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ORIGINAL: Iamsemisweet
Are other people emotionally attached to their stuff, too?

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ORIGINAL: Iamsemisweet
How do others approach this?

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ORIGINAL: Iamsemisweet

Thank You Kamastic, for the good wishes.
Funny thing, my darling built a shed on his property just for me, and it is jam packed full already. Part of it is being used for dog kennels for my three dogs, and part of it is going to be used for my 22 HP Kubota tractor. I will probably sell the tractor, after doing some necessary work around the property.   However, there are some obvious things we need to get rid of, like we don't need two lawn tractors, two pressure washers and two air compressors.
I also rented a storage space, something I swore I would never do, just because I think it too often is a way of not dealing with your possessions. I feel a little justified in this case, though. I have a lot of furniture that we don't have room for at present, but is too nice to jest get rid of. My personal vow is that it will only be for a year or two, though

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ORIGINAL: NuevaVida

I used to be very attached to my stuff. And I hung onto it for years, most of it with great sentimental attachment (family heirlooms and such). When I separated from my now ex husband, I moved in a hurry to a small one bedroom apartment, with the intention of going through all of it with him should we not reconcile.

And than one day I arrived at the house to get some tax archives and Lo and Behold, the house was completely empty from top to bottom, all my things gone, never to be seen again. Serious and massive shock to the system, and it took me years to fully recover.

But I learned from that, that the sentiment remains in the heart and mind, whether or not I have a tangible reminder, and that I don't actually *need* those things. In fact, now as a result, I don't like having a lot of things anymore. I'd rather give it away to someone or some cause that will benefit from it, since I myself received so much help when I needed it.

The hardest for me was my music collection. I remember commenting here that my collection of over 800 CD's was gone and a couple people from CM shipped me dozens of compilation CD's that they made for me, to get me some music again. The coolest thing ever.

But I know now, my stuff could disappear now and I'd be just fine. I'm no longer tied to it. My ex did me a huge favor!

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ORIGINAL: KMsAngel

maybe taking pics of meaningful things like was suggested previously and have a special bulletin board (or i've seen a border) made with those pics? specially if you have pics of the gift-givers IN their shirts before they were passed to you....

Oh wow, I never thought of that! The house ate my camera half a dozen years ago but my boy said he can borrow his sister's. Yay! The Disneyland and Sea World ones are over a dozen years old...I went to see mom in Texas and then we went to California. Within a month after getting home I was diagnosed with stage 2 NHL. It was a bright spot before a very harsh time.

The tee shirts...have those iron on decals that are faded and cracked. Not good for quilting material. It is a shame because I have been saving fabrics for years to someday start on a memories quilt. Lately I've been finding Disney fabric that reminds me of going to Disneyland in my early childhood, and of summertime as a kid...when us kids were dumped at the movie theater en masse, lol, and we got to watch Peter Pan, Dumbo, Aristocats...and the theater let us sit after the movie was over until it started up again. Yep, mom knew we would watch it twice and didn't come to get us until after the second showing. Lovely memories of summer days gone by. I also found fabric of my son's past crazes, where he was obsessed with Buzz Lightyear and dinosaurs and Hot Wheels, and we watched new Disney cartoon movies together. I squealed when I found the Little Mermaid fabric, lol. I do crazy quilting only, as I have no talent for geometric designs. Also, with quilting, I practice recycling. My own way, lol. See, I don't buy that fluffy filler stuff, but I get an old store bought quilt and sew on top of it by hand. Two of the quilts I have planned on starting sometime this year are in my cedar chest...they are two Sesame Street quilts with Big Bird at least a foot tall all over it. I will turn one of those into my memories quilt, the other one either into a cat quilt or else a Halloween/Autumn.

The table I had been using to sew on while watching tv with my son (wooden, almost tray table shape) broke, and I packed all this away for several years and took up knitting hats to donate to my oncologist's office. I skipped knitting last year as my sub is so...distracting. :) I cannot possibly knit hats without my Knifty Knitter, lol.

