Blessedly a basement flood happened while I was gone for a weekend. Wiped out 4 yrs of college notes and artwork. All the books. Also the husbands college and law school notes! There was no choice, flood made the decision. No regrets actually, surprisingly.
Not permanently, no. Once I go through the rest of my sentimental stuff I'll hopefully clear out enough space to be able to move them into some plastic tubs. =)
getting rid of the items that bring bad memories is a great idea. we all have those. i finally thru away old journals from college. read a few pages and it was miserable.
I ripped a few (positive) pages out of my teenage journals to keep, then burned the rest! It was quite therapeutic, finally being rid of all the trauma and angst in them!
@@HannahRainbow88 That's cool! I just found back like 5+ journals (which have all made me grimace) and am wracking my mind about what to do with them. Not sure where to keep the positive bits from them, if I rip them out like I'd want to... I don't have a place I can think of to burn the negative stuff like I'd like... plus I keep arguing with myself that I have to keep the bad stuff too, because it's my "journey". After looking through 2 or 3 journals, I don't even want to look through the others, but my mind keeps criticizing me so I probably will look those too, some time this week.
Thank you for being honest and transparent about sentimental clutter. It's hard for me to let go of items, too. But I'll keep moving forward just like you're doing.
As someone who has experienced water damage, keep those precious memories high and dry! Basements can flood and pipes can burst, usually in the middle of the night.
Just remember that pests can gnaw through plastic tubs. My first husband lost a load of papers (in plastic tubs) to mice. My mum has a metal tin with a very snug-fitting lid for her most important papers. You'll want it as air/water/fire-proof as possible OR you could consider a bank vault box etc. for those irreplaceable items just in case x
You got rid of so much! I'm really sentimental about clothes too, more so than anything else I think! I went through all my childhood stuff, photos etc recently and got it down to three plastic boxes the same size as the one your old computer stuff is in. I was surprised how easy it was compared to any other category I've tried so far. I've got hoarding tendencies and will desperately hold onto anything that 'might be useful' and other random things that no one would find sentimental like a broken kitchen utensil 😂 but childhood art work? Nope. Every single note my school friends and I wrote to each other in class (which were basically text messages on scraps of paper before texting was even a thing)? Not bothered about. Old birthday cards all gone. It was quite liberating. I did keep my Barbies though ;)
"rage purge" is going to be my motto for the next month or so. Somehow, the decluttering I did before wasn't as thorough as I thought. There's still a whole corner left to do.
I had to demolish my finished basement a few years ago. I had kept all of my college papers AND books. I wasn't ready to totally get rid of the papers, so I scanned all of them on my office's high speed copy machine, and saved them on a usb drive (that I have, and haven't looked at in the 5 years since I scanned). The physical books I had, I sold on Ebay. They were 20 years old, from my first degree. I was surprised at some of the prices I got! A few years before this, I took advantage of working for a heavy equipment manufacturing company, and scanned all my space plans (blue prints I created), and art/drawings and I got rid of the physical copies. I highly recommend scanning. It gets around the 'but, what if I need it?'. I can print it out again if I need it.
Love the 'rage purge' - that is so me! With the cards, keep one sample from each person that matters to you. After my mother died, I found some cards that she had sent me, and it was so nice to look at her handwriting again. I know I could digitise them, but it's not the same. I have to tackle the kids' art soon - help!
A journal entry for a sentimental item - that's it! I have completely stopped taking pictures a few years ago (which saves me a lot of organizing trouble, I totally recommend this) and have so fallen in love with journaling that I will for sure keep my notes for a long time. Great idea! Now let's see what sentimental items have survived the latest cull, it might be their turn to go now 😁 I'm off to the attic 😀🕸️🥇🏆⛸️🎮💍✉️📚🕸️
Send the wig to the national theatre of Ireland, if there is one, or some central place that lends out wardrobe for student productions. Or colleges? They'd probably be v grateful & really look after it. Xxx
Well done 👏 that’s a huge pile. I attempted this a year or two ago to do the attic and said I’d go through a few boxes a week. Me thinking I was smart picked the smallest box but it was all our wedding cards, acceptance and regret card, I read everyone of em and cried a lot. I must have been there for 2-3 hours and that was my downfall. I couldn’t and didn’t go back to it for at least 6 months. I’m very sentimental, I’ve all my birthday cards, i brought them from home when I got married coming up on 23 years now and I’ve kept all the cards we’ve given and got all the years too including all for our 2 children. I haven’t a hope really have I??? That’s only the cards. Same with photos, school books, clothes, etc, etc, etc. Yip I’m a bit of a hoarder alright 🤦♀️ I’m so glad you realised you might get stuck on the college notes and photos and left em till last. Take what every can go to the bin and recycling because that’s just in utility or outside the door. Stay safe and healthy. Mary, Joes wife 👏👍💐
I am using 15 minute time blocks and space by space, coming across sentimental items does take twice as long to decide and by limiting to 15 successful minutes as everything seems sentimental or as you say “some day” items.
