Motivation to declutter

[Ottakee]

I spent all day today cleaning out MIL apartment after she moved to assisted living yesterday. This is even more motivation for me to declutter.

 

I did find treasures such as birth/death/marriage certificates (many originals), family pictures, etc.

 

There were also about 40 pairs of shoes, enough clothes and jewelry for 10 women, and on and on. There was more kitchen stuff and cooking utensils than I have for a big family.

 

Thankfully I had 2 great friends to help me which was a huge blessing.

 

Now to figure out what to do with 23 puke buckets (those from the hospital), 1327 ink pens, etc.

 

Next month is downsizing and dejunking my house.......

[bettyandbob]

I have a rule. Anytime any group asks for donations (used to be mostly phone, now I get email) I say yes and schedule a date. Then I put together a bag.

 

If no one has asked in a month or two, I walk around and find stuff to drop off at a local charity shop.

 

I haven't been acquiring stuff in a few years, but apparently there's always stuff to get rid of.

 

I'm worried about my parents home.

[Storygirl]

I have those same feelings, having sorted through my mom's things when she entered the nursing home. I have a long way to go with decluttering my own home, but I really want to keep at it. And then keep at it continually, so that my children don't have so much to go through when the time comes.

 

Sometimes as I drive, I see open garage doors and get a peek at all of the stuff people have. And then I think about how many people there are in the world, and how many things each person has that are not even being used. So much stuff!!

 

 

[SebastianCat]

We went through the same thing when my ILs moved to assisted living several years ago.   None of their children lived any closer than 4 hours away (that would be us), so we made many weekend trips to declutter, throw away stuff, clean, paint, arrange an estate sale, and sell their house.   It was a monumental task of sorting, to try to decide what was garbage (like the 20-year-old baby gear MIL had saved for grandchildren's visits, even though the youngest grandchild at the time was 11), what was able to be sold, and what needed to be hauled home for closer inspection.   We found some real treasures, like a land grant from FIL's family from the 1850's, old Bibles, and personal letters.   The paperwork was overwhelming.   I think I spent several hours per week for the next 6 months looking through old receipts, shredding the garbage, and setting aside the important stuff.   I've never been more motivated to declutter!

[Ottakee]

It is hard deciding what is treasure and what is junk.  We found a few pieces of jewelry that appear to be worth something (at least are real gold and sentimental) and some paperwork.  I am afraid I will be going through stuff for a long time.
 

On the positive, I have donated a lot to local charities, my friends that helped me today each picked up a few items they can use, we blessed a cousin (single dad) with some bedding, dishes and the non perishable food, have a large box of stuff going to a refugee family in need, and found a handwritten note from my BIL (who was murdered in 1994) that we put away for his son who was only 20 months old at the time.

[regentrude]

I hear you. I think it is extremely inconsiderate to refuse to deal with one's possessions and burden the kids with it. I am dreading having to clean out my parents ' home, they aren't hoarders, but simply have lots of stuff. I wow not to saddle my kids with this and keep my affairs in order.

[IfIOnly]

A tip that helps me keep decluttered: I keep a laundry basket in the entry closet just for putting things in to go to the thrift store. When it's full, it's time to drop it off.

[Hyacinth]

A tip that helps me keep decluttered: I keep a laundry basket in the entry closet just for putting things in to go to the thrift store. When it's full, it's time to drop it off.

This!

 

In their early 70s, my parents considered moving and started the process of decluttering. Although they never did make the move, my mom has said many times how glad she is that they got rid of “all that junk.†Me too, Mom. Me too.

 

Like IfIOnly, I prefer an ongoing system of decluttering. I keep three bins in the garage:

Consignment store

Goodwill

The Walkers (a family with kids younger than mine; they appreciate the hand-me-downs)

 

Whenever I come across something the kids have outgrown, we no longer use, or I just don’t need anymore I decide where it’s going and put it in the appropriate bin. Every few months I schedule a drop-off.

