Do you have way too much stuff?

Unfortunately, yes. When I retired from the military, I came home with 3 trunks. That's 30 years of my life, but as any good procrastinator would do, I keep telling myself that I need to go through them and toss out all the insignificant stuff that is no longer necessary. However, almost everything in those trunks have a memory attached to them.
 

I got rid of a lot of things when I moved from a large house to this 338 square foot studio apartment in 2018. I am still getting rid of things I do not use. The more stuff I get rid of the better I feel. It results in better health and improves your financial life as well. I need open space in my apartment because I use a walker and sometimes a mobility chair.

I have found getting rid of sentimental items is easier if you remind yourself what happens to those things when you are gone. I would rather someone got my stuff (the things I loved) who really wanted them instead of whoever cleans out my apartment dumping it all in the dumpster. I am still working on this.
 
Been There said:
Unfortunately, yes. When I retired from the military, I came home with 3 trunks. That's 30 years of my life, but as any good procrastinator would do, I keep telling myself that I need to go through them and toss out all the insignificant stuff that is no longer necessary. However, almost everything in those trunks have a memory attached to them.
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On the subject of "military trunks ". I recently attended an auction sale of "military articles ". Imagine this...........A WW1 Royal Flying Corps veteran, who was a Canadian, left a full truck behind when he died in 1967. His son kept ALL of the contents that included a complete Sidcot fur lined flight suit, flying leather helmet, with goggles, Field RFC uniforms, knee high leather riding boots, dress uniform from his original Canadian Army Infantry Battalion, and dozens of personal articles like his shaving kit, medals and articles of enlistment and discharge in 1919. The auction price was just over $22,000 CDN. It was donated by the buyer to the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa, to their WW1 collection. JImB.
 

jimintoronto said:
On the subject of "military trunks ". I recently attended an auction sale of "military articles ". Imagine this...........A WW1 Royal Flying Corps veteran, who was a Canadian, left a full truck behind when he died in 1967. His son kept ALL of the contents that included a complete Sidcot fur lined flight suit, flying leather helmet, with goggles, Field RFC uniforms, knee high leather riding boots, dress uniform from his original Canadian Army Infantry Battalion, and dozens of personal articles like his shaving kit, medals and articles of enlistment and discharge in 1919. The auction price was just over $22,000 CDN. It was donated by the buyer to the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa, to their WW1 collection. JImB.
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That’s exactly where it needs to be. So much history has been destroyed by absent-minded, so-called college geniuses that it’s going to be up to some of us to rebuild and replace the things which have been destroyed. I majored in American History, (actually, I had a double major), and it irks me terribly to see and read about people who believe that history really doesn’t mean as much as it once did. I have heard young people say this.

I watched a “man on the street” show where a commentator goes out and asks young people questions about the country. They didn’t know who the VP was, they didn’t even know where the Capitol was, along with other questions we all learned in high school. And yet, we allow these people to vote.

So, I applaud the person who donated these items of yesteryear. I am sure there are some still interested in history.
 
Been There said:
That’s exactly where it needs to be. So much history has been destroyed by absent-minded, so-called college geniuses that it’s going to be up to some of us to rebuild and replace the things which have been destroyed. I majored in American History, (actually, I had a double major), and it irks me terribly to see and read about people who believe that history really doesn’t mean as much as it once did. I have heard young people say this.

I watched a “man on the street” show where a commentator goes out and asks young people questions about the country. They didn’t know who the VP was, they didn’t even know where the Capitol was, along with other questions we all learned in high school. And yet, we allow these people to vote.

So, I applaud the person who donated these items of yesteryear. I am sure there are some still interested in history.
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Of all the Allied nations who fought in WW1, Canada has the most complete military records archive, and as all of the WW1 guys are now dead ( Including my Father who was a CEF soldier from October of 1915, to his eventual return to Toronto in June of 1919 ) anyone can access the Archives and Library of Canada online, and search for an ancestor by name and date of birth at no cost. The process to convert the WW1 paper records to computer files took 12 years to complete, and most of that work was done by Canadian high school student volunteers. My Dad's WW1 file held 87 pages of mostly hand written documents , covering his entire military time period.

The WW1 CEF numbered a total of about 635,000 men , of whom about 425,000 actually went overseas. With a population at that time of only 8 million people, the CEF represented about 30 percent of all the adult males in Canada. An even more surprising number is that, of all the Medical Doctors in Canada in 1914, a third of them were serving in France by 1916 in the Canadian Army Medical Corps. They were assisted by about 3200 Nursing Sisters, whose average age on enlistment was 29, compared to the average age at enlistment of the soldiers of 25. JImB.
 
My dad was too late for Korea and too early for Vietnam. He seldom spoke of his time in the service, except he would remind me that he was a Marine, which is why I wanted to follow in his footsteps. He did his overseas deployment in Okinawa.
 
Gaer said:
This is a great idea! Why do I need all that for one person?
You've motivated me! I'm gonna get rid of 9/10ths of my kitchen crap!

I've asked my kids, "Do you want this antique collection?" "That antique collection?"
They don't want my stuff! They have their own stuff!
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Exactly! I had my mother's sewing maching for 26 years, asked my daughter if she wanted it. She has told me 3 times, she doesn't want it. So, I got rid of it and got a digital one. And that will go for the rest of my stuff. Some stuff I will always keep, like the quilt my grandmother made me which is about 50 years old.
 
I've noticed that more people today, mostly young, will buy things on Craigs List, Facebook Marketplace etc for temporary use.Then they will resell them when done. Things like power tools and other. They don't buy things to keep therefore they aren't having to store them.
On the other hand its amazing how much young people toss that is perfectly good but may have needed a minor repair. I got a great dishwasher that way.
 
Nope, never had a lot of stuff to fill my closets, basement, even things sitting/ hiding/displayed all over the house. I like space, even in small rooms so you can see whatever you have displayed. What I have I use, keep a few things, picture albums and such but there is no clutter on my kitchen counters, end tables, wall shelves. Everything in its place. I've always been this way. Friends do enjoy visiting me, as it's neat, clean, attractive without the....stuff.
 
s76l42 said:
I am a minimalist. About 6 years ago I completely purged my house. I have one room in my house that is completely empty. I have only what I need and absolutely love. It was so freeing. I never realized the mental stress clutter and "stuff" had on a person. Once I was done purging it felt like a weight had been lifted. It was joyful really. I do freelance writing and have written several articles on how I did this and how I now live a minimalist life. It seems overwhelming at first but once you start it will motivate you to keep going until you are done.
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Great that you were able to do this! Is it easy enough to steer us to those article(s)?
 
25-30 years ago I bought a cute little wooden duck for our son, who loved real ducks. So when ever I saw a cute duck, I'd buy it for him. So he was packing up his stuff as he was moving to his own apt, but he didn't pack the ducks. I asked if he wasn't going to take his ducks and was informed that it was my collection. Little by little I added to my collection, and have some special ducks, put the others in a garage sale, most of them now reside in a box in a closet. Yeah, we have way too much stuff, but then we both like stuff!
 
hearlady said:
I've noticed that more people today, mostly young, will buy things on Craigs List, Facebook Marketplace etc for temporary use.Then they will resell them when done. Things like power tools and other. They don't buy things to keep therefore they aren't having to store them.
On the other hand its amazing how much young people toss that is perfectly good but may have needed a minor repair. I got a great dishwasher that way.
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You told me stuff here that I didn't know. But then, I am an ole fogie. No surprise. Buying for temporary use and then reselling them.
 
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