Aaaaw I want to give you a huge big hug. I also suffered with PND and even now I feel guilty. It's hard but we are stronger for it. Sending you lots of love. XXX
And for you. If we went through that and came out the other side, I think we'll be just fine. ;) I try to think of it as my superpower - surviving a walk through darkness.
I love the wig, and I feel for you. I have my nursing caps (student, and the one I got upon graduation) I haven't worn for over thirty years. I just can't bear to let them go.
I feel like I am fan girling! The wig is most awesome!!! I called my husband in the room to see it!! We subcribe to Acorn and Britbox and watch many shows of police and court trials! They all wear the wigs, of course! So we were quite impressed!! Do not throw it out!!!!! You could wear it to neighborhood meetings and PTA! You would kick ass!!!! Another point but not necessarly helpfull. I save cards and letters, Then my family died. So glad to have a card that says "love, mom"
Perhaps the wig can be used for a Halloween costume at some point? Also, your wedding photo is really beautiful and I think it should be displayed rather than stored under a cabinet.
Thank you for your advice about keeping items with negative feelings associated with them. It seems like it would be a no brainer but its very difficult. I've got as much sentimental items as you and not enough storage so I'm trying to go through it.
You are so right, my husband kept all his old cameras, so some are probably 60 years plus old, he thought they would be worth a lot but a check on eBay showed they are NOT! Regrettably he still won't get rid of them!! 🤣
Learning to have recycling bin, trash bag and give away box with me as i am decluttering so i don't have to or want touch it again. It's the touching that tricks our minds into guilting us to keep what otherwise would be out the door. Your emotions ...omg I started to cry in remembrance of my own struggles! I haven't regretted any decluttering sentimental item as painful as it was-is at the time. Thank you for sharing makes my own journey less lonely!
The reminder about getting rid of negative memories was in one of your earlier videos, I think, because I'm pretty sure it's your channel that helped give me the push I needed to get rid of the items I had that reminded me of my own traumatic birth and my son's NICU stage. I shouldn't feel sad when looking at a teddy bear, and if I do, it's time to let someone else enjoy it.
Yes, I've talked about it before. =) I'm so sorry you had such an awful experience. Those memories never fully go away so there's no need for painful physical reminders.
I recommend cedar lined foot lockers to store non display- able sentimental things. They stack , lock and keep the bugs out. I sort through mine every 5 years or so. As I get older I have become more minimal.(that and my house is to small to be a storage locker,lol) Your wig is a big symbol of a great achievement I'd display it in a cabinet. Show it off with pride. 😊
Great video🤗 My parents brought my 17 boxes with all my stuff from childhood... I spent a year after my 1st son was born decluttering it.. I made scrap/photo books of different life stages.. And now only have my albums and one small plastic box of rest sentimental and 1 box of toys.. Every time I go through those 2 boxes (1x yr) I always declutter some more. I have also done my kids sentimental stuff.. They each have 2 plastic boxes.. One with hang files with flat stuff and one with bulky stuff eg 1st clothes from hospital, Christening candle, etc. I just have to declutter, organized my digital photos and make some albums for my kids.. That is on next year's "to do" list (it was on this years list.. .. But with covid, I have no time due to my job). Love your 3 piles... I put the not sure on top of my stuff in my one sentimental box... So when I open for a re-declutter.. I see those first and I usually do declutter something from it straight away.
I did the same thing with scrapbooks/smashbooks and I love it! I actually have used them when telling a story about a person/time in my life - it's right here! Ticket stubs, etc. If they were stuffed in a box, they never would have been enjoyed. :)
@@jenniferwright8355 so agree! 😊. I do the same. . I have my photo/scrap books in my living room in a cabinet. I love going through them and my kids love to look at them and see what I got up to when I was younger.. So lovely.. If I just put them on the computer as "digital copies" I just as well bin them because I would never look at them.. We have enough "screen time" in our lives as it is!.. Plus waste of time scanning it all in🙄.
I'm glad you kept the wig. I think it may come in handy for Scout in the years to come- as a first rate Halloween costume! Even in college kids dress up. My mom had from a wedding in the 70's. All of my brothers and I used the wig for Halloween over the years (Jim Morrison, sexy skater, zombie, clown ...) then it was used in student teaching (Viola Swamp from the Miss Nelson books)- I am not sure who has the wig now but I know it has been used by 3 generations!
I wouldn't put the paper items directly under the sink unless u put them in a plastic container. Although the pipes may look new & may not leak, I have had the upper part of a faucet spring a pinhole size leak while I wasn't home (also had a gasket (or washer?thingy) inside of faucet let go) & cause a leak....ughhhhhh. Luckily I only had pots & pans underneath! Just an idea....love your videos!
