The tortoise my mother hand-stitched all night on Christmas eve when I randomly said that Santa was bringing me "a little black lamb and a tortoise." This was the first time I'd mentioned anything about a tortoise. So she raided her box of scrap fabric and stayed up all night sewing a tortoise. I will keep it forever.
That is such a lovely story. I did the same thing to my mother, but my expectation was for a life-size baby elephant! (Understandably, I was told we lived in the wrong climate for elephants and a baby one wouldn't be happy away from its mother)
I've had to evacuate my home several times due to the threat of wildfires. Even though my house has not burned down (yet) I know how fragile stuff is. So I've scanned and photographed all my memories (photos and items) so I can walk away from my home without looking back or risking my life trying to rescue a possession.
My mom passed away when I was 24 and 17 weeks pregnant with my first baby. I inherited her wedding ring (so gracious of my dad to let me have it) and wear it as my wedding ring.
I forgot to mention my prized item(s): My grandparents were very active family historians, and I have a very un-fancy red binder with all of the photos glued onto paper with their handwritten notes about family history. I also have a Civil War reunion booklet from my great grandfather (who fought and survived a famous battle). As a historian (PhD level), these family history-related items are invaluable and remind me so much of happy hours at my grandparents' house talking about these histories.
I used to keep everything sentimental but lately after decluttering non sentimental items I have managed to dissociate the item from the person and I feel so much lighter having let go of the stuff xx
I was decluttering my mother's house months after she passed away, and I found a little notebook she kept from when I was a baby. She wrote a lot of things about my birth, about picking my name, my first words, my first birthdays, things I did and loved when I was a toddler, things she loved about me and made her laugh. I cried for hours reading it, and I know I'll never get rid of it. I'm glad that I decided to declutter, or I would've never found it!
Omg!!!! You are amazing!!! I come from a home where my mom saved every single item that her mother touched. She passed these things on to me and made me feel like I had to keep, save and never use or touch these things because these items belonged to her. I have kept these things for now almost forty years. I’ve moved it over and over and felt guilty if I even thought about getting rid of these things. At 56 years old, I’m finally to the place that I can let go of things. After my mom died, two years ago, I know it sounds crazy, but I finally felt free to begin letting these things go. Thank you for your channel!!!!!
Be careful with throwing out the yearbooks. When I was younger I never looked at them. But now, when I am in my sixties, I go back and look at them , especially if I am trying to remember who someone is.
so true! i kept mine because I was the editor!! haha! but have given my kids theirs to decide for themselves and finally got rid of one I had of my mom's!
A gold bracelet that is made from melted down heirloom family jewelry. It also features a ruby (my birthstone). I used to keep it put away for "special occasions" only until I realized I was never wearing it. I put it on one day and haven't taken it off since!
I have the letters my father wrote to me when I was 7 and he was working overseas for 6 months - they're falling apart from age and frequent reading now, but I'll never get rid of them. I have two memory boxes (both about 1 foot square), one is a wooden one I inherited from my grandmother and the other is a decorative cardboard one given to me by a dear friend. I love that my memories are stored in things that are themselves memories! If anyone is struggling to let go of items after a bereavement - give yourself time. When my father died 8 years ago, I couldn't even bear to throw out his last shopping list. Now, apart from the letters in my memory box, I just have half a dozen items which belonged to him, all of which are in regular use around the house. Being able to let go of a deceased person's belongings is part of the grieving process and it can't be rushed x
I couldn't agree more! My husband died in 2011 at the age of 51 and it was years and years before I could look at anything of his without breaking down. I have been able to donate or throw away quite a few of his things over the last several years but I dread getting into things like his medical records, that are still in a box and drawers. I have kept them for insurance purposes and every time I look at them I think back on how much he suffered. It's definitely something that you have to do with the right time for you.
This is one of my favorite videos from any creator, ever. I watched all your content years ago as I began my own decluttering journey (so inspiring btw) but I was too embarrassed to even "like" your videos! Fast forward to rewatching them as I am in a different place in my declutting journey. I am so over feeling guilty and sad for having other people's stuff in my space. I will "like" whatever inspires me, helps me feel joy and teaches me I am worth a beautiful, uncluttered home and life.
Oh, Sweet Marissa! I can tell you’re struggling right now. Big hugs from me! Sentimental stuff is all I have left to declutter. I have it all in about 15 bins, which is wasaayyyy down! I’m working on it bin by bin. Thank you for these ideas on how to deal with it all. Hugs!
I'm the type of person that keeps little memory pieces like tickets to events and hotel cards and sucks. Especially in partner relationships. I recently saw this cool idea of putting these small memory pieces into a binder with clear pockets (specifically those clear pockets that have already been divided smaller). It worked out so well and my partner really loved seeing all our little memories together. ❤ we plan on putting a few pictures in to go with some of the collected items. You can decorate the outside to make it really pretty to go on a bookshelf so you can easily pull it out and enjoy it. And if the relationship doesn't work out you can always reuse the pockets later haha 😆
I used to tape items like these into my diaries. This was back before people started making tape that was acid-free and photo safe. Whoops. But at least for right now they’re still legible enough to scan, so I’m in the process of doing that while they and the diaries exist.
I have the school bell that my Mom used to ring for her class to come in from recess back in the 1930s, a pair of leather baby shoes that my Grandmother made for her son (my dad) from my Grandfather's old gloves....these are just two of the treasures that I hope to pass on to one of my seven children.
My son's hand print & the cards he gave me. Unexpectedly lost Paul October of 2020 and it truly is a life sentence of grieve. It will hit you when you least expect. But slowly the memories make me smile and often laugh ~ hugs sweet Marissa !
So sorry about your son. My brother passed at age 42 suddenly and it took a lot of years for my mom and I to remember him without sadness. I want to encourage you though, that time will help those extreme grief feelings and I hope that you can keep some very good memories of your son!
Yes, you are so right. It is a lifetime of grief, you are never the same. It's like wearing a mask and walking between two worlds . You need to function , but it feels like you're faking it to make others feel better. A part of us has literally died, there's no coming back from that.
Now in my 60s, I am interested in the concepts in the book Swedish Death Cleaning. That book suggests that a box of purely sentimental things of no monetary value be labeled as ok to dispose of upon death. I believe it is also important that items like gold, jems, listed artist works, etc. be labeled to be sent to auction if no family member wants the items. Doing both is a gift to family so that they can dispose of a memory box without fear of accidentally throwing out something valuable. I really like that you are giving your boys options on whether or not to keep items in their boxes. When my mother gave me a memory box of things she had saved for me (newspaper clippings, my baby clothes intended for my children, etc.) , it was very painful for me. I felt like such a disappointment to her because I did not live up to her hopes that I would be more successful and "give her grandchildren." I am happy about making all the life choices that were right for me, but that memory box transaction tarnished our relationship, especially when I felt I had to lie about decluttering all the contents.
I actually never knew that memory boxes was such a widespread thing! I don't know anyone who has one. But after I had children I got a box for each of them where I put in their awards, ticket stubs (only first occasion ones) and various items that symbolise a major event in their life. Now that my youngest child's dad has passed away, he has a second memory box where he keeps special items from his dad's life
This is such important information, and so unique. I don’t see anyone else, taking this deep of dive into emotional hoarding. I was a minimalist for decades, before the was even a word for it, but I have been an emotional hoarder
My most treasured item belonging once to my Mom is her diary from HS when she & my Father were dating. I cherish it tremendously. She passed away summer of 2020, and I do not have a relationship with my Father. This diary is the only real memory that helps me deal with these losses. It’s the only thing that proves my parents once loved one another. That’s more precious than rubies. ❤
I have three small stuffed animals from my childhood that I will never declutter. One of them in particular comes out of the drawer whenever I need her, like when my dad passed away. Then she returns to the drawer when life has settled down again. I will probably tell my children to bury the dolls with me so they don't feel obligated to keep them after I'm gone.
I had the HARDEST time after I decluttered my wedding dress. And I think because it almost was taboo to do so? Had a few people gasp when I mentioned it and felt so much worse. Turns out my own mom no longer has hers and I immediately felt peace with my decision. So I guess deep down I felt like I was the ONLY one and felt because of that I was in the wrong. So if you feel regrets, take time to reflect and see WHY so that you can make peace with your decision.
