Holding on to Sentimental Things

That is such a brilliant post. I love the picture. Can just imagine the conversation “And here, just for you, I have kept my second favourite ironing board”…

Great post. That is one of my favorite movies! I just finished cleaning/organizing in my attic. What a chore! You have some great ideas here!

Rachel’s last blog post..Dealing with Toddler Milk Allergies

Great post. I hate storage units and garages that are so full of stuff (read junk!) that you can’t park in them. I just don’t get how people could want to hold onto stuff that they don’t use or in many cases can’t get to easily.

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Nice post! Yes, simplifying is great. The only department where I can’t throw anything at all is letters. I have some boxes full of letters from my best friend, back when we were really close. Each letter is a piece of those years and unique and I’ll gladly keep them (in my old bedroom though).

On the other hand I feel very silly when I’m keeping clothes because they remind me occasions when they were bought or worn… occasions which I can remember well without keeping stuff!

This is SO important for me as I go through the kiddos’ clothes. I can’t keep every cute thing. Packing all the littlest child’s give away clothes in a plastic bag so I can not see them and give them away…

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(bad grammar for me - it’s so I CAN give the clothes away…)

Avlor’s last blog post..Bento with what you have!

Hi, I’ve been following your blog for some time now and I totally love it! Great posts, great ideas, great tips. If there’s one thing I couldn’t throw away is my grandmother’s cards - they are all too special to me.

Thanks so much for this post! I attach sentimental value to so many things–and am trying to break the habit!

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I keep a box of really special baby things (handmade by someone etc.) because I think my kids will enjoy them someday. But there are all those other outfits and cute sayings on shirts that I just can’t seem to part with, some of them are stained in places so its not even worth donating them. I decided to cut out the pieces that were cute or scraps from adorable skirts etc. and keep them to make into a quilt someday. Then I can keep one useful thing that will remind me of when my growing kids were just sweet little babies.
Another thing I have done with some of the baby things like the crib, toys, even the cupboard full of sippy cups, is take a picture. Then I will make a small scrapbook reminding me of these days with a house full of little kids and all that colorful plastic junk. It makes it much easier for me to get rid of all that stuff if I know I still have memories of it.

I love your blog! What a great post, I think we all have junk in our trunk.
I was over at my mother in laws this weekend and it reminded me why I should get rid off stuff. It is so cluttered she saves everything! It is stacked all over cupboards ect… You can not open a drawer and find anything it is so stuffed full of junk. Plastic soda pop/water bottles, cool whip containers, mayonnaise jars, washed baggies, so much junk!

I like to be frugal but how can it be frugal when you can’t find what you are looking for without wading through piles of junk!

(The picture of the garage you show from the movie actually looks great compared to how my mil garage looks!)

I think all I need to do is post a picture of the clutter and that will keep me from accumulating “stuff” that is easily replaceable or no longer used.

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Perfect timing as I was just trying to find clothes to give away this morning and having a hard time letting go of some of them.

To continue your theme:
Keep: concert (and event) photos and ticket stub
Don’t keep: concert (and event) t-shirts (when they’re not being worn anymore)

Keep: best of the best photos
Don’t keep: blurry, unflattering, duplicate photos (even better delete from the camera before uploading to the computer)

Keep: treasured books and reference books (parenting, health)
Don’t keep: old textbooks or baby books (once you’re past that stage)

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Rachel, I do have a few clothes that really have a special meaning - T-shirts from California, my favorite top from the 90s, the clothes from “our” first date and such - but sometimes I attach too much meaning to bland things

Wonderful post and very true! I could not agree with it more!

I can’t really say, cause I’d be the lady with the crammed full garage. Although so far I’ve been lucky to not create an emotional attachment to a garbage can or an ironing board, ha.

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Great list! Judging by the keep vs don’t keep, I’m doing pretty good. I do have a couple of trunks I should go through and considering I’m using the time in our current home as a “go through everything I own phase” it is probably that time.

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That’s great advice.
I keep one bin per child of keepsakes, and I make sure to LABEL the items in it and WHY they are important. Otherwise, they’ll say “nice cross,” or “cute outfit.” They’ll never know the importance behind them should something happen to me.

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I truly admire your discernment. You’ve drawn excellent lines between what to keep and what to toss.

I’ve found that since my daughter was born, it’s been so much easier to toss many of the “emotional” items from my young adulthood. Sometimes you have to enter the next big phase of life before you’re ready to let go of a past phase.

This is a timely post for me; I was planning to post (at one bag nation) about some of the silly things I’m hanging onto, for example: a heart-shaped box with lovebirds on top from my high school boyfriend (haven’t seen him since the 80s); my wisdom teeth (yep); and my Italian “mood cube”!

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the post made me laugh and cry– having been married to a dear man for nearly 42 years who was a keeper I have many items of remembrance- sadly on July 21 this year dear hubby lost a hard battle with cancer- now as I go through his things and our things and my things I am tossing and keeping and remembering——-I now only keep little things and things to use now- not to save for that ‘’some day” or for company- today is the day to use the good silverware and the good china- your company will come and go but family is forever- and I am giving some of papa’s things he enjoyed keeping to family now so they too will have some remembering things

I don’t keep much at all! My kids have too much stuff! (and it’s probably my fault - I buy the crap!)
My problem - I keep “skinny” clothes - just incase I ever fit into them again - which never happens!

You’ve got my vote, for sure!
Last week I was in Malmö, Sweden, for the European Social Forum, volunteering as an interpreter. There, somwone, not on purpose, broke my suitcase. I’d been travelling around Europe with it for over 8 years, more than 30 checked in flights! I almost cried when saying goodbye to it, and I felt so childish that now I’m ready for a big decluttering project. More on my brand new blog, http://www.wetakeiteasy.com

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Thank you for this. The one that really hit home was about keeping one card from your grandma. I have every birthday card - ever. And I’m 36. Yes, it’s time to let go of a few things.

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These suggestions are great. I’ve been paring down stuff from my childhood/adolescence/early adulthood, and it’s emotionally hard to do. One approach that helps - take a digital photo of the beloved doll, t-shirt, or whatever and keep that in a scrapbook. It’s still a little bit of clutter, but it doesn’t feel like throwing away memories.

This post is just what I needed to hear. I am so ridiculously sentimental when it comes to my stuff. Thank you for inspiring me and encouraging me to only hold onto the most meaningful stuff. That analogy from My Big Fat Greek Wedding was PERFECT!

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I’m curious about items such as stuffed animals. what’s the best way to retain their memory, short of keeping them in a tupperware for the rest of your life? I have pared mine down to one box, but I feel like that’s too much. yet when I go to throw them out, it’s like I’m a kid again and the animals are real, pleading to stay. and so they do.

You said this so well! Superb post.

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This post is hilarious! I love it. I will keep that visual with me when I am thinking of keeping a little too much.
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a small counter-sized laminating machine which works pretty easily is excellent for preserving paper things. this also works wonderfully for childrens art work.