Maybe I'm alone in this but I love learning about the people I love so I would find it a privilege to sort through a relatives momento's ...,. Within reason 😉
I have to say that I have gone right off charity shops. They sell such a small portion of what's donated. So much goes to landfill or mountains of stuff ends up unwanted in some poor bloody economy half way around the the world. About a third of donated clothing gets sold on in charity shops. Most is exported.
I always try to give stuff directly to people who want it these days. 'Round our way people use charity shops as dustbins so they won't have to feel bad getting rid of stuff. Covid really highlighted the practice. People were getting desperate when the charity shops stopped taking. Homes were drowning in junk. People were panicking. They couldn't open their front doors drifts of clothes. You'd hope it would give people pause. Not sure it did.
Yes I know what you mean @WonkyWomble. I do too. I go into a reverie wondering why a certain piece was kept and the memories behind it.
I have a box where every single Christmas present tag was put reverently after I'd opened my gift from my husband. While he was still here, occasionally, I might read one or two but since he died I can't do it. I certainly won't throw them away but goodness knows what my daughter will think when she has to do the house clearance when I snuff it.
everything that I haven’t look at or used in the last 2 years has to go. If I die suddenly, no-one should be forced to bin my stuff.
Never a truer word written.
Think of it as a huge gift of love and generosity to those that come after.
My Dad is an absolute star where that is concerned.
Edited to add, l have deleted the majority of my post, as reading it back it's still all a bit too raw and personal. However, l totally agree with @Fire
Thank you pansyface. We collected masses of Crown Derby and always thought if we fell on hard times we could sell it. Huh, no one wants it these days and my daughter wouldn't give it house room.
My next door neighbour, loveliest person you could ever wish to meet, was a child of the 1930s and never threw anything away that 'might be useful'. When he died his wife asked if I would go through the garage and 2 sheds to sort the genuinely useful from the 'might be'. In one shed he had a large chest of drawers and one of the drawers was full of old gardening and work gloves in various states of disrepair. There were a few pairs which were solid from when he'd been working with concrete. No idea when they might have been useful, other than for whacking a burglar.
OH always keeps stuff in the garage …just in case. Bits of wood, towels for drying at etc etc. When we moved here nearly 4 years ago we kept some of the new stair carpet which was spare. Looking round the garage earlier this year, I said to OH he might as well get rid of said carpet as we wouldn’t need it now. Do he did.
Not 3 weeks later, we started painting the stairwell and bannisters ( you know where this is going) but one of us ( not saying who, )accidentally knocked the tin of white gloss paint all over the stair carpet😬😬😱 it took ages trying to find somewhere that still stocked the same carpet but eventually we did. oH has stated he is “ never” throwing anything out of the garage, again🙄
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I have a box where every single Christmas present tag was put reverently after I'd opened my gift from my husband. While he was still here, occasionally, I might read one or two but since he died I can't do it. I certainly won't throw them away but goodness knows what my daughter will think when she has to do the house clearance when I snuff it.
Edited to add, l have deleted the majority of my post, as reading it back it's still all a bit too raw and personal.
However, l totally agree with @Fire
We collected masses of Crown Derby and always thought if we fell on hard times we could sell it. Huh, no one wants it these days and my daughter wouldn't give it house room.
it took ages trying to find somewhere that still stocked the same carpet but eventually we did. oH has stated he is “ never” throwing anything out of the garage, again🙄
I imagine myself telling the paramedics "Tell **** I'm sorry about the mess" !