Good tip! I sold my wedding dress right away, Jennifer, but nobody has ever questioned my decision or said anything about it. It’s interesting how the people around is can shape our perception! Cheers and thank you for sharing your story. ❤️
I’ve just donated mine to an amazing charity that helps couples that want to marry and have been diagnosed with terminal illness. I only got married a few months ago but I am completely good with passing it to someone who can enjoy it and hopefully can make them feel special.
My husband's mother recently passed away. I sorted and scanned over 77 years of pictures, and created a website for the family. I will also make memory books for my kids. I kept the prints from the 1930's and 40's, but I was surprised that I did not feel the need to keep all 4 tubs of photos. I may never be a minimalist, but I think I am progressing in my decluttering. Keep the memory, not the stuff. I don't know that I would have the strength to actually shred pictures. Another family member will have to take care of that.
I love minimalism, but there are 2 categories of things I can not get rid of. One is pictures of my dad. He passed away when I was 30. My older son was 3 years old, and my younger son was 3 months old. I want them to know him, and they love to hear stories about them. The other category is the books I read to my boys when they were little. They are 17 and 14 now, but every time I get the bins out to declutter, I am flooded with memories of reading to them. I remember their favorite pages and the cute things they said every time they saw a certain picture in each book, and I just can't do it! Eventually, I may feel ready to let go of some pictures or books, but I am waiting until I feel it.
That is so awesome! I think people nowadays don't appreciate the handmade items. I have heard that young people today don't want their family's stuff, but there's so much history there and knowing that someone made it with their own hands to me is extra special ❤
50 years ago, I got the dubious honor of emptying my mother’s attic stash of stuff. She filled the attic; my dad filled the basement. He was going to move in with my sister, and I had two months before going back to school. Siblings abdicated any responsibility. My thinking was all-or-nothing. I gave away a lot, and then carted around the rest for years. In retrospect, I think I did a pretty good job. As I was able, I would revisit things and each time I moved there was less. Two years ago, we sold a 6 bedroom 200 year old house AND barn that we had had for 30+ years. And, the previous year I had been hospitalized 4 times for acute depression. So, yes, I get this! I am happy to report that I got good care and am back on my feet. Family and friends in recovery helped enormously. We sold our house and began renting, starting with just the things I would need. As the closing date came, I added things I might need in a future permanent house. I loved the way the place felt in the beginning. Now I feel like I’m living in a sardine can. But I know it’s temporary. I am so looking forward to the next big declutter. It feels just like losing a lot of weight. And to answer your question, which started all this, I discovered a black ink blueprint of my grandfather’s summer cottage I had never seen and didn’t know about. This was my safe place as a kid. As a preservationist, I love blueprints! Where this came from I don’t know, but I framed it and it has pride of place here. I will never part with this. Love what you are doing and love the quotes! Here’s one for you from Mark Twain: “Love is knowing how to hurt someone and NOT doing it.” Thanks for letting me share!
I LOVE YOUR VIDEOS! I totally relate with your journey ! My dad was 55 years old when he had me and was from the depression era and didn’t throw anything away. My mom passed when I was young and we kept everything. Also went minimalist and now I have four kids so your videos are so so helpful.
I have this small blanket my mom crocheted for me when I was younger in my favorite colors, at the time, which were neopolitan ice cream colors. It’s tucked away in a box and I don’t use it for fear that I will ruin it. It makes me smile every time I take it out. My older sister had it somehow and claimed it was hers until I asked what the colors meant and she couldn’t explain the choice of brown, pink, and cream. 😂
as a professional organizer, i have to say miss marie said one thing that resonated. "an item from our ancestors connects us with the past, as their hands and our hands connect through time" One of my prized possessions is my mother's price list from her business - she owned it for 25 years! It sits behind me, on the wall. "prices as of April, 2007". and it was done by a calligrapher for her. it is framed, and i touch it everyday. Mom died in 2011. and yes, Marissa, Miss Marie always puts sentimetnal stuff LAST..she calls it "kimono". THIS is a wisdom i didn't know.
I carefully curate my memorabilia. At 58, with three adult children and three grandchildren and experiencing the steady loss of our parents, aunts and uncles, knowing what is really important has changed over time. Stuff isn't the person who owns it and memories are not stuff, however stories are priceless and certain items keep stories alive through sharing. I have scrapbooked several generations of family photos, from tin type photos of my grandparents in infancy right through to my own infant grandson. By creating albums of pictures and stories, it is a history of our family and the lives we live. Together with a small collection of bits and pieces from the past, which are touchstones in oral history sharing, I connect my grandchildren with my grandparents by sharing their stories. My own treasures are displayed where I can see them every day: my old teddy bear, my first doll gifted by an aunt, my childhood book collection. They are part of my life because I see them everyday. My children and grandchildren see them when they visit, so they have meaning and context.
From Egypt 2021/11/19 Marrisa I started minimalism journey a year ago, after I realized that clutters makes me nervous and stressed . I watched all your videos in 3 days 🙈 Hours of sharing feelings, experience and even memories . Thank you for being here,you encouraged me to continue my journey without fear ❤️ I couldn't get rid of sentimental clutters but now I am more strong. And I am proud of your family (you & your husband ) for sharing your past ones without shame of being poor one day ❤️ Love you so0o0o much ..
One guideline I’m setting in my sentimental declutter is valuing things I did vs things that just happened to me. So, my own writing is more important that the little notes people have left me.
i just cleared out my memory box that i've kept for 23 years. it was soooooooo gooooood to free up space and let go of things that no longer sparked joy inside there. i can't believe i kept my ex's stuff for 3 years omg so happy i cleared it away. thank god.
I sent three of my four yearbooks to my friend from school back home. Her mother could only afford to buy her her senior year book. So I kept my senior year book and sent the rest to her. I had them for the first half of my life. She can have them for the second half of her life.
*“We go on multiplying our conveniences only to multiply our cares. We increase our possessions only to the enlargement of our anxieties.” - Anna C. Brackett*
My great-grandmother's Knitting & Crochet Needles and a single (completely hand sewn ) little girl's dress that she made me when I was 5. I use her needles whenever I'm either knitting or crocheting and the dress is carefully boxed up with a clear lid ... The little dress wasn't fancy by any means, it was made for an active little farm girl, but I absolutely adore it.
Thank you so much for covering this topic, I love your balanced approach that still respects and honors loved ones and sentimental items without feeling the need to keep EVERYTHING! I will say that I keep one thing separate from all our other sentimental items - the letters I've written my daughter on every single birthday (and a week after she was born). I plan on giving them to her on her 18th birthday, but they are irreplaceable and go in our fire-proof safe just in case!
The cristal hedgehog!!! My mum had one and I inherited it after she died. My sister and I shared the whole collection but I told her the collection should stay together so she can have my half. I love that I can still see them and think of mum, but I don’t have it in my home as it’s not my cup of tea. Great video, working out what to keep can be just as stressful as working out to let them go.
I have been pairing down our possessions for many years and sentimental items have truly been the hardest. I have a memory box and have gone so far as to cut out the logo off a tshirt that is sentimental and just put that piece of the shirt in the box. But your video is the BEST explanation and examples of how to do this for others I have come across in all these years! So WELL done! ❤
Thank you for putting it out there that it's not necessary to get rid of those sentimental items you want to keep if you want to be a minimalist. I limit myself though in keeping really small sentimental items that can fit in my thin wooden memory box that I bought online last year that is 11 x 6.5 x 2.5 in. Most of them are photobooth photos with my friends, film tickets I've watched with my friends and family, concert tickets and other invitations from events that I want to remember, bday cards and letters, and letters my friends wrote me before we went to separate schools. Now my MOST prized possession is my dog's collar who passed away over 5 years ago. He was my best friend and I was so sad when he passed when we only had him for 1 year and that is one of the things I will NEVER let go because it helps me think that he's always beside me and protecting me. My memory box actually started as a small tshirt box that came with a tshirt my friend gave me as a gift then a bigger thin box that's around 11x9x1 inches and then a shoe box. Then I decided that I didn't want these much sentimental items that I never used or remember where I got them. I used to keep a lot of receipts with the things I ordered and the date helped me remind that I bought this or ate in that restaurant with my friends that day. So I thought to myself, most of these didn't make sense because my friends and I always take photos whenever we are out and about. So I threw them all away because the photos made more sense than the receipts I kept. Some of the bigger and bulkier items I kept are now either thrown away, displayed or is being used for my everyday activities.
Thank you so much Marissa for all the work you do! You make me cry and laugh in every video and I keep sharing to friends and family! I love this. Thank you for walking with us with our journey!
