How often do you go through old notes, papers and boxes, pitching stuff?

Funny you should ask. My sister and I have been doing this with my mother’s stuff for weeks.

I have been sending out photos, letters and even descriptions of cemetery plots to my many cousins, second cousins and assorted relatives from both sides of the family…or to be precise, four sides.

My mother’s parents’ kin and my fathers’. It has given me a chance to reconnect and delight
many people

For example, I found a small photo of a WW! bomber, flown by one of my uncles, with “Gail Ann” stenciled on the side. That would have been teeny me in 1942.

My sister is less ruthless than I and consequently will have the largest number of boxes cluttering up her attic.Ten years from now she will be moaning about what to do with much of it. And don’t get me started on the paintings, both from my mother and her mother. It’s hard to know what matters.

I have a newspapers in here back from 2002 and 2004. No idea why I saved them. I checked the obits and didn’t recognize anyone there. Hmm…

Cards from my Aunt whom I can’t stand and a box of old condoms – chuck! ha

Not often enough!

I am doing that same thing now with my own stuff. Cleaning out my attic and trying to decide what to keep, what to donate and what goes in the trash.
I am very sentimental, so it’s hard for me to part with things that have memories attached to them.
It’s also hard for me to get rid of things that I see as still being useful.
Right now I’m going through my kids baby clothes, or at least what I have left of them. Should I save more than one outfit for each of them? A hand quilted blanket or crocheted afghan? What a dilemma.
I don’t want to be a hoarder, but this stuff seems important.

Then there is the craft projects that I started and have not finished.

Also going through boxes of receipts and paper work from about that past 10 years. I don’t want to throw away anything that I might need for taxes, but I can’t believe that I need to keep all of this paper.

I pitch about every three weeks. But, since my mother passed. it’s every other day. I did not know she had so many cancelled check stubs and old receipts from the 40s.

I have burned three shredders from destroying her outdated receipts.

The primary rule, I think, is “Pity your heirs.”

Every time we move, I toss stuff. Mementos that are faded, not interesting or unmemorable get tossed. I have pocket calendars from the 1960’s until now. I was ready to toss them, but my daughter wants me to save them for her. If I have to move again, she gets them. Meanwhile, I still have not read all the correspondence between my mother and father.

I moved last year and tossed out a LOT of stuff. Old till receipts going back to 2001 (the last time I moved before this time). I have no idea why I thought I might need those for so long. Old clothes I will never wear again. Several boxes of vinyl records I can no longer play because I don’t have a record deck any more (I didn’t throw those away, I sold them). I had to be pretty ruthless because my new place is smaller than the old one.

About once a year. Usually around tax time, lol.

Not often enough at all. I tend to keep things ‘just in case’ too or because my kids gave it me and it feels mean to throw it out. Letters from people I love, photographs and the like I would never throw out. I do now chuck birthday cards, Christmas cards and that sort of stuff. Paperwork I don’t need for tax reasons etc. I keep programs from concerts and events though.