[patfla06]

After spending the better part of this year cleaning out our house,
it has cured me of BUYING ANYTHING for my house!

We're still at it and hope to have even more stuff gone by the
time we sell and move to our house in T.V.

[Foruhun]

Keep this in mind.... you may love your house (and things in it) but your house (and those things) don't love you back. We had all our pictures (from 40 years) scanned and put on to DVD's. Got rid of all the photo albums! Once you downsize you think twice about ever buying "stuff" again. Who needs a Christmas plate, Easter plate, Thanksgiving plate, USA plate, when one plate will do?

I would advise that many of the homes here have areas above the kitchen cabinets that look very bare without anything up there. If you have a collection or theme, save to put in that space. Good luck!

[patfla06]

Originally Posted by Foruhun

Keep this in mind.... you may love your house (and things in it) but your house (and those things) don't love you back. We had all our pictures (from 40 years) scanned and put on to DVD's. Got rid of all the photo albums! Once you downsize you think twice about ever buying "stuff" again. Who needs a Christmas plate, Easter plate, Thanksgiving plate, USA plate, when one plate will do?

I would advise that many of the homes here have areas above the kitchen cabinets that look very bare without anything up there. If you have a collection or theme, save to put in that space. Good luck!

Love your ideas about the photos!

Our house in Tampa has so many shelves (built-in bookcases,
Plant shelves, etc.) so I have so much stuff like that.
I think when I get to T.V. I should have a garage sale!
(We are in a neighborhood now where we cannot do that.)

[SantaClaus]

I know this is an ancient thread, but it sure holds true even today. One part that really hit home for me is:

Originally Posted by Mintjulep

My hubbys Santa collection is our big problem now. He doesn't want to part with it bit it really takes up tons of space for something that's seasonal.
He's the Clark Griswold of our neighborhood, so it'll be hard for him...

I, too, have scads of Christmas decor (I know! shocking) some of which I display all year. It's going to be hard trimming back in that department. I think I can be (and already have been) pretty relentless elsewhere. Some Christmasphile is going to hit the mother lode at our final yard sale!

[CarolSells]

Dear Santa,

We all feel your pain, many people here have great Christmas displays and they're still so much fun to see! But it all has to be stored for 335 days in a hot attic or garage.

I will have been here a year on April 22nd. I scaled down to the stuff that I couldn't live w/out (small uhaul trailer and 2 stuffed SUV loads) and still think that I brought too much at times. I know it sounds crazy, but I get very anxious about my sons having to take time to come here and wade through it. I think your perspective on things changes depending on the circumstances. Just an opinion.

[Madelaine Amee]

Originally Posted by CarolSells

Dear Santa,

I know it sounds crazy, but I get very anxious about my sons having to take time to come here and wade through it.

You have put everything in the right perspective with that one sentence. IMHO we should not leave our lives for our children to throw out, not fair to them.

On a lighter note - we made a move from one State to another and I was having trouble getting rid of stuff in the attic, i.e. their school reports, their childhood photos, the little clay thingee of their hands and feet when they were babies. Well, finally one of the boys said "no worry Mum, I'll do it". He laid heavy plastic sheeting beneath the attic stairs and I stood at the bottom of those stairs and cried while he literally threw everything out of the attic onto the floor. EVERYTHING, even the little clay hands feet were smashed in the process.

It's only STUFF....................

[OBXNana]

This thread began 6 years ago and is timeless. We are going through 37 years of stuff to compact to a house 1/3 the size. We asked ourselves how do we get rid of the cute things our kids (now mid 30's) made as youngsters? Then we remembered going through my mothers items 4 years ago of the cute things I had made. It was fun to see the things, but it was time to let go. We've started 3 piles, with each of our children's names on. They can make the decision of what they want to keep from their early craft days.

We know all the furniture can't fit. To sell it for penny's on the dollar isn't financially responsible when we have children that can use the items. They can have what they want. Other items we can donate.

Now for my question. What do you do with something you don't use often, but when you need the item, can't live without?

[mixsonci]

Originally Posted by nONIE

So he made me this deal. If I go home and start cleaning out the attic, the cellar, the barn and the house, and then sell the house, We can spend more time in TV Yaaaaaaaaaa!