Finishing is the WORST part, I agree. I have to start the job thinking consciously about not being done until it's done for good. Being aware of it helps...but it still stinks. :-)
I dumped all my college notes, etc. a few years ago the information was probably obsolete by then anyway. I think I held onto a couple papers from creative writing that's it. Yeah, I graduated college round 2005 too yikes how time goes by. Also, I would not store papers and cloth under the sink or basement as those flood and leak.
Oh my heavens, that fabulous wig! 💜👏🏻👩🏼⚖️If you’re torn about what you would do if you kept something like that, perhaps see if you can give it some use as part of a Halloween costume? Alternatively, maybe just find a mannequin head on which to proudly display it on a shelf near your diplomas, awards, best law books, certifications, etc. in the office / library. I remember when I was a child I was very disappointed to learn that here in the States, judges and lawyers don’t wear those wigs. I would frequently see them in my favorite old cartoons and I assumed that they were everywhere. (On the other hand, if you do end up deciding to part with it, I bet there’s a theater company or drama school out there somewhere that could use it in their costume department.)
Taking pictures has been a major thing for me to part with sentimental. Also knowing that its donated for the 'its still good i can save this i might use it etc' stuff means that i can feel good and imagine someone having joy out of it giving it life helps me get rid of it and keep photos for the memories. Another thing is asking myself picture your future (your ideal home your ideal future self aka healthy happy safe comforting feeling etc) and ask yourself when you look around this home when you look at thi item from your future perspective and happy state is 'is this item there? Can you see it? Is it part of future yous needs? Do you in 10 years 20 years etc see this being part of your life or adding value to your life? Etc' after those 3 trials so to speak it cuts down sentimental keep or maybe pile about 50% if not more just depends on what the sentimental is. If its sentimental paper or something i scan it and keep the digital copy and often ask myself is this worth scanning and naming and organising on my harddrive etc. Will i ever need this again etc
I say keep the wig!! As an American I find it fascinating that they even need to wear wigs as lawyers and Ireland I'm not sure where Scott will live when she grows up but it might be a fun thing for her to have to show her kids someday.
Your haul looked a bit like what I've been trying to sort through this past week...and it's still ongoing. I chuckled that someone else still has a stack of CD's like me. I kept a handful that SAID they had pictures from plays that I did makeup on. The others might have had documents? pictures? programs? IDK - but. since I didn't, and I don't really have a way of looking at them without finding some sort of conversion effort - I decided the best thing to do was open them up, pull out the actual soft discs, and shred them. Privacy, whether I needed it or not! I also found a lot of older photos in frames of family. Someone suggested taking them out and just putting all the 'historical' photos in a plain-no-bells-and-whistles photo album. Personally - I struggle with finding good frames.Condensing them seems like a good idea, if you could handle it. I'd rather box mine, with frames, because I know that in the next few years I'll be moving to a house with a longer hallway and I love hallway photo galleries!
i got rid of a lot of old school / college stuff. I kept 1 assignment that i loved and binned the rest. No regrets. And I'm very very sentimental. If it's been 15+ years do you really need 'notes'? some things may be outdated by now.
I typed up all my notes from my degree and put them on 1 cd per module plus any handwritten or printouts that were useful in a document wallet. So my entire degree fitted into one box. I intend to keep that box forever, so I don't think you need to worry about keeping your notes either. I do also have it all on a harddrive though so I could probably just bin the box with the exception of my field notebooks. I have no idea what I will do with my PhD stuff when I finish because there is so much more of it 😂
I've been decluttering (consistently, that is) for over a year, and papers...paper anything...continue to try to engulf me. Sometimes I make some progress with greeting cards, photos, and magazine articles. But I have school work (mine) piles that date from college, all the way back to kindergarten. Literally / No exaggeration. And every time I start trying to look through them (in small chunks at a time), I get swallowed by "what if"s. And after like an hour trying to deal with that, I have repeatedly given up. For the most part I haven't even managed to get rid of the school papers that bring back bad memories -- let alone ones that bring back rather good memories. =(
It's definitely tough, especially when you combine two of the hardest categories, papers and sentimental stuff. I think my Wave Method would work well for you - don't try to tackle it all at once and, instead, work in "waves" where you keep chipping away a little at a time. Only get rid of the things that are easiest for you first, rather than agonising over each and every piece of paper. And over time you'll build up your decluttering muscle and will have slowly eroded away a lot. 🙂
I do that "wave" technique... However, what is a good time frame between each wave? Stalling between these waves causes that loss of momentum and frame of mind. Just curious how long you give yourself between waves.