New viewer. So many of the things in this video apply to me. Barbies in boxes, Swarovski Club pieces (the first piece that a friend gave us that got us started was that hedgehog), my Mom's cedar chest filled to the brim with things she saved when I went to school right up to probably every card I ever got (and the ones my Dad got from my Son - he's now 43), my 2 granddaughters' extra school photos, photo albums and slides going back to 1959 and so on. Man, I'll be binge watching your videos probably til you come back after the New Year.😁 I'm a sentimental hoarder and now my 13 year old Granddaughter, who lives with me, says when I'm gone, she'll want to keep everything, so now I have to figure out how to get rid of things before I turn her into a hoarder. Just as I was getting mentally ready to declutter some of my parents' stuff, my husband passed away and now I can't part with his things. Geez! PS - your Mom had beautiful handwriting.
I have a memory box for myself with all the treasures from my childhood. I also have another box that is just letters and notes from loved ones. I treasure the notes and love to read them. I had a difficult time decluttering my kids artwork so I decided to take my time. I went through my oldest daughter's art first with her help. She couldn't believe the things I kept. Working with her I quickly realized I had kept these things for me and not her. She didn't want any of it but I couldn't just throw it out, so I had a book made and threw out the pictures. I did keep only a few that I now display. I will start on my son's art this month with his help.
my daughter in law found a company that made a photo book of her daughter's art-she had kept their and her favorites in an art portfolio for a few years, and then turned them into a book that they often look at. One or two were actually framed and hung on the wall-and they let the others go.
I have a coffee mug that my mother used, and now I use it too. I also have the journal my father wrote on our family trip to Europe. I made extra copies with some photos for my siblings.
I'm already pretty minimal naturally, I don't have a hard time giving away. But to make it easier, I just declutter sentimental things once or more times a year. This helps to let go easier since time helps me to not be attached anymore. For example, things that I was holding onto 1 year ago, don't seem important 1 year after anymore 🥰🥰
Also re: memory box decoration, using items or photos that are part of the memories for the box is cool, I made one that used photos from a personalised calendar then used a sealant over the top.
I am currently helping a very sentimental friend declutter her home and this is extremely helpful. Your videos have a beautiful flow and one can tell how hard you work to have them make sense. Thank you!
When I was small my dad did a lot of nice and fun handcraft projects. Once we built a stove for my dollhouse, the stove is made from scrap wood, has got a door and our names written underneath. This is the very item that made me think of a memory box to begin with 😍
I was keeping my wedding shoes because of their sentimental value. We moved house after house and those shoes moved with me, along with many other things. I always assumed that they would stay with me to remind me of that special time. Today while watching your videos I was also decluttering my shoes. I came across that pair, tried it on and regretted not using it and decided to start using it since it looked so good. And on closer inspection I realized it had come apart. I wasn’t married too long ago. Been six years, that shoes wasn’t very expensive either. It was just my attachment to that. Anyway, I’m happy to let it go. And I know it will make life a whole lot easier. Everything has an expiration date, whether that’s what we want or not
So, Anastasia is very important story to me. My one thing I wouldn't dream of letting go is my Anastasia music box. It was gifted to me by one of my best friends AND I filled it with memories of each time I went to see Anastasia the Musical. Each time have cost a lot of effort and money and brought a lot of joy to me. I carry the music box with me to Broadway, Madrid and Sao Paulo and it is signed by the actress playing Anya in each production. At this point it represents hours of planning with my friends, sewing, traveling and having so much fun and emotion... That if I have to let go of things, I wish this to remain with me.
This was perfect. I've been carefully selecting the most precious items to put in a memory box. Must say that after declutering thousands of items I regret one🤦🏻♀️. It was a special little toy my mother ther gave me years ago. I felt so so guilty after and I still don't understand how it happened but I've talked to my mother and she understood and now it's on the past. Not gonna do that again 😜. I still don't know the size or type of box because I'm still in the process and also need to do it for my daughter but we'll get there. Thank you so much for all your help all this time through our journey 🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗. I think also that the idea of a DIY box is great. We love crafting in this house so it would be a memory in itself. Big hugs Zen fam 🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗💗💗💗💗💗
Please like + comment with one of YOUR most precious treasures & check out the blog post here for ten awesome memory box ideas: www.atozenlife.com/memory-boxes/
My special items are: maternal grandpa’s carving, maternal grandma’s quilt, paternal grandpa’s mother’s recipe booklet, paternal grandma’s earrings, my engagement ring, my son’s Christening outfit, … oh my, I could go on - I need help!! 😣
I have a plain Swiss music box from my father. I love it. When I was little, I would ask him to play the music box many times. He gave it to me when he was very old.
We recently decluttered our year books. We tore out every page that had me or my husband in them. We labeled everything and then scanned the files. we put them in a specific folder that we can easily pull up if our kids ever want to see it. Then we shredded the year book and recycled most of it.
This is very funny because I’m just starting on my declutter journey and I honestly just started grabbing gifts and things around my house that I thought I would never get rid of…. And started just chunking them into the trash can and then took the trash out!! Grandma will never know right? ❤❤❤
Love this, it's made me realise I need to do this with my kids, they are definitely old enough to have their own memory boxes. I have a memory box with stuff from high school, my time in Japan as an assistant English teacher, and my early work career when I travelled a lot.
2:17 Yup! Did that recently. Feel emotional gremlin sneaking up on you? Quick sip of hot tea/cold water will help jolt your response from high to calm.
A chair with an iron burned mark on the fabric. It was my great grandma's chair whom I loved very much. She died when I was 2 and yes, the chair is worth nothing money-wise but it's i good shape and it's now my office chair and I never want to part with it ♡♡♡
This hit hard right away. I have never been a horder of sentimental items and my mother could never understand why I don't keep everything from when I was little or want all the things my grandparents pawn off on us when they no longer want it. However, I am finding the hardest time getting rid of sentimental things involving my kids. From my late Nana I have a ring she gifted me that I wear on special occasions and that is enough for me to think of her often. I also kept 1 card from each of the kids 1st birthdays from each relative for the future.
My daughter says her favourite treasure is her cat teddy. We are decluttering treasure boxes today so we can travel and your video is helping. Thankyou.
What a great video, Marissa!! I am really grateful for all the thought you put into them, because it is such great value to me as I watch them❤️ My most valuable item is a small stone carved angel, a wall decor that my little sister bought for me in Italy just before she died❤️
Thank you for sharing this! I keep our memory stuff in plastic bins instead of boxes. When I was 4, a hurricane destroyed just about everything in our house. Every picture on the wall was water-damaged. Still living in a hurricane zone so the important things need to be waterproof.
My grandmother's Asian -style lamp. I have lugged that thing, stuffed it into bins in other people's attics when I'm on the road. I really do like it. My son and his wife don't; neither does my sister. And they don't know my grandmother like I did. It meant a lot to her. I remember it when my grandfather insisted on selling their house and moving into a (nice) rental apartment. I think it was hard for her, but he knew he would not live long. So she 'traded' that she could hire a fancy decorator for the apartment. It was the 60's. It's the only thing left from that apartment.
Thank you Dear Marissa ❤️ I love watching all your videos!! Thank you for all your efforts and heart you put in your videos!! You are my inspiration and motivation 🙏😇 I actually have one piece of art 🖼 that sparks so much joy for me , like nothing else . It’s like a quintessence of my happiest childhood days ! 😻🤗😍
A picture of my dad from his army service. He is about 18 in that picture and we look sooo much alike. He passed away when I was 17 and I will definitely keep this picture forever.
Marissa, I recently found your channel and I have binged watched all of your videos. I love how informative, fun, and heartfelt they are. Your channel is my happy place. Now I'll be anxiously awaiting your videos each week!
Thank you so much for this video. I have decluttered so much stuff, but I am so stuck on the sentimental items (papers in particular). I have saved every card and letter for almost my whole life and I am 70! It is overwhelming. So many life events - children and grandchildren, parent, grandparent and sibling deaths. This video is very inspiring. A word to those younger than me - don’t go down this path! Just let things go, and you won’t be overwhelmed when you get to be my age.
