Will I ever need this stuff again?

Newly_retired

More good ideas, thanks. Today I've got a bit further but actually spent most of the morning reading stuff I found!! I did then chuck it out.

ukmaggie45

I've been a hoarder for years, and OH is something of a hoarder too...

My parents both died in 1997, and we have just sold their flat. So now we have a lot of their stuff to deal with too! :eek: We can barely move in our house! But we've been clearing the stuff from the flat since they died. Some has gone straight to charity shops, some has come home to be sorted. A lot of paperwork has to be kept until all the legal work on their Estates has been completed.

I'm disabled, so going once or twice a week to the flat and packing stuff up has been very difficult for me to cope with, hence the large amount of stuff that has come back home with us. Now the flat has been sold I have more time and energy to begin to go through everything.

There are some things of my parents' that we will definitely keep - family papers and photos, and some of the china for instance. Some things I don't feel ready to part with yet. But I think over the next few months a lot more will go.

There are email Lists that can help - Fly Lady is one that some folks use. Think it's on YahooGroups.

Having decided to try and get rid of a load of stuff, I have to say that I've been glad I didn't get rid of old clothes yet! My weight has changed considerably over the years, just lost a lot recently, so have been very glad that I had the next size down clothes to wear! And will keep the larger stuff for now in case I upsize again!

Best of luck with the decluttering!

Edit: My parents died in 2007 - obviously I am living in the past! :rolleyes:

Newly_retired

I have definitely given up on keeping clothes that don't fit any more. If I ever do lose weight I will enjoy buying some new ones.
I still have things from my parents' home waiting to be sorted out- photos, papers etc, nothing urgent. I resolved when I had to clear their house out that I must not leave mine in that state for my children to clear out, but as time goes on it is getting on that way. That's what comes of living in the same house for years.
I was really pleased recently to give my nephew ( ie their gransdon) their dinner service - not particularly valuable but complete. He was thrilled to bits, so that made me very happy too.
Actually it is books and papers that I find the hardest to get rid of, not material possessions. I am not too bothered about selling things, I am just glad if someone can make use of them. Yes, I know there is freecycle, but I don't think I have the sort of thing anyone else would normally want!
DH has endless gadgets and gizmos, old radio valves, computer parts, tools.. you name it but does not want to part with anything.

wallbash

If you haven't worn it in three years , dump it
If you haven't looked at the paperwork in five years , shred it.

But

quote DH has endless gadgets and gizmos, old radio valves, computer parts, tools..

These are essential and MUST be carefully put away for future generations.

pollypenny

Good luck with it, newly retired! I am the same boat. I have taken loads of stuff back to school and keep thinking about selling academic books on Amazon, but I never get round to it.

Had a good clear out 0f book shelves, but ended up with most of them back - just arranged prettily!! I don't want to get rid of Penguin classics, with my annotations, but I have a job to see the print!

I'm not sure about our ability to keep the knowledge; I find I forget. If a friend asks for help for a child, I'd be glad of my notes, although I'd never do private tutoring.

Isn't retirement great! :beer:

27col

I cannot bring myself to throw out my old apprentice note books from over 50 years ago. Yet I know that I will never need them again.

ukmaggie45

Newly_retired wrote: »

I have definitely given up on keeping clothes that don't fit any more. If I ever do lose weight I will enjoy buying some new ones.

I only keep my favourite clothes. I've mostly not had enough money to be able to buy new clothes. And despite selling the parents' flat, I still don't have any money - we are in a protracted battle with the solicitor named as co-executor with my husband over my parents' Estates. :mad: You can read all about it here if you have several hours to kill! We have instructed a new solicitor to sort out the mess the original one made, but it's all such a mess that it's likely to be ages before it's fully sorted out. I have hopes that some of the money will be released in the next few months, but in the meantime I'm really glad to have some of my old clothes to wear! :j

You have the same thought as me about not wanting to leave a load of stuff for the kids to clear out! :T In fact my parents had done a fair amount of thinning when they moved from their house to the flat in 1997 (yes, I do mean 1997 this time - can't believe I wrote they died in that year in my post yesterday! :rolleyes: Now edited to correct year - 2007) but there's still far too much stuff to keep. The 2 tea sets were willed to my girls, but one is living in a shared house and doesn't have the space for it at present. She wants most of the kitchen stuff and the dinner service when she eventually gets a place of her own, so it's residing in large plastic boxes in the loft.

27col, although you may not ever need to look at your apprentice notes again, if you have children and/or grandkids they may well be fascinated by them.

terrierlady

today i read this then opened the airing cupboard out tumbled all the old hoarded items 12 towels which were never used the colour didnt match the bathroom.... 6 sheets the colour didnt match the rest of the bed linen... old pillows which i dont know why i kept... tomorrow i start on the wardrobes.. i took the items to the charity shop and whilst i was in there some of the items were sold so well worth the turn out,

Newly_retired

Well my private pupil has now given up coming ( for very valid reasons ) so that gives me a bit more of an incentive to clear out stuff as I really do not have time to have any pupils. Retirement is much too busy. I've just got back from my daughter's - 36 hour visit - and we had huge difficulty trying to agree on dates for the next visit. She said I'm much too busy. But I can't just sit around doing nothing, so 2 days voluntary work, 3 choirs, plus church activities, doesn't leave me with many spare days.
I found my old stamp albums and took the step of getting a professional opinion as to whether it was worth paying for a valuation. Sadly not, but at least I made an effort. Does anyone know of a charity which welcomes old stamps to boost its funds?
I am falling over half filled boxes at the moment - lol.

Errata

Does anyone know of a charity which welcomes old stamps to boost its funds?

British Legion ! And congrats on your de-cluttering.