After having to clear out two great aunts homes when they died, I was so aggravated with amount of stuff I had to sort through I was ready to just burn it. I would never want my DDs to have that burden left to them to deal with from me. I have sorted and tossed out many boxes of stuff and it feels great to not have to hold on to things just because they are mine. Right now the only stored clutter I have is in my sewing room and the guild members will take care of that if I can't.

I have had to downsize and clean almost everything out many times. I do regret some things I got rid of. I am downsizing yet again but there are some things I just don't know what to do with. Old programs from shows I have been too. And I had my wild time in my 40's after my divorce. I have(local) band pictures , signed and some other things from people I met at that time. A friend and I even put out a newspaper for local bands. On one hand I think toss it on the other I would like my grandchildren to know I wasn't always an old fuddy duddy. Also I still have all my cards from when I was an infant . It is really hard when you don't have much left to get rid of the last bit of junk. LOL

I don't keep a lot of "stuff". I have kept a very few things from my childhood that are sentimental to me or that I think my children would enjoy having later on. We are pretty big on genealogy and family history in my family so old letters and pictures and stories are interesting.

But that's also what albums are for. I wouldn't want to just have a box o stuff (or a house full of stuff!) for my kids to have to go through when most of it wouldn't mean squat to them.

My parents kept all the birthday cards that I'd been given as a kid from aunts, uncles, grandparents, etc. If there was a letter enclosed, I kept the letter but honestly I pitched all the cards. Not because I'm not sentimental, but because I didn't have the room for them and NO ONE else but me would care about those cards!! (except for the potential collector value, but that didn't even occur to me at the time).

I go through my house and belongings at least a couple times a year and I'm pretty ruthless in getting rid of stuff. I do have some things that I've kept through the years that have no other value than sentimental, but all the stuff I've kept would fit into two small moving boxes, so I don't think I'm doing too bad :mrgreen:

If I clean it out...what will they do when I go? I have to leave them something to do when I am gone. I tend to accumulate things that belonged to them when they were little, so they will be cleaning up their own things.

I'm the same way! We just moved here & were putting our 'stuff' out when we realized that no one else will look at this stuff the way we do. It won't mean anything to them like it does to us. Kind of sad in a way.

Is sad, but that is the order of things. That is why we have estate sales and then yard sales to get rid of what didn't get attention at the estate sale. What is valuable to you may not be to others. Luckily there is always someone looking out for vintage things. I love seen things that were modern when I was a kid. Brings back memories.

I think my GD's would like to look at them. I have valentine candy harts fancy ones for each year we were to gether and one of the GDs' had to bring her boyfriend it to my sewing room to see them around the top of the walls

I purge my house every 6 months. I guess that comes from moving around so much in the military. If I have not used it in the last 6 months I do not need it (not counting my quilting and art items.)

I am not a saver per se, but I do tend to save clothes I hope to get back into one day....LOL...

Cleaning out my parents' home after 55 years of marriage made me realize that I didn't want to leave everything to my kids to handle someday. I have steadily been working through every drawer, cupboard and closet in this place off and on for about a year and I'm still not done. I've been busy boxing up my kid's stuff and taking it to them. I've asked them many times to go through it and not much had been moved. I took a whole truck load to my daughter (this included her bedroom furniture and the pieces her grandfather had made her) and now have the last of it ready to go this week. I just don't need a dozen Cabbage Patch dolls, a box of doll clothes, a doll buggy, stroller and cradle etc. etc. I also don't want to make the decision to throw out someone else's stuff. My basement is almost empty and I took another truck load to the second hand store today. There's still too much here so I'll keep at it.