It's already gone so I'm not technically asking whether or not I should keep Katherine's cradle. Instead I wanted to write and get your views about keeping vs. not keeping stuff. I am a recovered pack rat. Honestly, when we moved in each room was furnished and we had a bunch of bins in the garage. I love going to garage sales and upgrading our stuff/changing things around. When you have that hobby stuff tends to accumulate. Last spring I had an about face and decided to get rid of stuff. We got rid of several bins and filled a few garbage bags of stuff that we didn't use. It went to a garage sale fundraiser so we didn't feel bad about getting rid of it. I adopted the get one give one away mentality and have been pretty good at it (not to brag). I've gotten to the point where we have less than when we moved here almost 3 years ago! The problem I've run into is that sometimes I feel sad about seeing things go. I didn't feel bad about selling the coffee table, the big bookshelf, the entertainment center, the craft table and chairs, or the host of little things like videos Carter no longer watched or toys/costumes he stopped playing with. I definitely didn't feel bad when the fish tank left or the knick knack stuff that I decided I didn't even want to look at anymore. The thing is, I did feel bad about seeing Katherine's cradle go. I felt better after meeting the mom but it still was difficult. K had an amazing 0-3 month wardrobe. She grew out of it and I knew there was no way we could keep everything. I kept my favorites and sold the rest and that was difficult too. I don't know what makes giving some things easy and some things so difficult. I really wrestled with the idea of selling the cradle but it came down to the fact that it was big and we really didn't have room for it. Nor did I want it in the garage. I enjoy parking in the garage and if we didn't have the air hockey table I scored at a garage sale we would be able to fit Matt's car in too.
My sister-in-law recently mentioned (when I was talking about getting rid of stuff on freecycle.org and selling things) that she was going to look into that because right now she just throws everything into the basement since it is 2000 sq feet. Yes you read that right. Her unfinished basement is 2000 sq ft meaning that my whole house could fit in her basement. So I was jealous but then I wondered if I had all that room would I keep everything? It's a good question. Part of me LOVES the thrill of getting rid of something. If I feel depressed I put something on freecycle and instantly feel better. I know, weird huh? I also love selling stuff. I hate to admit it but I've already been trying to calculate when K will be sick of her swing, bouncer, and saucer. I keep an excel spreadsheet of all my "sales." It's been fun to keep track of what items have come and gone and to keep track of my profit. For instance, I bought the cradle with bedding for $25. I sold it all for $55 so I got to use it and then sell it. The person who bought the bedding and the person who bought the cradle thought they were getting amazing deals and my motto is that the market determines the price. So if the buyer thinks the price is fair and it's worth it to them well then, it is. Anyway, I'm getting off on a tangent. The question is, would I keep everything if I had the room to do so? I think the answer is no. I probably would have kept the cradle so that K could put her dolls in it when she's older and I probably would have kept some of Carter's things like the lego table but overall I think I'd still be shoving stuff out the door, rotating the things in our house, shakin' things up a little bit all the time. What about you?
7 comments:
My hardest thing I have with getting rid of toys that the kids have "outgrown" is that I never know if one of the other kids down the line will use it. I'd hate to get rid of all the legos, for instance, and then have one of the younger ones develop a lego-fetish and have to go buy the stuff all over again (just hypothetically). So, I save all the toys. My mom also saved some of our toys (all these years) that now my kids play with at her house, which is so fun. But I am a sentimental pack-rat. Papers are my downfall. I don't have much in the way of nice decor or furniture, but I love the stuff I have stored that brings back wonderful memories.
That said, I hope I would never fill up a 2,000 sq. ft. basement. One bedroom-sorta-size storage room in our basement is more than plenty (for food storage, seasonal stuff and my 'saved stuff'). :)
Yeah I can understand about saving stuff for future kids. I saved half of Carter's clothes almost all the larger sizes though until we found out Katherine was a girl and then I had a great time giving his clothes to friends. It's weird but I get so attached to kids clothes. I cannot just drop off a bag at DI. I have to know it's going to someone I know because it makes it easier for me. I don't think any more kids are in the cards for me so that changes my whole keep vs. not keep situation. I cried when I packed away my maternity clothes knowing that I'd probably never wear them again. Isn't that weird?! Maybe I can blame it on new baby hormones. :-) I know I can fetch a good price for them because they are really nice (thanks mom!) but I just can't bear to yet. We did decide to never sell the train table or trains because I hope I'll be alive to see my grandkids play with it.
I still have a lot of my maternity clothes, which are now dry rotted; we got rid of our crib and dresser when our son was about 24 (gave it away), and I still have a lot of my childrens' toys such as legos, waffle blocks, Little Ponies, Barbies and Fisher-Price Little People sets, which are probably now antiques. So I guess I like to keep things, but old clothes can go out the door for all I care!
You know me, I love to get it out! Sell it. I have a couple things I'll keep. Some baby clothes that they have on in pictures. I think I'll keep the little people--it just stores so well and is timeless. I think also the AG dolls won't be going anywhere. Unless it has sentimental value and can be easily stored. It's gone.
I understand keeping things like the cradle for Katherine to play with if you had more room. There's definitely things like a spare bed and spare dresser that I would have kept if I had a spare room, but since I don't they go bye-bye. I do keep special clothes and get rid of the rest. I loved that Kenneth's mom gave us a lot of Kenneth's baby clothes for my boys to wear. I am trying to decide about some toys and books right now. I keep thinking, do I keep some of the little baby stuff around for my grandkids which could be in 12-15 years or do I give it all away and buy new stuff then? I'm proud of you though for getting rid of so much and blessing others lives with that stuff. It totally makes sense that you feel better when you Freecycle something. You are serving.
I'm pretty much the opposite of a pack rat. I get rid of stuff and then sometimes regret it down the road. I've saved pretty much everything of Elijah's since I'm hoping to have more kids, but little knicknack-y toys don't last long in my house. Those Happy Meal toys are toast.
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