Bailey had book club on Friday, so we didn't clean in Dad's space downstairs. But on Saturday, Timmy, our friend and garbage man, came and hauled off several appliances.
I had received a quote from a company in town that wanted $100 just to haul off the freezer, so I worked out a deal with Timmy instead and bartered the hauling off of trash in exchange for a refrigerator that Dad had just bought recently and some cash as well. #bartering
So, Timmy hauled off the freezer that had stopped working who knows when or was unplugged by a neighbor helping Mom at one point in time, an old stove, a smaller refrigerator, a toaster oven, microwave and printer.
None of the items were worth saving to me and would have needed some serious scrubbing to get clean that I was unwilling to do, and even then I didn't know if they worked or not. I'm not afraid of hard work or scrubbing and have done my fair share of that, but these were not worth it to me.
I'm thrilled to have them all out of the way, especially the freezer. I told my sister it was bad, like don't open the lid bad. LOL
I'm not sure what Dad was thinking with all the refrigerators. He had two downstairs, and four in his home across the road, and about three of them were brand new. I put one of the smaller ones in my bedroom to hold some of my medicine that needs refrigeration.
Dad and Mom both were hoarders, but Dad had more hoarded than Mom did, I think. Bailey and I lived with Mom upstairs and I cleaned out and decluttered up here regularly, which could be the difference. Even after Mom's death in 2022, I threw out bank statements with used checks she had kept from the 1960s.
Dad did not throw away much at all. For example, he had about seven printers down in his office. We threw one of the big ones away yesterday and I kept one for use in my own office. The back of Timmy's truck can only hold so much at one time.
I think yard sales, flea markets, and thrift stores can be good, clean fun, but there has to be a limit. I buy things that are useful and I use them, and if I don't use them, they are going to the next consignment sale because I like a clean and uncluttered home.
In my lifetime I have had plenty of places I've cleaned out. My Father-In-Law needed help cleaning out his home when my brother-in-law and his wife lived there for a while. Then the same home needed cleaning out again after FIL passed away. We had to rent a dumpster for that clean out.
The home my exdh and I bought when we were married, was left hoarded up by the people who owned it before us, but had passed away. We threw away stuff from the 1940s in that house.
It has been interesting to find some old things like some of the letters and stuff I've found. And there is plenty of useful stuff as well and stuff people are willing to pay for and I've found some things to use up here. And remember that old saying, "one man's junk is another man's treasure".
BelindaHomemaker at HeartMortgage & Debt Free~ Living within our Means ~My Linktree
~ She looketh well to the ways of her household ~Proverbs 31:27
Sending hugs! It is hard to go through a loved one's possessions. I think the older generation kept everything since they or their parents lived thru the depression and hard times. I have a tendency to hang onto things for sentimental reasons, but it does reach a point where enough is enough. I don't want my kids to have to rent a dumpster when I am gone so I am trying to get better at decluttering.
ReplyDeleteYes, I agree that the older generation kept things just in case. Timmy knew my Dad very well and often jokes that he kept everything just in case he might need it. I almost said the same thing about leaving a mess for Bailey to clean up when I'm gone. Like you, I'm taking care of that now, so she doesn't have to do it later. You are one smart cookie to do that for your children, Kathy.
DeleteCleaning up a hoard is hard work. Ask me how I know(my brother's house in 2007-2009). I'm glad you got through this aok and have taken back a sense of order in your life. Stuff is not important, it's the memories of the people we love. Hugs to you!!!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Sluggy. That is a great point that it's the memories of the people we love and not their stuff that we will remember, and I will always cherish them. Thank you for such a great reminder. :)
DeleteIt would be so hard to go through everything & figure out the logistics of how to get rid of it all. Good work making progress! I find that I sometimes have inertia when a project is that big - because it feels so overwhelming. Sometimes it's all about taking positive steps, and then you look back in a week or so, and you've made a bunch of progress, which makes it motivating to keep going.
ReplyDeleteExactly! Thank you, that describes this process perfectly. :)
DeleteI watch a channel where a guy cleans out houses, hoarders, dead and alive. It is so interesting.
ReplyDeleteI watch those too, Linda. They're very interesting.
DeleteMy Grandfather hauled home every refrigerator that broke within the family. He had them all in a row in the backyard with his tools stored in them. He said it kept them from rusting. All I know is that after he died they had to be gotten rid of. He was a champion hoarder and even stored food in old cars. UGH!!
ReplyDeleteOh wow, Lana. I know exactly what you're talking about. I know with Mom, if I cleaned a space off like the counter, she would slowly fill it back up again. She just had a need to have these places filled with stuff.
DeleteI remember that old saying quite often. We need to change the flooring in our hall and I think that there could be enough decent pieces to do one of the bedrooms in our youngest sons house and get rid of the stinky carpet in there.
ReplyDeleteGod bless.
Oh, that would be great to have enough left to do a room in your son's house too, Jackie.
DeleteOh girl, that is tough. Hard work and memories and wondering. So sorry you are going through all this. Hoping maybe you can make a little money for your efforts.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Cheryl. I hope so, that would be great.
DeleteThat is hard, but keep at it you deserve a nice clean place.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Kim. I agree.
DeleteOh I so identify with this post! I begged my mom to downsize their belongings and she'd laugh and say, "that'll be your job when I die," and so it was, but actually before she died because she needed assisted living. They had two refrigerators and two freezers, all full with many old and expired items. And collections of so many different types of things. I'm more of a minimalist and, like you, extremely practical when it comes to keeping objects. We made innumerable dump runs, gave away tons to thrifts, charities and free piles and sold some things. Mom's sister, who had made her own move to assisted living, but had cleaned out her own house and sent nearly everything to auction, was impressed by my success though, because even though I gave away more than I sold, I only sent a fraction to an auction because private sales were much more profitable.
ReplyDeletePS I was excited to see you found (the last?) of the Lord Chesterfield beans! Hope you stocked up, looked like a great price!
Thank you, Bobi. I was so tickled to find the last Lord Chesterfield beans and at such a great price! Toni said they were already gone in her UGO's, so I'm sure these will b3e gone asap too.
DeleteYour story about your Mom's belongings rings so true to my own story. I don't mind giving stuff away, but my sister is like. "that's worth money"! Well, not to me, she can come down and do it if she wants to do it. LOL I'm trying to get it cleaned out, so the valuable stuff can eventually be sold. Your aunt was one smart cookie!