Cleaning out the basement

[Ms. Freya]

I just need a bit of a basement vent.

I might have mentioned that DH and I have been renovating the basement of our house since October. It's a big project that we have to tackle in two halves so that we can use one half as storage while we work on the other. We finished the first half a few weeks ago, but have been putting off moving everything back over because, quite frankly, we're enjoying the nice, empty, clean feel of the room with only the furniture we want in it.

So today I started tackling some of the boxes in the other half and seriously sorting them. Things we haven't unpacked in decades, boxes that have been toted around unopened since the mid 90's, bags that we couldn't be bothered to deal with when we moved into the house almost 5 years ago - all of it I've been sorting, honestly throwing some stuff out and packing a bunch off to goodwill. During the process, DH is going through everything say stuff like "are you really okay getting id of this?" and "but this is your thing from your childhood." and it's driving me nuts!

Yes, I had it as a child, took it down when I was thirteen because I'd outgrown the style and have toted it around from basement to storage unit to basement ever since. I'm tired of storing it in an old musty box on the off-chance that we might eventually decided we want kids and one of those hypothetical kids might want it. While I have fond memories of plenty of the stuff, the fact is that I'd rather it be used by another child somewhere who might get some enjoyment out of it than to have it cluttering up the house getting damaged and cursed at every time we have to move it.

I asked my mom the other day if she thought I was losing my mind because I just wanted to be rid of stuff and not deal with the clutter and she said it was normal and, if I'm anything like her, I'll do this again in another 10 years or so.

So what do you think: Am I crazy?

 

[catmom2wires]

Sounds like you're on the right track to me. The only way to let more good things into your life is to get rid of the things that are no longer needed!

 

[strange_wings]

Originally Posted by Ms. Freya

because I'd outgrown the style

Bring that early to mid 90s style back? Or threaten to just to see what your husband does.

What sort of stuff are you digging out of there? Some toys can be valuable to collectors and you may be able to make a bit of holiday money putting them on ebay vs goodwill that has to throw some stuff away (due to plastics and paint).


And no, you're not crazy for wanting to be free of it. You'd be crazy if you wanted to keep it all and kept adding until you reached hoarder proportions.

 

[c1atsite]

Originally Posted by strange_wings

And no, you're not crazy for wanting to be free of it. You'd be crazy if you wanted to keep it all and kept adding until you reached hoarder proportions.

You said what I was gonna say. There's even a weekly show called Hoarders: Buried Alive. As you can imagine, it ain't pretty. One thing I learned from Clean Sweep (a home improvement show from the early 2000's on de-cluttering and organizing) is you can take a photo of you with the sentimental item and keep the photo instead of the item. The photo is always going to weigh less and take up less space. For many of the homeowners on Clean Sweep, it was an acceptable solution. Too bad the show got cancelled. But wow - it was really remarkable to see how much stuff people were holding onto. The folks on Hoarders: Buried Alive are on a whole other level. Psychiatrists were never part of Clean Sweep, but on Hoarders: Buried Alive, they are on the show for each case. Clean Sweep had a fun vibe that poked fun at mild hoarders. Hoarders: Buried Alive is much heavier and super serious.

 

[strange_wings]

Originally Posted by c1atsite

:But wow - it was really remarkable to see how much stuff people were holding onto.

Hey, I still have some of my childhood toys - specifically My Little Ponies and I buy more whenever I come across them (but not the latest ones in stores.. they're sooo ugly!) Many would think that weird.

Coincidentally, toys again - If you have any do mention them!

In fact if anyone on here has or comes across old MLPs, NorthernGlow and I both collect them.

 

[natalie_ca]

No, you are not crazy. I can't stand clutter either.

I have a few choice items that I do lug from place to place such as my Mom's sewing machine, blender and my Dad's toaster. Plus a few pieces of jewelery.

However, with the exception of the jewelery, everything gets used almost on a daily basis.

What we are attached to are the memories, and you don't need the tangible stuff to have those memories.

