PollyOR Posted March 10, 2017 Share Posted March 10, 2017 Thank you to all for sharing your stories. You have motivated me this evening to keep pushing forward on my own stuff. Last year I thought we were moving and was able to dejunk some but it was nowhere near enough. For me, the problem is BOOKS!!! 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrairieSong Posted March 10, 2017 Author Share Posted March 10, 2017 Thank you to all for sharing your stories. You have motivated me this evening to keep pushing forward on my own stuff. Last year I thought we were moving and was able to dejunk some but it was nowhere near enough. For me, the problem is BOOKS!!! Me too, Polly. Books and fabric. Good luck with your books and the rest of the things you are decluttering. Sent from my XT1635-01 using Tapatalk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seasider Posted March 10, 2017 Share Posted March 10, 2017 I know my parents were not doing any of this to burden me. They were loving and kind-hearted. But it does burden me. No way do I want our kids similarly burdened. This is true. These threads and recent family events have me in a tossing mode. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soror Posted March 12, 2017 Share Posted March 12, 2017 Dh and I were just talking about this. His father keeps having different health issues so it seems at some point all too soon they will have to downsize. His Dad hasn't been as bad with keeping things but his Mom would nearly qualify for hoarders. They have a 3500+ ft house entirely full, the basement just has paths through it. Then there is a massive shop, 2 stories high in part of it, the outside utility room, the "mower" shed that can no longer hold mowers because it is too full, and a barn. Everything is packed to the gills, they just keep building more storage space. Sadly, my mil still has her Mom's place as well, she died 5 years ago but still haven't sold it. She can't bare to part with the stuff but yet she doesn't have room for it. She was even more of a hoarder. I mentioned to dh that there is no way his Mom could come live with us, where would she put all her stuff? She'd have to rent a million storage buildings. On the plus side dh's father takes care of all the paperwork and is very orderly with it all, we know where all the important papers are so we don't have to worry about accidently missing anything big (unless his mom has some stuff hidden- we should probably confirm with her that she doesn't!). My own parents are a fair amount younger, so there is no imminent worry. Thankfully they have a lot less stuff than the in-laws but it will still be quite a bit by my standards. I've got my mom on the decluttering bandwagon a bit, I keep telling her I'll come help her clear out but she is too scare to agree :) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G5052 Posted March 12, 2017 Share Posted March 12, 2017 I had to hire someone to do my bachelor uncle's house. He was a hoarder, and I would have had to move all the way across the country for a month to do it. He intermingled important papers with his stuff. Thankfully there was money in the estate to do that. My aunt and uncle have pared down, but they have a huge house with valuable art and rare books. They have left the bank accounts and investments to charity, and the house to me. Sigh. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 12, 2017 Share Posted March 12, 2017 I have been home for less than 24 hours and I already have a box of stuff to take to the thrift store. :0) Lesson learned, at least for a couple of days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Serenade Posted March 13, 2017 Share Posted March 13, 2017 OK, I just found Mom's little notebook diary of a trip to NYC and Paris that she took with her sister in the 60's. They saw Barbra Streisand in Funny Girl and she wrote how impressive the show was and that it "made us hope Barbra is around a long time." 🙂 Some of these finds are worth all the sorting. Sent from my XT1635-01 using Tapatalk Yes! I found some old journals from my dad. And his report cards from school! That was quite interesting. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Serenade Posted March 13, 2017 Share Posted March 13, 2017 A household still just has so much stuff. This is the truth. Just things one needs to live take up a lot of space. Many things that older people keep for their day-to-day life are older, too, and not worth anything. However, when they were living and using them, they served a purpose. That doesn't mean the things are worthwhile to pass on to a new generation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Serenade Posted March 13, 2017 Share Posted March 13, 2017 Minimalism is big right now. Or are we just in a cycle? Will the pendulum swing back? Sent from my XT1635-01 using Tapatalk I'm thinking the pendulum will not swing back. I think after the Great Depression and War, with a booming economy, people were in a spend, spend,spend mode for cheap available goods after not having much. I think that mentality spilled over to their children, but not their children's children, most of whom grew up in times of plenty. I don't think our society will progress the same way again, unless there is devastating war that doesn't wipe out the planet. People are spending more money on services than goods, and frankly, they don't need as much stuff as a result. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MotherGoose Posted March 13, 2017 Share Posted March 13, 2017 My relatives have already told me they have cash stashed all over the house and I'll have to look carefully through everything before getting rid of things.... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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