Where do I begin???? :dontknow: I have been a collector and horder for almost 40 years,any suggestions would be very much appreciated! :

I have a crazy mess of my own to deal with when I retire in December. I work for the State Dept. Foreign Service branch, so I live and work overseas. All of my stuff (furniture to dishes) has been in storage for close to 20 years and I have bought stuff through the years and added it to the pile. I have no way of remembering most of what is even in there (I know I have 2 living room sets) and I can't even get to it until they deliver to my house in TV next January. So there will be no sorting through and throwing away what I don't want ahead of time, that is going to be fun

[stroglass]

Just finished that job it took us months of work it was sad that no one wants to take donations we just had to dump a lot of really good stuff .We cont to get rid of stuff once we got to TV and discovered we could not use it .Good luck with you move

[Madelaine Amee]

Originally Posted by mixsonci

I have a crazy mess of my own to deal with when I retire in December. I work for the State Dept. Foreign Service branch, so I live and work overseas. All of my stuff (furniture to dishes) has been in storage for close to 20 years and I have bought stuff through the years and added it to the pile. I have no way of remembering most of what is even in there (I know I have 2 living room sets) and I can't even get to it until they deliver to my house in TV next January. So there will be no sorting through and throwing away what I don't want ahead of time, that is going to be fun

You have one thing going for you down here - there is abject poverty everywhere outside of TV, so your items will probably be treasures to the needy.

We also have a wonderful Sheriff who supports the Florida Youth Ranches and they will literally take everything, and then they write you nicest thank you letter imaginable, and it is hand written by one of their boys/girls. Makes you feel good about doing it.

I get calls every week for clothing, for appliances, you name it, there are literally dozens of collection services in this area.

[mixsonci]

Originally Posted by Madelaine Amee

You have one thing going for you down here - there is abject poverty everywhere outside of TV, so your items will probably be treasures to the needy.

We also have a wonderful Sheriff who supports the Florida Youth Ranches and they will literally take everything, and then they write you nicest thank you letter imaginable, and it is hand written by one of their boys/girls. Makes you feel good about doing it.

I get calls every week for clothing, for appliances, you name it, there are literally dozens of collection services in this area.

that sounds wonderful. I would love to do that and I'm sure I will have lots of stuff to give them. How do I contact them, of course it won't be until next January but still it's not to early to think about.

[Madelaine Amee]

Originally Posted by mixsonci

that sounds wonderful. I would love to do that and I'm sure I will have lots of stuff to give them. How do I contact them, of course it won't be until next January but still it's not to early to think about.

The mail we get from them is from:

Florida Sheriffs Youth Ranches
PO 2000, 2486 Cecil Webb Place,
Boys Ranch, FL 32064 1-800-765-3797

There is a more local number, but unfortunately I don't have it right now, but someone else who uses TOTV will have it.

[uprivergirl]

Well everyone has made me realize I better get started clearing out stuff now. We have 46 years of stuff to sort out.

Steve you reminded me of all the stuff we had to get rid of when my grandmother passed. Her stuff was only important to her. My kids don't care about the things I have collected over the years.

The problem will be my husbands garage.

Mintjulep what a great idea to have a friend come help you with the task of getting rid of stuff.

I guess I will get started de-cluttering even before our visit in May.

[raynan]

First, had a yard sale and sold big items on Craig's List. We had a lot of colonial furniture, yard equipment and a spare refrig. which went that way. Second, books don't sell so we donated to the library and a huge truckload to the local literacy center. They were thrilled to get them. Then, we invited all the relatives and neighbors and their kids and grandkids to help themselves to what was not coming to FL. You'd be surprised how many dorm rooms, first apartments and cottages were outfitted this way. We brought a small café set to use as a kitchen set, a love seat and club chair that saw better days and our new tv and 2 older small tvs and our bedroom set. We could sit and watch tv, eat in the kitchen and sleep. Then we took our time when we learned our way around the area and went out and bought our furniture and made a lot of good deals buying floor models. A year later, we donated the older tvs and the den set and bought new when there were sales. We had 33 years of "stuff" so I really sympathize. It wasn't easy but it was fun buying some new "stuff". When you realize how much it costs to move things it's easier to part with them and to be more realistic about what will work here in your new home. Good Luck. Nancy

[SantaClaus]

I'm still reading through these old posts and found this one particularly helpful:

Originally Posted by salpal

As far as emotional aspect of "things" I saw one of those organizer shows where the host said something along the lines of "That statue that Aunt Martha gave you does NOT represent Aunt Martha, she lives in your memory, not in the statue".....I try to remember that.

That is so true. I recently decided that I'd been lugging my yearbooks around long enough, so I broke out the digital camera, took pictures of a dozen or so pages that held anything sentimental for me, and chuck about 100lbs of useless paper in the recycle bin. You know what, I didn't feel a loss at all, I felt liberated! We have probably 7 years before TV and will probably need every minute of that to empty our 4000sqft house, full attic, full basement and 2 story 40x40 barn/garage! Where did all this junk come from? When my wife and I married 20 years ago I moved from Atlanta with U-Haul's smallest trailer (4x6 I think)... I was an apartment dweller and left most of my furniture with my roommate and the trashman. We moved here 10 years later and it took 2 of U-Hauls largest trucks, their largest trailer and a car carrier bristling with strapped-on goodies and a minivan filled to the roof! If we were to move everything we have now, I'm guessing it'd take two tractor trailers. It's insane! Like I said, I'm working earnestly toward the goal and hope it can be accomplished in the "limited" time we have. Again, really enjoying the thread and the commiseration.