Kitchen

[JeanLouiseFinch]

I used to have a huge weakness for pretty dishes.  I had a huge set of Longaberger with the blue motif, all the baking and serving pieces to match too.  I got rid of them during a garage sale, practically gave them away so I wouldn't have to deal with them anymore.  I still have a huge set in the plain ivory.  I know I have other dish sets put away in boxes; Pfaltzgraff Tea Rose, Pfaltzgraff Winterberry, and a sizable set of Christmas china that came from the long defunct store Venture.  I currently switch out my daily dinnerware for Longaberger Traditional Holly this time of year.  Those other sets haven't seen the light of day in decades, but I keep saving them in case any of the kids want them someday. 

[homedecor1]

@sarahpanda 

These are the shelves I bought at Lowe's.  I needed 3 they are perfect and sturdy.  

homedecor1

[shy bobcat]

Omg ... this has been on my mind lately. All my Christmas decor is in the attic along with some other stuff that I can't get to.

We don't have a stairway and can't get our stuff. There are large storage bins that are very heavy. I was sad to think that my stuff will stay put until I pass 

[haddon9]

Not just Christmas but all kinds of stuff!

We have an attic in the garage which as a very high ceiling.  DH got a pull down step ladder and I am terrified of going up there.  It is high up and if you fall it is a hard concrete garage floor below.

A few years ago he convinced me to go up and there was all kinds of stuff (including old dishes) in the attic.  It is really a small room where we keep a lot of outdoor holiday items stored.  We cleaned out all of the other things.

During that time DH also had a dumpster in our driveway to collect a lot of stuff that wasn't worthy of being given away.  When I saw the dumpster I commented that maybe we should ask the neighbors if they needed to throw anything away...that thing was huge!  He said to wait and see what room was left over. Between stuff in the garage, basement and that attic room we filled it up!

Yet we still have more stuff in the basement. I had my Etsy business in the basement with a lot of craft items which I plan on giving away. 

Our goal over the winter is to clean it all out.  We plan on having our contractor do a bit of work in the basement in the summer once we clean it out.

We are every so slowly trying to clean out stuff and not leave it for the kids to do.  My brother and I had to clean out stuff that belonged to my mother before selling her condo in Fl.   

It was a big job even though it wasn't the home where we grew up.  We ended up shipping a few select items home (currently sitting in my basement closets) and gave away so much....my mother would have been heartbroken if she knew that we just gave away items to the cleaning staff in her building who probably sold it for pennies on the dollar at a flea market.

[deeva]

Can't access my attic. But yesterday I donated my Hallmark Keepsake Ornaments that I've been collecting since 1984. And my Avon Cape Cod dishes. 

[AuntG]

Our attic is unheated and above the garage, so it's empty. The lady across from me, has a similar layout, and she stores all her seasonal decorations up there. I'm big on decluttering and wouldn't need an attic. The Christmas dinnerware sounds lovely. If I had some, I'd sure use it.

[Shihtzursqmom]

Our attic has storage bins of dishes ,chaffing dishes , clothes ,
And who knows what else stored in it
I usually get a couple bins down every few years and donate or throw things away I need to do it more often
Most of the time I just lift the lid and don’t bother unpacking I just throw everything in it away

[Sooner]

@JeanLouiseFinch You sound like me about china.  OH my! 

I realized I could keep two tablecloths.  Which I feel I will never use again and let the rest go!  I would use runners and placemats, no longer the big holiday tablecloths.

I did discover however that my hoard of Christmas dishes wasn't as bad as I thought in some respects.  My Lenox and my Spode are in boxed sets, so that's a big help.  They are compact and neat.

The plaid, tartan was another matter.  Well wrapped and in big boxes.  Those boxes are gone and new dish containers from Amazon are coming today.  So that will take care of the mess.

I discovered I had given away a ton of Spode serving pieces, so that was a bonus!  Now what I keep from the tartan will be neat, accessible and used!  There is HOPE for me!  Maybe? 

[RedTop]

Only insulation in our attic.  

The basement has always been our #1 storage area; the only items of mine down there are two suitcases and a cabinet containing 2 oil lamps, and about 3 dozen canning jars.  Everything else down there belongs to the girls.

Our garage holds my husbands stuff, but is organized well and our vehicles are always inside.  

My focus has always been on having only what we need.  At this stage of life we need less; everything we aren't using or can do without, is leaving.  

[Sooner]

@RedTop I have always wanted a basement, but they are very rare out where I live.  We have a lot of layers of clay soil, and then the water table is high in some areas too.

Out here is it almost all concrete slab.  BUt the good thing is that this house has walk-out attic space and lots of it.  So that is a bonus!  A friend of ours installed a boat lift to his attic, and I think they do make special lifts you can put in, so may have to investigate that down the road.

Imagine:  You put the boxes on it and it just rises up to heaven.  Or the attic.  Whichever comes first.