I am not gonna lie, I own a ton of stuff. Some it is my fault, some of it isn't. When David and I got married my parents gave me my stuff. So all those little items thy kept around for me are now in MY basement. It seems to me my parents should've held on to all those things so that THEY have deal with all the boxes!!! :) Because they're divorced I think I ended up with a little more too--- I have all our family photo albums- have acquired Christmas decorations- and all the childhood trinkets. I am not complaining- just reminding myself that sometimes I see the boxes and get overwhelmed with all my stuff- but I try to remind myself- SOME of those boxes hold very special memories. So ASIDE from the family memories, I own a ton of stuff! I love decorations, and candles, and having that one special bowl to serve that one special dish when that one special family comes over.... and probably more than one special bowl if I'm honest!
I'd really like to condense my ownership of things down to a smaller group. Since spending the last 2 years without the MAJORITY of my stuff (most of it is in a barn in Ann Arbor, or in our basement), I think I have learned to live on less. Now the task of rummaging through boxes seems too much to bear. We went from a 1400 sq ft house in Tucson to a 1000 sq ft condo then I packed that up with a 2 month old (luckily Bentley was so chill!) and moved into our community house.
I'd really really like to begin going through the boxes in our basement here and then through the boxes in Ann Arbor, but like I said, I just feel so overwhelmed and I don't know where to start. Sometimes I tell myself- just do a box a week- pick a day, an hour and just do it! Then I go down to the basement and turn right back around and come upstairs.... OR I open up a box only to find all the things I NEED (aka- nope, won't throw that away even though I'm NEVER gonna use it!)
Also, with 2 little boys, I am only ACQUIRING MORE stuff! I have bins and bins with their labeled sizes, and toys that I've already agreed to weed out, but can't give away...yet!
Have any of you ever done something like this? How did you start? Can you encourage me? :)
3 comments:
You do have a lot of stuff.
YOU have all of the photo albums? I thought I had all of the photo albums in my STUFF. Rhut. Rhow. What's in MY boxes labeled family photos - there are twenty gazillion of them.
Sorry you ended up with stuff from the divorce. Yet another reminder of the what needs to be added the "what to do when the parents divorce" checklist.
*Keep everything from your child's childhood until she is really, really ready for the stuff.* Check.
*Keep only a very few, special and important things from your child's childhood so that when she is ready for her stuff she isn't filling up an entire basement." Check.
*Remind yourself that when you are choosing only a very few important and special things from your child's childhood that the best memory you ever really wanted to leave her with is that you love her. In spite of yourself. You love her. And all of the rest is really just stuff.* Check.
She knows this. And you know she knows this. So what's the big deal anyway? Tell her to toss the stuff and be done with it if it is holding her down or back or burdened.
But it's never that easy is it? Perhaps you and I, my darling daughter, should make a "stuff weekend" and get you organized. Ewwww. I love getting you organized. Especially if it means that I can be with you!
XXOXXOOXXOO Love, Mom
one box at a time! and yes, it'll get messier before it gets better, especially if you do piles: "stuff to keep" "stuff to throw away" "stuff to donate". sounds like you might have an additional pile of "stuff that belongs to other people."
not that i've had to deal with as much stuff as you probably are dealing with now, but that's what i've done when cleaning my room before. :)
you can do it!
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