@VeryHappy, I’ve considered that, but there are many people in the pics.
I’m in a very clean-sweep mood, so I took a box of still-perfectly-fine food items from my pantry to the local food pantry. I figured the donation would be appreciated after the school closings, and associated loss of school-provided food, this past week. And now that the weather is improving a bit, I hope to also make more trips to drop off books (at the library) and household goods (at the Goodwill donation center).
I have been pretty bad about labeling photos. You think you’ll remember when and where and what age etc. But a lot of the time you don’t.
After my Mum died it was rather magical for my brother and I going through her old photos. She had labeled some but not all. One she had labeled was a photo of her at Victoria falls bin her honeymoon. The falls are very large but she had named the area. My brother and I went there this summer and were able to find the exact spot (pretty distinctive topography even 68 years later). It was magical and a very special moment for my brother and I. I don’t think my kids are as sentimental as my brother and I so maybe the lack of labeling won’t matter.
I have managed 2 black bags so far this week (my week runs from Tuesday to Tuesday - trash pick up day). The master bedroom is beginning to look like some progress is being made. Can’t believe some of the rubbish I have let sit around for years. I am making myself let go of some things that I’ve held on to for somewhat sentimental reasons. Like I came across some straw bags I bought when I lived in Egypt. There was a momentary tug of sentiment and temptation to keep them - but they have sat in a cupboard for 30 years so I let them go.
@swimcatsmom, you’re making really good progress.
I didn’t think that purging my home of my grown kids’ possessions (in anticipation of putting the house on the market) would make me cry, but there I was yesterday, holding a board book called “Bumpy the Car” that I must have read to my son hundreds of times and totally tearing up. I don’t know what’s going to happen when I have to deal with the five or six gorgeous dresses my daughter’s indulgent aunt bought her when she was aged two and three, all smocking and lace and velvet and worn twice at most by a little girl who had zero patience for tights and Mary Janes… I’ve been carting books to our public library’s used book shop and made multiple runs to Goodwill, and it all feels good, but that darn book and those darn dresses have made a mess of me.
@MommaJ: You’re allowed to keep them. And maybe eventually give them to your son and daughter.
I’d love to join you on this thread. We are preparing to move after S19’s graduation in May. I’ve been decluttering like crazy since New Years. DH tells me I started too early but I don’t want to rush around at the last minute.
@MommaJ I can really relate to your post! I am saving some things but was really holding onto just too much. I cried taking a truckload of kid stuff to Goodwill and got teary recycled many old school papers and extra pics. I love clearing stuff out but yes, it gets emotional!
Take the kids art work, take photos of it, throw it in an easy Snapfish/Shutterfly/Whatever brand photo book and have it printed. For $20 or whatever it cost you can see all that artwork, etc. and pass it onto your child at some point.
We kept our kids’ favorite books. They’re now on a bookshelf in our downsized apartment, ready to be read to grandchildren we hope will love those books as much as their fathers did. (We only have 1 15mo GD so far)
@shellfell I did the same! It’s only about 5-6 of those chubby toddler books, but they were so much fun to read I’m looking forward to reading them to my grandchildren in the far distant future. Tumble Bumble, I read you so much but it was a joy each time. :x
That’s my plan with the children’s books - keep the favorites for grandkids. D does not plan on having kids. S got married 2 weeks ago and they do want kids. Will probably be a while though.
@abasket that’s a great idea! I still saved a small tote of papers for each. That would make it so much easier and cute to give to each one. Thank you!
When all 3 kids were home over break, we went through all the books. I have 2 boxes to take to school and the rest are packed up to move. They should all fit on a folding bookcase we will take and put it in a spare room. It was really fun to go through them and see which one they really remembered.
I highly recommend going through all the kids’ papers, baby clothes, etc. before there’s a time crunch due to the house selling. I had everything from their childhoods, and I do mean everything, and lots of their favorite clothes. It was extremely emotional and difficult for me.
I have been following this thread and am finally jumping in! I cleaned out a few areas of my closet a couple of weeks ago and finally brought the bags to Goodwill. I had an easier time deciding what to get rid of than to actually get it out of the house. First the clothes were in a pile, then bagged up, then moved to the garage. That final step of getting them out of the house was scary, but so good. I have lots of organizing projects coming up and look forward to the support from this thread.
Prompted into action by my D’s visit home and insistence that I bleach her hair (which I hate doing with a passion- her hair is to the waist, my back pain, hand cramps/arthritis(?), stuck in bathroom for hours), I immediately cleaned out my bathroom cabinet today and removed everything related to the dyeing/bleaching/toning of hair, as well as rollers, curling irons and other hair things!!
I successfully completed growing out my gray/white hair and don’t want to ever think about going back to all that (dyeing) hair maintenance again, but had been keeping all the box dyes, bleached and toners just in case.
This is an awesome bag of good riddance!! And yes, of course I bleached her hair while muttering under my breath “next time just say no, just say no”.
I passed along a bag of dresses and dress slacks to a friend. I also parted with a beautiful red coat to the same friend. They were all things that I liked but also things I don’t wear. I’m happy to be able to give them to someone who will use them.
I also passed a bag on to my D who was visiting.
3 bags out today. After the bathroom, I emptied the first floor small closet and donated 8 coats. I went ahead and donated everything I was on the fence about last time I looked in that closet.
Another weekend spent cleaning and organizing but at least I feel like I’m making progress. Not so much out the door this week, but consolidating and organizing the basement made it feel like we have less. My motivation is that my daughter will graduate in May and everything that is currently in her apartment will need to fit somewhere. The good news is that she has accepted a job and will be moving out in July and hopefully taking her stuff, and some of what we got from my MIL, with her. The bad news is that she has accepted a job and will be moving out in July…
I also think that she will want new things rather than some of the what she took when my MIL was cleaning out her house but that’s ok too. Whatever is left behind I can donate. Unless of course dh and his irrational need to keep everything gets involved. I think the leftover things will just slowly disappear. They are kitchen items with no sentimental value so I think that will be ok.
I managed to get a 3rd black bag for the week in the bin this morning. I’m still tossing not donating. Some maybe could be donated but would slow my momentum plus I need help from H to get donated stuff out of the house and it would probably end up the den with the other bags of donations from a year or more ago (getting pretty close to grabbing this bags and binning them!).
But some stuff, OMG. I’ve shoved so many things in a box then in a closet to get it out of the way. I think 1/3 of the black bag was miscellaneous mismatched socks and other useless things - there was a large Rubbermaid box full of them.
I may have room in the closet soon for things I actually use!
I hate to buy when I am tossing, but thinking of some sort of hanging shoe organizer to get my shoes off the closet floor and organized (there is room to hang one now). Any suggestions?
@swimcatsmom: Don’t let the feeling that you should donate some things slow you down. If donating is difficult, or you think the stuff will just sit around for another year, you’re allowed to just toss it. Really.