This is the most first world problem I've ever seen.
The great junk transfer is coming
341–350 of 461 posts
Re: The great junk transfer is coming
#342One of the hardest things in life is knowing when to cash in your chips. Most wait too long.
Re: The great junk transfer is coming
#343My grandmother died about 8 years ago. One of the things I took when helping clear out her house was a white plastic chopping board - it was probably pretty cheap to buy, but I just hadn't got one at the time. I still use it almost every day... and remember her.
I think this is the spot-on critique of the attitude in the article.
I was in college when my mother's parents died a few years apart. They had all kinds of stuff, but I actually appreciated getting some of their kitchen utensils. Not the flatware, but the knives ( not great ones, just okay ), the slotted spoons, the mixing bowls, hand mixer, things like that. I didn't have any of that stuff. It isn't worth much money, but when you don't have that stuff it is non-negligible to buy especially with the decision cost.
I still use two of the knives for the rougher work in the kitchen and camping.
It brings to mind the story of Jesus talking to the "Rich young ruler" [0] Where they guy is dismayed at confronting the idea - as we might translate here in this discussion - that his possessions are a great burden and not at all as valuable to anyone as they feel to him. Jesus' instructions seem economically wrong ( Wouldn't some of the stuff convey more value if simply given away instead of sold and given as money? ) but that seems to be the point being made for this individual. ( something of "you think you know what's right, what's valuable, but it's all just a mess" )
[0] - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark%2010%3A17-...
Re: The great junk transfer is coming
#344Cleaning up after your parents is a gift you give to them: look at it like them paying it forward for all the times the cleaned up after you as a child. Psychologically, mentally, and physically, parents can have difficulty tidying up their stuff. My friend’s parents came from very poor backgrounds and had a lot of trash. The father had a shed full of stuff that was useful to him - he knew what was in it and how to u…
One of my parents is a hoarder and has filled up a 2500+sqft house with junk. It is so bad that there are aisles carved through the house so that they can get through it. My siblings and I have been begging and pleading with them to sort this out for the past 20 years. We have offered to help. But they haven't, as said parent is "throw themselves in front of the car if we try to leave with anything" emotionally attac…
I feel your pain. But they won't change. We cleared a house in a week, that belonged to a hoarder. It can be done. And requires a week, rather than years of pestering and agonising yourself.
Our neighbour died and the kids just paid not much for house clearance, which was a side line of the funeral parlor. For them it's a gamble as to whether they will find something of worth to make it worthwhile.
I have another slowly dementing relative with mobility issues. They need space, but will not give up piles of plates, and four knive blocks that litter their precious kitchen space. They don't even cook. It's impossible, and when I dare to help, it is just met with derision and scorn.
I chucked ten back issues of phone books/directories and have never lived it down.
Re: The great junk transfer is coming
#345Earlier quoted context omitted.
Thank you. The top-level article is unbelievably crass. I have had to deal with this. Sorting through an entire lifetime's worth of knick-knacks, papers, Christmas cards, plaques commemorating achievements and milestones that probably wouldn't even make sense to a twenty-year-old, all of it. Sure, it was hard. It takes time. But so did changing my diapers. And dealing with infant-me crying through the night. And watc…
Hell, no. What's unbelievably crass is the idea that children are obliged to respect and sift through gigantic heaps of stuff just because their parents had some emotional connection to some small parts of it - because most of it is guaranteed to be absolutely useless junk they did not actually value but merely couldn't bring themselves to throw away because of hoarding instincts. The idea that this obligation is som…
In many cases the sorting and disposal is necessary because your parent(s) can no longer maintain their dwelling or live independently.
Re: The great junk transfer is coming
#346Earlier quoted context omitted.
Seriously could not finish the opening story. I understand a small tinge of disdain for the effort required, but surely deep down a sense of gratitude and nostalgia should be mixed in no? Do people really not have no love for their parents they inherited the belongings of? The fact of the inheritance occuring is a hint that we're already filtering for kids who did not have an amiable relationship with their parents,…
You can love a parent without loving their gigantic pile of useless junk
Exactly.
My partner has inherited a big project and collection that meant everything to their Dad. He would always say, I want this taken on etc. But when push comes to shove, the prospect/reality of inheriting someone else's hobby/business, which requires years and years of work with no return just feels more and more bizarre and absurd. But you feel indebted and horrible not carrying through with wishes.
Never mind a pile of junk. You can just inherit a big pile of problems.
Re: The great junk transfer is coming
#347I have hundreds of computer and service manuals for electronics that I will never see again. Part of me wants to give it away, part of me wants to retire and open a vintage repair shop. Everyone under 30 sees it as a pile of trash. Worst case scenario: they can all be thrown into the recycle bin.
If you have the time, you might consider scanning some of those manuals and uploading them to a site like http://bitsavers.org
Re: The great junk transfer is coming
#348It doesn't have to be this way. Synopsis of "The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning" by Margareta Magnusson. In Sweden there is a kind of decluttering called döstädning, dö meaning “death” and städning meaning “cleaning.” This surprising and invigorating process of clearing out unnecessary belongings can be undertaken at any age or life stage but should be done sooner than later, before others have to do it for you…
This feels like the anti-hero to Kondoesque sparks-joy cleaning.
Yeah, "death cleaning" sounds very off-putting (also in the original language).
Re: The great junk transfer is coming
#349Generational differences in tastes will take its toll on some of this more than other bits. I don't know anyone under the age of 40 who cares one bit about fine china and china cabinets. As more and more people who collected china die off, there's a bigger glut of it. Collections that took a lifetime and thousands of dollars to accumulate end up going for pennies at estate sales while the cabinets end up in a landfil…
Pianos don't age well. Antique pianos either need an incredible amount of money spending on them to restore or they are furniture at best. Most pianos were cheap when new and are worth negative money once they are old.
> negative money once they are old
At the very least they should still work as firewood.
Re: The great junk transfer is coming
#350I feel like these days, stuff is incredibly cheap and therefore it's very easy to accumulate a huge amount of it. Sure, we have out sentimental items and useful tools we use everyday. But a huge amount goes un-used, sitting in boxes, closets, attics and garages waiting to be thrown away. I try to "live small". My apartment is relatively small. I'm still wearing clothes from high-school. I still the knife, fork and sp…
The difference here is that until recently things used to be well made and built to last. It's easy to buy a bunch of junky tools etc that might last a few years but it sometimes amazes me how people don't understand that owning a few good quality tools that will last forever is vastly preferable to giving them away. Same is true with a lot of other things, but of course this is only relevant if you're going to use t…
Mom still uses grandpa's can opener. I still haven't managed to buy one that would work that well too.