I was recently cleaning out some bookmarks (digital decluttering!), and ran across this oldie-but-goodie from the New York Times:
In the article, the writer interviews several people who feel compelled to keep the things they’ve inherited — a Victorian settee, an ugly painting, a massive sideboard — despite their dislike for them. Some do it out of guilt, some to hang onto memories, others to preserve their family “history.”
I can relate, as I inherited my grandmother’s twelve place settings of china right after I graduated from college. I dragged them around with me for years, carefully packing and unpacking them during moves across three states. (Perhaps one of the reasons I became a minimalist!) Fortunately, I was finally able to unload them on give them to another family member.
Want to avoid the tyranny of the heirloom? Here’s ten ways to declutter them — with less guilt than simply throwing them away:
1. Be generous, and give them to another family member. (I could never understand why heirs fight over material things — I say, let ’em take it all!)
2. Donate them to a charitable organization, and let them do some good rather than gathering dust in your basement.
3. Sell them, and donate the money “in memoriam” to your loved one’s favorite charity.
4. Sell them, and use the money for something you really want.
5. Donate historical items to a museum or university.
6. Save a piece of the heirloom (like a swatch of your grandmother’s handmade quilt or wedding dress).
7. Save one item from the collection (like a single plate or tea cup from a set of china).
8. Photograph them, and save the photos (instead of the items) for memories.
9. Re-make the heirloom into something more useful. Have a jeweler set the stones of a gaudy old brooch into a pretty necklace, or use the yarn from your grandpa’s sweater to knit a nice scarf.
10. Avoid them in the first place. Tell family members (gently and politely, of course) that you don’t want them to “save” anything for you, and encourage them to find alternate homes for their treasures.
Has anyone else ever felt “shackled” to an unwanted heirloom? Or does anyone have other creative strategies for getting rid of them?
We use the serving pieces from the various china sets when we have a party. I saved the silver plate serving utensils, too. I have one small hutch where all the various china trays and bowls are on display and this way they get used. Even if we were to downsize to a one bedroom or a studio, this hutch is small enough to take with us. There are other, uglier Knick-knacks I will pass on when my mother dies.
My friend gave me a great idea once. My grandmother has multiple sets of dishes. The set coming my way, the plan is to have them broken up into pieces and used as part of a back splash for my kitchen counters. Talk about reusing and re-purposing. They best part is I will be able to see them everyday and enjoy the beauty they bring to my kitchen.
This sounds AWESOME! DId you do this? If so, can I please see a picture???