Curiosity question for the FULL-TIMERS

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JeffandTracy

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Mar 13, 2016
Posts
65
Location
Wes Michigan
After years of living in a stick built and raising a family, what did you all do with the stuff you collected over the years? Your  'treasures' you just couldn't part with?

After wandering through my house today I realized between the 10 of us (parents and 8 kids, 7 are grown and gone) we have a TON of stuff. The Hubs has an entire room in the basement filled with every tool imaginable.
I have about 8 tons of photos and 'memories' and collectables (all oriental).

I don't think I could really part with any of that, so now I am so curious I just had to ask  ;)
 
It is very liberating to get rid of all the junk I was carting around with me. I have never missed any of it because it was replaced by freedom to move around and do what I want to do. It amazes me how much space all the junk takes up and the amount of time and money it costs to keep it all safe and in order. And remember you are getting up in your years and eventually you will die and someone else would have to get rid of all your stuff. It is better if you decide who gets what rather than have your relatives squabble over every thing. The bottom line is none of that stuff is as important as you think.
 
SeilerBird said:
It is very liberating to get rid of all the junk I was carting around with me. I have never missed any of it because it was replaced by freedom to move around and do what I want to do. It amazes me how much space all the junk takes up and the amount of time and money it costs to keep it all safe and in order. And remember you are getting up in your years and eventually you will die and someone else would have to get rid of all your stuff. It is better if you decide who gets what rather than have your relatives squabble over every thing. The bottom line is none of that stuff is as important as you think.

That is a hell of a good point!! I already have kids that want certain things.  ;)

Did you keep some stuff? I would imagine a lot of my special treasures (my grandfather's service uniform) I could just pass down to one of the kids.

When you put it like that, I guess it could be easy to get rid of the 'junk' and just divvy up the really important stuff.

Thanks for the point of view  ;)
 
Did you keep some stuff?

I started out full timing in a van so I got rid of almost everything. 13 years later I am still full timing in 32 foot class A and I am forever throwing things away or selling them. It is really easy to end up with way too much stuff. When you do get rid of your stuff and hit the road full timing you will realize it is one of the best decisions you ever made.
 
I kept family photos and things like baby books.  I also kept things that were full of memories, such as some of the stuff I got from my grandparents.  Some keepsakes like the chandelier my parents bought for their first house, my mothers sterling tea set, and my own sterling flatware, plus some jewelry went to kids. 

The big mistake I made was when I started my journey four years ago was keeping most of my furniture in a storage facility. (I was afraid I would need it if I did not like full-timing, but I really love this life!) Over the past couple of years, a lot of it went to one son for his finished basement.  The mattresses are mildewed even though they were wrapped in plastic, so they need to go in the trash.  This summer, I am going to repack and consolidate the family stuff and send all the furniture to a consignment shop.  I am hoping I can get it down to less than 10 boxes. 

Stuff that I once thought was precious to me is now just junk and stuff that costs me to store.  I agree wholeheartedly that memories are not in "stuff" and it is freeing to be rid of it all.  It is amazing at what you can live happily without. 
 
If you haven't used it in the last year, you don't need it. We got rid of everything that would not fit in the motorhome. Scanned photos and papers. Started on the road and after 6 months decided we didn't need the 3'x3' small storage locker and emptied that. It sure is nice to not have to worry about "stuff". Now I'm on a "kick" emptying out the basement of the motor home.
 
We sold a lot of furniture and gave what was left to our kids. Keepsakes were boxed up and put up in our son's garage storage. We will be going through things again once we are back up in the NW and making a final "cut" to make sure we aren't hanging on to stuff we truly don't need. Funny how sons and daughters place less value on many things we think are worth saving.

Our new coach affords us more storage and interior room so we will be adding somethings to our new "home" including a wireless printer.
 
Remember, storage is expensive.  If you cant part with all of it, dont full time!
 
donn said:
Remember, storage is expensive.  If you cant part with all of it, dont full time!

Hubs and are both inder 50..we have time before we think of this more. Plus, my youngest is only 13/14.
My treasures are all old stuff gathered from parents and grandparents.  My personl stuff I realized long ago was just crap and have started getting rid of it.
A majority of the special things are things my grandfather, dad and uncle brought back from there time in the serice overseas.
 
Bill and Debbie said:
Funny how sons and daughters place less value on many things we think are worth saving.

