So my stuff isn't "weird"

I'm so sorry. Totally BTDT.

If you want my advice, it's time to start hauling it to charity. Our families' stuff just generally isn't as valuable to others as it is to us. We took multiple trailer loads from my parents' house to the Goodwill when all was said and done.

It's hard, I know. Hugs and good luck to you.

It's emotionally exhausting clearing out a parents home-BTDT. I'm sorry you don't have family support.

I donated truckloads of stuff from my parents' places. I just wanted it out of there. Honestly, just because it was old did not make it worth a penny.

I'm sorry you're having to deal with this on your own. I was lucky to have both my sisters and my uncle helping.

Are you upset that your parents things don't appear to hold much value or are you looking for ways to donate it, etc.?

I recently went through this with my mom and dad's house. They lived there for over 50 years. My sister, brother and I hired a real estate agent who also ran an estate sale business. If we used her as the agent, she would run the sale for just a small percentage of the proceeds. All in all, the stuff was only worth a few thousand dollars. What was left was donated or trashed. We didn't have to lift a finger which was very nice.

Cleaning out a parent's home is so hard, time wise and emotionally.  I feel for you.

i work in real estate. many older people are convinced their items are very valuable because they paid a lot for it, they took care of it and it's an "antique" now.

no, it's not. it's just stuff. young people don't want a massive dining room table with extra extensions, heavy chairs, sideboard and china cabinet. and not just because they don't have china either.

our real estate market makes it very difficult to get into a house as a first time home buyer. those new condos are SMALL.

i usually tell people to be realistic about what can be sold and then donate, donate, donate. that dining room table might be a godsend to an immigrant family that are eating off cardboard boxes.

i would like to think people would save the dumpster for things that are truly useless and cannot even be donated.

This is the plight of baby boomers everywhere. We're trying to get rid of our parents' things, as well as downsizing ourselves. My mom died three years ago. We owned the house she lived in (about 3 hours from our home) and I wanted to be done with it all. After my sisters and I got what we wanted (very little), I called all my cousins and their children and said take what you want. They made several trips and then what was left was donated to the local Habitat for Humanity thrift store. My aunt wanted me to have an estate sale, but frankly, there wasn't anything of value. I was happier seeing the younger cousins take what they needed and then donating. I had one sister help, while the other could only pout that there was no good jewelry left and we wouldn't pay to ship things to her home 700 miles away (because her lazy DH refused to come get it for her).

That experience made DH and I realize that we were holding on to way too much, not to mention all the stuff from both sides of the family we didn't love. With an only child, who doesn't want most of our stuff, we are getting rid of it now. There really is no market for mahogany furniture, big dining room sets, etc. We give it all to our housekeeper and her family. They take what they can use and find homes for the rest of it.

craftedbys - It sounds as though you've put a lot of effort in to getting rid of your parents' things. At this point I would just find a charity to donate it to. Is there a Furniture Bank in your community to help those in need? Our local one will pick up furniture that is in good condition. For all the others misc. stuff, consider donating to a thrift store that supports a cause your parents would have liked.

Furniture that could be used:
If you live in a busy suburb: Put it on the lawn with a sign that says Free, and I think someone will remove it very quickly.

We moved out of state last fall and had to fit all of our stuff into 2 large POD containers. We had to get rid of so much that wouldn't fit or we no longer needed since we were moving into a smaller home. I didn't have time or want to deal with a garage sale for just a few bucks. For the largest stuff that was in excellent condition, I found a local charity that had a list of items people in need were looking for. They came and picked up so much and were so very thankful! They loaded up their trailer and were driving directly to the peoples homes that needed the specific items. So that twin bed I didn't need, went directly to the single Mom who's child needed a bed. The plates and bedding I no longer needed went to the family who's home just burned down, etc. I was thrilled to see things go directly to people who needed it for no cost to them and I didn't even have to load and drop it off anywhere.

I would look for a local charity that does something similar. I think it's the best way to get rid of furniture that isn't worth anything to you anymore, but can go directly to someone who needs it.

It took my aunt and uncle two and a half years to finally sell my grandma's house (everything was in a trust so it wasn't paperwork related, just them not wanting to do anything). My grandparents built the house in 1976 - Pepa passed away in 2005 and Mema in 2014. There wasn't a bunch of "stuff" per se, but Pepa had a lot of carpentry tools and 'junk' cans in the garage and Mema had a bedroom full of fabric (mostly 70s polyester) and patterns (3 pattern cabinets' worth). Once the family (meaning my aunt, uncle and his wife, and family best friend) marked everything they were taking, there wasn't a lot left that was worth much. Still, they had a garage sale (more effort than it was worth IMO, but wasn't my decision obviously). I did get my Mema's living room set (which included a sleeper sofa - yep, people have hated the 2 times it's been moved) and her china cabinet and china (which went to my daughter) plus a few other items that the kids picked out. My aunt kept trying to give DD and me the collection of plastic containers (you know the ones I mean - the margarine tubs etc). I did get a good portion of her Tupperware including the hamburger patty stackers and the popsicle setups that we used as kids. I also got 6 quilts - some Mema made, some my great-grandma made - which got divvied up between myself and my two kids. Oh, almost forgot - I got my Pepa's two pecan crackers (he always had his second garage covered in pecans drying during picking season).

When my dad died, all I got were his two pair of cowboy boots and some of his gimme caps. Evil stepwitch had possession of his workshop full of power tools that she did who knows what with (I'm sure she sold some of them but some went to her son). Oh, and we got all my mom and dad's old photos (and their marriage license) - in a trash bag! I'm kind of glad I didn't have to go through all his stuff, but it would have been nice to at least have had the opportunity.

We have a couple friends who are both in this same situation. The last parent passed away and now there are houses filled to the brim with old stuff. Our one friend can’t get his siblings to take what they want without squabbling and now a bunch of lawyers are involved. They need to sell the house which isn’t in great repair, but it’s full of stuff and everyone is arguing. This has been going on for a few years now already. Another friend is living in her parent’s house but it’s full of stuff from not only mom and dad but multiple sets of grandparents too and she’s convinced it’s all vintage treasures worth a fortune so she won’t get rid of anything.   Not even moldy old magazines that have been in the basement for over four decades can go, ugh.