Please please help me declutter sentimental items!

dandy-candy

I've lived in my current home for 19 years and we are due to move in a weeks time. I planned to declutter as I filled the packing boxes, but I realise this is a bad idea!
I have a large attic, garage and every drawer and cupboard stuffed with things. Getting rid of clothes, old knick knacks, electricals, etc - no problem. Anything sentimental is very hard! I know lots will say to keep stuff like this, but I get emotional over things that many of you wouldn't.
Just in my bedroom so far-

3 boxes of every photo I've ever taken including random landscapes/national trust houses without anyone in the shot. Also all the "bad" photos of people with eyes shut etc, but it's hard to chuck these especially if they have my kids in from when little.

A drawer of knick knacks I have kept from holidays when I was a teenager - keyrings, statues, cheap jewellery.

Every Mother's Day card my kids ever gave me.

A belt my mum bought me for my 15 birthday (I'm 42)

All the cuddly toys I've been given by my husband (even the ones I don't like!)

This stuff is living shoved away and hasn't seen the light of day for years. When I go through them I do think awww (especially drawings saying "I love you" from my kids when they were little, they're teens and never say that now!), but when I finish looking at them they go back in the cupboard for another few years....

Please help! How do I do this? There is TONS to still go through

monnagran

It's a problem I have too. What I have always intended to do but never got round to (I have qualifications in procrastination) is to arrange things in groups- like soft toys,souvenirs Tec (sorry, my tablet doesn't do shortened versions of words like 'etcetera') and take a photo of them. Cards and letters I would keep as they don't take up too much room. It's amazing how you can suddenly discover a sentimental attachment to something you've not looked at for years.

I had some success with picking things up and asking myself, "if the house was on fire would I rescue this?"

Good luck, and if you find a foolproof way turning off sentimental attachments make sure that you share it.

x

pm2326

I don't get sentimental about items so probably not much help from me but I wonder whether you need to look at the way you store these items rather than discard them?

Can you or someone you trust transfer the photos on to memory cards for your PC?

I'm guessing the Mother's Day cards are also in boxes?

You could save the photos, kids drawings and cards in scrap books and have them on display in maybe a book case so you can look at them whenever you want.

morganlefay

Goodness, dandy-candy, I don't remember having you for coffee but you've clearly been in my bedroom because you describe it exactly. I too need help, we moved 3 years ago and had no time to sort so just put everything in boxes and put it in a friend's nice clean and dry barn. But guess what ? The new house is filling up again and I still haven't tackled the barn. My daughter suggested the 'pomodoro' method ( google it) but I'm not sure it has helped a lot. Please will someone help people like me if they can with good tips for how to deal with all our lovely stuff. People who aren't hoarders can't really understand why we do it ( indeed, neither do we) but it's a great affliction and I'd really like to be able to deal with it. ( konmarie is a bit of help, but really I've got too much stuff to do it her way, if I emptied cupboards etc we'd never be able to get in the room again.) :eek::eek::eek::eek::eek:

YORKSHIRELASS

I suggest reading the Magic Art of Tidying by Marie Kondo. It totally changed my outlook on sentimental objects.

One thing I did with my son when he was struggling to declutter his bedroom was to give him two cardboard boxes and say he could keep whatever he wanted, so long as it fitted into those two boxes. Maybe trying to reduce what you have is the way to go for now.

jackyann

When I moved I used box files, but really any box will do. I labelled them as memory boxes for different parts of my life.
I selected, for instance, one Mothering Sunday card, one birthday card, to represent them all. The "top" swimming badge etc. etc.

Mark300zx

I will describe something that happened to me and hopefully it will help you.

Unfortunately my Mother passed away a few years ago and she kept a lot of things, bordering on being a hoarder. It took me a very long time emotionally to go through and sort everything, it was very painful as every niknak brought back a memory.

Sorry to bring up what will inevitably happen but spare your offspring the pain of that process and keep what is really important to you and they will know what to keep to remind them of you?

Floss

YORKSHIRELASS wrote: »

I suggest reading the Magic Art of Tidying by Marie Kondo. It totally changed my outlook on sentimental objects.

and get yourself over to the Kon-Mari thread...

dingdongsaving

Def. pick out the 'highlights' and make a scrapbook, video slideshow or even just folder of photos of some of these things to go on your computer/online.

I know I'm more organised than most, and I am a MKondoite, but I do also keep special cards, letters & photos in albums and scrapbooks, some of which are online. I also keep very special things, but nothing more.

In reality, in a fire I would run out with the clothes on my back and my family - so anything not stored digitally in the great ether that is the internet would be lost and I'd be fine with that. What would you carry out in a fire, as mentioned above is a great way of viewing this opportunity to clear things.

Think of the freedom, clarity and pleasure you'll get from your new home if it's organised and not full of hidden things you're always 'waiting' to deal with. If that 'wait' is decades, think of the impact it'll have over time.

Islandmaid

YORKSHIRELASS wrote: »

I suggest reading the Magic Art of Tidying by Marie Kondo. It totally changed my outlook on sentimental objects.

One thing I did with my son when he was struggling to declutter his bedroom was to give him two cardboard boxes and say he could keep whatever he wanted, so long as it fitted into those two boxes. Maybe trying to reduce what you have is the way to go for now.

I completely agree with YL - I,m not a sentimental person, but when we had a major declutter for our roof extension, I did it with Marie Kondo,s help, and I ended up with a box for each of my 3 kids (all teens/20's) with things for them to have when appropriate, and a box for me, with special photo,s, knicknacks and general special stuff - sorted.

Good luck - it sounds like a massive task, but let yourself laugh and cry at all those little things you,ve forgotten you had X

honeythewitch

dandy-candy wrote: »

I've lived in my current home for 19 years and we are due to move in a weeks time. I planned to declutter as I filled the packing boxes, but I realise this is a bad idea!
I have a large attic, garage and every drawer and cupboard stuffed with things. Getting rid of clothes, old knick knacks, electricals, etc - no problem. Anything sentimental is very hard! I know lots will say to keep stuff like this, but I get emotional over things that many of you wouldn't.
Just in my bedroom so far-

3 boxes of every photo I've ever taken including random landscapes/national trust houses without anyone in the shot. Also all the "bad" photos of people with eyes shut etc, but it's hard to chuck these especially if they have my kids in from when little.

A drawer of knick knacks I have kept from holidays when I was a teenager - keyrings, statues, cheap jewellery.

Every Mother's Day card my kids ever gave me.

A belt my mum bought me for my 15 birthday (I'm 42)

All the cuddly toys I've been given by my husband (even the ones I don't like!)

This stuff is living shoved away and hasn't seen the light of day for years. When I go through them I do think awww (especially drawings saying "I love you" from my kids when they were little, they're teens and never say that now!), but when I finish looking at them they go back in the cupboard for another few years....

Please help! How do I do this? There is TONS to still go through

They all sound like essentials to me.