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I left my unhappy home in 1999 with my clothing, my hi-fi, the Omega watch given to my dad when he retired in 1980 and little else. Storage space in my new life was not an issue I had to concern myself with.
I was still in pretty good shape three years later when I met Chris. If there’s a polar opposite word for a person who hoards, that word would describe Chris, at least in 2002. Chrissy has a less is more philosophy, I hope that doesn’t say anything about me, but I digress. When we first got together, the only thing in that girl’s basement was the washer, the dryer, and her cat’s litter box.
Somewhere between 2002 and 2026 things changed. There were things of mine that had been at my folks house that found a new home with me. The beautifully organized walk in attic in our two year home was running out of space for our stuff. We have lived in four homes since we met, and it seems we bought things to adorn each place, and stuck many of the old treasures in the attic.
So this week we pledged to purge. The cap and gown from my high school graduation; it could make an excellent drop cloth, but no, it’s gone. A box of old routers and mystery cables, gone. TV stands for TVs mounted on walls; I once used a set to build Covid barrier in my office, but they’re in the garbage now. Enough wicker baskets to open a Pier One store, donated. An inflatable bed, maybe used one time, gone. Christmas, Easter, Halloween decorations no longer used, gone. Some really cool giant candle holders; the cancer society thrift store should make some good money on those. A very manly pair of severe weather boots; homey don’t go outside in deep snow no more. And those 32 inch waist jeans; who am I trying to kid?
Newly emptied storage boxes were repacked with all the donatable items, which now has my SUV bursting at the welds; the thrift store should make a few bucks with all those goodies. Our big garbage tote is stuffed with stuff that no one would be interested in. We also gave our maid some chairs and a humidifier from the office I no longer occupy.
There are no more loose things cluttering up the attic. The 12 big brown storage boxes are now filled with things we can’t part with; many are nearly empty. Chris numbered them with a big white sharpie, and we created a spreadsheet with each one’s contents. I suppose you could say that we made the attic great again. My children will thank us posthumously.
Dan,
I enjoy your fun articles. Keep ‘em coming…
Andy, thanks so much. I’m not as bright as some of the writers, so I try to keep things light.
A Humble example for HumbleDollar 😉
My cluttered attic awaits me….. 🤣
Your post hit home. As an x-USAF guy, we moved many times over the 20 years and thus periodically got rid of stuff due to weight limitations. However, 26 years in the same location (our retirement home) led to accumulation on a large scale. We don’t want our daughter to be inundated with an overwhelming amount of stuff (2 sheds and a garage) so we’re purging big time as we reach our 80s and I’m still able to lift the heavy stuff. Inflatable beds, cables, tools, wicker baskets, etc. all going to Habitat or Good Will, but will keep the ATV for getting around our steep 5 acres. The best news is that I’ll be able to park my new Z in the garage this winter.
Nearing your 80s and a new Z in the garage; you rock, John!
Yes, it only takes going through a dead relative’s “stuff”–in this case, my sister’s 3 storage units–and essentially “throwing her life away” to motivate you to do the same for yourself while YOU can!! It was a heartbreaking experience, and one I would never want to leave for someone else. A recent move across country has helped me complete the process. And even so, I know there are a few more boxes of the maybe 10 or so I have in a storage closet that I know will go soon. It feels good.
Wendy, you bring up an excellent argument for purging. It’s not just hard physically to clean up a loved one’s belongings, it’s hard emotionally as well. We talk about the importance of having conversations with the kids about our desires for final arrangements and money matters. Maybe learning what items the kids want to hold on to is a good topic to add to the discussion.
And your children will purge further. I’ve been volunteering at the local Habitat for Humanity ReStore for the past few years and have gotten quite an education as a team member who sorts through donations. Here are a few themes I’ve learned: the majority of America seems to clean out their attics around Labor Day weekend. When volunteers are overwhelmed with donations, we tend to be more selective about what we sell and what goes in the dumpster. I am only 5’2” tall, and last year the donation area was piled high with boxes and bags piled taller than me! Those fancy candles? Fifty cents to a dollar. If the baskets are broken or chipped? In the dumpster they go! Full sets of china get thrown in the dumpster! There is only so much space in the warehouse! We take turns throwing and smashing plates into the dumpster especially if we feel energetic or frustrated that day! It’s crazy! We do find treasures on each shift but they are few and far between! I often feel like I’m on an archeological dig! My advice after this experience? Clean out the attic but hold the donations for a month or so until thrift stores aren’t so overwhelmed. If you don’t throw it out, we probably will. Think twice about buying Knick knacks. And use the good China! I can almost guarantee that your kids don’t want it!
YES!!! In our retirement community, I’m often amused by the ‘value’ people place on their own items. “This set of china cost me $1500 forty years ago so I’m asking just $1400 for it now.” Good luck with that. People have a difficult time realizing their stuff is only worth what someone else will pay for it. And most people don’t want your china, curio cabinets, nick knacks or most “collectibles”.
