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We are doing the same thing. We find the older we get, the less we need. Chances are, we will pass away before the kids and it's less things for them to have to go through and discard. Here are some things that help us to "minimize":
1) If you haven't worn it in 1-2 years....donate it.
2) If it's a book you will never read again....donate it.
3) When you buy a new tie....get rid of an old tie.
4) Shred receipts/documents/taxes that are at least 7 years old. Bank statements too.
5) Go through old pictures and if you have duplicates, give them away or toss them.
6) If the kids don't won't it....donate it.
7) Get rid of old newspapers, old magazines, old cards, etc.....except the ones that have great sentimental value.
8) If you have something someone gave you and they have passed away, but, you never use the item, remember, the ITEM will not replace the memory of the person. You have precious memories of that person to hold on to.
9) If you get Christmas gifts, birthday gifts, etc., that you will never use, donate them.
10) You only need so many sets of sheets, towels, etc., Donate the rest.
11) Rescue Missions will usually pick up furniture that you want to get rid of and they appreciate the donations!
12) Ladies, if you have costume jewelry that you never wear, see if the grandkids want it....if not...donate it.
13) It's tempting to buy extra of things that are on sale like paper towels, toilet paper...but, this can really take up a lot of room. Buy what you need and maybe one extra.
14) How many pairs of shoes do we really wear? Donate the ones you don't wear.
15) Most of us wear the same clothes all the time. When something starts looking "frumpy"....toss it.
16) Old CDs, cassette tapes, DVD movies that you never will watch again.....donate them.
17) Do you have a lot of "what nots" sitting around that's too much to dust anymore? Keep your favorites and give the others away.
18) Too many sets of dishes. I find that more than 2 sets is too much. Donate them.
17) IMPORTANT: Make a copy of your drivers license, credit card, insurance card, etc., or whats of value in your wallet and put in a safety deposit box. If you lose your wallet, you will have copies of pertinent information and you can shut down your credit card immediately. Also, have your will in a safety deposit box or a place where the kids or someone else knows where it is at.
I hope this helps. God Bless You Greatly!
Replies to "We are doing the same thing. We find the older we get, the less we need...."
I love your tips provided! Very helpful and inspires self reflection.
We moved to a smaller house after my husband retired 2 years ago.
Everyday I wake up saying I am going to get rid of stuff still packed in boxes and things unpacked that I have not looked at for years. Guess what, as we use to say as kids, “Chicken Butt” lol, I never go through with it.
My husband ask often when will I start getting rid of my stuff. I always reply, “Don’t worry about my stuff get rid of yours.” (Sassy Sarcasm)
You know humans accumulate things over the years because at the earlier seasons of our lives those things were useful serving their purposes at the time.
I read the Bible and for those who read the Bible or listened to religious programs will understand my next thought on my situation. (I am Not Advocating Religion just working things out to help me let go and move on. Use your own philosophical perspective.)
For me two scriptures come to mine. Exodus 20:3–6
You shall have no other gods before me.
and
1 John 5:21
Little children, keep yourselves from idols.
Looking deeper inside my heart today, I feel my circumstances mimicked one of the Ghost characters in the movie, “A Christmas Carol.”
The ghost of Jacob Marley said, "I wear the chain I forged in life. I made it link by link, and yard by yard; I girded it on of my own free will, and of my own free will I wore it.” (Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol)
Wow! So true to my life as it is now!!
I realize that I forged a chain of things I no longer use, need, or even want. The chain link is connected to my soul by a ball stemming from past feelings evoked by tenderness, nostalgia, sadness or happy memories and are weighing me down.
I don’t want to continue on this ball and chain journey weighing me down from moving forward.
I’m just standing still being a procrastinator living in complacency and complaining about how bad or unhappy I am surrounded by all this stuff. I’m not just affected by my ordeal but my beautiful husband also who have issues with clutter is suffering.
We are both in our sixties and we know that like all humans we will fly away to the other side one day.
So, the remaining days the God Lord gives us together needs to be unhindered, unfettered, and chain free from anything or anyone holding us back from living a loving, stress free, joyful and peaceful life within our means.
So, I will start today on my journey of healing of letting go of not just things but the past seasons of my life that cannot be relived and move forward in the future that never stops.
Today I choose to be a better me and enjoy God’s gift of life. I am so glad I am mentally free. I will be getting rid of things day by day until they are gone. I will sell some stuff and I am not waiting on kids to decide if and when they want something. They have good jobs to buy their hearts desires. There are poor and needy people who can use it.
Good bye material idols!!! God forgive me for making gods out of material things and human beings. 🙏
I apologize to anyone in advance who may be annoyed my lengthy soul searching reflections written in this comment.
“In all your getting get understanding,” as it does help us to make better informed decisions about our circumstances and lives.
I hope my purging will help someone today.
Happy Letting Go Everyone! 🍻
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Great tips! Somehow we have to tell the people in our lives to stop giving us “things”. We don’t need more coffee cups, knickknacks, and picture frames. It’s mostly our younger people giving us somewhat personalized things that we need to keep because you can’t donate items with pictures of your grandkids or their handprints on them. We even have their pictures on throws, towels, and ill-fitting t-shirts. We don’t need more home decorations - they even think we should add their mismatched pictures to our walls of themed and properly spaced artwork. Yet my husband feels we have to pull things out whenever they come twice a year so we don’t hurt their feelings. I’d love to hear how to tactfully get rid of that clutter…