This summer, I went out of town with the kids to help with a garage sale (which actually ended up happening again later in the summer. It wasn’t just your average garage sale, mind you, it was at my Grandparents’ house (which was for sale for a total of two years after my Grandma had passed away in 2010).
I was amazed at all of the things a person can amass over a lifetime. There were knick knacks of every shape and size, seasonal decorations for favorite holidays, kitchen gadgets that seemed nifty but were still in packages, floral arrangements that were originally purchased for $80 or more, and still more things.
All of those things that were so expensive when purchased or received as gifts, they sat on the shelves with price tags of $.50 or $1.00. My Grandpa had to fuss while we were selling things and complain that it was too cheap, remembering the prices that he had paid for them originally.
This all felt like such a stark reminder to simplify during life. A call to want for less, and make do with what we have more often. A feeling that I never want someone to have to go through all of my things when I die and decide that they are worth a quarter each (as well as the desire to not have to burden people with that task).
Are we filling our home with things that will just end up in some giant garage sale one day?
Are we holding too tightly onto things that will be passed over by strangers, deciding which are trash and which are treasures?
Will our children and grandchildren sigh as they lug loads of things from every nook and cranny in our home?
I think you’re right. I had that kind of thought the other day. Perhaps it’s the consumerism of Christmas that gets to us…?
Considerer´s last [type] ..Spinning the positives
What a great reminder to focus on things that last rather than things that are temporal. Thank you!
Annette´s last [type] ..Waldorf Wednesday #15
Angie
I know exactly what you mean, a few years back I helped a friend ready her parents home for sale. What a mammoth task!!!! they had been Depression babies and wow! we had junk nestled next to treasures. totally made me re-look at my buying habits.
Erin´s last [type] ..Our 20th Wedding Anniversary!!
{sigh} So true. I’ve been there with my grandparents. Based on the massive quantities of junk in my house right there, I’d say my kids or grandkids will be there with me some day.
Kris @ Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers´s last [type] ..New Additions
I try to go through our stuff often to avoid this. My Mom’s house is so full of stuff.
Jenny´s last [type] ..Wordless Wednesday: Christmas Pic
This is so true, sadly. My friend’s uncle died and it took them 2 years to clear out his house, because he’d accumulated so much stuff that you only had pathways to edge through. The trouble was that in between the 40 year old National Geographics were papers and other treasures that they needed to locate, so they had to go through it piece by piece. An extreme example, but even on a small scale, cleaning out a house with the normal amount of clutter is daunting at best.
Eddie – The Usual Mayhem´s last [type] ..Sewing felt ornaments – older kids
Last summer we made a cross country move and pared down to the true minimum. It was hard work and still is hard keeping things that way but the stress level is just so much less.
We have started a journey to minimalism in our house and this post is a great motivation!! I have been selling some of our unwanted items and it’s amazing how, when you finally put that $1 value on your item and NO ONE wants it for $1 you no longer like it either. Great post!!
Our Country Road´s last [type] ..Our Journey to Minimalism: Trading Up
Angie, we are right there with you…
We inherited my mother-in-laws 3-family house in 2004, and moved in to find her lifetime accumulation of things (I didn’t know one 85-yr-old woman could amass so many hats and pairs of shoes), plus things left by tenants and roomers over a span of nearly 50 years. Instead of tending to those things right away, sentimentality took us over, so we moved the stuff to one side, then proceeded to accumulate our own stuff, alongside it.
I watch “Storage Wars,” and imagine my kids one day opening up a storage unit with all the things in the house, and being very, very unhappy that we didn’t do something earlier! So we are sorting: use it, store it, give it away/sell it, pitch it. Let’s pray for one another to put more stuff in the last two piles, than in the first two!
~Kim
Kim´s last [type] ..Writing for Life: 10 Things Kids Should Be Able to Write
This is so true, Angie! I really struggle with this. At least I can say that I don’t spend a lot of money on decorative knickknacks and things like that, but I have accumulated a lot from things that have been given to me and handed down from relatives. Many of them do enhance the appearance of my home, and many have sentimental value, but there are too many. Keeping them at bay, and keeping from accumulating more, is a challenge.
So true! My ma-in-law is in her mid 80′s and has so much rubbish (unfortunately much of her good stuff has simply turned to rubbish sitting in her garage!) and I suggested regifting things in an obvious way. ie give something to the grandkids which was her ma’s or granddad’s etc. That way they know the sentiment, etc. She has been slowly doing that but I fear that I (my hubby is her only child) am going to be left with her HUGE mess to clean at the end, which will be really sad as she is just the most wonderful lady who I love dearly!
Lisa Rose´s last [type] ..Summer Day Reading
Exactly! I am constantly going through our home and “purging” things–donating to Goodwill, Life Centers or giving my kids gently used clothes to other families who can use them. I don’t want a bunch of stuff in my home. Clutter drives me nuts! I am constantly reminding my kids that when they get a new toy they need to pass on an old one. It is a constant battle, but sometimes they “catch that” and will go through their rooms on their own and bring me things that can be thrown out or passed on.
Since our move I have been going through things box, by box, by box–I’ve even had friends help me! Now I’m left with organizing it all and that can be discouraging as well–I have nothing from when I was a kid–so I think I’m over compensating for my kids . . . God help me!
Be blessed.
Renee´s last [type] ..Cooking for the Crew
Your thoughts are very similar to the ones I had when cleaning out my mom’s apartment. My sister and I were blessed by my mother however, who had worked through her entire cancer struggle to get her possessions down to a minimum for us. By the time she passed she had gone from a 1600sq foot home full of stuff to a sparsely decorated one bedroom apartment. That was such a gift she gave my sister and I.
Victoria´s last [type] ..10 of Our Most Loved Christmas Traditions
There have been a few events in my life that will ensure that I am not an accumulator … one was spending 6 weeks backpacking on the Appalachian Trail, which pretty much forces you to face what is a want versus what is a need since you need to carry everything on your back. The others are cleaning out the homes of grandparents and great aunts with just me and one of my parents. It is certainly a big job that should be shared by more than two people. I have many keepsakes from them, but I try to remember what they would want me to remember them by … and I am pretty certain that it is not the 150 cool whip bowls in my grandmothers kitchen that she kept “just in case”.
April´s last [type] ..Small Coupon Organizer with 14 Pockets – Pre Printed Labels Included – Green Silver Gray and Yellow Stripes by MooreMagnets
This is so true. I just watched my 82-yr-old friend have to sell everything at a garage sale and move into a retirement home. She was so mad at the people trying to help her about how cheap they sold stuff or what got given to Good-Will.
The less you have in your home, the easier it is to take care of and keep clean. Why do they stage homes in order to sell them? Because no one wants to buy or look at a house that is full of junk!
Loved your post! My mother lived through the Depression, thus, I suspect, saved everything. I grew up in that home & felt overcome by stuff & tend to go the other way. However, I do think that the mentality to buy & accumulate permeates our society…and I think even grows stronger as we as a nation slide farther & farther from knowing the God Who created us. I recently heard a pastor remark: “Look at all the things you have accumulated…all your stuff. Take a good look. One day, it will all burn up! Is that what you want to have spent your life on…working for stuff that will quickly turn into a pile of ashes?” Sobering thoughts.