Here we are again. We did the Kid’s Art last month. When we organized it, we set aside the personal items that I categorize as “Memorabilia”. They are the next thing to tackle. The kids figure they have taken away the memorabilia they wanted from our home, so logically it should be easy for me to throw the rest out right? Not when you are the sentimental type like me! Memorabilia includes things like; badges for activities like swimming, skating and Brownies, fun certificates, crafts, homemade gifts, photos, knick knacks, awards, records, pet items, cards and special hats.
-Here’s my GOAL; I want a few mementos of their childhood for myself and possibly some items could be passed down to grandchildren if either of our daughters decides to start a family. I also want to edit my own memorabilia as there are many multiples. I.e. every report card and seemingly every card I have ever received. Husband has a few things.
– There are so many items that they are now overwhelming and I don’t have the space for the huge collection.. So, first job is to decide HOW MUCH SPACE do I wish to allocate to house to these keepsakes?
– I have 4 trunks, two little ones and two big ones. I decide one for each family member.
– The practical thing to do next is against most people’s intuitions. You’d think it would be a good idea to start sorting into many little categories. NOT SO! There is way too much volume here. I physically estimate everything to fit into the 4 trunks must be able to fit on the bed. So everything gets piled up on the bed. When there is a large amount of things a REALITY CHECK is needed. (thank-you Marie Kondo 🙂
– I separate items into 2 CATEGORIES: PAPER + THINGS. -Then I start on one side of the bed and start tackling the piles one by one – EVEN though they are mixed up. I take my time and look at things, I enjoy this part and reminisce over a full day deciding which things are to be tossed OUT like; broken things, things that don’t feel important or special, things that hold no memory, things that have many multiples.
-I also pull items that belong somewhere else like a baby book, or donated to another child. These piles of “OUT items go in clear bags in corners.
This helps immensely to REDUCE THE VOLUME of items on the bed. Now I have a much more manageable amount of items to organize and I also now know what I have. This helps me make a few more SPECIFIC subject categories such as handmade cards from kids, special cards, schoolwork, achievements, friends and parties and pets
-I now look at the containers I have and see how much space I have for in each each person’s trunk.
– Now it is SO EASY to go through and sort and I have EMOTIONALLY DEALT WITH the items and I can now SUPER QUICKLY AND EFFICIENTLY look at how much there is in each category and edit more ruthlessly to be able to fit in the containers. I try to keep only 1 out of every 8-10 things. I FEEL GOOD about what I am throwing away or donating because the special items are now clear to me and
that is all I NEED.
-Also while I am editing I can ADD LITTLE NOTES about what the things are so they feel even more worthwhile. Everything looks NEAT and TIDY and cared for. I found quite a few things that I had been looking for – Bonus!
-In the end… My GOAL was met. I had 1 trunk for each person in the family. This felt AMAZING!