I usually give myself a month between each start of the wave so ill do the kitchen first then end up in the bathroom last (for example) itll usually take me about two weeks to get through every section then i have two weeks off and at that time im usually resting organising cleaning enjoying taking the stuff to the tip or donations tmdoing other hobbies/maitenence like the garden and watching decluttering and organising related stuff towards the end to physically rest and mentally and emotionally prepare for the next round so between my first room of the first wave kitchen in this case til the next wave start with the same room its about a month. Sometimes ill go back like lightly as im not actively decluttering like just as im going about my day but actual deep solid decluttering i do at least a couple full days of each space so i can take out everything and categorise it and take photos or put them in their new home etc. I may take a day break between sections but i find i usually dont want to and i have to force myself to take a break lol
Thankfully I fall into the not very sentimental group, 1 shoe box of items and it’s not even half full. I couldn’t deal with all the clutter so happily my husband also falls into the non sentimental type too 😂
For sentimental items, I ask myself if it’s something I would consider displaying. If so, then I try to display it. Maybe you might want to consider displaying your wig in an office area.
Maybe could you sell your lawyer wig on eBay? I checked on eBay US, Ireland and UK. Your are going to get something like $20 or $30 for it. Maybe it’s only a small fraction of what you paid for it, but maybe it’s good enough to accept letting it go? I managed to get rid of a lot of stuff by selling them, money kind of replaces somehow the attachment. By the way, you are gorgeous on your wedding photo! It should be displayed in your home, to show how gorgeous you are on it :-) You look like a movie star ⭐️
Regarding the wig, do you have any family/friends in Ireland that are studying? If so (and if they have roughly the same size noggin!) maybe consider gifting it for graduation? You say it's expensive and it would keep it in the sentimental family since it would be doing good work :)
I don't currently know anyone studying law but if I did, I'd definitely be happy to pass it on. It's really only the senior lawyers who still wear them these days, though. They used to be compulsory but not anymore, so the younger lawyers generally don't wear them.
This is just a temporary solution. I'm slowly going through all my stuff. Once I've cleared out some of the plastic tubs I have, I'll move this stuff into those. =)
They do. Or, at least, one type does. (There are two different types of lawyer in Ireland.) It's not required anymore though so you see them less and less, usually on more senior lawyers.
Sentimental is definitely something that I put off. It is funny that because some of the stuff whenever I did go back through it from my mom's house that I had saved I had bins and bins and bins of memories and very few things I actually wanted to keep Like the things that were important to me were the pictures and maybe some of the little notes or journal type items. But all the random crap I saved didn't matter as much. I do have Barbies at her house then still have value to me but the rest of my childhood toys I don't even remember.
Blessedly a basement flood happened while I was gone for a weekend. Wiped out 4 yrs of college notes and artwork. All the books. Also the husbands college and law school notes! There was no choice, flood made the decision. No regrets actually, surprisingly.
I'm slightly jealous XD
At this rate, I also need an outside source to sort or totally purge my old school stuff.
I've taken on board what you said about stuff evoking negative memories. Who needs that stuff?!
Hi. Thanks for letting me watch your progress. Remember NOT to keep those photos and paper in the cupboard with the water pipes.😃
Not permanently, no. Once I go through the rest of my sentimental stuff I'll hopefully clear out enough space to be able to move them into some plastic tubs. =)
@@HowToGYST Great episode. You were very inspiring.
Thanks so much, Heather.
getting rid of the items that bring bad memories is a great idea. we all have those. i finally thru away old journals from college. read a few pages and it was miserable.
I ripped a few (positive) pages out of my teenage journals to keep, then burned the rest! It was quite therapeutic, finally being rid of all the trauma and angst in them!
@@HannahRainbow88 That's cool! I just found back like 5+ journals (which have all made me grimace) and am wracking my mind about what to do with them. Not sure where to keep the positive bits from them, if I rip them out like I'd want to... I don't have a place I can think of to burn the negative stuff like I'd like... plus I keep arguing with myself that I have to keep the bad stuff too, because it's my "journey". After looking through 2 or 3 journals, I don't even want to look through the others, but my mind keeps criticizing me so I probably will look those too, some time this week.
Thank you for being honest and transparent about sentimental clutter. It's hard for me to let go of items, too. But I'll keep moving forward just like you're doing.
As someone who has experienced water damage, keep those precious memories high and dry! Basements can flood and pipes can burst, usually in the middle of the night.
Yup, that's why I've started going through all this stuff now, so I can get it all into plastic tubs, safe and sound.
I thought the same thing when I saw the photos were stored by water pipes under the cabinet.
Just remember that pests can gnaw through plastic tubs. My first husband lost a load of papers (in plastic tubs) to mice. My mum has a metal tin with a very snug-fitting lid for her most important papers. You'll want it as air/water/fire-proof as possible OR you could consider a bank vault box etc. for those irreplaceable items just in case x
You in that wig gives me life!!!!