This video is so helpful, Marissa! 😍 Thank you so much! ❤️🤗 Last night, I sat down with more than a dozen of big moving boxes I brought over from my parents home which I barely dared to touch within the last 3 years. I always openened one or two of them, started crying and closed them again. Yesterday I picked out some stuff and came across two fake orchid plants ☺️ my mum just loved and always talked about how real they looked. I could not imagine ever letting them go as they meant so much to her. But I remembered that a family member also liked them and I asked her if she was willing to “adopt” them. Let’s see how it feels like to let go one of the big memories. 🙂 Yeah, I know it’s a kind of cheating because I told her not to throw them away and hand them back to me if she doesn’t like them anymore. ☺️ But that’s my way of making my very first steps. 😉 Only 4 more stories, a garage and a craft workshop for me to declutter all by myself...🙈💪 I’m not ready to display memories or photos in my apartment yet. I’ll work with a couple of memory boxes for now. But maybe some day...🙂 Lots of love to you and your family! 🤗
This video appeared on my feed at the perfect timing! I am returning home this year after several years living abroad and have slowly started decluttering. And I realized that I have been keeping soooo many items as 'memories of living abroad' including train tickets, museum tickets, fancy restaurants receipts😅 Gonna try your methods and scale down all these memories items into one shoe box. Sending love❤❤❤
Without looking I can't think of many items I couldn't be persuaded to part with, but cards are definitely tough to let go. Many I think I will discard as years go by, even some of the special ones, but a few I *know* I will keep are cards from my parents and grandparents, one beautiful card from a family friend, and cards and letters from when my great aunt and I wrote to each other during my college years. Seeing handwriting and remembering their wise and loving words is priceless to me.
Thank you, I love this video and will watch it a couple of times more. Like you, I startet decluttering my home five years ago. Did it with Mari Kondo's audiobook and it went really well! But I never started with emotional stuff, as she advises that it should be done lastly.... and when I was ready with everything else I simply found that I still wasn't ready to start with that. I eventually started recently, and it also goes Well, if I don't expect too much too quickly. Your video is extremely helpful, starting with the healthy knowledge that others are struggling as well, and that they found a good way to deal with it. So, really thank you very much! ❤️
Thank you so much! These are some very good tips! There are only two things I decluttered before moving (and we decluttered thousands of things), but I knew I didn't want to get rid of them - a globe that lit from inside, with a stand, and a big, beautiful, sturdy deep red basket that I had won in a raffle (along with wine, cheeses, crackers and more). Now, I take more time. If I am unsure, and it has special memories, I set that aside, and keep removing other stuff. Sometimes, I circle back and gift it or donate it, but without remorse.
Also thank you for the reminder to keep and honor and care for the things we claim are precious sentimental treasures. I could hardly watch someone tossing stuff haphazardly in a bin while claiming it was so sentimental she didn’t have the energy to go through it. Maybe that’s a psychological thing I don’t understand but a pile of crumpled papers is not a treasured possession IMO.
Wow now I'm in my bed shedding tears after the first segment 😢, no but seriously soo true tho our precious things we hold onto are solely our memories of someone and not the actual thing , great video marissa and will definitely be looking into the blog post ,one of my most priced treasures would be my blue sweater ,I don't even know why but I just genuinely love it soo much ( maybe cuz by nature I don't get attached to things soo much ,)
Aw, hugs Irene! ❤️ Yes, I’ve got the blog post linked above with the 10 ideas, and then I’ve got a DIY blog post planned for the crafty fam members I haven’t written up yet - cheers and thanks for watching!
I have a quilt (Sunbonnet Sue pattern) my paternal grandmother hand stitched for me and a fabric doll with yarn hair my maternal grandmother helped me sew when I was 12.
This was very helpful. We are about to move to a new state so we are going through these harder things. I used to be an emotional hoarder as well and been on the minimalist journey for 2 years.
My mums gold heart necklace, it it pretty and if you look really closely it has teeth marks on it from when my sister and I were little and bit it while at that teething age. Mum isn't here but it's a reminder of what a sweet mum she was.
Thank you for this video. We are going through this right now. I am 28 and am currently still at home with my parents and we have been slowly decluttering. We have also taken on the monumental task of going through my grandparents things. My grandparents were born in the 20's and were raised during the great depression and they saved everything. So far I have been transcribing their WW2 letters. After that I hope to finally organize the photos and other mementos. I had gone through most all of the pictures about a year ago and gave away a lot to my Aunts, Uncles, cousins, but there are still a lot of photo's left over. Even the old pictures from the 40's and 50's had 4 or 5 duplicates. You are right in saying that you can't keep every single thing that belonged to them. I have a box under my bed full of cards and letters that I will have to sort through later and decide what to keep and toss. I am very sentimental but I also don't like clutter. I enjoy watching your videos and I will continue to watch.
I found that having a smaller keepsake box for my treasured letters, photos, and drawing from my children has been perfect for reminiscing. I also love using my grandmother's quilts daily. She has passed now but my children and I think of her and honor her when we use the quilts that she made for us. Thank you for another insightful and encouraging video. ❤
So many treasures….one of the many is my Dad’s belt and some childhood stuffed animals. Thank you so much for this video. You’re the only minimalist TH-camrs who I feel really ‘gets’ the difficulty of sentimental items. I’m glad to also see you cry…no I’m not a saddest, it just helps me to not feel so weird for this being so hard. I don’t feel so alone in how hard this is.
I LOVE THIS!! So first, my most treasured item is a coke can shaped into a camera. I love coke and I am a photographer, so my daughter found this for me and bought it with her own money when she was about 11. It is proudly displayed on my shelf! Second, OMG your glasses!!! I have literally the exact same pair from my childhood!! Too funny!!! Thirdly, I have a very small memory box for myself and my daughter has one as well! Since finding a minimalist lifestyle a few years ago we have really been very intentional about what we have kept...I also just kept a couple pages of my yearbooks as well and tossed the rest! love ALL of this advice and tips as always!!!
I made a memory frame, I took a deep set Ikea frame, put my favourite picture of the person, then set some of the items around the frame, so for my two grandmas, one has her watch in it and a doll she made for me, and the other has my other grandma and some of the art she made.
When you asked us the one thing we would never give away, I immediately thought of my Mom's handwriting too!!! But not only my Mom's, my Dad's handwriting, who passed away when I was in my late twenties. Handwriting, for me, is VERY special. So for my one thing I wouldn't part with is handwriting samples of loved ones. Now the trick is to limit to a few important samples not 100 samples!!
I made my kids a memory box of their babytime. First outfits, shoes and toys that I will give them, when they get kids by themselves. ❤️ got my stuff from my mum and it was so special!
This video was so awesome so many helpful tips-I just love all your videos- thank you so so much! Not in order of importance: will never declutter my father's physics book, my mother's handbook from beautician School (1940) pic of her wearing the earrings she gave me from that Era .. my sister (who recently passed) her earrings/necklace,pics of us as children, baby pictures of my son and husband🥰
The tortoise my mother hand-stitched all night on Christmas eve when I randomly said that Santa was bringing me "a little black lamb and a tortoise." This was the first time I'd mentioned anything about a tortoise. So she raided her box of scrap fabric and stayed up all night sewing a tortoise. I will keep it forever.
That is such a lovely story. I did the same thing to my mother, but my expectation was for a life-size baby elephant! (Understandably, I was told we lived in the wrong climate for elephants and a baby one wouldn't be happy away from its mother)
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Omg this made me cry
I just burst into tears when I read this❤️😭
My teddy bear! 🧸 We are 51 years old, I’ll never let him go.
I've had to evacuate my home several times due to the threat of wildfires. Even though my house has not burned down (yet) I know how fragile stuff is. So I've scanned and photographed all my memories (photos and items) so I can walk away from my home without looking back or risking my life trying to rescue a possession.
I hope you never have to get out and leave it to fire. But I like your idea.
My mom passed away when I was 24 and 17 weeks pregnant with my first baby. I inherited her wedding ring (so gracious of my dad to let me have it) and wear it as my wedding ring.
I forgot to mention my prized item(s): My grandparents were very active family historians, and I have a very un-fancy red binder with all of the photos glued onto paper with their handwritten notes about family history. I also have a Civil War reunion booklet from my great grandfather (who fought and survived a famous battle). As a historian (PhD level), these family history-related items are invaluable and remind me so much of happy hours at my grandparents' house talking about these histories.
I used to keep everything sentimental but lately after decluttering non sentimental items I have managed to dissociate the item from the person and I feel so much lighter having let go of the stuff xx
I was decluttering my mother's house months after she passed away, and I found a little notebook she kept from when I was a baby. She wrote a lot of things about my birth, about picking my name, my first words, my first birthdays, things I did and loved when I was a toddler, things she loved about me and made her laugh. I cried for hours reading it, and I know I'll never get rid of it.
