I’d love to take that sterling flatware off your hands, Silpat. 
I have two and a half sets myself, and I love the stuff. I use it when we have company.
The ONLY thing I use that was my mom’s is her sterling flatware. AMe my daughter has already said she wants it. Good!
Now…what to do with the 200 pieces of pressed stars and moons pieces…all sorts…from fruit bowls to punchbowl.
I put out 16 boxes with the trash yesterday–mostly the large banker’s boxes. Much of their original contents went to Goodwill. I really appreciate the support and inspiration from this thread!
Hmmm, 200 pieces of pressed glass that you do not want, thumper1? I would suggest putting some of it on Ebay during the summer, and then more of it on Ebay about mid-October, for Christmas sales. Ebay has set up a new less-hassle Ebay Valet service, but they won’t handle breakables, sadly. You might also get a local auctioneer to accept them as lots, sell them to a dealer at an antique mall (or set up your own shop in an antique mall, temporarily), or sell them through a different on-line site. I am curious what you eventually decide to do.
It would be good to save a few pieces for your children. I unexpectedly needed a punchbowl when QMP was in elementary school, so I wouldn’t get rid of one now (keeping more things in stock for hypothetical grandchildren).
Wish we could start a thread to sell our stuff to each other and save ebay fees…too bad we can’t post pics
Silpat - Have you considered keeping your mom’s set of silver (with deep family memories)… then maybe getting rid of your own?
I’m going to make my sister very happy.
When my parents died, they left a list of which “stuff” each of us received. My sister had, independently of our grandmother, our grandmother’s silver pattern. Consequently and logically, my sister received most of the serving pieces from that set. She’s always teased me that I should give her the few items that I received-- salt and pepper shakers, sugar cube tongs, sugar and creamer, and a magnificent sterling coffee pot. I’m planning to bring her everything except the coffee pot when I visit her in a few weeks. I’ve realized I don’t need those pieces (“Need”? Who needs sterling??) and rarely use them, so I’m going to give them to her.
The coffee pot, however – I’m not ready to give that beauty up quite yet.
QM. I am not saving one piece of any kind of glass for my kids. This is that stars and moons pattern, very common. It might be “collectible” in many years, but I’m not hanging onto it for THAT long. It’s going.
I am also getting rid of all dishes I don’t use. My mother had twelve sets of dishes when she died…no kidding. And an equal number of sets of eating utensils. I’m keeping the ONE set I use…And the sterling. I’m getting rid of all the stainless, and the silver plate. I have a friend who I might consign that to. But it’s leaving my house.
I got rid of all of the extraneous linen tablecloths too. I have one white left, and one for each holiday season. Got rid of all the polyester ones.
And the other thing that is going in the fall…a full length ranch mink coat. It’s going. I wore it two times in 13 years. I don’t like it, and I won’t wear it. I’ll try to consign that too.
I cleaned out my cookbooks. I love cookbooks…I read them like novels. But really, I’m not a cook…so why would I keep,them after I read them?
This thread keeps me plugging away!
Re: the punchbowl? Not keeping it. It’s going too. And the silver plated ice bucket. Any takers?
12 sets of dishes?? Oh my! Did she keep kosher? I can imagine an everyday set and a fancy set – one of each for dairy and milk, so that’s four sets – plus another four sets for Passover. But that’s only (only?!) eight sets. Did she inherit them?
re: multiple sets of dishes
A college friend inherited many more sets of dishes and bed linens than one could imagine a family of three with a summer place to which guests were never invited might ever need. The parents had been university professors who went on sabbatical every so many years, and didn’t ship household goods to the sabbatical location, preferring to pick up relatively disposable household items as they actually found a need for them. Despite the stated plans to leave the “just for now” items behind, come the end of the sabbatical all those items were always considered to be in too good of shape to be abandoned, and were shipped home for use at the house or the summer place. When the second parent died, my friend had a huge estate sale to off-load all of the stuff.