Edited February 22, 2018 by Hyacinth

[Junie]

In some ways, i am dreading cleaning out my parents' house (eventually) because I know she de-cluttered and I'm afraid to find out what she got rid of.  I know that her wedding photos are gone... (She said that she was mad at my dad one weekend, or something like that.)  Their photos were polaroids (it was the 70s!), so there are no copies.

 

[Soror]

Oh, yes, the in-laws aren't tv show worthy but have a crapload of stuff. My mil still hasn't got rid of her Mom's place and she died over 5 yrs ago, she can't emotionally part with it and she had oodles and oodles of stuff. My mil can't see that she is the same b/c she thinks all her stuff is important and good.

 

My mil says she is going to move after fil passes but I don't believe her. I'm certain we will be left with it and then we'll have to deal with her Mom's house as well, I have a feeling my decluttering and organizational skills will be put to good use :) 

 

MIL has already made decrees too, make sure this stays in the family, never get rid of this etc. We are just smiling and nodding because you have no control over your stuff when you die. 

 

I'm pretty minimalistic but with our culture and 4 kids I have to stay vigilant.

[Granny_Weatherwax]

My mom was telling me she may have to move due to a medical issue and my first thought was "OMG, we'll have to pack up that house." She has lived there 42 years and this house is full. It's a four bedroom home, three of which are packed floor to ceiling with cardboard boxes of stuff. Attic is full. Crawl space is full. Two car garage hasn't seen a car in 30+ years because it is full of packed cardboard boxes. Even she can't tell you what's in them.

 

My second thought was "OMG, my mother might be seriously ill." I'm not totally evil but the thought of doing something with the stuff in that house is nightmare inducing. Especially because she has been resistant to multiple offers of helping her declutter.

[Spryte]

In some ways, i am dreading cleaning out my parents' house (eventually) because I know she de-cluttered and I'm afraid to find out what she got rid of. I know that her wedding photos are gone... (She said that she was mad at my dad one weekend, or something like that.) Their photos were polaroids (it was the 70s!), so there are no copies.

This is my ILs. Over ten years, MIL decluttered everything of any value - sentimental or otherwise. They were down to disposable plates and utensils long before they moved to assisted living. She got rid of furniture, the nice furniture, and used folding card tables. They kept only their individual recliners. Even got rid of the beds, and replaced those with mattresses on very basic frames. She didn’t want us to do anything. It got to the point that we knew anything we gave to them would be donated the next week. :( It was hard on DH, there were some things from his childhood he had hoped to pass on to our kids.

 

My mom was the opposite. Doing her house was an inspiration to declutter! Though it was fun, too, like a treasure hunt. She’s an artist, and after a lifetime in the art world - her house was full of art.

 

ETA: for anyone with a similar MIL, I firmly believe her giving everything away was one of her first signs of dementia. So if it’s suddenly extreme like that, I think it’s worth mentioning to the doc.

Edited February 22, 2018 by Spryte

[Annie G]

My parents totally decluttered before they moved and it’s such a gift. They weren’t ever packrats so that’s good. O wish my house was as pared down!

In laws are different. Oh my word. They have every letter or card we ever sent them, every pic our kids colored for them. They don’t donate things so they have stuff everywhere. When FIL got a new DVD player or new tv (because the old one broke) he put the old one back in the original box and stores them in the garage. It’s jam packed with stuff like that. Here’s the problem- they also have never used stuff stored in there too, like backup crockpots and toasters they bought in the 1980’s. Never used but how can I tell if it’s broken but in original box or new in original box?

I love father in law but it’s going to be a nightmare to go through all that when he’s gone. and since mil passed he won’t get rid of any of her things so we’ll have her stuff too.

Bonus round: he’s an avid coin collector and cash hoarder so we really do have to look through every drawer and box because there is money everywhere.

 

I really, really don’t want to leave our kids a house full of unnecessary stuff to sort through.

 

I love the idea a poster above mentioned about a laundry basket in the closet. Way better than my current method- thanks for the idea.