I'm glad that I decided to declutter, or I would've never found it!
Omg!!!! You are amazing!!! I come from a home where my mom saved every single item that her mother touched. She passed these things on to me and made me feel like I had to keep, save and never use or touch these things because these items belonged to her.
I have kept these things for now almost forty years. I’ve moved it over and over and felt guilty if I even thought about getting rid of these things.
At 56 years old, I’m finally to the place that I can let go of things. After my mom died, two years ago, I know it sounds crazy, but I finally felt free to begin letting these things go.
Thank you for your channel!!!!!
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Be careful with throwing out the yearbooks. When I was younger I never looked at them. But now, when I am in my sixties, I go back and look at them , especially if I am trying to remember who someone is.
so true! i kept mine because I was the editor!! haha! but have given my kids theirs to decide for themselves and finally got rid of one I had of my mom's!
A gold bracelet that is made from melted down heirloom family jewelry. It also features a ruby (my birthstone). I used to keep it put away for "special occasions" only until I realized I was never wearing it. I put it on one day and haven't taken it off since!
I have the letters my father wrote to me when I was 7 and he was working overseas for 6 months - they're falling apart from age and frequent reading now, but I'll never get rid of them. I have two memory boxes (both about 1 foot square), one is a wooden one I inherited from my grandmother and the other is a decorative cardboard one given to me by a dear friend. I love that my memories are stored in things that are themselves memories!
If anyone is struggling to let go of items after a bereavement - give yourself time. When my father died 8 years ago, I couldn't even bear to throw out his last shopping list. Now, apart from the letters in my memory box, I just have half a dozen items which belonged to him, all of which are in regular use around the house. Being able to let go of a deceased person's belongings is part of the grieving process and it can't be rushed x
Thanks for sharing! ❤️🩹
I couldn't agree more! My husband died in 2011 at the age of 51 and it was years and years before I could look at anything of his without breaking down. I have been able to donate or throw away quite a few of his things over the last several years but I dread getting into things like his medical records, that are still in a box and drawers. I have kept them for insurance purposes and every time I look at them I think back on how much he suffered. It's definitely something that you have to do with the right time for you.
This is one of my favorite videos from any creator, ever.
I watched all your content years ago as I began my own decluttering journey (so inspiring btw) but I was too embarrassed to even "like" your videos! Fast forward to rewatching them as I am in a different place in my declutting journey. I am so over feeling guilty and sad for having other people's stuff in my space. I will "like" whatever inspires me, helps me feel joy and teaches me I am worth a beautiful, uncluttered home and life.
That you so much for your comment and I’m cheering you on all the way - you got this 👏
Oh, Sweet Marissa! I can tell you’re struggling right now. Big hugs from me! Sentimental stuff is all I have left to declutter. I have it all in about 15 bins, which is wasaayyyy down! I’m working on it bin by bin. Thank you for these ideas on how to deal with it all. Hugs!
I'm the type of person that keeps little memory pieces like tickets to events and hotel cards and sucks. Especially in partner relationships. I recently saw this cool idea of putting these small memory pieces into a binder with clear pockets (specifically those clear pockets that have already been divided smaller). It worked out so well and my partner really loved seeing all our little memories together. ❤ we plan on putting a few pictures in to go with some of the collected items. You can decorate the outside to make it really pretty to go on a bookshelf so you can easily pull it out and enjoy it. And if the relationship doesn't work out you can always reuse the pockets later haha 😆
That's a really cool idea! I still have a few old concert tickets from some of my favourite bands, I laminated them and use them as bookmarks :)
I used to tape items like these into my diaries. This was back before people started making tape that was acid-free and photo safe. Whoops. But at least for right now they’re still legible enough to scan, so I’m in the process of doing that while they and the diaries exist.
I have the school bell that my Mom used to ring for her class to come in from recess back in the 1930s, a pair of leather baby shoes that my Grandmother made for her son (my dad) from my Grandfather's old gloves....these are just two of the treasures that I hope to pass on to one of my seven children.
My son's hand print & the cards he gave me. Unexpectedly lost Paul October of 2020 and it truly is a life sentence of grieve. It will hit you when you least expect. But slowly the memories make me smile and often laugh ~ hugs sweet Marissa !
So sorry about your son. My brother passed at age 42 suddenly and it took a lot of years for my mom and I to remember him without sadness. I want to encourage you though, that time will help those extreme grief feelings and I hope that you can keep some very good memories of your son!
Yes, you are so right. It is a lifetime of grief, you are never the same. It's like wearing a mask and walking between two worlds . You need to function , but it feels like you're faking it to make others feel better. A part of us has literally died, there's no coming back from that.
Now in my 60s, I am interested in the concepts in the book Swedish Death Cleaning. That book suggests that a box of purely sentimental things of no monetary value be labeled as ok to dispose of upon death. I believe it is also important that items like gold, jems, listed artist works, etc. be labeled to be sent to auction if no family member wants the items. Doing both is a gift to family so that they can dispose of a memory box without fear of accidentally throwing out something valuable.
I really like that you are giving your boys options on whether or not to keep items in their boxes. When my mother gave me a memory box of things she had saved for me (newspaper clippings, my baby clothes intended for my children, etc.) , it was very painful for me. I felt like such a disappointment to her because I did not live up to her hopes that I would be more successful and "give her grandchildren." I am happy about making all the life choices that were right for me, but that memory box transaction tarnished our relationship, especially when I felt I had to lie about decluttering all the contents.
I actually never knew that memory boxes was such a widespread thing! I don't know anyone who has one. But after I had children I got a box for each of them where I put in their awards, ticket stubs (only first occasion ones) and various items that symbolise a major event in their life. Now that my youngest child's dad has passed away, he has a second memory box where he keeps special items from his dad's life
I love my memory box. I go through it once a year at least to check what’s in there is meant to be there. It’s a hug in a box x
This is such important information, and so unique. I don’t see anyone else, taking this deep of dive into emotional hoarding. I was a minimalist for decades, before the was even a word for it, but I have been an emotional hoarder
My most treasured item belonging once to my Mom is her diary from HS when she & my Father were dating. I cherish it tremendously. She passed away summer of 2020, and I do not have a relationship with my Father. This diary is the only real memory that helps me deal with these losses. It’s the only thing that proves my parents once loved one another. That’s more precious than rubies. ❤
I have three small stuffed animals from my childhood that I will never declutter. One of them in particular comes out of the drawer whenever I need her, like when my dad passed away. Then she returns to the drawer when life has settled down again. I will probably tell my children to bury the dolls with me so they don't feel obligated to keep them after I'm gone.
That is a great idea.
I had the HARDEST time after I decluttered my wedding dress. And I think because it almost was taboo to do so? Had a few people gasp when I mentioned it and felt so much worse. Turns out my own mom no longer has hers and I immediately felt peace with my decision. So I guess deep down I felt like I was the ONLY one and felt because of that I was in the wrong. So if you feel regrets, take time to reflect and see WHY so that you can make peace with your decision.
Good tip! I sold my wedding dress right away, Jennifer, but nobody has ever questioned my decision or said anything about it. It’s interesting how the people around is can shape our perception! Cheers and thank you for sharing your story. ❤️
I donated my dress after holding on to it for several years. No regrets. I hope it provided value to someone else after me!
I burned mine…..it had a stain, so it really wasn’t ‘sale-able’…no regrets 🙌
I’ve just donated mine to an amazing charity that helps couples that want to marry and have been diagnosed with terminal illness. I only got married a few months ago but I am completely good with passing it to someone who can enjoy it and hopefully can make them feel special.
I bought a very simple dress in natural fibre, so I'm planning on dyeing and shortening it so I can rewear it to smart events.
My husband's mother recently passed away. I sorted and scanned over 77 years of pictures, and created a website for the family. I will also make memory books for my kids. I kept the prints from the 1930's and 40's, but I was surprised that I did not feel the need to keep all 4 tubs of photos. I may never be a minimalist, but I think I am progressing in my decluttering. Keep the memory, not the stuff. I don't know that I would have the strength to actually shred pictures. Another family member will have to take care of that.
