I think once you have had to deal with the possessions of someone who has died, you see your own stuff in a new light.

I don’t want my kids to have to empty a house full of stuff. So I have resisted filling our empty nest with a bunch of junk just because we have extra space.

Cindy — who is down to about 10 hats/visors for tennis and sports, but who wears them all

Fortunately, my parents left their house to my brother.
There was a lot of carp left in the house after family took what they wanted.
It is listed for sale.
Wonder whether the listing states " Carp included". Cannot imagine him doing what it would take to get rid of it all.

I am going to start tossing stuff when I get home tomorrow, or maybe the day after.

Just counted the ink pens/pencils/highlighters/sharpies in the top drawer in one of our kitchen cabinets: 134.

I am going through them individually. Ones that don't write well go in trash. The rest will go in a ziplock bag to donate to charity.

I figure I can get by with 20 -- especially given how many I know are in our bedroom and office.

As for the rest of the stuff (e.g. keys, pictures, chapstick, lotion, toothpicks, kleenex packets), I have drawer separators and am organizing Kondo style. It's looking nice already -- maybe I'll post a pic.

Cindy -- still looking for her good kitchen shears because someone made off with them

quote:

Originally posted by Cindysphinx:
I think once you have had to deal with the possessions of someone who has died, you see your own stuff in a new light.

I couldn't agree more.

quote:

Originally posted by Nina:

quote:

Originally posted by Cindysphinx:
I think once you have had to deal with the possessions of someone who has died, you see your own stuff in a new light.

I couldn't agree more.

Ditto.

quote:

Originally posted by piqué:
OMG now I'm in love with Quentin Crisp! I not only totally agree with him about tidying up being a waste of time, I think he must be the latest incarnation of Oscar Wilde.

A recording of his show ...

quote:

Originally posted by Cindysphinx:
I think once you have had to deal with the possessions of someone who has died, you see your own stuff in a new light.

I don’t want my kids to have to empty a house full of stuff. So I have resisted filling our empty nest with a bunch of junk just because we have extra space.

Cindy — who is down to about 10 hats/visors for tennis and sports, but who wears them all

This happened to me more than 20 years ago, when one of my closest friends died. She had no family. We, her friends, organized ourselves to deal with her house, her personal papers, her estate. It was a huge job. We had multiple meetings and yard sales. At her memorial service we laid out her "pretties"--jewelry, scarves, mementoes--and everyone there took things home to remember her by.

Then we had a big winter bonfire up at a friend's lake house and burned her private papers.

I never was much of one for material things, but probably this experience did influence me to not accumulate much. Mr Pique is the collector. When he retires we will likely sell everything.

quote:

Originally posted by Nina:
bwahahahahaha!

quote:

“Either there’s a Netflix glitch or Marie Kondo’s methods have escalated.”

Oh, behave!

Beautiful Stranger, Song by Madonna:

https://youtu.be/x5zaKE50U0o

Recently learned something worth passing on, though. It's important if possible for parents to wait before getting rid of heirlooms and anything that might have special value (monetary or sentimental).

I'm happy to report that my sons now appear to have different attitudes vis a vis inheriting my own possessions - antiques especially. Since neither yet has a residence that would accommodate the furniture indefinitely, it would be stored if I should pass suddenly. (Meanwhile, hopefully, I'll be around long enough to keep using them and eventually see them enjoyed by my sons).

Secret: younger son is in a serious relationship with a young woman who loves antiques! Hahaha - he seems to be coming around too. (Hopefully, older son who is far from having a larger residence, rented or owned, may be able to tag on his more affluent brother's coat-tails. He's always liked our antiques).

In my own situation, I preferred spare and Scandinavian type items when I was in my teens and twenties (think I was sick of the "don't touchiness" of some of our household). Luckily, when my parents were going through their first major downsize, I had just purchased an almost vacant house so that worked out too.

(Note: Nina, Mary Anna and any others in that situation, take note. Your own kids might have a change of heart when they get a bit older.)

Yay for the storm drain meme!

Amanda, there's not much chance of me getting rid of items of substance or value. However, I desperately do not want to leave them an attic full of old papers and receipts because I was too lazy to figure out which ones could be tossed after seven years (or five or ten or whatever.) And appliances that no longer work. And dishware that looks like it was bought in 1981 and used for nigh onto forty years, because it was. And a hundred bath towels in thirty colors, because there might be a day when ninety-eight of them are dirty and we don't have time to wash them. I do not want my children to have to deal with this stuff because I refused to do it.

I want them to spend the weeks after my death thinking of me fondly and maybe shedding a couple of tears. I don't want them to be doing that while they're cursing my hoarder tendencies.

I'll never be Marie Kondo, but some things just need to be let go.

I figure I have a decade to purge my carp... About that time, Carol will retire and I'll say "Geez - look at all the carp you have... You need to get rid of that carp!" heheh... yeah, that'll work...