Gosh, how does one declutter memoribilia?

[Gypsylily]

I seem to have some LARGE boxes of "stuff" from my childhood. I am not sure what to get rid of and what to keep.

Like I have all my grade school art work.

Photos.

Knick knacks.

Some Little House Books (well, really, the whole set).

Yada yada.

I don't know where to start. I love to declutter, so my problem is NOT that. It is just mentally letting go of this stuff that is hard.

I am proud of my decluttering from Vince. All his newborn covers/dipes are gone and I have already passed on some of his clothes.

Garrett's room/closet is in fairly good shape.

It's just my childhood junk....

Ugh

[Kerri]

Pick one or two peices from each grade that you like the best, then toss the rest of the artwork.

Photos, incorporate them with the rest of your family photos in a box or album or whatever. Don't keep stupid ones that you took as a kid of the car door, etc. But family history is important, I think.

Knick Knacks, if they'll fit into part of your home decor, keep them. If not, pick one or two most special things and donate or sell the rest.

The little house books could just be part of your kids bookshelf?

That's what I'd do anyway.

Kerri

[BlueRoseMama]

I have two boxes like this... in it is folders of all past best friends. One of which I am still in contact with and another or which died when we were all 16.

In this box I also have files of all past boyfriends... pictures, letters, but just junk mostly. I even have a bus ticket stub from the first guy I ever slept with. It is just sick, but I know if I throw it away it will haunt me.

I am no help am I?

I will continue reading for good advice here. Part of me wants to just throw it all out... part of me wants to make ONE scrap book of it, and the other part doesn't want to go through it at all and pretend like it doesn't exsist.

Val

[tmrhopkins]

hmmmm, I haven't done this myself yet, but could you scan your artwork into your computer and save it digitally. Maybe keep just one or two pieces like suggested above, but scan the rest so you could at least go back and look at them someway.


Could you take pictures of the knick knacks and put them in an album so they are sitting around collecting dust?


I've gotta start doing that with my boys artwork. I have lots and lots saved and we move often with the military and I can't see just packing it from one place to another.....

I hope some others come up with some ideas.

Tawnya

[stephanielynn]

i went through all of this stuff a while back. i made 2 photo albums of childhood/teenage years pictures. i put my year books out on the bookshelf. i found a couple of knick knacky things that i actually couldn't even remember why i had them, so i got rid of them. i put a couple of special stuffed animals i had in ds's room so he might enjoy them rather than them being stuffed in a box. ummm...art work? i think i have a folder filed in with our important file stuff with a few things (art and writing) from middle/high school.

i only kept what would fit in one big rubbermaid container. some letters from my dad when my parents got divorced, my wedding veil, a couple of things i got in india that i hope to give to an adopted child born there one day, this night light from childhood that's too girly to put out in ds's room...i can't remember what else. i tried to find a use or another more practical place for everything in there. some stuff there is just no place for...uggg.

besides that container of stuff, i have 2 of those photo storage boxes in the top of my closet. one with letters, ticket stubs, cards, etc from dh and one with special cards from family and friends. i also have a photo album all of the letters and cards from when dh and i were dating.

i think that's about it for memorabilia.

it's not easy to go through this stuff!