I love minimalism, but there are 2 categories of things I can not get rid of. One is pictures of my dad. He passed away when I was 30. My older son was 3 years old, and my younger son was 3 months old. I want them to know him, and they love to hear stories about them. The other category is the books I read to my boys when they were little. They are 17 and 14 now, but every time I get the bins out to declutter, I am flooded with memories of reading to them. I remember their favorite pages and the cute things they said every time they saw a certain picture in each book, and I just can't do it! Eventually, I may feel ready to let go of some pictures or books, but I am waiting until I feel it.
I have a quilt that was made by my great-great grandmother in the 1880's. It's heavy, warm and one of my favourite things.
Wow, do you use it or display it! That is SO COOL.
It gets used as our extra blanket during the winter months.
That is so awesome! I think people nowadays don't appreciate the handmade items. I have heard that young people today don't want their family's stuff, but there's so much history there and knowing that someone made it with their own hands to me is extra special ❤
50 years ago, I got the dubious honor of emptying my mother’s attic stash of stuff. She filled the attic; my dad filled the basement. He was going to move in with my sister, and I had two months before going back to school. Siblings abdicated any responsibility. My thinking was all-or-nothing. I gave away a lot, and then carted around the rest for years. In retrospect, I think I did a pretty good job. As I was able, I would revisit things and each time I moved there was less. Two years ago, we sold a 6 bedroom 200 year old house AND barn that we had had for 30+ years. And, the previous year I had been hospitalized 4 times for acute depression. So, yes, I get this! I am happy to report that I got good care and am back on my feet. Family and friends in recovery helped enormously. We sold our house and began renting, starting with just the things I would need. As the closing date came, I added things I might need in a future permanent house. I loved the way the place felt in the beginning. Now I feel like I’m living in a sardine can. But I know it’s temporary. I am so looking forward to the next big declutter. It feels just like losing a lot of weight. And to answer your question, which started all this, I discovered a black ink blueprint of my grandfather’s summer cottage I had never seen and didn’t know about. This was my safe place as a kid. As a preservationist, I love blueprints! Where this came from I don’t know, but I framed it and it has pride of place here. I will never part with this. Love what you are doing and love the quotes! Here’s one for you from Mark Twain: “Love is knowing how to hurt someone and NOT doing it.” Thanks for letting me share!
My Blue Elephant stuffie from childhood named Blue Ellie. My mom got it for me from a thrift store and it was my most beloved possession as a child.
I LOVE YOUR VIDEOS! I totally relate with your journey ! My dad was 55 years old when he had me and was from the depression era and didn’t throw anything away. My mom passed when I was young and we kept everything. Also went minimalist and now I have four kids so your videos are so so helpful.
Thank you for sharing your story, Meena. I think stories like ours are more common than people realize. ❤️ glad you find my videos helpful!
"This is not a pipe" mind blown 😲. I love your channel and blog. I think this is my favourite video so far - great advice and very practical.
I have this small blanket my mom crocheted for me when I was younger in my favorite colors, at the time, which were neopolitan ice cream colors. It’s tucked away in a box and I don’t use it for fear that I will ruin it. It makes me smile every time I take it out. My older sister had it somehow and claimed it was hers until I asked what the colors meant and she couldn’t explain the choice of brown, pink, and cream. 😂
as a professional organizer, i have to say miss marie said one thing that resonated. "an item from our ancestors connects us with the past, as their hands and our hands connect through time"
One of my prized possessions is my mother's price list from her business - she owned it for 25 years! It sits behind me, on the wall. "prices as of April, 2007". and it was done by a calligrapher for her. it is framed, and i touch it everyday.
Mom died in 2011.
and yes, Marissa, Miss Marie always puts sentimetnal stuff LAST..she calls it "kimono". THIS is a wisdom i didn't know.
I carefully curate my memorabilia. At 58, with three adult children and three grandchildren and experiencing the steady loss of our parents, aunts and uncles, knowing what is really important has changed over time. Stuff isn't the person who owns it and memories are not stuff, however stories are priceless and certain items keep stories alive through sharing.
I have scrapbooked several generations of family photos, from tin type photos of my grandparents in infancy right through to my own infant grandson. By creating albums of pictures and stories, it is a history of our family and the lives we live. Together with a small collection of bits and pieces from the past, which are touchstones in oral history sharing, I connect my grandchildren with my grandparents by sharing their stories.
My own treasures are displayed where I can see them every day: my old teddy bear, my first doll gifted by an aunt, my childhood book collection. They are part of my life because I see them everyday. My children and grandchildren see them when they visit, so they have meaning and context.
This video is so helpful because I struggle with sentimental decluttering a lot. Especially cards, so I'm glad I'm not the only one!
From Egypt 2021/11/19
Marrisa
I started minimalism journey a year ago, after I realized that clutters makes me nervous and stressed .
I watched all your videos in 3 days 🙈
Hours of sharing feelings, experience and even memories .
Thank you for being here,you encouraged me to continue my journey without fear ❤️
I couldn't get rid of sentimental clutters but now I am more strong.
And I am proud of your family (you & your husband ) for sharing your past ones without shame of being poor one day ❤️
Love you so0o0o much ..
Have you progressed in your journey of minimalism?
One guideline I’m setting in my sentimental declutter is valuing things I did vs things that just happened to me. So, my own writing is more important that the little notes people have left me.
i just cleared out my memory box that i've kept for 23 years. it was soooooooo gooooood to free up space and let go of things that no longer sparked joy inside there. i can't believe i kept my ex's stuff for 3 years omg so happy i cleared it away. thank god.
I sent three of my four yearbooks to my friend from school back home. Her mother could only afford to buy her her senior year book. So I kept my senior year book and sent the rest to her. I had them for the first half of my life. She can have them for the second half of her life.
*“We go on multiplying our conveniences only to multiply our cares. We increase our possessions only to the enlargement of our anxieties.” - Anna C. Brackett*
My great-grandmother's Knitting & Crochet Needles and a single (completely hand sewn ) little girl's dress that she made me when I was 5. I use her needles whenever I'm either knitting or crocheting and the dress is carefully boxed up with a clear lid ... The little dress wasn't fancy by any means, it was made for an active little farm girl, but I absolutely adore it.
Thank you so much for covering this topic, I love your balanced approach that still respects and honors loved ones and sentimental items without feeling the need to keep EVERYTHING!
I will say that I keep one thing separate from all our other sentimental items - the letters I've written my daughter on every single birthday (and a week after she was born). I plan on giving them to her on her 18th birthday, but they are irreplaceable and go in our fire-proof safe just in case!
The cristal hedgehog!!! My mum had one and I inherited it after she died. My sister and I shared the whole collection but I told her the collection should stay together so she can have my half. I love that I can still see them and think of mum, but I don’t have it in my home as it’s not my cup of tea. Great video, working out what to keep can be just as stressful as working out to let them go.
This is not a pipe. I’m going to use that to get back to Decluttering sentimental stuff. Thank you for this video!
I look forward to those videos! 🙌
'Ceci n'est pas une pipe' is from Magritte.
I have been pairing down our possessions for many years and sentimental items have truly been the hardest. I have a memory box and have gone so far as to cut out the logo off a tshirt that is sentimental and just put that piece of the shirt in the box. But your video is the BEST explanation and examples of how to do this for others I have come across in all these years! So WELL done! ❤
Thank you for putting it out there that it's not necessary to get rid of those sentimental items you want to keep if you want to be a minimalist. I limit myself though in keeping really small sentimental items that can fit in my thin wooden memory box that I bought online last year that is 11 x 6.5 x 2.5 in. Most of them are photobooth photos with my friends, film tickets I've watched with my friends and family, concert tickets and other invitations from events that I want to remember, bday cards and letters, and letters my friends wrote me before we went to separate schools.
Now my MOST prized possession is my dog's collar who passed away over 5 years ago. He was my best friend and I was so sad when he passed when we only had him for 1 year and that is one of the things I will NEVER let go because it helps me think that he's always beside me and protecting me.
My memory box actually started as a small tshirt box that came with a tshirt my friend gave me as a gift then a bigger thin box that's around 11x9x1 inches and then a shoe box. Then I decided that I didn't want these much sentimental items that I never used or remember where I got them. I used to keep a lot of receipts with the things I ordered and the date helped me remind that I bought this or ate in that restaurant with my friends that day. So I thought to myself, most of these didn't make sense because my friends and I always take photos whenever we are out and about. So I threw them all away because the photos made more sense than the receipts I kept. Some of the bigger and bulkier items I kept are now either thrown away, displayed or is being used for my everyday activities.
Thank you so much Marissa for all the work you do! You make me cry and laugh in every video and I keep sharing to friends and family! I love this. Thank you for walking with us with our journey!
