in the country, so maybe not.of course it would make a nice retirement home.
So we have ALREADY brought furniture, 16 place 5 pieces each crystal ware and other cut crystal ware my MIL had, and our living room is packed already. We bought the secretary with hutch and the plain secretary, the 2 sets of barrister book cases and other furniture over here. No room for more.
Ugh.
But my OH HAS to have these things. I like the secretary wirh hutch and the barristers, and there are some drawered side tables i think we bring from FIL s but thats about it.
But there's MORE furniture my OH wants.
Ugh.
I say pretend the house is on fire whatever you can grab in 5 minutes ( regardless of weight) is all you keep.
Thats how i plan to habdle my father's house anyway.
Sometimes stuff gets passed on, I have my Grandfathers lantern, I am going to drop it off at my daughters house. My goal is to reduce my footprint in life so when it is time for me to turn to ashes all my belongings will be pretty much gone. I am embracing the simple life and just love it. Less stuff = a lot less worries. I am not there all the way yet, but I am getting there. When someone wants to give me something I tell them I most likely will give it away.
I am a sucker for pretty tableware, so when my aunt asked if I would take my grandmother's German bone china (complete with soup tureen and elegant coffee pot - and I don't drink coffee), I couldn't resist. I also have half a dozen photo albums, my mother's pearl necklace, and a Royal Doulton figurine from my other grandmother. That's it.
To rehome unwanted furniture and household goods quickly and on the cheap, try www.freecycle.com and The Salvation Army.
Around here, the SA will come to the house with their truck at no cost to you and happily load up furniture, appliances, and other household items in good condition.
Freecycle.com is an online organization with local chapters. Anything and everything is fair game. You can make requests for things you need or post offers for things you no longer want. The only stipulations are that there is no selling, bartering, or trading permitted. Oh, and no illegal items.
The news channel in town interviewed an owner of an antique shop a few years ago. I recall her saying at the time that younger people have no interest AT ALL in heavy, wood furniture - regardless of quality. These days, everyone moves too often in pursuit of decent careers. They also don't hold formal dinner parties, so they have no need for fine china or lead crystal, especially service for 12! Our thriving local consignment shop refuses to take TV armoires. Solid oak, mahogany, cherry - it makes no difference. Now that everyone has inexpensive flat-screen TVs, they can't give those once-popular armoires away at any price!
This generation just thinks about "stuff" differently. My youngest, almost 21, moved into his first apartment last month and left behind 3/4s of a huge closet full of perfectly good clothing. Now, granted, some didn't fit anymore, but quite a bit did. He told me to give it all to Goodwill because he didn't want to "junk up" his new apartment with things he doesn't absolutely need or love. He only begrudingly accepted my gift of half of my Corelle (bowls, dinner and salad plates, small bowls, etc.) because he didn't want to spend his own money on new, and he knows I am downsizing now myself for an anticipated move in 2021. Now each of us has service for four. :-)
I have the most stunning 6-piece set of HEAVY, American-made, oak master bedroom furniture. Gorgeously carved, truly heirloom quality. The kind of furniture that is made to last and will surely outlast me. Neither of my grown boys wants it, and I am torn between selling it here for pennies on the dollar or paying to move it out West when I go. Likely, I will take it with me. To dump it would be such a waste.
I told both of my boys that if I could go back and speak to my 20-year old self, I would tell her not to waste her money on expensive home furnishings and possessions. When I think of all the money I spent over the years on fine china, lead crystal, and fancy furnishings for all those dinner parties I imagined I would host but never did, it kind of makes me ill.
I recently got a boatload of that kind of item and did the only sane thing. I did a good job of scanning them, backed it up on the web, and sent all the paper back to my sister. Done.
Well, a couple of things.
With Mom's wedding pictures, my brother said, "Here are your copies....and we don't want them back!".
One is a framed postage stamp (at least one, haven't found another) so obviously, there is no point in scanning it.
Finally, I am very motivated by Jessica Andrew's video, "Who I am" of having the pictures of the family around somewhere.
As I said, I will approach them from the filler angle, that when I have a space for them, that will fit for no other, then they will have a place on the wall.
Seeing how far behind I am on my picture hanging, though, by the time I am out of wall space, I should have the "gallery" built by then.
Well, girlfriend and I broke up. She's bringing everything I bought her back, including all the women's clothes in everything More STUFF.
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