The great junk transfer is coming • Hacker News Board

Re: The great junk transfer is coming

#201

Post by iamben » Wed, May 25, 2022, 8:32 AM UTC

My mother is very pragmatic about this. She took me and my brother aside and (to paraphrase) said "You don't need sentimental a attachment to these things. Keep a few bits if you want, get rid of everything else. But this, this and this are valuable and you should get them properly appraised and then use the money for something you need. The rest shift as you want."

As someone who's fairly minimal (and definitely doesn't like clutter) it was lovely to hear and has (somewhat!) relaxed me. I'm definitely the kind of person who would have felt guilty about shifting the things she has chosen to surround herself with otherwise.

Re: The great junk transfer is coming

#202

Post by dcminter » Wed, May 25, 2022, 8:37 AM UTC

henrikschroder wrote: post #181

Mountain_Skies wrote: post #123

Generational 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…

Oh no, this reminds me that I have a box in my basement with my grandparents' wedding china that they got in the 1940's or something. My dad gave me the box, and I'm not allowed to throw the thing away as long as he lives. But it's completely useless. It's pretty, but you can't ever use it. It's not dishwasher safe, it's extremely fragile, and I cannot imagine ever hosting some kind of event where it would be appropr…

> ...there's not gonna be a market for things like this ten, twenty, years from now.

You never know. Vintage fans are a thing, after all (1940s and 1950s are quite popular). When the time comes, ask around - there might be someone keen. Worth checking with family too - there might be someone who'll love and use it just for that connection.

Re: The great junk transfer is coming

#203

Post by einpoklum » Wed, May 25, 2022, 8:44 AM UTC

Somehow I am not very moved by people who have inherited houses having to go to the bother of sorting through yet more stuff they've inherited along with real-estate. For many younger people in the US (perhaps even most of them?) buying a house is either a pipe dream or a life-long debt-servicing endeavor.

Re: The great junk transfer is coming

#204

Post by hiq » Wed, May 25, 2022, 8:45 AM UTC

jseban wrote: post #198

hiq wrote: post #184

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's a good argument for living in a small place rather than a house as big as you can possibly afford.

I don't see what the big deal is to be honest, just a harmless hobby to collect random trinkets, it gives people joy, and you can just get rid of it when they die. I don't see what the harm is

Sure, it's a matter of preference, I just prefer to have less stuff, everything else being equal.

Re: The great junk transfer is coming

#205

Post by noobermin » Wed, May 25, 2022, 8:45 AM UTC

robocat wrote: post #70

Cleaning 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…

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, so assuming that, i cannot understand how resentment can "slice through" your feelings of loss. Perhaps it can be mixed in, sure, but if it fills your heart so much as displace your sense of loss, I cannot imagine a more selfish and ungrateful attitude towards one's loving parents.

Re: The great junk transfer is coming

#206

Post by lebski88 » Wed, May 25, 2022, 8:48 AM UTC

donw wrote: post #139

robocat wrote: post #70

Cleaning 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…

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…

Having done both sides I'd say the kids are getting the better deal :-) Palliative care for a parent is draining and can take years but it utterly pales compared to how much effort raising kids is. Doing both at the same time is not recommended!

Re: The great junk transfer is coming

#207

Post by audiometry » Wed, May 25, 2022, 8:55 AM UTC

robocat wrote: post #70

Cleaning 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…

Yeah I “de-thatched” my parents basement by filling up an enormous dumpster of shit. Literally things like “oh here are 9 CRT monitors that will never be used” etc. objectively it improved the basement and usability at zero opportunity cost. But it didn’t make them happier at all. My conclusion was better to let them do as they wish. I fortunately don’t have to live amidst the debris. (The basement has since then swelled to full capacity and spilled into two disgusting permanent tents outside).

Re: The great junk transfer is coming

#208

Post by SenHeng » Wed, May 25, 2022, 8:56 AM UTC

astrange wrote: post #88

shakezula wrote: post #68

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This feels like the anti-hero to Kondoesque sparks-joy cleaning.

Btw, “sparks joy” was invented for the English translation. The Japanese was IIRC “tokimeki”, so I’d say that is a clever localization but is too specific about the kind of emotion sparked. Kondo’s Japanese books also have a lot more specific advice about trash disposal in Japan, which can be difficult, leading to hoarding because you don’t want to figure out how to do it. Japan has some high productivity systems for…

I've often seen that when old houses get torn down, everything inside gets dumped into a skip that later goes to a magical place that does magical things with it.

I'm quite sure similar services can also be used by the average person. You simply google for these magical words '産廃業者 $CITY'. Most* things can and will be handled by your local 'industrial waste' disposal person. Industrial here stands for non-consumer, not stuff-in-factories.

* Except hazardous materials like asbestos, used paint and assorted chemicals which require another kind of disposal service that the city council can point one to.

Re: The great junk transfer is coming

#209

Post by onion2k » Wed, May 25, 2022, 8:56 AM UTC

hiq wrote: post #204

jseban wrote: post #198

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't see what the big deal is to be honest, just a harmless hobby to collect random trinkets, it gives people joy, and you can just get rid of it when they die. I don't see what the harm is

Sure, it's a matter of preference, I just prefer to have less stuff, everything else being equal.

In that case it's a good argument for you to buy a smaller house, but if you accept that it's a matter of preference and not something that can be generalized then it's not a valid argument for other people.

Re: The great junk transfer is coming

#210

Post by lnauta » Wed, May 25, 2022, 8:56 AM UTC

When my grandma died we found something similar. We were getting more and more aggressive with shoving stuff into garbage bags, when my mom and aunt opened the closet and found clothes of my deceased grandfather. He had died ten years before my birth. Most of it was falling apart, except for a tuxedo that fitted me nicely! A good catch for a day of clearing out this apartment.