Ha ha. Was hoping it would bring a smile to someone's face. That version of me feels like a lifetime ago.
You got rid of so much! I'm really sentimental about clothes too, more so than anything else I think! I went through all my childhood stuff, photos etc recently and got it down to three plastic boxes the same size as the one your old computer stuff is in. I was surprised how easy it was compared to any other category I've tried so far. I've got hoarding tendencies and will desperately hold onto anything that 'might be useful' and other random things that no one would find sentimental like a broken kitchen utensil 😂 but childhood art work? Nope. Every single note my school friends and I wrote to each other in class (which were basically text messages on scraps of paper before texting was even a thing)? Not bothered about. Old birthday cards all gone. It was quite liberating. I did keep my Barbies though ;)
"rage purge" is going to be my motto for the next month or so. Somehow, the decluttering I did before wasn't as thorough as I thought. There's still a whole corner left to do.
My last "rage purge" brought a lot to perspective.
I had to demolish my finished basement a few years ago. I had kept all of my college papers AND books. I wasn't ready to totally get rid of the papers, so I scanned all of them on my office's high speed copy machine, and saved them on a usb drive (that I have, and haven't looked at in the 5 years since I scanned).
The physical books I had, I sold on Ebay. They were 20 years old, from my first degree. I was surprised at some of the prices I got!
A few years before this, I took advantage of working for a heavy equipment manufacturing company, and scanned all my space plans (blue prints I created), and art/drawings and I got rid of the physical copies.
I highly recommend scanning. It gets around the 'but, what if I need it?'. I can print it out again if I need it.
Love the 'rage purge' - that is so me! With the cards, keep one sample from each person that matters to you. After my mother died, I found some cards that she had sent me, and it was so nice to look at her handwriting again. I know I could digitise them, but it's not the same. I have to tackle the kids' art soon - help!
A journal entry for a sentimental item - that's it! I have completely stopped taking pictures a few years ago (which saves me a lot of organizing trouble, I totally recommend this) and have so fallen in love with journaling that I will for sure keep my notes for a long time. Great idea! Now let's see what sentimental items have survived the latest cull, it might be their turn to go now 😁 I'm off to the attic 😀🕸️🥇🏆⛸️🎮💍✉️📚🕸️
Best of luck!
OMG This couldn't have come at a better time! 🌞 I've been avoiding my sentimental stuff because reasons 😢 Thanks for your great videos 😻 Stay safe 😷💕
You too! Hope the video helped. =)
Send the wig to the national theatre of Ireland, if there is one, or some central place that lends out wardrobe for student productions. Or colleges? They'd probably be v grateful & really look after it. Xxx
Great idea! Not 100% sure I'm ready to part with it yet, but thank you for these suggestions. Something else to keep in mind.
Wouldn't that be exciting to think it could be seen by so many people 🤣.
Well done 👏 that’s a huge pile. I attempted this a year or two ago to do the attic and said I’d go through a few boxes a week. Me thinking I was smart picked the smallest box but it was all our wedding cards, acceptance and regret card, I read everyone of em and cried a lot. I must have been there for 2-3 hours and that was my downfall. I couldn’t and didn’t go back to it for at least 6 months. I’m very sentimental, I’ve all my birthday cards, i brought them from home when I got married coming up on 23 years now and I’ve kept all the cards we’ve given and got all the years too including all for our 2 children. I haven’t a hope really have I??? That’s only the cards. Same with photos, school books, clothes, etc, etc, etc. Yip I’m a bit of a hoarder alright 🤦♀️ I’m so glad you realised you might get stuck on the college notes and photos and left em till last. Take what every can go to the bin and recycling because that’s just in utility or outside the door. Stay safe and healthy. Mary, Joes wife 👏👍💐
Agreed...greeting cards are SO hard to sort through. I'm trying to prioritize mine, and figure out ways to display my top favorites.
I am using 15 minute time blocks and space by space, coming across sentimental items does take twice as long to decide and by limiting to 15 successful minutes as everything seems sentimental or as you say “some day” items.
Aaaaw I want to give you a huge big hug. I also suffered with PND and even now I feel guilty. It's hard but we are stronger for it. Sending you lots of love. XXX
Sending lots of love back at ya. It's rough. I'm not sure I'll ever fully get over it.
@@HowToGYST No, I'm not sure of that either. My oldest is 12 and I still feel bad sometimes. It goes very deep. Huge hugs for you Laura. X
And for you. If we went through that and came out the other side, I think we'll be just fine. ;) I try to think of it as my superpower - surviving a walk through darkness.
I love the wig, and I feel for you. I have my nursing caps (student, and the one I got upon graduation) I haven't worn for over thirty years. I just can't bear to let them go.