That was my mother 4 plus years ago when she was moving to the Boston area from Wisconsin, particularly with her bedroom set my parents bought when Kennedy was President for $250….she was not happy she only got $300 from an antique dealer and no wanted her mother’s China.
I so agree. I look at some silver-plated serving pieces that I know no one wants, but I know my mother and mother-in-law probably spent a lot of money buying them for us.
Fran, thanks for posting this advice. Your china dinnerware comment hit home with me. My folks china had great sentimental value to me; the holiday dinners bring back wonderful memories. Still, the style of the fine china is not something I or my kids would want to use. And the silverware that my parents saved for and had to buy one piece at a time will probably get hocked by a grandkid in need of some quick cash.
Ah the family silver. My dad passed a few years ago at 93 and I got a big shoe box filled with it. Gave it to my wife’s daughter (she’s a quilter, loves period things) and she eventually gave it back and said they didn’t have room. So early this year I sent it to be melted, ended up with a check for about $5k.
Impressive, Keith.
I love Dan’s post and the comments so far. Here’s my strategy. I live in a small one story cottage, perfect for aging in place and with enough room for my grandson. There’s a tool shed in my backyard and a very small garage that had been made into an art studio by the previous owner. I learned how to downsize with our first home purchase, an estate sale where buying the contents was a condition of the sale. A few things were useful, but most of the stuff had to be gotten rid of. Church flea markets where you rent a table helped me get rid of a lot. Then I developed my yard sale expertise: Price very low because your goal isn’t to make money, it’s to avoid paying someone to haul the stuff away. What you don’t sell goes into the trash, not back into your house. My attic has only our suitcases and the empty bins for the next move. My finished basement has one small storage closet. My newly re-converted back into a garage will just fit my Kia Optima. I haven’t tried it yet because it currently stores some junk to be hauled away. Paying a hauler? I’ve decided to patronize local businesses rather than always looking for the cheapest option. A junk hauler stopped by my June yard sale and donated an item that I was able to sell for $20. He’s getting my business! 😊. Happy downsizing. And don’t forget to donate! I do that too, especially still-wearable clothes.
Linda, that’s a good strategy for clearing out the clutter!
Good for you. This is something I think a lot of people struggle with. Few want to come to terms with the fact that no one wants their stuff (junk), least of all their kids or grandkids.
Ben, this is a point that Chrissy has drilled into my head over the years. Dave Lancaster states below that he has one item from each grandparent. That’s really all that is needed to remind us of someone. An entire attic full of relics just isn’t necessary, and probably will not be appreciated by future generations.
I’m jealous. We were going to embark on a similar plan but then a new hip intervened. Oh, darn.
Ted, not to worry. Edmund Marsh (below comment) can probably recommend some PT, or Purge Therapy, as I prefer to call it, for that new hip😁
My wife periodically gets a telephone call from my cousin–a confirmed purger–who asks, “what are you throwing away today”. That starts my wife on a hunt through our considerable hoard to collect a load for the trash or charity. I’m thankful, though. We need to get lean. Great post.
We all need a little inspiration every now and then, Edmund. Thank goodness for cuzins!
We sold our home of 32 years last September. It had a large, moist basement and two attics. When we negotiated with the builder for our new home, I insisted on not ordering a basement. It cost $45,000 extra and one of the reasons we moved was to avoid stairs. My wife reluctantly agreed but it was the right decision. BTW, I found a box in the basement of the old home that we moved in 1993 and had never opened.
A time capsule from 1993! That would have made a great party theme.
Huh,
A spread sheet for storage boxes, you must be a retired engineer.
When we built our retirement home we (my wife mostly) purged a lot of belongings. When we moved in I set a law that the full sized attic would never have a ladder installed so nothing could be put up there. Our basement (something most New England homes have, but I know is not common everywhere in the US) is the only place allowed for storage. Mostly it contains totes of our children’s things. We have been storing a set of my daughter’s grandmother’s dishes for over a decade (expensive to ship cross country). Just this month my sister offered me a set of MY grandparent’s dishes which I showed an interest in four decades ago, but alas no longer. My daughter said she wanted them (my grandparents’ dishes), but we were a hard no on storing a second set. She is working it out with her aunt.
Of interest: My grandparents china is nearly 100 years old. My niece declined them because old china was manufactured with lead. I had no idea.
David, I’m surely not an engineer, my math skills are seriously lacking, I just like to throw in an occasional reference to spreadsheets to poke the Quinn bear every once in a while.
I’m happy that my daughters have a few things from my folks.
I have one item from each set of grandparents. A very smoke damaged plant stand which stood in my maternal grandparents’ living room, and a small souvenir fishing shack that for my entire childhood sat on a half wall between the kitchen and living room in my other, early widowed, grandfather’s true cottage on Cape Cod. This was his primary residence for his last decades. They have no real value monetarily, but stimulate strong memories of all my grandparents.
Hmmm. Another reminder to deal with all those pictures downstairs. My sister has done some similar cleansing. I don’t think I’m adding to the pile of stuff, but I’m not decreasing it, either.
