Clearing out stuff - inertia

After dealing with various relative's estates and noting all the stuffed garages of my elderly neighbors, I think there must be some point in life where inertia sets in and it's all too much to deal with. Even cars that no one drives anymore. DH still has a closet full of cameras and gear that he no longer uses. He also likes to save all the boxes that things come in so those are piling up in the shed. I no longer nag him about it but I do think about what I would do with all of it should he pass before me. Or whoever has to deal with it. I am just curious why so many find it hard to deal with their stuff.

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Originally Posted by pinkytoe

After dealing with various relative's estates and noting all the stuffed garages of my elderly neighbors, I think there must be some point in life where inertia sets in and it's all too much to deal with. Even cars that no one drives anymore. DH still has a closet full of cameras and gear that he no longer uses. He also likes to save all the boxes that things come in so those are piling up in the shed. I no longer nag him about it but I do think about what I would do with all of it should he pass before me. Or whoever has to deal with it. I am just curious why so many find it hard to deal with their stuff.

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My guess it is the diminishing energy of aging.

I believe there are several reasons. What if I want to get back into x hobby? (buying the equipment again, retooling, etc)
Conservation of energy (doesn't cause me any effort to move/dispose of it).
Not knowing who will want what when someone goes.
Probably quite a few more reasons, but those are what I can think of off the top of my head.

I am weeks away from my next scan. We will have a better idea if it is working or not. I am/have been having a lot more pain/side effects. I don't know if it is side effect of treatment, or the cancer, but the prime example is, wake up for somewhere between 30 to 45 minutes, then back to sleep for 3 to 5 more hours.
So we are talking both palliative care and hospice at this point. Also talking vehicle disposal, having an estate sale, stopping salary and selling the house(s), and living off of that for however long I have left.

People are paralyzed often by “stuff. “Last weekend I talked to one of my garden club lady friends whose mother died several years ago. It’s the typical story – – she can’t bring herself to clean out “mother’s house. “Because “mother “ wanted her to take all the stuff. Absolutely ridiculous. This lady bought out her brother’s interest in the mom’s house because he was putting pressure on her to get going and get it cleaned and sold.

I just don’t have patience with these situations.

And of course they ALWAYS think the crap is worth more than people will pay for it. The basements full of flower show and floral design crap that exists among my friends is just horrifying. For every dozen little old ladies who die with a basement full of this stuff, there is just one younger person entering the garden club floral design world. There is no market for it.

I totally agree, il. Lately I tend to go in spurts of decluttering. Sometimes I look around and don't see anything I'm ready to get rid of. At the same time, I look around and just see so much "stuff" that I would be thrilled if it were gone!

I am debating on whether or not to start selling my silversmithing tools. It is very unlikely that I will ever be able to silversmith again after my surgery last summer. I have come to a certain peace about having to retire from something I really loved doing. Plus, the cost of silver is skyrocketing; people wouldn't be able to afford the types of sterling cuffs I was making evrn if I could make them again.

Some of the tools in the studio K. and I still use for other projects but we have duplicates of many things I technically could let go of but whenever I sit in there and look around at what I could sell I get a very reticent feeling so I give up the idea of paring down for yet another day even when paring down would give me room to do new things...

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I get a very reticent feeling so I give up the idea of paring down for yet another day

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I think I brought this topic up because that is how I am beginning to feel too. Also thinking there is a bit of low level depression going on due to the strangeness of the world these days. A sort of why bother mood...

SiouzQ and pinkytoe - Very interesting thoughts! It has me pondering my procrastination in some areas of life right now.

I have a round Victorian table that I love. I need to get rid of it because I don’t have a place for it in this house. But ILOVE it!


See, I don’t have that feeling towards most of the stuff around my house and I have no problem getting rid of 90% of it. But this table, having trouble with it. I’ve jammed it into the TV room, but it’s a little big for that room.


I always wonder if that’s how hoarders feel about every tiny thing in their lives. That’s a terrible way to live

"I think I brought this topic up because that is how I am beginning to feel too. Also thinking there is a bit of low level depression going on due to the strangeness of the world these days. A sort of why bother mood..."

Pinkytoe, like you I have been a little depressed lately; I'm thinking a lot of it is seasonal for me as I am having a hard time dealing with the desert heat. It is making me exhausted. I'm also having profuse head and face-sweating with even the slightest bit of exertion so getting anything done in the house and yard just leaves me in a sweat bath. I'm seeing my PC provider tomorrow and will ask her if it is solely some kind of a menopause thing but I didn't used to experience it like this six years this badly.

