Emptying out a house chock full of memories can be tough. It can take a toll both on your body and on your emotions.
Moreover, the task can easily provoke arguments among siblings. One may see dad’s record collection as a family heirloom, while another sees the records as being worth enough money to buy a plane ticket to Mexico.
In addition, there can be fights over what to throw away and what to keep.
An article on marketwatch.com asked the author of a book on the subject for the best ways to avoid such problems.
The phrase that was used most often was: “Keep the memories, throw away the stuff.”
In essence, it says to honor the memories by taking photos, writing things down and talking about them — but then to get rid of the stuff.
Other suggestions:
- don’t procrastinate and wait until the last minute.
- view the task as a series of small jobs rather than as one huge job.
- go room by room and divide items into three categories: keep, toss or donate.
- plan ahead to keep fights to a minimum.
- consider hiring an appraiser for a “look see” to tell what what items are worth something. These can be sold at auction.
