Skip to main content

This could all be yours

Image
By
This cartoon kind of happened to me on the weekend.

One day son this could all be yours

Joking about death

My dad has his own unique sense of humour. Flippantly he joked that when he passes away, the first thing I'll need to do is get a rubbish skip (maybe two) and jam it full with all the junk from the garage.

I was reminded of Marie Kondo, who says in her book that we have to deal with items either now or later; so it might as well be now. For people who have retired, I guess there's a third option: Ignore it for a few more decades and let descendants deal with it.

Don't get me wrong - my dad has plenty of years left yet. But from his joke I'm guessing he's reasonably happy to let it all sit there while he enjoys retired life.

Why not deal with it?

I can kind of understand. It's an overwhelming task (even to look at). There's also the "I might need that" factor. Which is fair enough, but even if an item is needed, is it findable in amongst everything else? About half the garage looks like the cartoon above - so a great deal of it is practically inaccessible.

There will also be stuff in there that will remind him of old times; when my sister and I were young and at home, and mum was alive. It can be tough to go through items like that, but holding onto the old family clothes dryer we no longer need isn't going to turn back time. If anything, selling it can help out a new young family who can't afford a brand new one.

What to do

I think this might be something where my dad would appreciate the assistance and support of his son. Not to takeover, just to help him if he wants to. I'll see if I can bring it up next time - maybe even give him a copy of my ebook Less Clutter More Cash. Not that he needs the cash, but I think he'd be surprised how easy it is to find people who would appreciate (and use) some of that stuff.

In the meantime I'm going to check the library for the book The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning: how to free yourself and your family from a lifetime of clutter. I only know a little about it so far but the subtitle is exactly the situation. It's the accumulation items over decades. Maybe just one a week, but over the decades it adds up to a big burden if it isn't addressed.

I'll let you know how things go.
Read more about:

Comments

  1. Unknown6 February 2019 at 11:17

    Loved the Swedish Death cleaning book.
    It is far better to downsize with parents when they are still alive and well enough to tell the stories that go with family stuff. And get rid of other stuff to folks who will use and appreciate them. ( In the middle of helping my family do the big clear out after Dad passed) It is a journey.



    ReplyDelete
  2. david11 February 2019 at 10:55

    Thanks for that advice. It could be really meaningful to hear the stories behind some of the items. Particularly the items from a time before I can remember.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Four Dots on the Map17 January 2020 at 15:58

    Already started on the Swedish death cleaning at 44! My teens don't want our old stuff...neither do I

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Adam ruins work

By
The TV show Adam Ruins Everything took a look at the workplace - and the 40 hour work week. It confirms my thoughts that the 40-hour work week (or at least it's relevance today) is a figment of our imagination. Very enlightening. Watch it now . The first 7 minutes are the most relevant. There were some astonishing stats coming out of it. For example, we spend only 45% of the work week doing our actual job (not including meetings etc). That's about 18 hours per week. Interestingly, that's what experts predicted. With rises in productivity, the 1950s brought talk of a 4-day work week. By 2030 they reckoned we might work just 15 hours per week. But instead we work longer hours. That results in more mistakes and safety mishaps. It also reduces brain function. We might think that it's being productive but Adam points to countries that have as much prosperity as America while working much shorter hours. A classic case of 'less is more'. PS. for the basis of ...
Post a Comment
Read more

My mug shot

By
This is every mug I own. How many did I buy? Zero. They seem to just appear. I don't even drink tea or coffee. In winter I have might have a hot chocolate or cocoa. So 9 mugs seems like a lot. How does this happen? I reckon most mugs are gifts. There are two reasons for this. 1. It's a safe bet. People need to drink. It's kind of like buying your dad socks for father's day. But the difference is that socks wear out and need replacing. Cups don't. One of these mugs i received as a kid in the 90s. It still works fine. Now it has 8 friends. 2. It's often for what's on the mug. It might be a greeting card-style message, or a sports team logo, or something humorous. It's a good thing that something functional can also provide an inspiring message or pleasant memory as you use it. But the problem comes when we have too much. If I use the cup my sister gave me at Christmas, then I'm not using the 'awesome brother' one she already gave m...
2 comments
Read more

Less Clutter More Cash - now available

By
Do you feel like you have too much stuff? Is your home full of things you never use? Would you like to swap them for cash? We did My wife and I have sold more than 550 items online as we downsize and we've learnt a bit along the way. I've put some of our best tips into this handy ebook. I hope you can use these tips so you too can have less clutter and more cash. Enter your email address below to receive the book for free. Less Clutter More Cash Get my new ebook for free. PS. This will subscribe to the But Wait There's Less email list, so you'll know when the new updated version of the book is available. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Post a Comment
Read more