I'm very fortunate, my kids love history, especially family history, they all want my treasures  ;)
 
The fact is every family situation is a little different.
One family may have things that have been passed down and are very important.  While another family may not.
Seilerbird brings up some very good points.  But he also doesn't have any kids so he likely looks at things very differently than a family with 8 kids.

SeilerBird said:
It is better if you decide who gets what rather than have your relatives squabble over every thing. The bottom line is none of that stuff is as important as you think.
I know families that this would work well.
I also know families where this would cause jealousy and despair within siblings that the parents would rather not have to deal with.  They would rather enjoy the times they have with their kids and grandkids and let them figure it for themselves later.
 
When my gramma was clearing out her house to make room for her son and DIL who were buying her house moving in to take care of her, she had 16 grand kids and 8 great grandkids. She had each of us pick three things of hers that we wanted, and then did her best to give us our first picks. I dont think anyone was disappointed. Then she had a yard sale and sold everything else. Anything that didnt sell was sent to a thrift store.

I am now also in the process of getting rid of stuff. We are going to full time while we can, and I thought about hanging onto some of the stuff for when we can't. However, I am not really attached to any of it and its pretty easy to replace. I plan on donating the furniture and any household items I cant keep to a housing program for people with HIV and AIDS for their clients to use in their apartments. I bought my couch 1 1/2 years ago and bought a 2 year warranty on it. There are several things wrong that would entail replacing the couch. If we get this all done before next December, I will trade in the couch for a new one and donate it. I could do it now, but I have dogs.  :eek:

I had asked my son several years ago if he wanted his old school papers and stuff that I had kept. He told me no. I kept them myself and a few weeks ago I asked him again and he said yes. Some of my pictures are of family members who my son never got to know. I am sending them to my sisters and cousins. All of my husbands family pictures are going to his son.

Im planning on getting rid of most things, so the kids dont have to deal with it all, but I dont want to get rid of my christmas decorations or my clown collection. I don't want to make it too easy on them. ;) 

I figure he can store my clowns and christmas decorations to hang onto for me. I just gave him some of his things that he had left here since he got out of the army 10 years ago. He owes me.  ;D
 
donn said:
Remember, storage is expensive.  If you cant part with all of it, dont full time!

We got rid of everything, only to find that the house would not sell for any reasonable price during the downturn. So our son was happy to move into the house and we have a good caretaker while we enjoy full timing.
 
I scanned or had scanned thousands of feet of movies and a couple thousand slides, and nearly all photos, but I did keep the professionally done portraits of all of us.  I also kept the originals, and there were probably less than 40, of photos taken in the early 1900s, including a few really old tintypes.  Also kept things like original  birth certificates and receipts and stuff from my great-grandparents. I am the only one in my family that got the really old stuff.  I did not believe a scan of those was adequate.  The total amount of this stuff was about two shoe boxes--easily stored. 

And original baby books can be scanned, but the originals are priceless and not replaceable.
 
It sounds like you kept the most important things.  And you're right, things like original birth certificates, wedding certificates, seaman papers, original death certificates and the like can never be replaced.  I hope they eventually go to someone in the family who will understand the value in their heritage.  Make sure the people in photographs are identified.  Thank you, Mother!!!  I was given a beautiful hand-tooled leather photo album and not a single photo in it was identified which was a shame.

ArdraF
 
On the DH (dear husband) tools. It would amaze you how much $$ can be saved if repairs can be done by him and a 100 pounds of tools. I saved $1400 by removing and replacing my radiator after having it rebuilt with a new core. Saved approximately $2000 by doing a complete brake job myself. If DH is inclined toward that work it may be well worth bringing those type of tools along. My DW (dear wife) wasn't too happy with the idea at first, I did the radiator and brakes before we left. But we struggled with an exhaust donut on the motorhome, replaced it a couple times in 4000 miles, and then this spring when I had starter issues with 3 different vehicles, she now fully appreciates the $$ saved.

Bill
 
cadee2c said:
Im planning on getting rid of most things, so the kids dont have to deal with it all, but I dont want to get rid of my christmas decorations or my clown collection. I don't want to make it too easy on them. ;) 

Two years ago my Mom passed away, my Dad 8 months later.  My brother and I had to clean out their house which was very full. Your kids will definitely appreciate what you are doing!

Ed
 
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