Childhood "things" taking up space

[disneysteve]

My husband read "The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing" a year ago. We spent 2015 cleaning out all the cupboards and closets in our house. Ended up taking two van loads of stuff to St. Vincent de Paul. Stuff we got for our wedding but never used. Stuff we bought and used once and then never used again.

It was an amazing, cleansing experience!

My wife and I are reading it now. I've been working pretty hard on the clutter for months and have accomplished a lot. Even though she's only part way into the book, my wife is already changing her ways and has gotten rid of quite a bit. I'll read it too because I know the organizational part is important too. What to do with the stuff you keep once you get rid of everything else.

[GrimJack]

What would you do / what have you done? Keep it? Sell it? Donate it?
Things like an HO-Scale train set

I would buy the HO-Scale train set from you - I have had plans for either an HO or Lionel train set for use above my library using LED lighting.

Most of what you listed would sell well or be appreciated if given away. I give a lot of stuff away to people who appreciate it or to Value Village. I recently found a place that supplies furnishings to homeless who have just got a home. I have a table with chairs, 3 cushion couch and end tables and such that I will donate to them.

There is a market for all the things you mentions; google the items - check out e-bay and Craigslist.

[LittleLamplight]

I'll take the Game Boy

[disneysteve]

I'll take the Game Boy

I would take it too, then sell it on ebay.

[LivingAlmostLarge]

Funny thing happened. This Christmas my mom brought me 6 boxes of my crap from her house and DH got 3 boxes from his parents. So we have ALL our childhood stuff which we have to go through asap and clear out. UGH. We just got back from my in-laws and if I wasn't so sick I'd start.

I am going to donate, sell, and give away whatever. My mom didn't want to see it. But I'm not sure what else to do but throw it away.

[Joan.of.the.Arch]

Sorry you are not well, LAL....Maybe you can look at receiving those things from your parents and in-laws as a help to them. Yes, maybe they should not have saved it in the first place, but you can be the delivery system to trash, or donate, those things that they could not part with earlier in life. Hard for them; easy for you.

In my early twenties, I made the deliberate decision to accept anything my parents wanted to give me, whether it was old stuff of my own (very little of that), provision-y stuff like Tupperware, silverware, pots & pans, or curiosities and sentimental items from their own earlier lives. Once married we did the same with DH's parents.

We considered it a service to them as it helped them thin out their possessions as they grew less interested or able to take care of it. In my mother's case, she also was looking to the day when she would die and did not want to leave a lot stuff for her kids to deal with. I agree, I'd rather deal with it in dibs and dabs over a 30-40 years than be faced with a household of items in the weeks after a death.

Some of those things were gotten rid of as soon as I got home. Truth is, there were things I was given over the years that I really appreciated. I'm finished appreciating some of it, and can send it away one way or the other.

[LivingAlmostLarge]

Apparently it was all our old stuff. We are going to wade through it and dump it. But I'll take photos and stuff and maybe keep some. I am trying to not become a hoarder like my parents. They hoard to the extreme everything.

[creditcardfree]

Apparently it was all our old stuff. We are going to wade through it and dump it. But I'll take photos and stuff and maybe keep some. I am trying to not become a hoarder like my parents. They hoard to the extreme everything.

Did you see that I'm working on some of our keepsakes on Your Organized Friend? I'm guessing most of what you were given can probably go. You probably forgot you even had it!

[LivingAlmostLarge]

OMG it absolutely can go! Out the door for DH and I.

[Joan.of.the.Arch]

Well that sounds like the decision was made easily, LAL. Did you just open the boxes and find they were total throw-aways?