(no subject)

[yukonsally]

I finally sold the thing! I am more excited about its absence than the money.

Have you heard of Swedish Death Cleaning? It's much less morbid than it sounds. It's another perspective on decluttering. Not "does this object bring me joy" but "will someone be happy I saved this thing for them?"

Happy decluttering!

Comments

[rmc28]

I had not previously heard of Death Cleaning but it is my new favourite concept!

Interestingly, my mother and stepfather (both aged around 70) are explicitly having a bash at clearing out their large home in preparation for downsizing "in a few years". They have both had to clear out older relatives homes (before and after dying) and don't wish the same on their own children.

[yukonsally]

That is a sad but effective motivator in decluttering. The party is an interesting idea. Here's hoping it's full of laughter, nostalgia, and agreements.

[rmc28]

They seem to be enjoying it so far. I am getting regular updates on how many things have gone to charity / sold on ebay / gone to a local specialist dealer, etc.

[yukonsally]

My mom does that too, as she's cleaning out. My parents had to clean out my grandparents' house last year and got that extra kick in the pants to donate more things more often.

[adair]

I have no children, but I have helped clear out my parents house (rented, and very full, so we had to work fast) and my husbands parents house. I chose what I took from my parents, by my sister-in-law forced things on me that I did not need or want - among them, wine glass sets in three different sizes when we already had eight glasses that were all we needed. Of course, because they were his parents, we now can't get rid of them.

I do not know who will deal with our stuff; most likely my great-niece and nephews. They will have a lot of books to dispose of, and my husband's many recordings of his various bands over the years. We hope to make some dent in these things, and work out places for them to go. We are in our early 70s as well; it does cause some thinking of these things.

[rmc28]

I'm obviously a generation younger, but I had a life-threatening illness less than two years ago, which has led to similar thinking.

[semielliptical]

I am totally on board with the death cleaning approach! I recognize that I have a limited number of years to knit, read, etc. so it doesn't make sense, for me, to hold on to huge stashes of books or yarn or whatever that I'm unlikely to ever use. And I can't imagine anyone being interested in the vast majority of our possessions when my husband and I are gone.

[yukonsally]

Agreed. I put myself back on a yarn diet after a binge (a total of 18 skeins!) and am finding things to do with what I have. I'm trying to instill in my kids that it's good to give things away when we are done with them or no longer need them. Maybe that habit will stay with them.

[fred_mouse]

Yay for selling the thing!

Swedish Death Cleaning is all over my FB feed at the moment. It sounds like a slightly more brutal version of what I'm already trying to do, which is just cut down on certain collections. In particular, the goal is to have all of the crafting materials on the shelving in the back hall. When I get that under control, I guess I'll have to work out another long term plan!