Baby Boomers spent years accumulating various objects. Perhaps over time, these objects developed into collections. Almost everyone has a small collection of memorabilia with familial and emotional meaning. Some people collected numerous things like dolls, sports cards, comic books, teddy bears, cookie jars, salt and pepper shakers and depression glass.
As Boomers grow older, we are faced with the question, “What do we do with our beloved collections?”
We ask our children if they want the treasured salt and pepper shakers collection and receive a glassy-eyed look and a verbal response, “Oh, heck no!” My cousin asked her children if they wanted memorabilia from her high school years, including her 50-year-old gym romper. They looked at her as if she was crazy!
We discover that the younger generation is not interested in our “treasures.” They live digitally as they store their memories on a computer or a cloud and do not need to hoard boxes of heirlooms or treasured collectibles. Most do not even want their own school memorabilia that we carefully boxed and saved for them.
Our families don’t want the treasures. Not only do we need to decide the fate of the special collections that brought us so much joy, but there is also all that “other stuff” hiding in the basement, attic and closets that needs a place to go.
What is to become of our stuff? It seems prudent to dispose of unwanted and unneeded items, so our loved ones are not one day burdened with that responsibility.
Decluttering is complex and can be emotionally draining, anxiety-inducing and painful. Clutter and our emotions are entangled. Research indicates that guilt and fear play a role in our difficulty in letting go of possessions. We feel guilt, especially when trying to discard items we spent significant money on or were gifts, even if we do not use the thing. We fear we might need the item in the future, so we keep it. Or we fear that we will lose the memories of the person or event linked to the object.
The good news is we can overcome these emotional hurdles and let go of our belongings. We start by evaluating why we are having so much difficulty parting with possessions.
Decluttering is about getting rid of what we no longer need, use or love: letting go of the past and making room for the present. Are our possessions adding value to our life or simply creating more work and chaos? Letting items go creates more space for something that better suits our habits and lifestyle in the third act of our lives.
When we take the time to think through the options and decide the fate of our collections, it becomes easier to let go and make room for the things that truly matter.
Our choices include keeping, donating, selling, or trashing the item.
Here are some suggestions:
Select a few treasured pieces that bring joy to your life and find new ways to display them.
Is it possible to upcycle some objects? Perhaps a shadow box of a few treasured items will suffice. We can find a new use for anything. Have an old toy truck? Make a planter. If not emotionally attached to old jewellery, take it apart and use the beads and gems in craft projects. Or, as my friend did when her mother passed away, she gave her siblings a favourite photo of their mom in picture frames that she glued with her mom’s old vintage jewellery pieces.
Discuss with your family. There may still be family members who want specific heirlooms and collectibles. Discuss the disposal of any items of value with the family to determine if there is an interest.
Donate to an educational facility or museum. Perhaps the sword and dagger collection will find a home in the local museum. There are various museums for collections, such as salt and pepper shakers, matchbooks, dolls, watches and vintage toys. There are even museums for the strange and weird such as jars of mustard and SPAM. Search the internet for a home for your treasured collection. Some high schools have a display case for memorabilia. (That might be the best spot for that gym romper!)
Donate items to the church, school or charity organizations’ fundraisers. Charities and nonprofits seek free stuff. Find a cause to support, call the corresponding nonprofit, and see what they could use. Many need items for their offices, or they may know how to give the items away. List items on freecycle.org and give them to others for no charge. Donate items to resell stores like Goodwill, Habitat for Humanity, and the Salvation Army. Some of these services will also pick up bulkier items.
Sell items through garage sales, auctions, antique shops, eBay. When selling some items, be aware that heirlooms and collectibles might sell at a much lower price than what we think they are worth. Garage sales are still popular; the only thing to lose is time, and you could make some side cash. Items like antique collectibles could potentially be worth something. There is a wide array of ways to sell items. There are auctions, online retailers like eBay or Facebook marketplace, antique stores or private sales through a broker.
Trash. Some items just demand to be trashed. For example, worn-out shoes, socks without matches, craft supply scraps, old Christmas cards, small pieces of wrapping paper and manuals for appliances we no longer own.
A feeling of freedom comes from unburdening ourselves and knowing that we will not saddle our children with this task. We will find that there is much to gain as we learn to let go. We have less to care for, less to worry about, less searching for items, and more time to spend on what is important when we finally let go.
Our stuff is our stuff, and our emotions are tied to it, whether we like it or not. We need to grant ourselves the time to start the decluttering process that will bring more joy into our present and future.
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