so many things around here. Last weekend we began the long process of cleaning out one of my husband's sister's homes. She is still alive but has a mental illness where she hoards and saves everything. Things like newspapers, grocery circulars, empty packaging, cards, mail, and so much more. She had not let anyone into her home for nearly 15 years. After complaining about her living conditions, she finally handed over her house key. What we saw there is not even something I want to put words to. Incredible!
I thought about my own home, all the paper I have saved, greeting cards from years gone by, newspaper clippings, recipes, etc. So, inspired not to ever have my home look like hers (and NO, it's not even close!), I began cleaning out boxes of "saved stuff" last night. We are in the process of switching bedrooms around and it is the perfect time as the boxes are being moved anyway from above the closet. I filled two big kitchen garbage bags with things I never need to see again. Put some stuff away for Goodwill. Boy, I felt good! I stopped just short of photographing the bags to post on my blog. LOL
I threw out greeting cards that are over 10 years old, my college papers written in the early 80s (my grades weren't bad, LOL), old knick knacks that I could not remember who even gave them to me. My graduation cap tassel and "honor cords". Concert programs including Beatlemania. The shoes I wore to my wedding. My "ring pillow" from our wedding. I had so many notes and letters written by former students and appreciative parents. But who wants to read them besides me? So I stored them in my heart and let them go. Too much clutter!
What I could not bring myself to throw out were all the cards and notes from my hubby, sons, and one last card from my mother. Also the letters from my high school boyfriend. I found some old photos and gave them to my hubby to scan. I also kept my junior high and high school yearbooks and published writing (published at the school in an anthology of student writing).
So, here's a question for you...what do you save? What cannot you simply not part with in terms of "sentimental stuff"? Are you merciless in decluttering stuff? If so, give me some tips.
3 comments:
I flitter between being ultra organized and being a packrat. It hurts me to throw away my son's artwork, and things that he's made at school-- even though these are 'firsts', I'm sure eventually I will have to throw them out... but I've been saving the holiday-themed things in his scrapbook. I found an awesome site which helps with the decluttering and reclaiming your space... it's flylady.net -- an awesome resource, but beware of all of the emails if you sign up for the listserv. :)
I have absolutely no helpful advice. I'm a bit of a packrat, while at the same time, I do try to be realistic about it and go through phases (usually at this time of year, after the holidays) of trying to declutter. That said, I still have most of the greeting cards we've received and I personally have received since I was a teenager. I'm glad I do now though, because I've lost my grandparents and my mom and having those gives me a tangible link to them. Silly, I know, but something that we find room for. I also keep a box (a photo sized box, the kind you buy at craft stores) for each year. I've done this since we got married. I keep everything from that year in it, that matters to me, including cards and ticket stubs, graduation programs, momentos from trips, etc. They are starting to pile up, but I still have shelf space in a closet for them, so I haven't purge yet. I need to do more in the way of magazines, newspaper clippings, recipes, etc, but that's always a work in progress for me. I'm not obsessive about it. It's the packrat in me :) Oh, and I'm a piler too, if that sounds familiar :)
Good luck with the purging at your relatives house. Sounds like quite a job :)
Have a great week!
My MIL is like that and after seeing all the things she saves, I decided right then and there I was not going to be like that. She has magazines from the early 1990's. As soon as I read a magazine I throw it away but like I just wrote on my blog I have trouble getting rid of my favorite books and anything one of my kids gave me.
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