There are so many suggestions on decluttering these days, but it isn't easy. When we moved here four and a half years ago, we brought a lot of stuff we didn't need or indeed want, but it was still lock down and charity shops were closed. So once lock down was over, I tried to pack up at least one bag of 'stuff' a week. And I did, and gradually Dh and I got rid of a lot of stuff. But then we got into getting the garden straight and time spent clearing stuff went and then it stopped!
I do have a dresser with 'precious' things, gifts, things associated with memories, my 'blue collection,' a jug that was a wedding gift of my mother's and eight different cats. I used to collect cats, there are only the eight left. I originally had thirty plus! It's going to be really hard to thin out my dresser things, I love them, that's why they are displayed there.
But so much of what we think matters, doesn't last. Not in the way we imagine. When a life ends, what's left becomes someone else's sorting job; someone else's burden, someone else's decision.
When my Aunties' died, 1994, their house was full, full, full, full!!
I had to hire a skip even though a lot of stuff went to charity shops. It took a week and a school friend came to help. We had fun, trying on hats, and wondering why there was 3 ironing boards, 3 vacuums, and so many tea sets and dinner plates. Under the stairs was full of toilet paper, a side board cupboard full of sugar.. war time habits had stayed with them!
I must start sorting out my things regularly again, I don't want to think they'd end up like this skip!
A skip no less, wow. I love the dresser full of beautiful china. I need one for my Brambly Hedge collection. I keep decluttering and throw odd bits in other people's skips, or take stuff to the op shop. We don't have verge collections any more which makes things more difficult.
ReplyDeleteMost of what we have our children would not want, so instead of purchasing new glasses we are using our expensive best set, we will start to use the best china as well. I have a huge plastic container in our garage, I put stuff in there, if I haven't missed it, the charity shop gets it.
ReplyDeleteI was pretty ruthless before, but since we had to sort through and get rid of ALL my Mum's things except the photos and a few of her clothes when she went into the care home, I have become even more so. I am finding more joy in the space things leave behind than the room they took up while I had them.
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful cabinet full of lovely China items. I do have some but I try not to collect anymore. We moved here 12 years ago and we were pretty well thin down. It's funny how I've kept my things extra thin, but the hubby has added to his like crazy!
ReplyDeleteI do de-clutter on a regular basis, I've told my children that they can chuck anything except my cross stitch, lol I've told them I will come back and haunt them if they send my stitching to the charity shop🤣
ReplyDeleteDuring January of every year I declutter, not a lot of things just bits and pieces I no longer want or need. The paperwork also gets a good going over and the shredder is working overtime. My sewing studio could do with a clean out too, but the fabric is sooooo beautiful. A resolution for 2026 is to use what I have and not buy----we will see how that works out.
ReplyDeleteI am trying to maintain a "one in, one our" rule. Not always successfully though. Downsizing from a large 4 bedroom church Manse to a little bungalow 5 years ago was a great incentive to declutter
ReplyDeleteWhen we moved here, we got rid of so much stuff, but it was amazing how fast we accumulated things again. We try to regularly get rid of things, but there is much room for improvement.
ReplyDeleteI'm a sorter. I just told my husband we need to go through things in the basement again. You can get it done, but gradually things build up again!
ReplyDeleteIt sure is difficult. My husband’s aunt died recently and her only child is left to go through everything in a huge house. A difficult and sad job. I hope to have things sorted rather than leave our only child to do the same.
ReplyDeleteI'm a de-clutterer. Just dropped 2 bags of 'stuff' to the charity shop. Having had to move my Granny twice, her first house she shared with 2 sisters and their Mum, sheets, blankets still in shop wrapping paper. Then emptied my MIL's, then moved my Dad and helped Stepmum move twice. I swore I'd never leave my daughter in that position, plus they don't have the same attachment to pieces that we do. Xx
ReplyDeleteI think it's good to sort things out and not have a LOT of clutter, but if we really love something we should keep it. If it brings us happiness we should enjoy it. I don't really care what happens to it when I leave this world. Even if my kids throw it all away, I enjoyed it. :)
ReplyDeleteI do try to de-clutter on a regular basis ...
ReplyDeleteAll the best Jan
I'm not very good at decluttering and I know that some of it will go to the tip when I leave this mortal coil, but how can I get rid of things the kids and the grandkids have made for me? Very hard. Other stuff I look at and think that needs to go but then one of the kids said to me one day 'you can't throw out Dad's treasures'. Not that I would but we do have stuff that needs to go!
ReplyDeleteI try to declutter regularly. Moving frequently in our earlier years of marriage helped me with keeping things under control. I don't really collect anything other than books and fabric and I do try to minimize those. I don't want to leave huge piles of things for my children to have to sort through.
ReplyDeleteIn the past 2 years I've gotten rid of so much "stuff". The only thing I regret is giving some of my favourite books away.They were old ones now out of print.
ReplyDeleteI have become more of a regular sorter these days but there are still many items that are too precious, that I can't part with because they hold special memories. I think that is Ok. There may come a time when I'm ready to let go but not yet.
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