what to do with sentimental gifts

[intellectsucks]

So in preparation of selling our house I am doing a lot of cleaning and packing. Yesterday I put a bunch of stuff into a box and labeled it "sentimental garbage". In it were various things that had no practical value but that I can't bring myself to get rid of even though they just clutter up a shelf. Examples: homemade zombie survival kit from a birthday years ago, novelty fluffy hat from my sister's wedding, souvenir string instrument from my dads trip to Egypt about 10-15 years ago. I couldn't even throw out an autographed picture of a c list boxer from the 80s whose name I don't even remember because of how excited my dad was when he got it for me in middle school.

How do mustachians handle this stuff?

[fitfrugalfab]

Try to sell it! Yard Sale, Ebay, Craigslist, Etsy....the options are endless. If that won't work, see if there is any way you can regift them.

[Random Hangers]

I take pictures of anything nostalgic before I throw/give it away (whether it be gifts, a treasured item of clothing, etc). I even made a photobook of some of my childhood memory toys (with a big coupon, of course, lol). That way you can still look back and remember it fondly without having the actual clutter lying around.

[DollarsAndDissonance]

I had this challenge as well: too many sentimental but useless possessions I'd carried around for years.  Everything from greeting cards and notes to sports event programs and things from my childhood.

I now take nice digital photographs of everything and store them in a "Mementos" folder.  I can flip through the photos and enjoy the same memories ("Aw, what a nice old note from Grandpa") without having the burden of all the junk!

[Lanthiriel]

This is going to sound terrible, but... I toss it. Maybe take pictures of it first? I've moved a lot and came pretty quickly to the realization that it's just not practical to hang on to this stuff. If you're only looking at it when you're figuring out where to store it, what's the point?

[MayDay]

Throw it away. 

I feel comfortable limiting to one or maybe 2 sentimental things from each family member.  Zero if they have been dead a long time and I rarely think about or remember them (like a great grandma who died when I was a kid). 

Or limit the size of container you keep.  Allocate one small rubbermade tub to sentimental things.  You can keep anything that fits in it.  Everything else goes.

[RunHappy]

I take pictures of anything nostalgic before I throw/give it away (whether it be gifts, a treasured item of clothing, etc). I even made a photobook of some of my childhood memory toys (with a big coupon, of course, lol). That way you can still look back and remember it fondly without having the actual clutter lying around.

I do this too!

[Chris22]

Just 1 box?  Stuff in it is worthless?  What's the harm in keeping it?  I have 1-2 small (Xerox paper box) boxes with HS yearbooks, some HS/college pictures, momentos, etc.  They're all usually in a corner of the basement or crawlspace or in a closet.  Just have to be disciplined to not let it get out of hand, why I keep it to 1-2 boxes (1 box and 1 plastic thingy of pictures)

[Catbert]

Just 1 box?  Stuff in it is worthless?  What's the harm in keeping it?  I have 1-2 small (Xerox paper box) boxes with HS yearbooks, some HS/college pictures, momentos, etc.  They're all usually in a corner of the basement or crawlspace or in a closet.  Just have to be disciplined to not let it get out of hand, why I keep it to 1-2 boxes (1 box and 1 plastic thingy of pictures)

This is what I would do.  Find a particular amount of space (e.g., one medium plastic tote) and limit your useless buy sentimental items to what will fix in the box.  More than that, take a picture and toss the original.  This assumes you have space to keep a box/tote without renting a storage unit or larger home.

[EricP]

Just 1 box?  Stuff in it is worthless?  What's the harm in keeping it?  I have 1-2 small (Xerox paper box) boxes with HS yearbooks, some HS/college pictures, momentos, etc.  They're all usually in a corner of the basement or crawlspace or in a closet.  Just have to be disciplined to not let it get out of hand, why I keep it to 1-2 boxes (1 box and 1 plastic thingy of pictures)

This is what I would do.  Find a particular amount of space (e.g., one medium plastic tote) and limit your useless buy sentimental items to what will fix in the box.  More than that, take a picture and toss the original.  This assumes you have space to keep a box/tote without renting a storage unit or larger home.

I'd contend that if one can't find a place to put a single medium sized box in their house then they should probably find something else less sentimental to throw out.

[Bobberth]

My wife and I each have a plastic storage box that we have as our sentimental 'treasure chest'.  Each person can put whatever they want in it and it's off limits for being questioned or thrown out.  I have some of the stupidest things in my box but they all remind me of the time where they came from.  The best part is, plastic boxes come in all shapes and sizes so you can choose how big you want from smaller than a shoebox to a giant tote.  If you have the room, keep it stored somewhere and visit it every so often.  I was able to pull out some doodles a friend of mine made made about 15 years ago when we had a celebration to remember his life.  They aren't great art work, but they are great memories and pictures just wouldn't have been the same.