I feel like I am fan girling! The wig is most awesome!!! I called my husband in the room to see it!! We subcribe to Acorn and Britbox and watch many shows of police and court trials! They all wear the wigs, of course! So we were quite impressed!! Do not throw it out!!!!! You could wear it to neighborhood meetings and PTA! You would kick ass!!!! Another point but not necessarly helpfull. I save cards and letters, Then my family died. So glad to have a card that says "love, mom"
Excellent advice for the most difficult things to declutter. Thank you!
Perhaps the wig can be used for a Halloween costume at some point? Also, your wedding photo is really beautiful and I think it should be displayed rather than stored under a cabinet.
Thank you for your advice about keeping items with negative feelings associated with them. It seems like it would be a no brainer but its very difficult. I've got as much sentimental items as you and not enough storage so I'm trying to go through it.
You are so right, my husband kept all his old cameras, so some are probably 60 years plus old, he thought they would be worth a lot but a check on eBay showed they are NOT! Regrettably he still won't get rid of them!! 🤣
College notes are so hard for me too! 10 years ago for me.
I'm screwed! My husband & I are both very sentimental😂
lol yeah same
Learning to have recycling bin, trash bag and give away box with me as i am decluttering so i don't have to or want touch it again. It's the touching that tricks our minds into guilting us to keep what otherwise would be out the door. Your emotions ...omg I started to cry in remembrance of my own struggles! I haven't regretted any decluttering sentimental item as painful as it was-is at the time. Thank you for sharing makes my own journey less lonely!
The reminder about getting rid of negative memories was in one of your earlier videos, I think, because I'm pretty sure it's your channel that helped give me the push I needed to get rid of the items I had that reminded me of my own traumatic birth and my son's NICU stage. I shouldn't feel sad when looking at a teddy bear, and if I do, it's time to let someone else enjoy it.
Yes, I've talked about it before. =) I'm so sorry you had such an awful experience. Those memories never fully go away so there's no need for painful physical reminders.
I recommend cedar lined foot lockers to store non display- able sentimental things. They stack , lock and keep the bugs out. I sort through mine every 5 years or so. As I get older I have become more minimal.(that and my house is to small to be a storage locker,lol) Your wig is a big symbol of a great achievement I'd display it in a cabinet. Show it off with pride. 😊
Great video🤗
My parents brought my 17 boxes with all my stuff from childhood... I spent a year after my 1st son was born decluttering it.. I made scrap/photo books of different life stages.. And now only have my albums and one small plastic box of rest sentimental and 1 box of toys.. Every time I go through those 2 boxes (1x yr) I always declutter some more.
I have also done my kids sentimental stuff.. They each have 2 plastic boxes.. One with hang files with flat stuff and one with bulky stuff eg 1st clothes from hospital, Christening candle, etc.
I just have to declutter, organized my digital photos and make some albums for my kids.. That is on next year's "to do" list (it was on this years list.. .. But with covid, I have no time due to my job).
Love your 3 piles... I put the not sure on top of my stuff in my one sentimental box... So when I open for a re-declutter.. I see those first and I usually do declutter something from it straight away.
I did the same thing with scrapbooks/smashbooks and I love it! I actually have used them when telling a story about a person/time in my life - it's right here! Ticket stubs, etc. If they were stuffed in a box, they never would have been enjoyed. :)
@@jenniferwright8355 so agree! 😊. I do the same. . I have my photo/scrap books in my living room in a cabinet. I love going through them and my kids love to look at them and see what I got up to when I was younger.. So lovely.. If I just put them on the computer as "digital copies" I just as well bin them because I would never look at them.. We have enough "screen time" in our lives as it is!.. Plus waste of time scanning it all in🙄.
I'm glad you kept the wig. I think it may come in handy for Scout in the years to come- as a first rate Halloween costume! Even in college kids dress up. My mom had from a wedding in the 70's. All of my brothers and I used the wig for Halloween over the years (Jim Morrison, sexy skater, zombie, clown ...) then it was used in student teaching (Viola Swamp from the Miss Nelson books)- I am not sure who has the wig now but I know it has been used by 3 generations!
Now that's bang for your buck! If that wig could talk... ;)
That wig is so cool!!!!! I love it. You are a decluttering motivator for sure:)
I wouldn't put the paper items directly under the sink unless u put them in a plastic container. Although the pipes may look new & may not leak, I have had the upper part of a faucet spring a pinhole size leak while I wasn't home (also had a gasket (or washer?thingy) inside of faucet let go) & cause a leak....ughhhhhh. Luckily I only had pots & pans underneath! Just an idea....love your videos!
Finishing is the WORST part, I agree. I have to start the job thinking consciously about not being done until it's done for good. Being aware of it helps...but it still stinks. :-)
I dumped all my college notes, etc. a few years ago the information was probably obsolete by then anyway. I think I held onto a couple papers from creative writing that's it. Yeah, I graduated college round 2005 too yikes how time goes by. Also, I would not store papers and cloth under the sink or basement as those flood and leak.