 

[calico2222]

No, you're not crazy at all. You know what is important to you. What you packed up years ago may not mean anything to you know because you've changed. But, I do think it's sweet of your husband to point out certain items because things can get crazy and if you just give him the go ahead to throw out EVERYTHING you may get rid of something you want to keep for sentimental reasons.

 

[rubsluts'mommy]

No, you are not crazy. This coming from a Level 2 hoarder trying to rehab herself. I have the guts to throw some things away. My mother (yes, the one with Alzheimer's, but this was before her major recent downhill spurt) would come into my room while I was visiting and going through the boxes and boxes of cr** I had from growing up. I had a 'trash' box outside the bedroom, one of those massive old moving boxes. I was throwing butchered barbie dolls and empty boxes of computer software for computers that were long gone. She walked up to the trash box and picked up one of those flimsy software boxes and asked why I was throwing a 'perfectly good box' away. I had to take it away from her and put it back. My mother would be considered (if my dad weren't around to throw things out behind her back) a level 3 or 4 hoarder (5 is the highest, I think).

Crazy is keeping that stuff. Trust me, I come from a family of that kind of crazy. I ask myself now when I look at things I own, or want to buy: Yeah, I *want* it, but do I need it and do I have the place to store it when not in use? If the answer is no, it's gone or never purchased.

Originally Posted by strange_wings

And no, you're not crazy for wanting to be free of it. You'd be crazy if you wanted to keep it all and kept adding until you reached hoarder proportions.

 

[Ms. Freya]

Originally Posted by strange_wings

Hey, I still have some of my childhood toys - specifically My Little Ponies and I buy more whenever I come across them (but not the latest ones in stores.. they're sooo ugly!) Many would think that weird.

Not me. I actually have the entire original set.

No toys or anything that makes that much sense.

This is mostly extra kitchen stuff from when DH and I first combined households and play jewelery I had as a kid. I collected unicorns and dragons and I've kept some of the really meaningful and pretty pieces, but not the little matched ceramic dish and necklace tree I got when I was 6. I used to not think much of keeping everything, but my MIL is a hoarder and after a few visits to her place it really made me re-assess what actually means something to me and what I'm keeping because I can't be bothered to sort it out.

DH was actually pretty cute about it when I sent him with the latest goodwill batch today - our goodwill was really full so he found a small local place getting ready for the holidays instead.

 

[strange_wings]

If you don't have one, see if someone can get you a small cabinet/shelf (with glass cat proof doors) for some of your little stuff you keep. If you're going to keep it, make sure it has a place.

So you do have some MLPs, too?

Those of us who had them as a child, and spent a lot of time playing with them, really can't part with them - or at least all of them. Plus they're cute.

It's partial nostalgia and partial collecting for me. I only have around 120 or so, which isn't very many.

Despite me collecting some things I'm really picky about what I do keep. If I can't put it somewhere and appreciate it, what's the point?

 

[libby74]

One of my brothers was on a soapbox about this topic just this morning. His wife has the basement full of cardboard boxes, paper back books, magazines, toys the kids had when they were little (their youngest is now 27), on and on and on. I thought to myself, 'I never realized my SIL and I were separated at birth.'
I wish I could dispose of some of my so-called junk, but I'm a sentimental fool. And besides, I might need that box of plastic ice cream tubs one of these days.

 

[cheshirecat]

When I had to move the last time I was not able to go down the stairs to supervise cleaning out the basement.

My brother was helping me and since it was not his stuff he just threw everything out that was on the floor. He threw out things that I had planned on using in this apartment. He threw out the shoes that I had left at the bottom of the stairs. .

I was so mad. I knew it had to be done but he was ruthless. After that he was afraid to toss anything without asking. And I held on to things because I was afraid to part with them. So things that should have gone got packed and moved and eventually tossed in the unpacking.

My life has become uncluttered but I still have some things that should have been given away. Just yesterday I was talking about freecycling some of the things I know I will never use.

