Cleaning up/Storage

I'm in the process of doing the SAME thing. I have tossed MANY of the old photos, cards, etc. You can't keep everything. I might keep one from someone very special, keep the most RECENT pics, etc. If it's family, make an album. If they are not immediate family....I toss them. You may feel guilty at first, but it will go away!

I have the same problem. Most of them I've put in those pretty decorative boxes. Putting off the inevitable, I guess. Good Luck

All birthday/valentines/christmas/whatever cards get tossed into the recycling bin soon after that holiday/event is over. The exception is that we kept most of the cards from each of our kids' first year but those are put away in their 'baby box' (a small plastic bin for all those first keepsakes -- baby book, hospital bracelet, shower/birth congrats cards, etc) that's kept high in a closet. I've kept a few funeral cards/programs but only for those people nearest and dearest to my heart. I have a small plastic bin for those types of sentimental keepsakes.

For pictures, they go into a photo album or if they are larger than 4x6 I either toss them if I'm not totally in love with the picture or I put them in a file folder I have for larger pictures.

Each person in our family has a small shoebox size plastic bin that we keep our personal keepsakes in... the sentimental stuff we just don't want to toss out. It keeps it under control because we periodically have to clean it out to make room for more. We end up keeping only the really importment stuff. I have to help my kids, of course, since they are so young, but I'm hoping by starting them young they won't end up being clutter-bug like most people in my husband's family.

It's just stuff... toss/donate it if don't totally love it, don't use it more than once a year, it's covering your counters/tables/desktops and preventing you from doing something you really do love (can't decorate cookies with the kids on a messy kitchen counter!!). Remember - less is more!

For cards - birthday, christmas, etc. I cut off the front and use as tags for presents (as long as they aren't written on) and then recycle the other half. As for pictures - if you want to keep them, I would buy a 3 prong folder and clear inserts, then put them in as you get them. You could tape them to colored construction paper and make them look nice without spending a ton of time.

donate them to your local MR/DD or preschool for art projects.

PERSONAL MEMORIES: I have a file in my file cabinet for my own personal memories of things I definitely want to keep (cards from my kids or husband, etc.)

GENEALOGY-related: I put funeral remembrance cards in my genealogical box if they are a relative. If they are not a relative, I sometimes keep them in my personal memories for a time...but you can't keep stuff like this forever, I do know that, but it's so hard.

WEDDING CARDS FROM OUR WEDDING: I kept all our cards from our wedding for over 10 years and then threw them away and I FOREVER have regretted that. I wish I had put them in a scrapbook.

BABY CARDS: My mother put all the cards they received at my birth in my baby scrapbook and I love looking at those cards occasionally and remembering people. I saved all my kids cards in their own scrapbooks until they got to be about 10 or 12..., thinking they may also enjoy this someday.

PICTURES - NON-IMMEDIATE FAMILY: For pictures of non-immediate family, I usually keep those, but they are in a scrapbook/album (and I am NOT a scrapbooking person---I'm just talking about a plain scrapbook- pictures adhesed and with names written) My sister, for instance, continued to give us 5x7 of her kids' school pictures as they were growing up...I never had those on my walls although she said "these are for your walls" (I have enough trouble keeping current pictures of my own kids displayed!) But I kept the pictures and some are in that generic scrapbook/album of "other pictures." (you'll find you get a lot of pictures of high school graduates, too.) I mostly save those, put the name on the back because believe me--you will NOT remember all those names in later years. I no longer save graduation announcements or wedding announcement/invitations unless it's spectacularly beautiful and then I only have it out for awhile and then it goes in my personal memories file which I occasionally purge the extraneous stuff.

KIDS SCHOOL STUFF: For kids school papers, I used to keep every paper, drawing, test, etc., in a box (a paper crate box works well) until the end of the school year, and then just glean a few of the best things, most all the artwork, special projects, or anything the child is particularly proud of, and then transfer that school year's stuff to another box for that kids. All my kids are grown, but I have a box of "memories" for each of them, and these school papers are included...also things like 4-H ribbons, cub scout badges, drill team certificates, academic awards documents, etc. They can have them someday, if they won't just throw them away...I don't mind the space on the shelf in my house for now--someday they'll have to go through it, LOL!

CHRISTMAS CARDS- I keep Christmas cards for one year. I do look through them several times throughout the year. (I have heard of families keeping these on the table and looking at one every evening and praying for the sender throughout the year--sounds nice--but it was never done by us..) When it's time (like now--November) that you start getting new cards, I go through it one last time and maybe reread the letters and notes, and pull out any pictures I want to put in my "other pictures" collection and then throw them away unless it is spectacularly beautiful....I save maybe a total of one or two a year.

OLD STUFF: I still have birthday cards that my grandma sent me over 40 years ago...I love seeing her handwriting. Right at the time I started getting interested in genealogy, my father-in-law told me he had just thrown away his parents marriage certificate! I asked him why in the world he did that and he had no answer. They had both been dead over 40 years at that point- I couldn't believe it! So think about it before you throw away something that may really be of neat value like that...

HOWEVER- I am a pack rat and I have way too much junk in my house and perhaps you really don't have the space and maybe it is wrong of me to place this much importance on STUFF... so if I am encouraging/pushing you in an area where you have "problems" --I apologize.

Personally, I am a sentimental person, and I keep it. A few years later, I'll go through and recycle those that are no longer sentimental to me. I always keep the ones from close friends and family members.

The question I always try to ask myself is how would I feel about losing it if something catastrophic happened?

The ones that are important I put in a note book with plastic page protectors. Pictures of someone else's pet I would toss unless there were people pictures with them. They take up less space that way. good luck

I pitch anything that I don't absolutely LOVE or need. Now, if you feel you HAVE to keep the kids picks, put them in a photo album (not a fancy scrapbook). If you have a problem with trashing something and are crafty, reuse them, other wise recycle.

I have started scanning pictures, cards, etc. This way, I have everything electronically on my computer (safer from fires, storms, etc) and it doesn't take up any space. I toss the paper or photo once it is scanned.

trash it! you'll feel better in the long run. check out flylady.com

Since we have moved several times, I have learned to trash a lot of old stuff like that. I try to keep maybe one that is sentimental, but for the most part, I throw it out! Old cards and pictures that I don't display you can now put on disk from the computer. But at some point, you do need to de-clutter and move on! LOL Don't feel bad..no one will know what you threw out but you!

I am someone who cannot stand clutter, so to the trash it goes.
I only keep the things that i know i will regret throwing out. good luck

put the stuff into your computer then download it onto a flash externalhard drive or cd.then dispose of or put the originals into a file and store them in your attic

Hi C. I will tell you what we have been doing and it may not be Kocher we are cleaning out 'stuff' and all the card have gone to the burner except from me and my 50 years hubby. Pictures are zipped even some of the neiece's and nephew's we had no room or place to put them. This may sound harsh but who knows and who cares they are ours and that is what we choose to do. Good Luck

THat's whatscrapbooks are for. As one poster mentioned, doesn't have to be spectacular. Placed on a page with the names/dates is fine for pictures. you never know when you will want to see an old picture.

As for cards, again you can put those into a scrapbook, look over them from time to time when you need a good laugh, to know you are not alone, or whatever.

R.