I bagged up my sentimental stuff in grocery bags and labeled each one...one per each year in the future. So, I will be busy until like 2032.
Well done, Laura! That looks like it was all quite a challenge and you rose to it! See you next time. :-)
Oh my heavens, that fabulous wig! 💜👏🏻👩🏼⚖️If you’re torn about what you would do if you kept something like that, perhaps see if you can give it some use as part of a Halloween costume? Alternatively, maybe just find a mannequin head on which to proudly display it on a shelf near your diplomas, awards, best law books, certifications, etc. in the office / library. I remember when I was a child I was very disappointed to learn that here in the States, judges and lawyers don’t wear those wigs. I would frequently see them in my favorite old cartoons and I assumed that they were everywhere. (On the other hand, if you do end up deciding to part with it, I bet there’s a theater company or drama school out there somewhere that could use it in their costume department.)
Taking pictures has been a major thing for me to part with sentimental.
Also knowing that its donated for the 'its still good i can save this i might use it etc' stuff means that i can feel good and imagine someone having joy out of it giving it life helps me get rid of it and keep photos for the memories.
Another thing is asking myself picture your future (your ideal home your ideal future self aka healthy happy safe comforting feeling etc) and ask yourself when you look around this home when you look at thi item from your future perspective and happy state is 'is this item there? Can you see it? Is it part of future yous needs? Do you in 10 years 20 years etc see this being part of your life or adding value to your life? Etc' after those 3 trials so to speak it cuts down sentimental keep or maybe pile about 50% if not more just depends on what the sentimental is.
If its sentimental paper or something i scan it and keep the digital copy and often ask myself is this worth scanning and naming and organising on my harddrive etc. Will i ever need this again etc
Ooh that's a brilliant idea - visualising your future home - thank you so much!!!
You can always donate the wig to a college theatre department.
I say keep the wig!! As an American I find it fascinating that they even need to wear wigs as lawyers and Ireland I'm not sure where Scott will live when she grows up but it might be a fun thing for her to have to show her kids someday.
Thanks I needed this. 💜💜💜👍🏼👏👌
You’re so welcome. Hope it helps.
Your haul looked a bit like what I've been trying to sort through this past week...and it's still ongoing. I chuckled that someone else still has a stack of CD's like me. I kept a handful that SAID they had pictures from plays that I did makeup on. The others might have had documents? pictures? programs? IDK - but. since I didn't, and I don't really have a way of looking at them without finding some sort of conversion effort - I decided the best thing to do was open them up, pull out the actual soft discs, and shred them. Privacy, whether I needed it or not! I also found a lot of older photos in frames of family. Someone suggested taking them out and just putting all the 'historical' photos in a plain-no-bells-and-whistles photo album. Personally - I struggle with finding good frames.Condensing them seems like a good idea, if you could handle it. I'd rather box mine, with frames, because I know that in the next few years I'll be moving to a house with a longer hallway and I love hallway photo galleries!
i got rid of a lot of old school / college stuff. I kept 1 assignment that i loved and binned the rest. No regrets. And I'm very very sentimental. If it's been 15+ years do you really need 'notes'? some things may be outdated by now.
I took pictures of letters and cards and let the physical 'clutter' go whilst keeping the memories stored digitally.
I typed up all my notes from my degree and put them on 1 cd per module plus any handwritten or printouts that were useful in a document wallet. So my entire degree fitted into one box. I intend to keep that box forever, so I don't think you need to worry about keeping your notes either. I do also have it all on a harddrive though so I could probably just bin the box with the exception of my field notebooks.
I have no idea what I will do with my PhD stuff when I finish because there is so much more of it 😂
That wig is a very interesting item!
I think I've only worn it once or twice. But certainly not something you see everyday.
I've been decluttering (consistently, that is) for over a year, and papers...paper anything...continue to try to engulf me. Sometimes I make some progress with greeting cards, photos, and magazine articles. But I have school work (mine) piles that date from college, all the way back to kindergarten. Literally / No exaggeration. And every time I start trying to look through them (in small chunks at a time), I get swallowed by "what if"s. And after like an hour trying to deal with that, I have repeatedly given up. For the most part I haven't even managed to get rid of the school papers that bring back bad memories -- let alone ones that bring back rather good memories. =(
It's definitely tough, especially when you combine two of the hardest categories, papers and sentimental stuff. I think my Wave Method would work well for you - don't try to tackle it all at once and, instead, work in "waves" where you keep chipping away a little at a time. Only get rid of the things that are easiest for you first, rather than agonising over each and every piece of paper. And over time you'll build up your decluttering muscle and will have slowly eroded away a lot. 🙂
I do that "wave" technique... However, what is a good time frame between each wave? Stalling between these waves causes that loss of momentum and frame of mind. Just curious how long you give yourself between waves.