C’mon, Jeff, you don’t want your friends to know you got beat by your sister! 😁
Our spouses must be related. We’ve been downsizing our household (or storage unit and luggage) since we combined households.
Ironically, it’s her parents whose home and belongings will be a bear. At least it’s very organized, it’s just a lot.
Michael, my folks were exactly like your in-laws!
My wife would probably get along well with yours. She has often said that everyone who doesn’t move every 5 years ought to rent a dumpster (or two) and clean out their home. And having cleaned out a couple of houses left behind by loved ones who passed, I can attest to the favor you have done for your children.
Jack, Chrissy is in total agreement with the five year dumpster plan. She finds it much easier to part with stuff than I do.
VHS tapes, DVDs, CDs and CD players, old collectibles that I thought would be valuable, old IPODs, useless exercise equipment – and much more.
August, I have a couple tiny transistor radios from the 60s, one is brand new and still in the box. I’m sure it will pay for a grand-kid’s college education some day!
Dan, we’re maybe some of the lucky ones. We remodeled our 70-year-old bungalow and converted the attic into living space — great for the extra room, terrible for anywhere to actually put things. These days the garage is pretty much it: our storage unit, museum, and last line of defense, all in one.
That squeeze turned out to be a blessing in disguise, though. Years of having nowhere to hide clutter has made us ruthless about only keeping what we actually need. No attic full of “we’ll deal with this someday” boxes, no Christmas decorations breeding in a dark corner — just the garage, holding its line. So no spreadsheet required. When your storage space is basically a shoebox, the inventory system tends to sort itself out.
Christmas decorations breeding in the dark corner? So that’s the reason Chrissy keeps Santa and Mrs. Claus in separate boxes!
Dan, I’ve heard of the rhythm method for family planning, but this is the first time I’ve come across the ‘box control’ method 😁
Oh, for sure, Mark. Just be sure to use opaque boxes. Clear boxes would just be cruel!
😂
Huh Mark, and I have always thought that garages were for storing cars.
David, in nearly 40 years of owning homes with garages, I don’t think I’ve ever actually parked a car in one. Mine have always been far too busy serving their true purpose: storage unit, workshop, and overflow attic, with “shelter for vehicle” a distant fourth on the job description.
The garage is definitely a multi-purpose space, but for me, parking the cars and having a good work space top the list. We Yanks love and pamper our automobiles.
LOVE this post! Good job dealing with all that ‘stuff’. Where we live, I’ve seen entire houses and garages filled–floor to ceiling–with lifetime accumulations of ‘stuff’.
I generally don’t get attached to many items. If I haven’t used something in more than twelve months, I tend to get rid of it. The exceptions, not surprisingly, are anything related to my dogs. I still have every ribbon won by any of my dogs in a competition. I have individual scrapbooks for each of them (past and present). I have tubs of leashes and collars and training tools and toys. But even all of that would probably fill just a single hall closet in most homes.
Earlier this year I parted with two boxes of old report cards, diplomas, letters and cards (from my childhood). I scanned many of the items and they are now stored in a cloud-based drive so I can access them again if I ever want to. It felt good to purge many pounds of paper from my life.
Kristine, I’m glad you liked this one. I think you would like my Christine; she prefers a quiet night at home with Sophie the wonder cat over hanging out with people.
We live in a new 55+ community, and I also see garages overflowing with accumulated stuff. Why would someone want to move it all? Your one year rule makes a lot of sense.
I agree–it sounds like I would get along splendidly with your Christine. I will take a night at home with our dogs over…well…just about everything else.
How do you like your 55+ community? We really like ours and are learning how much we appreciate having so many easily-accessible services. I also adore how much the folks here look after one another.
We love it here, though it doesn’t seem to be as close knit as what you have described about your place in past posts, at least not yet.
I think one of the things that makes our community somewhat unique is the number of activities available to residents. I think there’s over 100 chartered clubs and 40 or 50 purely ‘social’ clubs as well.
The club activities range from sports (tennis, pickleball, lawn bowling and probably 20 other different activities) to other more ‘specialized’ hobbies (there’s a shop/garage for people who restore vintage cars, a huge woodworking shop, etc.).
It’s rare for people not to be involved in at least one activity. The latest addition to the activity roster is dog training 🙂 and we’ve gotten some great feedback from that.
Dan, this made me laugh, especially the 32-inch waist jeans. I think many of us have a few things tucked away that represent more optimism than reality.
When we moved from Maryland to Florida, we did a major purge and thought we had finally conquered the accumulation problem. Somehow, over the years, the closets and garage began filling up again. Now, as Joey and I contemplate eventually downsizing from our house to an apartment, I’m realizing we’ll get another chance to decide what we really need and what we’ve simply been storing.
I like your last line. One of the best gifts we can leave our families may be fewer boxes to go through after we’re gone. And apparently, a well organized spreadsheet telling them what’s in the ones we couldn’t part with.
Nicely done, Dan. The attic is indeed great again!
Thanks, Andrew, I thought the forum was in need of a little levity, I’m happy to attempt some comic relief.
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