How long do you keep stuff?

I'm down to three, maybe four bins. But I've been carrying some it since the 80s. It is what it is. Sometimes I go through it.

 

My dad is awful. Like others have noted, it's generational and situational. My dad is in his 80s, grew up not having much, and you kept everything. He's not a hoarder in terms of some sort of compulsive disorder. He doesn't keep trash, but getting him to turn loose of anything you might be able to scavenge parts off ... forget about it. It's hard telling how many busted string trimmers, leaf blowers, vacuums, used tires*, old fan belts, etc. we have stashed around.
My folks' dishwasher crapped out last year. They got a new one, and I installed it. I told him, "You ARE NOT keeping the old one. If it worked, you wouldn't need a new one." He begrudgingly let me get rid of it but only after removing all the hoses and clamps I could get off.

*He was laid up back in the summer following surgery, and I took off 16 old tires when he couldn't get out to see what I was doing.

 

If it were up to me half this house would be cleared.

I began to understand how unimportant these objects are when I packed up my godmother's apartment after her death. I took several books and some knick-knacks and the rest was well disposed.

 

One of my wife's grandmothers kept the styrofoam containers that held meat from the store. I never met her, but I have no idea why she kept those. I don't think my wife or in-laws know. Kids of the Depression are/were different. It would be hard not to be.

At one job, I read our paper every morning and just made a stack in my apartment. One night, the monolith finally tumbled down and crushed a lamp. And I LOVE lamp.

 

That's a hoarder.

 

Every time I am home visiting my Mom, she implores me to work on cleaning stuff out of my childhood room. I've made a big dent the past two years, getting rid of sports cards and college textbooks. I really thought I was down to just a few shelves of stuff. I am housesitting for her right now. The other night I open some drawers and find media guides and yearbooks, and I just sighed. I really don't know why I still have those media guides. I am eight years removed from journalism and even longer from sports journalism.

That said, watching my Mom still trying to rid the house of all my Dad's clutter since he passed, gives me nightmares. I really don't want to have to deal with that for any other loved ones or myself, When it comes to tools, it seems like his has a never-ending supply.

 

Man, last year when I was stuck at home for two months all alone during COVID, I cleaned on my house every night. Every time the trash truck came around, I had filled another giant toter with more stuff.

What I need to get better at, other than not holding onto things for sentimental value, is doing my shredding more frequently, rather than waiting for the mail basket to completely overflow.

 

This thread sounds like the confessions of serial killers. Sure, just baseball cards, records and old books in those bins...

 

I've thought about getting rid of 50 things a week. Not really hard to do, given my library.

 

Sell what you can. With the proceeds, buy a match.

Light said match.

Clutter gone.

 

Y'all - it's just stuff.

Seriously, look at it that way and the picture becomes completely different.

 

George Carlin doesn't understand the problem.