New viewer. So many of the things in this video apply to me. Barbies in boxes, Swarovski Club pieces (the first piece that a friend gave us that got us started was that hedgehog), my Mom's cedar chest filled to the brim with things she saved when I went to school right up to probably every card I ever got (and the ones my Dad got from my Son - he's now 43), my 2 granddaughters' extra school photos, photo albums and slides going back to 1959 and so on. Man, I'll be binge watching your videos probably til you come back after the New Year.😁 I'm a sentimental hoarder and now my 13 year old Granddaughter, who lives with me, says when I'm gone, she'll want to keep everything, so now I have to figure out how to get rid of things before I turn her into a hoarder. Just as I was getting mentally ready to declutter some of my parents' stuff, my husband passed away and now I can't part with his things. Geez! PS - your Mom had beautiful handwriting.
I have a memory box for myself with all the treasures from my childhood. I also have another box that is just letters and notes from loved ones. I treasure the notes and love to read them. I had a difficult time decluttering my kids artwork so I decided to take my time. I went through my oldest daughter's art first with her help. She couldn't believe the things I kept. Working with her I quickly realized I had kept these things for me and not her. She didn't want any of it but I couldn't just throw it out, so I had a book made and threw out the pictures. I did keep only a few that I now display. I will start on my son's art this month with his help.
I keep too much of this stuff too, but it’s hard to know what to part with. Time will tell.
my daughter in law found a company that made a photo book of her daughter's art-she had kept their and her favorites in an art portfolio for a few years, and then turned them into a book that they often look at. One or two were actually framed and hung on the wall-and they let the others go.
A ceramic heart with a lid that has my baby girls handprint at 3 years old. She's 22 now. I keep my favorite earrings in it
I have a coffee mug that my mother used, and now I use it too. I also have the journal my father wrote on our family trip to Europe. I made extra copies with some photos for my siblings.
I'm already pretty minimal naturally, I don't have a hard time giving away. But to make it easier, I just declutter sentimental things once or more times a year. This helps to let go easier since time helps me to not be attached anymore. For example, things that I was holding onto 1 year ago, don't seem important 1 year after anymore 🥰🥰
Also re: memory box decoration, using items or photos that are part of the memories for the box is cool, I made one that used photos from a personalised calendar then used a sealant over the top.
I am currently helping a very sentimental friend declutter her home and this is extremely helpful.
Your videos have a beautiful flow and one can tell how hard you work to have them make sense. Thank you!
When I was small my dad did a lot of nice and fun handcraft projects. Once we built a stove for my dollhouse, the stove is made from scrap wood, has got a door and our names written underneath. This is the very item that made me think of a memory box to begin with 😍
I was keeping my wedding shoes because of their sentimental value. We moved house after house and those shoes moved with me, along with many other things. I always assumed that they would stay with me to remind me of that special time. Today while watching your videos I was also decluttering my shoes. I came across that pair, tried it on and regretted not using it and decided to start using it since it looked so good. And on closer inspection I realized it had come apart.
I wasn’t married too long ago. Been six years, that shoes wasn’t very expensive either. It was just my attachment to that.
Anyway, I’m happy to let it go. And I know it will make life a whole lot easier. Everything has an expiration date, whether that’s what we want or not
So, Anastasia is very important story to me. My one thing I wouldn't dream of letting go is my Anastasia music box. It was gifted to me by one of my best friends AND I filled it with memories of each time I went to see Anastasia the Musical. Each time have cost a lot of effort and money and brought a lot of joy to me. I carry the music box with me to Broadway, Madrid and Sao Paulo and it is signed by the actress playing Anya in each production. At this point it represents hours of planning with my friends, sewing, traveling and having so much fun and emotion... That if I have to let go of things, I wish this to remain with me.
This was perfect. I've been carefully selecting the most precious items to put in a memory box. Must say that after declutering thousands of items I regret one🤦🏻♀️. It was a special little toy my mother ther gave me years ago. I felt so so guilty after and I still don't understand how it happened but I've talked to my mother and she understood and now it's on the past. Not gonna do that again 😜. I still don't know the size or type of box because I'm still in the process and also need to do it for my daughter but we'll get there. Thank you so much for all your help all this time through our journey 🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗. I think also that the idea of a DIY box is great. We love crafting in this house so it would be a memory in itself. Big hugs Zen fam 🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗💗💗💗💗💗
I have siblings and sons. Each of them will appreciate one or two pieces. Think of siblings and children as you reduce 'clutter'.
Please like + comment with one of YOUR most precious treasures & check out the blog post here for ten awesome memory box ideas: www.atozenlife.com/memory-boxes/
Oh and I forgot to say my precious thing is probably my mom’s wedding ring or grandma’s quilt! 🌸
My special items are: maternal grandpa’s carving, maternal grandma’s quilt, paternal grandpa’s mother’s recipe booklet, paternal grandma’s earrings, my engagement ring, my son’s Christening outfit, … oh my, I could go on - I need help!! 😣
I have a plain Swiss music box from my father. I love it. When I was little, I would ask him to play the music box many times. He gave it to me when he was very old.
The item is: a book with my favourite poem by Theodor Storm and drawn trees in it. It was my grandmother's book.
We recently decluttered our year books. We tore out every page that had me or my husband in them. We labeled everything and then scanned the files. we put them in a specific folder that we can easily pull up if our kids ever want to see it. Then we shredded the year book and recycled most of it.
This is very funny because I’m just starting on my declutter journey and I honestly just started grabbing gifts and things around my house that I thought I would never get rid of…. And started just chunking them into the trash can and then took the trash out!! Grandma will never know right? ❤❤❤
And it started a revolution inside myself and my home!! 🤲🙏🤲🙏🤲
For me a trick is also to take a picture of an item that I am somewhat sentimental but, unsure about. It helps transition more easily.
Love this, it's made me realise I need to do this with my kids, they are definitely old enough to have their own memory boxes.
I have a memory box with stuff from high school, my time in Japan as an assistant English teacher, and my early work career when I travelled a lot.
That inarco head vase is gorgeous
Yes, I love it 🥰
2:17 Yup! Did that recently. Feel emotional gremlin sneaking up on you? Quick sip of hot tea/cold water will help jolt your response from high to calm.
My postcards and magnets I collect when I travel they're just so precious to me. Also good old paintings that I put so much effort to finish it.
A chair with an iron burned mark on the fabric. It was my great grandma's chair whom I loved very much. She died when I was 2 and yes, the chair is worth nothing money-wise but it's i good shape and it's now my office chair and I never want to part with it ♡♡♡
This hit hard right away. I have never been a horder of sentimental items and my mother could never understand why I don't keep everything from when I was little or want all the things my grandparents pawn off on us when they no longer want it. However, I am finding the hardest time getting rid of sentimental things involving my kids.
From my late Nana I have a ring she gifted me that I wear on special occasions and that is enough for me to think of her often.
I also kept 1 card from each of the kids 1st birthdays from each relative for the future.
My daughter says her favourite treasure is her cat teddy. We are decluttering treasure boxes today so we can travel and your video is helping. Thankyou.
What a great video, Marissa!! I am really grateful for all the thought you put into them, because it is such great value to me as I watch them❤️
My most valuable item is a small stone carved angel, a wall decor that my little sister bought for me in Italy just before she died❤️
Thank you for watching and sharing your story with us, Elin. ❤️
Thank you for sharing this!
I keep our memory stuff in plastic bins instead of boxes. When I was 4, a hurricane destroyed just about everything in our house. Every picture on the wall was water-damaged. Still living in a hurricane zone so the important things need to be waterproof.
My grandmother's Asian -style lamp. I have lugged that thing, stuffed it into bins in other people's attics when I'm on the road. I really do like it. My son and his wife don't; neither does my sister. And they don't know my grandmother like I did. It meant a lot to her. I remember it when my grandfather insisted on selling their house and moving into a (nice) rental apartment. I think it was hard for her, but he knew he would not live long. So she 'traded' that she could hire a fancy decorator for the apartment. It was the 60's. It's the only thing left from that apartment.
Thank you Dear Marissa ❤️ I love watching all your videos!! Thank you for all your efforts and heart you put in your videos!! You are my inspiration and motivation 🙏😇 I actually have one piece of art 🖼 that sparks so much joy for me , like nothing else . It’s like a quintessence of my happiest childhood days ! 😻🤗😍
A picture of my dad from his army service. He is about 18 in that picture and we look sooo much alike. He passed away when I was 17 and I will definitely keep this picture forever.