I dive straight back in if I still have the time and energy. Otherwise the next chance I get because, as you say, the momentum can quickly run out.
I usually give myself a month between each start of the wave so ill do the kitchen first then end up in the bathroom last (for example) itll usually take me about two weeks to get through every section then i have two weeks off and at that time im usually resting organising cleaning enjoying taking the stuff to the tip or donations tmdoing other hobbies/maitenence like the garden and watching decluttering and organising related stuff towards the end to physically rest and mentally and emotionally prepare for the next round so between my first room of the first wave kitchen in this case til the next wave start with the same room its about a month. Sometimes ill go back like lightly as im not actively decluttering like just as im going about my day but actual deep solid decluttering i do at least a couple full days of each space so i can take out everything and categorise it and take photos or put them in their new home etc. I may take a day break between sections but i find i usually dont want to and i have to force myself to take a break lol
I needed this my stuff is in a storage unit I am paying to keep crap lol
Time to save yourself some money. 😉
Is there a community theater group that might want the wig?
Thankfully I fall into the not very sentimental group, 1 shoe box of items and it’s not even half full. I couldn’t deal with all the clutter so happily my husband also falls into the non sentimental type too 😂
For sentimental items, I ask myself if it’s something I would consider displaying. If so, then I try to display it. Maybe you might want to consider displaying your wig in an office area.
Maybe could you sell your lawyer wig on eBay? I checked on eBay US, Ireland and UK. Your are going to get something like $20 or $30 for it. Maybe it’s only a small fraction of what you paid for it, but maybe it’s good enough to accept letting it go? I managed to get rid of a lot of stuff by selling them, money kind of replaces somehow the attachment.
By the way, you are gorgeous on your wedding photo! It should be displayed in your home, to show how gorgeous you are on it :-) You look like a movie star ⭐️
You could put an ad in the lawyer's place. Sell it for 1/2 price. Win-Win!
Wig = Halloween costume!
Regarding the wig, do you have any family/friends in Ireland that are studying? If so (and if they have roughly the same size noggin!) maybe consider gifting it for graduation? You say it's expensive and it would keep it in the sentimental family since it would be doing good work :)
I don't currently know anyone studying law but if I did, I'd definitely be happy to pass it on. It's really only the senior lawyers who still wear them these days, though. They used to be compulsory but not anymore, so the younger lawyers generally don't wear them.
Hi,my baby keepsakes fit in the box my son's first shoes come in, but I would like to have a nice box for all my memorable stuff.
The same here. Still a bag or two waiting for donation. I 'll better throw it in the trash. It is decision delayed in hiding.
Can you sell your lawyer wig? Do people buy them second hand?
Yeah I bet another law student would JUMP at the chance to buy one second hand so they don't have to pay the full price!
Ok wait. I'm a lawyer (non-practicing; I work at a law school) in America. Do y'all HAVE to wear these when you're in court??
Not compulsory anymore, no. But a lot of the more senior lawyers still wear them.
I'm kinda doing a mini panic having watched you put things under a sink. What if there's a leak?
This is just a temporary solution. I'm slowly going through all my stuff. Once I've cleared out some of the plastic tubs I have, I'll move this stuff into those. =)
Send the wig to someone in Ireland who can use it.
Lawyers in Ireland wear fancy court wigs?!?!?
They do. Or, at least, one type does. (There are two different types of lawyer in Ireland.) It's not required anymore though so you see them less and less, usually on more senior lawyers.
Know anyone in Ireland that needs the wig, who would be willing to buy the wig off you?🤔
Sadly, no. And I live in the US now so would lose all the money in shipping. Ha ha. Not 100% sure I'm ready to part with it yet.
Why are college notes so HARD?!!
Hi Laura - re your wig. I know someone who might be qualifying as a barrister in ireland soon. Do you have an email address?
Photos under water pipes???
Temporarily, while I free up some plastic tubs.
But I love my senimental shit
So keep it. =)
Sell the Wig to another UK law student who might not afford their own new one😉
Shipping would probably be too expensive. 😉
lol but I'm still keeping all my stuffed animals (I'm 12 ok)
I'm 37 and I still have some of mine. Totally fine. 😉
Sentimental is definitely something that I put off. It is funny that because some of the stuff whenever I did go back through it from my mom's house that I had saved I had bins and bins and bins of memories and very few things I actually wanted to keep Like the things that were important to me were the pictures and maybe some of the little notes or journal type items. But all the random crap I saved didn't matter as much. I do have Barbies at her house then still have value to me but the rest of my childhood toys I don't even remember.
The whole wig thing... what on earth! Why would anyone need to wear something like that?!
Please don't use under your sink for storing.
It's only a temporary solution.