The Coffee House

[cgw116 141]

That's the lesson from the Swedish "death cleaning" practice: don't leave a mess for others to clean up (I suppose that also depends on how much you like the folks who would be cleaning up the mess ).

I don't have kids, so I don't have to worry about leaving a mess for them, but it's still an approach that resonates with me more than the whole Marie Kondo "sparking joy" approach. I don't want people who don't me making decisions about the stuff that was important enough to me to keep around me. So let me pare down to manageable levels and leave instructions. Hopefully I am decades ahead of the necessity, but it's still something to just keep as an ongoing process.

Agree. My 97yr-old FIL has left a wide path for us to clear. There's a functional private plane, two home-built deathtraps we made plus two hangars full of tools, machinery and materials. Then there's the infamous "family ruin" currently serving as a one-man retirement home.

 

[SquarePeg36 7]

I love to de-clutter. Feels freeing! My MIL had knick-knacks 5 deep everywhere and my Mom was a minimalist. It was a learning curve when we had to empty out their homes. I don't want to leave my kids with a bunch of junk.

I haven't taken hardly any photos this year. I hurt my arm last December and thought it would get better. Went to doc and said frozen shoulder. I start PT next week. Fortunately it isn't my dominate arm, but sleeping is a bear.

There seems to be an epidemic of frozen shoulder among women! You’re at least the 5th I’ve hear about in the past two months. Get well soon!

 

[snowbear115 46]

We had to clear two at the same time: the youngest SIL and mom passed within a couple weeks of each other. Emptying out SIL's place is the reason we hit the Jeep - tired of renting a pickup every weekend.

The kindle app says I'm 12 books ahead of schedule for my goal of 100 books for the year. In all honestly, four or five were quick reads / short stories. I'm at 1201 consecutive days in a row, a bit over three years. Some nights it's only 15 to 20 minutes but if it's a real good book i'll read hours on end.

 

[snowbear115 46]

I lov

I haven't taken hardly any photos this year. I hurt my arm last December and thought it would get better. Went to doc and said frozen shoulder. I start PT next week. Fortunately it isn't my dominate arm, but sleeping is a bear.

Get better. I know what you mean about sleeping with shoulder/arm pain.

I was supposed to continue my PT exercises after I "graduated" but have been lax with the. At least I found out the rotator cuff was not torn.

 

[CherylL]

That's the lesson from the Swedish "death cleaning" practice: don't leave a mess for others to clean up (I suppose that also depends on how much you like the folks who would be cleaning up the mess ).

I don't have kids, so I don't have to worry about leaving a mess for them, but it's still an approach that resonates with me more than the whole Marie Kondo "sparking joy" approach. I don't want people who don't me making decisions about the stuff that was important enough to me to keep around me. So let me pare down to manageable levels and leave instructions. Hopefully I am decades ahead of the necessity, but it's still something to just keep as an ongoing process.

I've heard of the Swedish death cleaning. I think you are to tell an object thanks and then let go. We updated our wills 10 years ago and asked our daughters what they wanted. Very little LOL. Now if they would get their stuff out of our basement.

 

[CherylL]

There seems to be an epidemic of frozen shoulder among women! You’re at least the 5th I’ve hear about in the past two months. Get well soon!

I was surprised doc said frozen shoulder when the pain is in my upper arm. Everything is connected.

 

[CherylL]

Get better. I know what you mean about sleeping with shoulder/arm pain.

I was supposed to continue my PT exercises after I "graduated" but have been lax with the. At least I found out the rotator cuff was not torn.

Thanks. I'm hoping PT will help with the pain and get back my full range of movement. Hard to put on clothes or a coat.

 

[snowbear115 46]

Thanks. I'm hoping PT will help with the pain and get back my full range of movement. Hard to put on clothes or a coat.

It helped me, though time also helped heal (it was tendonitis and some shoulder muscle issue). I went one day perweek for six weeks, I think and did exercises at home daily. I did miss a few days but not bad. I cou;d feel a difference about three weeks in.

 

[terri33 4]

I've heard of the Swedish death cleaning. I think you are to tell an object thanks and then let go. We updated our wills 10 years ago and asked our daughters what they wanted. Very little LOL. Now if they would get their stuff out of our basement.

This is the right way! All I needed to be convinced was to be the lone offspring who faced my mom's basement when she was finally ready to move into an assisted living facility.

She crammed stuff in that basement for 40 years, and never threw anything away.

New telephone? Old one went to the basement.

New kitchen mixer? Keep this one around, because You Never Know.

Stuff.Was.Everywhere.

There's more, in all directions, but you get the idea. I'll never do this to anyone!

Only later did I come across the Swedish death cleaning concept - I'm a believer!

 

[SquarePeg36 7]

This is the right way! All I needed to be convinced was to be the lone offspring who faced my mom's basement when she was finally ready to move into an assisted living facility.

She crammed stuff in that basement for 40 years, and never threw anything away.

New telephone? Old one went to the basement.
View attachment 295677

New kitchen mixer? Keep this one around, because You Never Know.

View attachment 295676

Stuff.Was.Everywhere.


View attachment 295678

View attachment 295679


There's more, in all directions, but you get the idea. I'll never do this to anyone!

Only later did I come across the Swedish death cleaning concept - I'm a believer!

Yikes! Looks like what we had going on here at one point but I have made a lot of progress. It helps not having a garage or any basement storage space. Did a major clean out about 8 years ago when we replaced the roof and remodeled the garage - we emptied them both and then had to condense everything we were keeping into the new attic space. Filled a dumpster in 2 days.

 

[webestang6411]

I'll never do this to anyone!

My nephew is gonna freak when he has to clean out my house. I told him to just hire an estate sales company and put the money toward his kids education or give to a charity.

I really dig that mixer...................!

 

[snowbear115 46]

I like the 2500 (old phone).

 

[cgw116 141]

Easy way, just rent a big-a$$ storage locker if an immediate cull is too painful. Yard/garage sales are made tedious by aggressive earlybird pickers, especially when you blab it on Marketplace. Sure, it guarantees traffic but also pulls in a few too many PITAs.

 

[Rickbb64 2]

You would have thought I'd learned that lesson when I was the one to close down and sell my parents place. But nooooo, I have a bigger house with more stuff than they did. Told my daughter that one day all this would be hers. She was not amused. lol

At least most of my stuff is useable, to someone anyway. I have started to cull the hobbies I've only managed to start but not really finish. lol

 

[terri33 4]

I really dig that mixer...................!

I like the 2500 (old phone).

You two aren't helping.

My husband was campaigning a bit for the mixer. Of course, it’s badass - but still had to go. You can't start getting attracted to the "time and place" aspect of it all.

Rule #1 in basement excavation: Everything must go.

Rule #2: See Rule #1.

None of it's easy!