Some of this stuff has been packed in boxes the fourteen years since we left Cooperstown, NY. That house was fantastic! Imagine 4,200 sq ft that I remodeled with great storage. I'm seeing a thread as I write this - Stuff, moving and remodeling. And I'm at it again. I swear this is the last move! Have I said that before?? I'm just too old to do it again!
It's put up or shut up time. After years of, "Where is your ----?" And the answer, "It is in the storage unit with all my other stuff!" Now the Stuff is together and I promised I would thin it out and make it all fit in this house and get rid of what does not fit. Did I really make such a rash promise? Can I hide some of it under the bed??
Jayme at Tales from the Coop Keeper blogged about this very problem of excess stuff which caused me to write this post. I have been struggling with this issue every minute since we moved in here over two weeks ago. I am enjoying seeing all my things. They are like long lost friends not seen for fourteen years. But after the reunion, where do all these things go?? If I managed to stuff them all under my bed, the bed would be up so high it would go through the roof!
This is the "Get Rid of Pile."
I could stock my own library or used furniture store. Certainly I have enough craft supplies to open a store! What is this "Less is More" crap? More is better as long as you have space for it! And there is the rub. My daughter and the son-in-law live in the lower level. I get a shared studio down there. I'm plotting to make that my "under the bed storage" but don't think I can get away with it. They are wise to my strategies and it is more difficult than ever to "hide" my excess stuff.
Will I have to admit defeat and (gasp!) thin out the possessions? A Tag Sale is being considered for next weekend. It will take me all week to price the items. And it is so HARD to let go!
8 comments:
I felt the same way the last time I moved. I've been getting rid of stuff ever since. One of the problems is not replacing it. I'm going thru my books right now and trying to get rid of some more. Everyone always says my house is better than a bookstore. I'm realizing need to let go of things that I have a nostagic attachment to.
I empathize with your feelings, and if you "let go" of many of your things, you may actually feel lighter. I always feel lighter and brighter when I clear out excess "stuff", in my case that is often books. Best of luck in your thinning.
After years of the enforced refining of the 'stuff pile' that moving requires, I am feeling overwhelmed by the stuff that has accumulated in the seven years in this house. I'll be watching your progress with interest!
Letting go is hard. But "things" don't really matter. People and memories do. And it sounds like you have been living without some of this stuff for 14 years already. So it's time to say goodbye to it. You will feel so much better after it is all sorted and sold. You can do this!!
Well it's really getting in the right frame of mind. I've realized that as I let go of the past I can make room for the future. I try to determine what is of real value to me and keep those things. What I'm doing with the books is I'm going through and reading all those books I haven't read and I'm only keeping those I think I would want to read, classics or those I think my family would like to read. I always give my family dibs before I get rid of anything I think they might possible be interested in. I give books to my library for their sale. Other things go to the Goodwill. I'm not into garage sales. It's not easy to let go and sometimes I regret getting rid on something, but most of the time it feels good. You are starting a new life in a new place, maybe you don't need a lot of the old stuff. You have your memories, you don't need the actual stuff. I heard the idea of taking a photo and keep that instead of the item.
Opps. I meant to say I'm only keeping the books I would want to reread and so on.
Thank you all for your encouragement. With the things that belonged to my mother and two aunts, using their things makes me feel close to them. Problem is they were all collectors and I am the sentimental one among my two siblings. My brother would have thrown away everything! Today I was reading a gardening book and I turned to the front and saw that it was my Aunt Lucy's book, given to her by her husband in 1989. That made me feel good.
I know --- I'm hopeless!
Yes, I agree, keep the memories and let the stuff go. I sympathize with you! I'm going through over 30 years of stuff and just keeping what I will use or books I will re-read. Of course I have to keep important, valuable or family stuff. Sometimes, if I'm not sure I put stuff in a check back later pile and in a few days most or all of it goes away. What takes me forever is going through boxes full of small items. I think I should just chuck the box and then I find a little treasure. Oh dear. This getting rid of stuff is hard.
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