*****
Back to the subject of "stuff". As a kid I was moved from town to town, state to state, from Florida to Washington, Texas to Ohio, California to West Virginia and Wyoming and several others...often every year. Often we lost everything we had, or at least it seemed that way to me as a child. My stuff when we moved had to fit in one suitcase. Everything else had to go. It is such a relief to have made my last move as an adult and to just be able to...nest. Have everything I love around me. Friends and family have told me to get rid of my books and just go to the library...however, MY books are better than ones at the library. They are also always where I put them, never "checked out". I love the sound of turning pages and even the smell of the books, Kindle might be convenient but it sounds like putting all my eggs into one basket and I would have to give up a lot of things I love about my books. Same goes for DVDs. My collection is much better than the library's...theirs get ruined soon after they get them, cubing up. I don't have to drive to leave my home and wait in line to see if what I want has been checked out by someone else. (Plus, on some things, I simply have to admit to having a covetous nature...I love to own things I love, lol, so of course I would have to Own my boyfriend.)

I used to have a lovely collection of bells but I gave those away after a while and started a collection of bunnies. I gave those away but kept a few that were the most precious, reminding me of times spent with my son when he was very little. Now I seem to be collecting dragons, aargh.

I also have over 60 board games, half a dozen of those are chess sets. Dog and cat chess, Star Trek TNG, frosted, wooden, plastic, large, small, and magnetized...oh, and one that's an electronic game so I can play chess with myself, lol. Same goes for Monopoly...I have Pokemon Monopoly, Star Trek TNG, the normal game and probably one other with a theme. I also have lotsa puzzles. At least I have a long, floor to ceiling book case to hold it all instead of using three smaller ones.

Um, I have three remaining bread machines...cuz my favorite old recipes were for three loaves of bread. I mix the stuff up and divide into three and toss each lump into the machine for kneading. I used to do this by hand before my fingers got too sore and I thought of this as a good idea. Arthritis sucks.

I feel for everyone who has to get rid of most of their stuff due to a move. I had three forced moves due to repeated flooding and even after all these years, STILL have nightmares where I am trying my best to pack everything and am running out of time. I wake up wild eyed and covered in sweat, it's ridiculous I know, but there ya have it.

Oh, after dad died, my sister put his stuff in storage until after her divorce and consequent moves, first into an apartment and then several years later into her house. The stuff all rotted in storage. Literally. If you have to keep something in storage, check it's condition regularly. Get tubs with lids instead of boxes. Oil that furniture down and then put dust covers. To help against bugs, I'd put diatomaceous (sp?) earth around all over the floor, it's non-toxic but creates micro cuts in bugs so that they dry out and die.

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I do crazy quilting only, as I have no talent for geometric designs. Also, with quilting, I practice recycling. My own way, lol. See, I don't buy that fluffy filler stuff, but I get an old store bought quilt and sew on top of it by hand.

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ORIGINAL: pissdoll

i'm a minimalist as well. i try to keep as little as possible.
if i haven't used something in a few months i like to give it away to someone who could use it or donate it to charity.

i don't want to be weighed down by material items.
other than my grandmother's rings, i could walk away from every belonging i have ever had and feel nothing.
i agree that the memories are far more important than the items attached to them.

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ORIGINAL: Exidor

Everything I own that's not books or tools, I could put in a big box and carry. That includes all the clothing I own.

There were just under 5000 books on the shelves last time I made a count, and I have machine tools that weigh more than a pickup truck.

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ORIGINAL: LadyHibiscus

The Great Debooking

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ORIGINAL: pissdoll

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ORIGINAL: LadyHibiscus

The Great Debooking

textbooks that aren't worth reselling i give to the university library reserve desk so other students can use them, and all others i give to my neighborhood public library for their "Friends of the Library" book sale.