Home

[151949]

We lived in a house with a huge basement and garage for 28 years. My DH is a latent hoarder so those areas were JAMMED with junk. When the house sold in only 9 days he became frantic to get it cleaned out. Honestly, almost all of it was trash! We were no longer going to need to do yard work so we gave all the lawn tools and lawnmower to a relative who was just moving in to their first home. They were thrilled to not have to buy this stuff. Most of the remainder was either donated or thrown away. My DH did move his tools and tool boxes - and built a new workbench when he got to the new house. The new owner of our old house bought the old workbench and a few other built in shelves etc that were in the basement/garage.

Upstairs in the house I always did a yearly spring housecleaning that included major cleaning out of every closet, cupboard and drawer in the house so there was little to get rid of from upstairs. I decided I was no longer going to have large family gatherings on holidays so I packed up and gave my niece my china service, and one of the 2 sets of silver I had inherited. We had decided to get a new bedroom set and living room upholstered furniture so we gave the old stuff to friends. I gave many many books to our local library as our community was just getting it started and were asking for donations of books. Since we were moving to FL. I went through winter clothing and got that down to one cedar chest full for both of us, in case we decide to come up north for the holidays or have a need to come up in the winter.

Honestly, it just takes time and reasonable common sense.

[qualitygal]

I'm in the process too!!! Stuff we treasure, won't be treasured by others, even if family. If you ask them if they'd like such and such you'll see. I've taken some things to Goodwill just this morning. Time flies and things accumulate faster than carter's little liver pills!! Really putting a stop to anymore accumulation of things. Weed it out time. Less to mess with, less to tend to. It really does make you feel like you can breathe better, less stress to mess with. JMHO

[bonnielu]

What great advice. I try so hard not to keep things. But I was the one who got my mothers stuff, my grandmothers stuff and my daughters stuff when they moved around. I got stuff. I have 4 large bedrooms and one large oversized finished basement with cabinets galore. Even my garage has cabinets. Seeing my neighbors house filled to the roof top made me think. They also inherited stuff from parents and from their daughters. (I used the word stuff so I don't have to define the stuff)

I think I will shut this computer down and get to work.

[circles]

my father was a pack rat....his huge basement and equally huge garage was stem to stern loaded with everything imaginable....large and small....when he died my sister and brother were left to clean out the mess.....(I lived too far away) they worked on it for months and months....

my mom moved into a small apartment so when she died there wasn't much to clean out...just clothes...a few small pieces of furniture....

I don't want to do that to my sons...so I try to keep on top of over-collecting ""stuff""....I just donated a lot of things to the Lupus Organization yesterday...they call often...and I always give them something....(I wonder if my sons tell them to call....lol)

[scotnovel]

I have moved cross country twice, to Europe once, and there were a few other local moves in between. There is some great advice in these posts especially deciding about the volume of items that you really need, getting rid of worn out heavy furniture, and simply going room by room to decide, trash, donate, keep. When sorting always keep in mind that things that may be sentimental to you may literally have no meaning for the rest of your family. Get rid of those things now because otherwise your children will be the ones to wade through them. It is the memories that are important not the stuff.

Consider also adding a fourth sort and that is - sell. I'm not talking about a garage sale. My last cross country move, I seriously reduced my jewelry collection by selling pieces to a woman who operated a jewelry booth at a local antique/collectible mall. I also sold some clothes to a local resale shop. I had some old glassware & antique odds and ends that were sold to a dealer at that same antique/collectible mall. I got enough from those sales to cover the mover's cost. It didn't take any serious time to make those sales just a couple of phones calls and a trip to that mall and the resale shop.

[depglass]

Depending on where you live, consider an estate sale or an auction. What you consider Junk may be valuable. Have someone look at it anyway. You will save yourself one heck of a lot of work and you might make your loved one some money.

[deeva]

When my mon died, we had to clean out the home that we grew up in. I made a promise to myself that I would not leave thirty years worth of stuff for my kids to dispose of. Since we have moved four times in the last twelve years, we have learned how to let go of stuff. And, we also stopped buying stuff that we really don't need.

[LDOlvr]

Being a former military dependant, wife, I moved all the time. As a single, grown person, I moved whenever my mood struck. So I have not accumulated the "stuff" like most folks.

Now my husband and I are "seniors" and I continually get rid of stuff. I love taking bags full of stuff I do not love or use to the Goodwill. We recently gave away lots of our furniture, couch, chair, ottoman, dining table, etc. We are down to two recliners and an end table, and a kitchen table/baker's rack. We downsized from king to a full bed.

I went from 24 linear feet of clothing (three+ closets) to 8 feet. I keep only the clothing I love and either sell the rest on ebay or donate.

Now, if I could JUST get my husband to clean out his garage. He has wood in there from 10 years ago. I guess it brings him comfort or something.

[ennui1]

My challenge is getting rid of things that can't be donated (there are things Goodwill won't take). It doesn't seem right to toss things in the dumpster, just because they are extras.

[LilacTree]

I have moved 40 times in my life, if I count the 13 times we moved as a family when we were still little children. This last move was my final one I hope . . . I think 40 times is enough. Many of those moves were from rented townhouse to townhouse in the same town so my girls did not have to change schools.

Six years ago I moved from the final house I owned. I lived with one daughter which did not last long, then to an apartment, then here to a senior residential apartment that comprises a little over 600 sq. ft. When I moved from the house, my living room furniture went to one daughter, my dining room furniture went to another daughter. All of it, including paintings, lamps, knick knacks, etc., I kept only my very favorites. The rattan furniture I had in my sun room became my living room furniture here. I bought a small teak dining table and chairs, and a very moderate sized cabinet for what memorabilia I still wanted to keep. I left my queen sized bed at my daughter's, which eventually went to another daughter. I took her full sized bed. I also have rattan furniture in my bedroom, a dresser, a small table desk, and two bed tables from Pier One. That's about it.

This apartment is basically two rooms, two closets, and a small walk-in kitchen (no room for tables and chairs). The living room is just big enough for the rattan furniture two pieces), a small coffee table, the teak dining set and the buffet cabinet. Some of my attic boxes are already with my daughters in their storage areas.

Whatever happens to me, I can't see it taking them longer than two or three days to get everything out of here. Most of it they'll probably be able to use, the rest can be donated or discarded.

Now that I have a shredder (which they gave me for Mother's Day), I can go through all of my paperwork and get rid of 80% of that. So I am about as prepared as I can get.

Two of my daughters live nearby, one lives on LBI (the Jersey shore) which is 55 miles away, and one lives in Philadelphia Center City. Needless to say, I don't know how I would have handled it if they all lived in different states, but you say they don't want your stuff anyway. I do agree with everyone who said you should start early once you have made the decision to downsize your home. 40 years worth of stuff is a formidable challenge.