Keep It or Get Rid of It

Spending time at my parents' house as my mom recovers has led me to the conclusion that I am SO like my mother. She is a saver and so am I. Looking around her home there is so much stuff! Certainly most of it is needed and used but really they still have a full set of encyclopedias in the closet. 

That is only one closet! Downstairs we found one closet chuck full of...all kinds of things such as holiday decorations. There are miscellaneous items in dresser drawers, closets in back bedrooms, china hutches...Some might be antiques, treasured heirlooms and some is just plain old.

So now I come home to my house and I see an enormous three ring binder of bulletins and files from when I started my Master Gardener program. Now I wouldn't think of paging through that stuff when I can look online. Have I gotten rid of it? Nope!

In back bedroom closets I have holiday decorations, photo albums, treasured heirlooms and a lot of stuff that is just plain old. In my personal closet I have three blazers that I wore when teaching but haven't worn since I retired. I have cowboy boots that my sister gave me for my 40th birthday. Why do I still have this stuff? Cuz I'm a saver!

Seeing what we will have to sort through when my parents die has made me realize my children will have to do the same when I go.  I should take the time to sort through my possessions and really decide if I should keep them or get rid of them. It doesn't seem like it should be that a hard so I will just have to set a goal and timeline to get it done. Maybe posting here will help keep me accountable.


Just to clarify--I'm not a hoarder! :-)

How about you? Are you a saver or a purger?