Posted on 02/21/2005 7:54:38 AM PST by PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain
The weather is nasty here, so I'm cleaning out my closet. In the process, I am once again re-stacking old newspapers, magazines, etc that my mother and I have "saved" over the years:). Newspapers/magazines that covered major events, Kennedy's assination, Nixon resignation, Vietnam War,Princess Diana's death, Mark McGuires homeruns, etc.
I have moved, restacked, stored, this stuff for years. Is it worth it for anything other then sentimental reasons? It sure creates alot of clutter, we never really get it out to look at other then when straightening:). Every time I'm tempted to just get rid of it. I'm sure ALOT of people have this stuff, it's not like it's going to be rare. Should I/would you keep it?
LOL...Well, I don't have that much. Actually, I don't really have alot. That's one reason I feel it's not worth hanging on too. Might be enough to get one good night out one:)
But everytime I go to throw it away, my son says keep it, but he doesn't want to store it either:) One of those things that it's six of one and half dozen of another.
Becky
Wow..I would have thought something like that would have been more.
What about old Life/Look magazines? From around the time of the Vietnam war. And not in mint condition. Not bad, just yellowed and the edges nibbled on.
Becky
My mom is a 'collector', also. You can hardly move around her house for all the stuff. All attempts to remove some of the clutter are met with stiff and sometimes hostile resistance. So, we have finally given up.
Once, about 20 years ago, I convinced her to let me clean out a couple of storage sheds and I hauled off about three truckloads of junk. She still talks about that.
LOL...that's part of my dilema too. My mom saved all this stuff for "us", my brother and I. I got stuck with all of it tho. It almost feels disloyal to her memory to throw it out, and I got in the mind set that mothers were suppose to do that for their kids, so I run out and buy newspapers and magazines when major world events happen. But I'm really not a collector. I like big empty spaces, no clutter, not much nicknacs:) Feels neater and easier to clean up.
Becky
When my parents kick off, I'm just gonna set fire to their house. Dealing with the arson investigators will be easier than going through everything Dad has kept since (my hand to God) junior high.
My family is a stratifying group. When we have something that needs to go into the attic, we go up the ladder, push the pre-existing attic stuff back until we have a space just big enough for the new attic stuff, shove it in, shimmy down the ladder, and shut the trap door.
When my parents kick off, I'm just gonna set fire to their house. Dealing with the arson investigators will be easier than going through everything Dad has kept since (my hand to God) junior high.
My family is a stratifying group. When we have something that needs to go into the attic, we go up the ladder, push the pre-existing attic stuff back until we have a space just big enough for the new attic stuff, shove it in, shimmy down the ladder, and shut the trap door.
I also still have my wedding dress. 30 years old....do I keep it???? It's pretty yellowed too.
I guess after 30 years this stuff just doesn't have the sentimental value it use too. I have never even thought about throwing it out, but still having the man seems a whole lot more valuable then still having the dress:)
Becky
LOL...sounds like what I use to do with this stuff till the mice ate the face off the Barbie doll.
But hey, it would make a nice bonfire:)
I feel alot better knowing others would just get rid of this type of stuff. It almost felt like there was something wrong with me that I didn't want it.
Becky
Are you one of my sisters? :~)
BTW, you do look like Xena. I think I'm in love.
Awww, you're sweet. ;)
I don't resemble her much these days - I'm blonder and don't have bangs.
I should stipulate that there are things of which I will not get rid. For instance, in 36 years, I have never thrown away a book. Not once.
Now thats a tough one. I've got some old stuff that no longer has any sentimental value to me but someone else may want one day and thats usually the only reason that I hang on to the stuff.
My mom was a book of the month member for years. I got all those too. I'm a big reader, but there were alot of them I wasn't interested in. So years ago I went thru picked out the ones I wanted. I did call the libaray and 2nd hand books stores, but no one wanted them. So those went to the trash. But if it's a book I bought, I don't throw them out. I don't mind reading a good book over.
Becky
I keep alot of old stuff, I've got my grandmothers old treadly sewing machine, still works, my moms china, and china cabinet, lots and lots of it, 18 place settings and all the serving pieces. I also have a cabinet with alot of little interesting stuff, my grandfathers cigerette roller:), a round cylinder metal thing that has some wooden matches in it that have to be zillions of years old, old pocket knifes, some old buttons, like my brothers cub scout button, the bride and groom off my parents wedding cake, one of those tiny coke a cola bottles with the coke still in it (looks pretty thick:)....little things. I love that stuff.
It's just these newspapers and magazines that I wasn't sure if it was worth keeping.
Becky
Looks like I'm busted on that one. I've still got boxes of college text books.
Got a couple of other things that I never throw out or get rid of; photographs and guns.
My ex-wife has two of my old guns and I'm holding her Waterford crystal hostage until I get em back. :~)
That is the category of stuff that is really hard to throw out or know what to do with. It's the kind of stuff that I've found going through my grandparents' and my mom's estates, and we all gathered around and marveled at it... then wondered what to do with it :~D
Some of it is worth something to somebody, somebody else will think it's at least really cool to look at. You may offer the lot of it (it'd be tedious, perhaps, to offer it all individually) on Ebay and see what kind of bids you get. People may spot one thing that is worth money and in exchange, they get all the rest and you get rid of the clutter! We did that with old record albums too.
I have my mom's wedding dress... it was too tiny for me to fit in or I'd have worn it. Other than that, I don't know what to do with it. I don't have her any more, and those things are impossible to know what to do with.
I do hear that vintage clothing especially wedding dresses, do have a market that collects them. The yellowing is probably not even a problem, it can be cleaned, or sold as is, and they'll clean it.
Check with local costume shops and community theaters . . . they might want Mom's dress.
One of the neatest things I saw done with a wedding dress was at my aunts 50th anniversary. One of her granddaughters wore it that day for show. I thought that was cool. My dress isn't a very fancy one but it was nice. I'm thinking it can continue to hang at the back of the closet:)
Becky
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