Oh, that is so hard. I suggest getting a scanner for anything made of paper. Then you can store all that "stuff" on a thumb drive. As for stuffed animals, well, I have only about 5 or 6, and I'm keeping them until I die!! But if you have tons of them, hmmmm, all I can think of is donating them to a homeless shelter, police department, or any charity that caters to abused or traumatized children. That way you know they'll be appreciated.

CM, stuffed animals is likely the most difficult...um...'item' for me to...um...get rid of(see, i can barely even write that!!!) The classic story 'The Velvetine Rabbit'(sp?) has always made me cry! I cant even think about tossing a stuffed animal & ive requested not to ever be given stuffed animals as gifts!

CM, stuffed animals is likely the most difficult...um...'item' for me to...um...get rid of(see, i can barely even write that!!!) The classic story 'The Velvetine Rabbit'(sp?) has always made me cry! I cant even think about tossing a stuffed animal & ive requested not to ever be given stuffed animals as gifts!

Definitely for the most part I'm leaving the sentimental stuff for the final phase.

With greeting cards, I went through some of them after my dad died, and tossed the ones that were from extended family and didn't have a long message. That's fairly easy.

I may do like Porter does and scan some of the ones that I like the looks of or that have a message but don't feel the need to hold the physical object.

Then there are probably some I will keep, at least until I get old enough that I have to downsize even more. Ones from my parents and grandparents, mostly. I'm an only child with no spouse or children, so memories of my parents are special to me and the only connection to having been part of an immediate family that I have.

When I go through this second downsizing, I'll assess how much room the remainder takes up before making any further plans.

Another area I struggle with is stuffed animals. I really personified my stuffies as a kid and even as an adult. But they take up a lot of room, and not all are in good enough shape to give away. That'll be a challenge for another day!

I keep a box of picture into two stacks.
Keeps and copies.

On a rainy day , I take digital photos and or scan the pictures so I can have them on The cloud. That way if there a disaster I have the images.
I do this for cards too. It took me an entire winter but I uploaded 7000 pictures. This help to not get bogged down In The sentimental. I could reclaim space by putting the sentimental stuff in another room or storage. But after the purge, I brought the pictures and boxes of cards home and scanned them.

Hi Maggie :)
The sentimental things are best left for later
after the bigger, less emotional stuff has been dealt with.

Most of my sentimental cards and letters and children's pictures etc are in disused recycled suitcases,,,,,perhaps I will let some of it go,,,but for now I'm more concerned with the non sentimental more bulky items. I'm not at the point where I can even think about the sentimental paperwork or small craft projects.

Hi Janie :)
That personal sentimental stuff is something only you can make these decisions on.

If you want to keep it all, make room for it by letting other things go that are not so sentimental to you.

If your entire home is filled with sentimental things you can't part with then you have a problem.

A GREAT book to read is
"Buried In Treasures"
It will help you to work through those very tough decisions.

Best wishes, Tillie :)

Reading old cards, letters, etc. makes me feel loved, appreciated, comforted, etc.How do I know what I should save and what I should toss without feeling anxious or sad?