I’m separating from H, S is graduating from college, D still has 3 more years and I’m moving out of state. Fortunately, I’m not attached to much. this weekend, I went through my closet and was able to pack up my winter clothes and take 4 bags of stuff to goodwill. I’m just not sentimental about most “stuff”. Looking forward to simplifying and living in a smaller space where I don’t have the room to keep what is unnecessary. Even tho I don’t struggle with getting rid of stuff, I love reading every ones tales.
thumper1, your post is an inspiration that I wish I could follow! I am still at the “This is a really good box, so I am going to save it” stage. The box is empty, of course. But I may need it 5 years from now.
I hope this post does not get me kicked out of the Bag a Week Club! I am making progress. Really! It’s just that there is so far yet to go!
Finally, my DH and DC worked with me to purge anything “freaky looking” from each room in the house before the real estate appraiser arrived today. Still cluttered, but not as bad. Yea for us!
@VeryHappy, I wish I knew someone nearby who would like mother’s sterling. I checked Replacements to see how they handle buying silver and didn’t feel very comfortable with their process. Dh is opposed to Craigslist (for safety reasons), so I’ll call some local shops in the next week or so.
@Colorado_mom, I don’t have any warm fuzzy memories associated with this silver…quite the opposite, in fact. At least it made mother happy for 60+ years. She continued to entertain formally until she moved into a nursing home.
This thread motivated me to find where I’d stashed the flatware and take inventory. In addition to eight 5 pc. place settings, there are oddities such as 8 demitasse spoons and 8 seafood forks, plus various serving pieces. I learned from Replacements that what I thought was a pickle fork is actually a lemon fork. Mother would have been mortified that I didn’t know the difference.
Over the weekend, D1 confirmed that she has no interest in anything she’s left at our house so I can donate several boxes of books and toys this week, plus some old clothes. I nearly got dh to part with the air hockey table last week, but then he decided to wait until we move. He did agree to donate some suits that no longer fit, after worrying that he might regain the weight he’s lost. I’m content with baby steps for now.
Quantum–you won’t be kicked off! I did some turn around from saving for a rainy day when I realized how expensive storage and storage solutions were. Much cheaper to chuck stuff and be happier in the present. If you need it you can re-buy for much less (and when you can’t find it in the pile of junk you buy it anyway!). Another turn around was when I’ve helped empty a house. Just stuff, stuff and more stuff that obviously never was used or cared about. Time to get rid of my own.
Quantum–you won’t be kicked off! I did some turn around from saving for a rainy day when I realized how expensive storage and storage solutions were. Much cheaper to chuck stuff and be happier in the present. If you need it you can re-buy for much less (and when you can’t find it in the pile of junk you buy it anyway!). Another turn around was when I’ve helped empty a house. Just stuff, stuff and more stuff that obviously never was used or cared about. Time to get rid of my own.
I hate selling stuff; I’d rather give it away than have the hassle. Our state police posts are open to the public and available for anyone interested in meeting for Craigslist or similar transactions. If close, that would seem a good alternative.
I’m dithering over a Yamaha Clavinova digital piano. We’re moving and it will be a tight fit in the new smaller house. There’s no additional cost beyond the weight to move it. I almost never play it but I love the idea of owning a piano. (It means we’re cultured folks, right?) I wish there was an easy way to sell it without allowing strangers into the house to see it. I can advertise it at the local music school DS went to many years ago, and the buyers would probably be area parents. But we’d still have to arrange for them to come into the house. I could try to donate it and claim the deduction; it’s probably worth somewhere between $500-800. Tough decision. Maybe I’ll post signs at the playground/soccer field at the end of the street on a weekend. Or put flyers on the cars LOL.
Marilyn, can you drop that piano at my son’s place in AZ on your way?
thumper, if we move it he can drive over and pick it up. DH has friends in Reno who claim we are going to be neighbors so I guess Arizona isn’t any different. If anyone in Chicagoland is interested, pm me!
donated ours to goskid’s old HS music dept. They already had three pianos…but loved that the digital one could be used with headphones!