posted in Asklemmy

vestmoria@vestmoria@linux.community

How do you deal with getting rid of old stuff that just sits there wasting space but still has residual emotional value?

My father is sorting items in his huge houses, 2 of them, to sell, give away or dump as a hopefully previous step to downsizing, which took me to think about how much stuff of my childhood sits there wasting space, stuff I could try to sell or give away, because after my parents die I don’t plan to move back there: I’ve made my life elsewhere and down there there are no decent jobs.

The items: A huge collection of 300 or so music CDs and 50 vinyl records I bought between ages 15 and 25 of my favorite bands back then. I don’t believe I’d get even 2 bucks a piece, not even for the vinyls (no special editions), my library with 250 or so books I bought and received as presents during my childhood, including a complete encyclopedia, clothes that are already too small for my physique.

I moved out 10 years ago and I’ve rarely visited. Those items are more something I remember than something I need: I digitized the music library years ago, the books I like I can get online or I already have them, I could save some clothes that fit and toss the rest, I could also use my old bed and study table, because those things are actually useful. I don’t even have a CD or a vinyl player (my father does).

I know that stuff is only stuff and when I die, it will all remain here on earth and most probably be sold or destroyed, but I I just can’t bring myself to throw them away, even though I know it’s the logical choice as a previous step to sell that old house.

Moving the stuff in with me makes me a hoarder, so no. Plus I don’t have that much space. And what would I move the stuff in with me for? It would sit there in boxes wasting space.

What worked for you?

FRYD@FRYD@sh.itjust.works

Replying to an earlier post

I used to be super sentimental and a bit of hoarder, but when my parents split and were talking about selling the house I had to start getting rid of stuff. It was hard at first, but got easier over time.

First I got rid of junk in bad shape. Then I started donating stuff in good shape I would never use or display again. Then I got rid of stuff I hadn’t used or wanted to use in a very long time. Then I got rid of stuff that I had used or would want to use again that I thought I could easily replace. Throughout the process I would put aside anything I struggled to put in a garbage bag or donation box. When I finally had to go through that stuff, I had been desensitized to getting rid of sentimental things and got rid of more than half of it.

Now, all my stuff would fit in one moving truck. All I really kept were: books, games and consoles, records and my player, tools, some useful tech stuff, camping gear, instruments, some plushies, probably like a tenth of my clothes, a couple basic furniture items, and only a box worth of small sentimental items.

en