And yes, I'm sure the strangeness of the world is definitely contributing to my current malaise. I probably watch and listen to too many podcasts and read too much news on a daily basis but I do like to be well-informed. Plus, I have a LOT of free time to kill. I know there are better ways to use it and I am trying to get there, one day at a time. Normally I really like organizing and going through stuff so I hope to get back to that soon.

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Originally Posted by iris lilies

I have a round Victorian table that I love. I need to get rid of it because I don’t have a place for it in this house. But ILOVE it!


See, I don’t have that feeling towards most of the stuff around my house and I have no problem getting rid of 90% of it. But this table, having trouble with it. I’ve jammed it into the TV room, but it’s a little big for that room.


I always wonder if that’s how hoarders feel about every tiny thing in their lives. That’s a terrible way to live

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I feel that way about my great-aunt's Governor Wintrhop desk. It looks very out-of-place in this house, but I don't care. My excuse for not getting rid of it is it's great for storage with its many drawers and pigeonholes.

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Originally Posted by ToomuchStuff

I am weeks away from my next scan. We will have a better idea if it is working or not. I am/have been having a lot more pain/side effects. I don't know if it is side effect of treatment, or the cancer, but the prime example is, wake up for somewhere between 30 to 45 minutes, then back to sleep for 3 to 5 more hours.
So we are talking both palliative care and hospice at this point. Also talking vehicle disposal, having an estate sale, stopping salary and selling the house(s), and living off of that for however long I have left.

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What do you mean you're "weeks" away from your next scan? You've been on the last treatment for a couple of months at least, right? That sucks about the impact of the side effects on your sleep.. nothing worse than broken up sleep. DH experiences that a LOT because he gets muscle cramps, and lately his back hurts and that makes him wake up. Chornic sleeplessness certainly isn't good for you.

I have things I love too and am not interested in letting them go. Its the niggly stuff that doesn't take up much room and sits in the corner in a box like old tech stuff that we aren't sure what to do with.

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Originally Posted by catherine

What do you mean you're "weeks" away from your next scan? You've been on the last treatment for a couple of months at least, right? That sucks about the impact of the side effects on your sleep.. nothing worse than broken up sleep. DH experiences that a LOT because he gets muscle cramps, and lately his back hurts and that makes him wake up. Chornic sleeplessness certainly isn't good for you.

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Weeks, as in you do a number of rounds of treatment (3 weeks on, one week off, for three times), before you stop and do a scan, then either continue, talk about the next possible treatment, or stopping treatment all together. I am not likely to beat it during this treatment, as during the last one,it mutated and spread, so I actually went backwards. This was hoping to move me up and going forward, but physically, I am dealing with it like the prior one that I ended up living with my family because.

TMS: I am so sorry you're having such a rough time of it. Wishing you better days ahead.

Praying for your peace and happiness, TMS

Sending more prayers and energies, tms.

TMS, I admire your strength and resilience. May it continue to serve you well.

Sis and I culled another large box of stuff from Mom's house yesterday, making life a little bit easier for our future selves.

I took some books to a local store-Wonder Books, They are on line too. $5 paid to me! I've decided to ghet rid of the piles of books in the attic by keeping a box in the trunk and adding to it so when I go to town, I can get rid of them and pick up a bit of cash. Better than the landfill.

I have been a model of clean out activity in the past couple of days. I am clearing out old clothes and shoes, and as I run across hidey holes near those, I also clean out those hidey holes. I’ve reorganized my backpack. Even reorganized shoe storage.
I found that we have three umbrellas, one of them, a travel compact size. Umbrellas are pretty stupid. I never carry them and once every few years, I wish I did carry one.

DH has really gotten into cooking and baking bread. Thus, he continues to collect cookware. Granted, AllClad from the thrift store that he cleans up like new is admirable but still yet another category piling up. I did finally get him to agree that we probably need to move before we get any older and that will require some serious unloading of stuff once again so we should get started. Yesterday, I found the last of MIL's frog collection and listed on Marketplace for $10. At least 20 people responded with interest which totally amazed me. SOLD immediately.

It’s great that the frog collection is gone and so many actually wanted it!

I've been dreading cleaning out this one closet under the stairs, where I've stored tons of boxes from when I moved into my place about 10 years ago.

The thought of going in there in all the dustiness makes me put it off. Maybe I'll get to it in December!