 

[Ms. Freya]

Originally Posted by CheshireCat

My brother was helping me and since it was not his stuff he just threw everything out that was on the floor. He threw out things that I had planned on using in this apartment. He threw out the shoes that I had left at the bottom of the stairs. .

I was so mad. I knew it had to be done but he was ruthless. After that he was afraid to toss anything without asking. And I held on to things because I was afraid to part with them. So things that should have gone got packed and moved and eventually tossed in the unpacking.

I can see this. I do think part of the reason I can let things go so easily at the moment is that I did take them with so many times. It's like a proved to myself once and for all that I don't need them, so it's okay to let them go.

 

[calico2222]

Originally Posted by libby74

I wish I could dispose of some of my so-called junk, but I'm a sentimental fool. And besides, I might need that box of plastic ice cream tubs one of these days.

I'm sorry but that cracks me up because I'm the same way! When it comes to things "I might use" I am a pack rat. It runs in the family. I think it was because my grandparents grew up in the depression so they held on to EVERYTHING, so did my mom and so do I. Actually, now that I think about it, so does my husband. If I had a dollar for every empty coffee can and butter tub in this house I would be able to retire. But, we do use them. Well, some of them....

 

[ldg]

OMG, I am forever giving my stuff away. I don't think you're nuts at all - and your DH is really sweet!

I'm sentimental... but after a few years, I'm usually willing to give up most "keepsakes" too. Gary totally offsets this, because we're still toting around boxes and boxes and boxes of stuff we may need some day. You never know when you're going to need that piece of wire!

 

[libby74]

Originally Posted by LDG

we're still toting around boxes and boxes and boxes of stuff we may need some day. You never know when you're going to need that piece of wire!

Exactly! My Dad would hoard bits and pieces of lumber because you just never know when you're going to need that 5" piece of 2x4. I live 3 doors down from a monument company (a place that makes/sells tombstones). The blank stones come in totally packed in wood, which they toss out behind the building. I'm constantly hauling the wood home because I'm positive I need it. Six months later, I'm hauling it back to their scrap pile, and bringing home different pieces.

At least I'm getting some exercise.

 

[margecat]

Nah, I'd say you're ABNORMAL, as many folks don't have your self-discipline!

You wouldn't believe how many badly-cluttered houses
I've seen recently. Good for you!!!!

I've never been bad with clutter, but I have a bad habit of putting stuff in shopping bags to put away upstairs. It's mostly because of the cats. I tend to consolidate stuff into a bag to keep them out of it. I also have too much stuff stashed in drawers and closets and the garage. I mean, if you came to my house, you probably wouldn't notice it, but it bugs me a lot. I need to get in the habit of putting stuff away immediately, and not to depend on quick sweep-arounds to put it away once a week.

I'm also going through the guest room today (it's also my sewing room), and need to put the big bins of Xmas decorations, wrap, etc. back into the attic. I need to get rid of fabric, even though it's neatly boxed, drawered, etc., but I know there' s fabric in those boxes I haven't used since I went through it a year ago. I have patchwork quilt blocks I made about 10 years ago. They will be offered to a quilter I know.

My house is not really cluttered, nor has it ever been, nor do I think I'll ever become a hoarder, but I still have too much junk, and I'm tired of moving it, sorting it, and maintaining it. What's wrong with an empty drawer? Why do we feel the need to fill it up? I didn't realize it at the time we bought our house, but we live very close to a Goodwill--think God was trying to tell me something?!?

 

[Winchester]

As we've been working on our basement, we've been trying to get rid of things, too. It's difficult. DH keeps everything. He's a very sentimental man and he doesn't want to get rid of anything.

One thing we've done is he's built a huge closet across the one end of the basement. The doors will be rolling doors on tracks to make them easier to open and close and to enable us to find the boxes we're looking for come Christmas or when we want to give something to somebody.

I've been trying to work on giving kitchen items away, too. I have a married niece and a niece-in-law as well as my DIL and they find that they can always use something I might have packed away in a box. They'll call and say, "Do you have a such-and-such?" And I'm glad that I can help them.