Marissa, I recently found your channel and I have binged watched all of your videos. I love how informative, fun, and heartfelt they are. Your channel is my happy place. Now I'll be anxiously awaiting your videos each week!
This helped me narrow my memory boxes from 5 huge ones to 1 big one! Thank you so much!
Happy to help! ❤️
Also, thank you for giving me permission to get rid of my yearbooks! Can't wait to fuel our bonfire this weekend!!!!
Thank you so much for this video. I have decluttered so much stuff, but I am so stuck on the sentimental items (papers in particular). I have saved every card and letter for almost my whole life and I am 70! It is overwhelming. So many life events - children and grandchildren, parent, grandparent and sibling deaths. This video is very inspiring. A word to those younger than me - don’t go down this path! Just let things go, and you won’t be overwhelmed when you get to be my age.
This video is so helpful, Marissa! 😍 Thank you so much! ❤️🤗 Last night, I sat down with more than a dozen of big moving boxes I brought over from my parents home which I barely dared to touch within the last 3 years. I always openened one or two of them, started crying and closed them again.
Yesterday I picked out some stuff and came across two fake orchid plants ☺️ my mum just loved and always talked about how real they looked. I could not imagine ever letting them go as they meant so much to her. But I remembered that a family member also liked them and I asked her if she was willing to “adopt” them. Let’s see how it feels like to let go one of the big memories. 🙂 Yeah, I know it’s a kind of cheating because I told her not to throw them away and hand them back to me if she doesn’t like them anymore. ☺️ But that’s my way of making my very first steps. 😉 Only 4 more stories, a garage and a craft workshop for me to declutter all by myself...🙈💪
I’m not ready to display memories or photos in my apartment yet. I’ll work with a couple of memory boxes for now. But maybe some day...🙂
Lots of love to you and your family! 🤗
This video appeared on my feed at the perfect timing! I am returning home this year after several years living abroad and have slowly started decluttering. And I realized that I have been keeping soooo many items as 'memories of living abroad' including train tickets, museum tickets, fancy restaurants receipts😅
Gonna try your methods and scale down all these memories items into one shoe box. Sending love❤❤❤
Without looking I can't think of many items I couldn't be persuaded to part with, but cards are definitely tough to let go. Many I think I will discard as years go by, even some of the special ones, but a few I *know* I will keep are cards from my parents and grandparents, one beautiful card from a family friend, and cards and letters from when my great aunt and I wrote to each other during my college years. Seeing handwriting and remembering their wise and loving words is priceless to me.
Thank you, I love this video and will watch it a couple of times more. Like you, I startet decluttering my home five years ago. Did it with Mari Kondo's audiobook and it went really well! But I never started with emotional stuff, as she advises that it should be done lastly.... and when I was ready with everything else I simply found that I still wasn't ready to start with that. I eventually started recently, and it also goes Well, if I don't expect too much too quickly. Your video is extremely helpful, starting with the healthy knowledge that others are struggling as well, and that they found a good way to deal with it. So, really thank you very much! ❤️
So much deep thinking and practise went into this video. Thank you, lovely lady
Thank you so much! These are some very good tips! There are only two things I decluttered before moving (and we decluttered thousands of things), but I knew I didn't want to get rid of them - a globe that lit from inside, with a stand, and a big, beautiful, sturdy deep red basket that I had won in a raffle (along with wine, cheeses, crackers and more). Now, I take more time. If I am unsure, and it has special memories, I set that aside, and keep removing other stuff. Sometimes, I circle back and gift it or donate it, but without remorse.
This example with pipe made me cry, great video!
I’m glad you found it meaningful. ❤️ Thanks for watching!
I got one year book at the end of elementary school, middle school, then high school. It’s cheaper and easier to keep.
Also thank you for the reminder to keep and honor and care for the things we claim are precious sentimental treasures. I could hardly watch someone tossing stuff haphazardly in a bin while claiming it was so sentimental she didn’t have the energy to go through it. Maybe that’s a psychological thing I don’t understand but a pile of crumpled papers is not a treasured possession IMO.
Wow now I'm in my bed shedding tears after the first segment 😢, no but seriously soo true tho our precious things we hold onto are solely our memories of someone and not the actual thing , great video marissa and will definitely be looking into the blog post ,one of my most priced treasures would be my blue sweater ,I don't even know why but I just genuinely love it soo much ( maybe cuz by nature I don't get attached to things soo much ,)
Aw, hugs Irene! ❤️ Yes, I’ve got the blog post linked above with the 10 ideas, and then I’ve got a DIY blog post planned for the crafty fam members I haven’t written up yet - cheers and thanks for watching!
I have a quilt (Sunbonnet Sue pattern) my paternal grandmother hand stitched for me and a fabric doll with yarn hair my maternal grandmother helped me sew when I was 12.
This was very helpful. We are about to move to a new state so we are going through these harder things. I used to be an emotional hoarder as well and been on the minimalist journey for 2 years.
My mums gold heart necklace, it it pretty and if you look really closely it has teeth marks on it from when my sister and I were little and bit it while at that teething age. Mum isn't here but it's a reminder of what a sweet mum she was.
Thank you for this video. We are going through this right now. I am 28 and am currently still at home with my parents and we have been slowly decluttering. We have also taken on the monumental task of going through my grandparents things. My grandparents were born in the 20's and were raised during the great depression and they saved everything. So far I have been transcribing their WW2 letters. After that I hope to finally organize the photos and other mementos. I had gone through most all of the pictures about a year ago and gave away a lot to my Aunts, Uncles, cousins, but there are still a lot of photo's left over. Even the old pictures from the 40's and 50's had 4 or 5 duplicates. You are right in saying that you can't keep every single thing that belonged to them. I have a box under my bed full of cards and letters that I will have to sort through later and decide what to keep and toss. I am very sentimental but I also don't like clutter. I enjoy watching your videos and I will continue to watch.
I found that having a smaller keepsake box for my treasured letters, photos, and drawing from my children has been perfect for reminiscing.
I also love using my grandmother's quilts daily. She has passed now but my children and I think of her and honor her when we use the quilts that she made for us.
Thank you for another insightful and encouraging video. ❤
So many treasures….one of the many is my Dad’s belt and some childhood stuffed animals. Thank you so much for this video. You’re the only minimalist TH-camrs who I feel really ‘gets’ the difficulty of sentimental items. I’m glad to also see you cry…no I’m not a saddest, it just helps me to not feel so weird for this being so hard. I don’t feel so alone in how hard this is.
I’m glad to have you here - people like us are why I started my channel in the first place. 🙏
I LOVE THIS!! So first, my most treasured item is a coke can shaped into a camera. I love coke and I am a photographer, so my daughter found this for me and bought it with her own money when she was about 11. It is proudly displayed on my shelf! Second, OMG your glasses!!! I have literally the exact same pair from my childhood!! Too funny!!! Thirdly, I have a very small memory box for myself and my daughter has one as well! Since finding a minimalist lifestyle a few years ago we have really been very intentional about what we have kept...I also just kept a couple pages of my yearbooks as well and tossed the rest! love ALL of this advice and tips as always!!!
I made a memory frame, I took a deep set Ikea frame, put my favourite picture of the person, then set some of the items around the frame, so for my two grandmas, one has her watch in it and a doll she made for me, and the other has my other grandma and some of the art she made.
When you asked us the one thing we would never give away, I immediately thought of my Mom's handwriting too!!! But not only my Mom's, my Dad's handwriting, who passed away when I was in my late twenties. Handwriting, for me, is VERY special. So for my one thing I wouldn't part with is handwriting samples of loved ones. Now the trick is to limit to a few important samples not 100 samples!!
I made my kids a memory box of their babytime. First outfits, shoes and toys that I will give them, when they get kids by themselves. ❤️ got my stuff from my mum and it was so special!
This video was so awesome so many helpful tips-I just love all your videos- thank you so so much! Not in order of importance: will never declutter my father's physics book, my mother's handbook from beautician School (1940) pic of her wearing the earrings she gave me from that Era .. my sister (who recently passed) her earrings/necklace,pics of us as children, baby pictures of my son and husband🥰
Marissa, your videos are so valuable!🙏🏻💕
Thanks so much, Tina! A lot of heart ❤️ went into this one especially. 🤗
Thank you so much for this. I think I’m finally ready to sort my parents’ memorabilia.