Negatives - remember those? Downsizing Step 7

Yes, it's been busy!  With the ominous move lurking in the horizon, today I decided to face the garage and found a huge box full of hundreds of negatives and pictures.    These pictures were never put in albums because they didn't make the cut or because I never got around to it.   Hard to tell but what  I know is that I have a box of pictures/negatives from two moves ago! -So this box has not been unpacked nor touched in 11 years!

So many pictures and so many negatives - remember those?   We used to share the photo packets with the grandparents and ask them to mark which ones they wanted copied.   This is of course, pre-digital age and you had to order the copies off these negatives.  They were precious.  However,  the current state of my negatives collection is in such disarray that even if I ever wanted to use any of these negatives it would be almost impossible to find it. Thus came the executive decision - dispose of all negatives and if I ever ever organize these pictures and desire to make a copy - will do what most 21st century people do and take a picture of the picture! ... Done!

Wow! that was a relief...On to the next box.

"Minimalism" the draconian way to downsize? - Downsizing Step 6

Today, Brian Lehrer - NPR show in WNYC - covered the topic of minimalism.  To hear the Brian Lehrer's 15 minute show click here

So interesting for me in my downsizing saga  to hear this show on the Minimalist way of living.  These "minimalists" are touring with their book "Everything that remains" a memoir on their  conversion to minimalism.   (click here for their blog)  

The one thought that stayed with me after hearing this interview is the importance of figuring out what adds value to our lives or brings us joy.  Basically we should evaluate all of our belongings with that lens  -  so that we keep stuff that serves a purpose or brings us joy.  The authors recommend that this should be re-evaluated every so often because what we value today may change tomorrow.  

Another thought that "rang the bell" is that I may be an organized hoarder.  I tend to have a lovely uncluttered home on the outside and but  I certainly keep tons of other stuff neatly put away out of sight.     Net, these  "just in case" items are the ones that need to go independent of "sunk costs".   I have certainly come to terms with this as I sold things like the elliptical machine on craigslist  for a fraction of the original price and am getting ready for the tag sale which will certainly have rock  bottom prices.

Perfect show at a perfect time for me!

love, love my books - Downsizing Step 5

A friend asked me a couple of days ago how I was doing with my downsizing task and then proceeded to say  "and how does it make you feel?"  in that therapist tone that makes you cry.  I thought about it and realized that downsizing our book collection is by far the biggest source of stress & sense of loss during this process.   Books are special to a family of readers.  How can I sift through hundreds of books representing so many years of collective reading all around the house?    Thankfully we have partially shifted our reading to our kindles/tablets in the past couple of years but still, its overwhelming.

It's funny to talk about this to my pragmatic friends who say  "are you planning to read these again?". If the answer is no - there you go.   I don't even mention this to our daughter ( who's out in college and the biggest hoarder of books ) because her answer is always "I want to keep it".  So for now, we won't touch her bookcase but the rest is up for grabs because we will be limited to books that fit in the bookcases in the apartment.  It will make zero sense to pay for a pricey storage to keep books for secula seculorum so it is time to let go.

So here were my baby steps:

• first was to start with the recipe books - I counted 30 and use none to be honest  because I google all my recipes nowadays - yet, after extensive deliberation I couldn't part of 12 of my recipe books - that will have to be on round 2!   
• then I ran into our high school guidance counselor who told me that they could use gently used SAT/AP test books --  we got dozens of those!  
• finally I heard of a Children's Book Drive for underserved children in Harlem/Bronx- so I quickly collected & delivered a box full of preteen/teen books  that I am sure no one will miss.  Still, I managed to keep some classics & favorites like To Kill a Mockingbird, Nicholas, Harry Potter & Unfortunate events series.  These seemed to precious to pass on- yet!

And now I wonder - how will I tackle the next step?  What will be my criteria to sort through the hundreds of books in our bookcases/attic/garage?   Any suggestions for criteria other than "are you planning to read it again" are welcomed!