Where to Begin
Sandi began by asking: Are you collecting or cluttering? If you're just living in clutter and have things you don't use or like or have room for, now is the time in your life to get rid of them.
Once you accept that you're ready to let go of things, ask your children and family members what they would like to have now or in the future. Go through your home room by room and have each person take a turn deciding what he or she would like to keep.
Make a list with photos and put it on a DVD. Put a label on the bottom or back of the item with the child or grandchild's name on it. Give the list to each family member and keep one for yourself.
For the remaining items, call in an expert appraiser or auctioneer. To save time, have all of your known treasures in one place or you can ask them to go through your house and indicate what is valuable.
For antiques, objects d'art, paintings, original lithographs, etchings, Google the artist's name to find out if it's of value. If you can't find anything on the artist, it probably is not very valuable.
Options for items that remain:
- Consignment store
- Garage sale
- Advertise on Craig's list
- Goodwill or charity run shops
- Stanford Treasure Market
- Museums
- Local sanitation company
- Auction houses:
- Clar's in Oakland
- Michaan's in Alameda
- Bonham's in San Francisco
Clothes can be donated to thrift shops, women's shelters and high school theater departments for their costume collection.
Put together a scrapbook of your favorite mementos and give it to a grandchild. Scan your photos and put them on a CD.
Resources
A week after the meeting, a member sent me a link to an excellent article:
Clearing clutter from the past by Marni Jameson. She touches on the issue that came up at the end of our meeting: getting rid of our things is not a physical problem as much as an emotional issue.
It's the stories that keep us holding onto things, according to Mark Brunetz, co-host of "Clean House" on the Style Network. In his book,
Take the U out of Clutter
(Penguin Books, 2010), Brunetz says that over 200 million Americans suffer from having too much stuff. Here's what they don't realize:
1. It's not physical. The psychological component to freeing our lives from needless items is more powerful than the physical one.
2. Don't organize stuff. Organize the stories behind the stuff. Here are the most common stories:
I'd feel guilty if I got rid of that. Adult children feel guilty when their parents give them the family dining room table. They need to be able to say: "I know you want to give us the table, but it's hard to store and it's too big for our place." What worked for our parents doesn't work for us.
I might need that someday. Living your life for "one day" robs you of today. We need to live in the present.
It has sentimental value. How you love someone lives in your heart, not your home. The love you have for a grandparent doesn't live in an inanimate object.
3. Nip it in the store. Clutter is a matter of what comes into your home but doesn't come out. Before you buy, ask: Do I really need to use or love it? What's the worst that could happen if I don't buy it? Where is it going to go in my house?
4. Save the best stories. Keep what you're attached to, but only if it's not encumbering you.
When our meeting was over, we all decided we need another meeting on the subject, but this time focusing on the emotional challenges of parting with our precious possessions. Stay tuned ...
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I'm thrilled to announce the publication of my new book: 