How to declutter. What do you do with the sentimental stuff?

It's hard! ((HUGS)). Remember though,"it's only stuff." Some people take photos of the things and then scrapbook their memories of it, and why it was an important part of their memories.

I give myself a certain amount of space, perhaps a 33 gallon tub, and then decide what is the most important to me. When my parents were both living, they took the things in the house that were either valuable or sentimental that they thought we all might want. They typed a list and gave it to each of us to prioritize what we would want 1, 2, 3, etc. When you have to make a decision like that, the first couple of things become obviously important to you and the others not so much. This is what I do now when I am trying to downsize. I give myself a space or number and then agonize for a bit. It always works and once in a while I keep something that won't fit into a tub because, well, I can.

First off, decide how much room you have to save things and why you are saving it. I knew I had a closet for 3 and wanted to save things I felt they would want to pass down to their children. Or I wanted to keep to have at my house for grandkids.

I saved one outfit (the one they came home from the hospital in) and a couple of hand knit things their grandma had knit for them. I felt like they would like to hand down to their kids some day (and they did when that day came) I didn't save any other clothing. They each had a hand made crib quilt I kept.

Toys; I kept the lego accumulation and a doll cradle my dad made. I didn't keep any books. I figure that is what libraries are for or they can be repurchased for a grandchild if I feel the need to own it again later. I have not felt the need to re-own any of the titles my kids loved but the grands do get gift certificates to buy books which they love the experience of going to the books store over pulling a dusty book from a storage box.

Once I knew why I was keeping an item it was easier to decide what to keep/give away.

Women's shelters can often use children's toys, books, bedding, and clothing (depending on how out of date we are talking!) so knowing they are going to help someone in a crisis may make letting them go easier.

One thing that might help you with this particular dilemma - realize that this stuff wasn't important enough to HER to take it with her.

If you agreed to store it for her, why are you purging it? I wouldn't be throwing things out without her there.

This is very different from what you put in your first post.  Decide how much space you are willing to spare to store her things and for how long. Then ask HER to come home and purge everything down to what will fit in the space you are willing to spare or take it with her and use it to decorate her current apartment.  I'm sure if her 5th grade message board is sentimental to her she can use a message board in her current apt. Same with a seashell cross etc. Make her deal with it and determine how important it is to her.  My guess is it will be far less important than it is to you. 

YOur first post makes it sound like literally everything she has ever owned is a sentimental item. 

I've been kind of going through the same thing with my DD. Before I get rid of anything I send her photos with the tag "want, save or ditch". Technology is nice because it can be more instant/as I'm purging so less procrastination. She is pretty good about ridding herself of stuff so it's worked for us (so far). There are a few things I will save of hers that I can't bare to trash, but not much.

"Want" and "save" are basically the same thing except I travel to her town often enough that "want", to us, means bring/next trip. Ditch means trash or donate, my choice.

As I go along I find it easier and easier to let go. Not totally but much better.

Good luck.

I can appreciate what you’re saying, but when kids are leaving home they are generally only thinking of the here and now. I know I was when I moved out of my mom’s house and there were many of my childhood things that were left behind when I moved into a one bedroom apartment at 19. I have no idea what she did with a bunch of it, but I really wish now I still had the handmade dollhouse my uncle made for me the Christmas when I was five. I wouldn’t have had anywhere to store it when I moved out, but I would FIND a place to keep it now. I also wish I still had some of my drawings from when I was in grade school, even then I was a pretty decent artist and it would have been fun to show them to my artistic DD now.

So my advice cindyupnorth would be to think about which items might have some meaning to your DD years from now after she is married or maybe when she has her own child, or even ask her which things she didn’t take but that she would like for you to hang onto for a time and see what she says.

I am very thankful that no one tossed my mom's books.  I am the happy owner of about a dozen first edition classics that were read once.  I have Treasure Island, Little Women, and at least ten others.  While they are worth $, I couldn't part with them.

Those are powerfully wise words that I can apply as I sort through my own saved things. Thank you.

If it's her stuff, I would let her decide. But tell her how much you are willing to keep and the rest she can take with her. If there is something she doesn't want, but you want, then go ahead and keep it.

My family saves everything! I keep what is important to me, and not everything. I think because I am a sahm, I have more time to go through stuff. I think my husband just doesn't want to "waste" his limited free time, but I would love if he just spend a few minutes a day going through and organizing his momentos.