Monday 12 May 2014

The Trap

Do you have a garage? A shed? An attic? A spare room perhaps? Somewhere you can store stuff that you don't require on a day to day basis or stuff that you're hanging onto because you might need it one day or you have some emotional attachment and can't let go?

We have an attic. They type that has the pull down ladder in the ceiling and Geoff has put some flooring up there and that's pretty much it. It's a trap. Why? Because it's far too easy to fling stuff up there rather than make an actual decision about it.

The door to The Trap! What lurks behind....


There is so much crap up there it's a fire hazard. So at Easter I decided the big project would be to check though what the heck was there and get rid of some stuff.

Here's a summary:

  • Rationalising the enormous collection of soft toys down to just two huge stripy bags full. We should have gone harder I know but there's a lot of emotion in those stuffed bits of bathmat
  • At least half a dozen good quality woollen blankets that Mum had given me when she and Dad moved house god knows how many years ago. We've never used them and as the weather grows increasingly chilly, I figure anyone sleeping rough would probably like one. Straight to St Vinnies.
  • Three sleeping mats (we have bunk beds for the tent now) and about as many sleeping bags that have since been upgraded or that we no longer use. See above.
  • A couple of Lladro figurines (not rare) that were Mum's - although she says she has no recollection of them. My cousin Amy likes that style of decoration so why on earth are they sitting gathering dust in my attic when she could be enjoying them?
  • Just a few clothes that were Jazzy's and Elle's that I thought Sass might wear one day. Ha! Apart from a couple of pairs of wacky sneakers, the rest went straight to St Vinnie's.
  • God knows how many crates of the kids' 'special art' and school journals - but could I get Elle and Sass to part with more than a small fraction of it? No. I'm thinking a sneaky clean out without them might be in order!
Here's a stroll through history:
  • A huge crate of rolls for the pianola. We did have a pianola - it was my grandmother's - but do we really need so many old rolls of songs and music from the 1920s?? Probably not. But they're still there.
  • A crate of memorabilia from my youth (yes, yes - all those years ago....)
  • A box of family heirlooms from my parent's place (now minus a couple of Lladro figurines)
  • A small crate of adorable baby things that I hope one day the girls might want for their babies
  • Crates of photo albums - even though Geoff has pretty much scanned every photo we own
  • The doll's house that was Jaz's, then Elle's, then Sass's
  • The rocking horse that was Jaz's, then Elle's, then Sass's
  • A crate of George's special things
  • Some dioramas the kids did at school
  • A crate of favourite kid's books (see baby things)
  • Old trophies and awards
What's also staying that is useful:
  • A couple of crates of ski gear - although we did manage to weed out the bits that don't fit anyone anymore
  • Doona, pillows, mattresses and sleeping bags for sleep overs
  • Some miscellaneous furniture we have pledged to rid ourselves of should any of it not find a home when we finally renovate
  • Christmas decorations
I'm such a hoarder! I'm sure if George and Jaz were still with us, I feel sure I wouldn't need to hang on to so many tangible memories - but also suspect that space would just be taken up by other crap of theirs! I also suspect if one day it all just disappeared, apart from the useful stuff, we'd manage perfectly well without the rest.

So do you have storage trap? What do you keep and how do you let go of 'stuff'?? All tips gratefully received!



5 comments:

Fashionista said...

No tips to pass on, sorry! But well done in making a start. We have the attic in the garage, the cupboard under the stairs and the guest room wardrobe that are acknowledged evil places of hoarding. Although in reality every other cupboard in the house is borderline. My project for 2014 is to do go through "one cupboard at a time" and be RUTHLESS. Easier said than done however progress is being made and I have a giant pile for a Vinnies run tomorrow. Very cathartic it is too.

Mother Who Works said...

Sure is Fashionista! I love getting rid of stuff. I don't do it by the bag, I tend to go the car load. Sadly, I rewarded the girls after the attic effort with.... a quick trip to Chadstone. Please. Someone. Slap me. I often think how liberating it would be to halve our possessions. But I guess every bit helps! MWWx

JayBee said...

No tips from me! I have five generations of treasure / crap and memories does it for me every time.... but have I got the book for you - 'Less is More' How to declutter your life by Kim Carruthers. Its in one of my daughter's piles!!! Good luckMWWxx

Mother Who Works said...

I am laughing at the irony JB!!! Sadly, I think we all know the theory. Do you think it harks back to our days as gatherers?? MWWx

Lauren McCusker said...

We have a trap...a really convenient storage room, attached to our house with the only entrance being external. Sort of like a brick shed. I had intended to use it for useful storage: Christmas junk, garden tools, the pram etc. Somehow it's filled with a thousand half-dead bookshelves (they breed in there) and various baby items. I can't explain why I'm hanging onto a bassinet frame, but it's there. The problem with traps is that it's out of sight, out of mind. I declutter the house by tossing anything I haven't used in a year/is hideous. You could scan the kids artwork...bit easier to store then!

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