Most clients I work with have items which they choose to keep for sentimental reasons. Memorabilia is an important part of our lives, and everyone in the family should feel justified in keeping it. The key is figuring out what to keep, and then how to store it. So what is the best wisdom for how to keep memorabilia?
WHAT TO KEEP
Deciding what to keep and what to pass along can be tough. Memorabilia is loaded with emotion, so we aren’t always rational in our decision-making. My rule of thumb is to keep items that bring you joy when you look at them. For example, objects that remind you of a favorite time in your life, an accomplishment that you are proud of, or a person you love.
On the other hand, I suggest getting rid of anything that you are tempted to keep out of guilt (“If Aunt Mary comes and doesn’t see this she will flip out”) or obligation (“This was great grandfather’s so I can’t get rid of it”.) Holding onto possessions which stir undesirable feelings usher negativity into our lives and don’t honor anyone.
In addition, do not store items for which you have only a remote, possible future need (“But what if I need this someday?”) This definition is too broad, and often leads us to hoard items for which someone else may have a critical, pressing need. Donating such items frees space and helps others.
HOW TO STORE
Here are some thoughts on how to best store common memorabilia:
Photos: This is a category unto itself (read more here), but generally photos need to be kept in a climate controlled setting, inside either an acid free photo album or photo box. If most of your photos are digital, you can organize them on your computer and order photo books for your favorites. Remember to regularly back-up digitized photos (a simple solution to try is “Picture Keeper”.)
Clothing: Like any belonging, clothes can carry emotional value. However, that is different from the purpose of covering our bodies. If you have some favorite clothing items (e.g. varsity letter jacket, dress you were when you got engaged, etc.), keep them, but not in your closet. Move them to a designated memorabilia box (plastic bin, labeled by name) or a garment box/bag in a spare closet or attic.
Artwork: Most parents are emotionally attached to a child’s artwork. When it first comes home, hang it up. But continue to rotate the new stuff in and the old stuff out. If the art is made of food items (e.g. pasta, beans., etc.), don’t save it! Bugs will find it and make a mess. Also, don’t bother holding onto art that is primarily coloring or assembling pre-cut items. Instead, save the items which show your child’s heart and mind at this age. You can collect items in a water-tight plastic artwork bin, or photograph the pieces and save the images. An app called “Artkive” helps you keep track of artwork by child and age/grade, and offers the option for you to email (share) with relatives, and upload to make photo books.
Trophies/Medals/Awards: Any award which represents a great accomplishment is worth keeping. Trophies for “showing up” probably aren’t. As with artwork, a visual celebration of current achievements should be displayed on a shelf, wall or hook. At the end of the year, select a couple to save and put them in a memorabilia box.
Souvenirs: The purchase of souvenirs can be a prime source of clutter. What seems wonderful in the moment may seem less appealing when we get home. Take the time to intentionally assess whether you actually like your souvenirs. For those you want to keep, consider rotating them as décor in your home. Not every piece needs to be out at all times. For future trips, consider purchasing artwork for the wall, holiday decorations, or clothing instead of knick-knacks.
Paperwork (Tickets, playbills, sports programs): Many life events come with paperwork. Whether you keep it or not is up to you. If you decide you wish to keep it, collect it during each year in a file (always add to the back of the file to keep it chronological.) At the end of the year (or school year), empty the file. If you are crafty, consider making scrapbooks. If you aren’t, put the paperwork in a decorative box, labeled by year.
Collections: Collections often begin as souvenirs or gifts, and then take on a life of their own. Read here for more details on collections. The basic idea is to display and enjoy true collections. If you want to collect, you need to decide where the collection will live, planning for how you will protect the pieces from wear and tear.
* * * * *
Preserving memories is a worthwhile endeavor, but mindlessly accumulating causes clutter and stress. Memorabilia should be poignant, accessible and protected, so that it can continue to bring joy for years to come.
Where do you keep your memorabilia?
Interesting! I had never heard of Picture Keeper but now I think I have to check it out. I have trouble letting go of clothes and my children’s items sometimes but I do think I’ve gotten better about it. My husband will easily trash anything and I won’t, but we generally meet in the middle.
Being married to someone who either more or less easily parts with items is the norm! The good news is, we balance each other out! For true photographers, more serious back-up than Picture Keeper is needed, but it is a first step for those who aren’t backing up yet. Have a great day:)
It is so hard to decide what to keep and what to throw away…everything feels valuable, but I am so sick of clutter! ;)-Ashley
It is hard, Ashley. Sometimes having someone with you can help give another opinion, whether it is a professional organizer, or just a friend. In the end, the clutter isn’t bringing you joy. Be strong and let some of it go! Thanks for reading:)
How wonderful advice, Seana! I really needed the tip on keeping kinds art projects and when to get rid of it, thanks!
So glad you found it helpful! I’m working with a client making books through Artkive right now and they are coming out very cute! Thanks for stopping by:)
these are all awesome tips…I need to pin this and follow your suggestions. I am so bad at keeping memorabilia..I usually throw things out rather tan deal with clutter…which is bad.
Your post on closet organization is being featured on my post today! LOVE the tips and used some of them.
Thanks so much for the feature, Karen! So glad some of these tips are proving helpful:) Deciding what to keep is definitely the tricky part… but I think you are doing a pretty great job!
I never heard of Artkive App before, but thank you for sharing that. Just downloaded it and definitely going to try this to keep track of my girls artwork now for this school year. And thank you also for stopping by my page today, too! 🙂
I love the tips on what to keep and the storage ideas. I need to apply these tips to some tubs of the kids’ stuff in our basement (I’m thinking I can part with a lot of preschool papers that were from my oldest son, now 12). I also wanted to let you know I nominated your blog for the Liebster Award–just a fun thing that says I really like your blog 🙂
Wow, Jean – I’m honored by your nomination! I just went through bins of old toys myself that have been in the attic. Thought I’d keep them for grandchildren, but then realized I had kept way too much. Liberating! Thanks so much for reading.
Great ideas! I often struggle what to do with pictures, especially the old school physical ones. I decided on going through them and store the “keepers” in a box, but now I need to carve out time to do that. In the interim, they’re all in a bigger box.
I love purging clutter, really I do. When I’m done it’s like I’ve lost 5 lbs. We just moved, and before we did, I purged a lot of stuff, but my husband didn’t. He likes to keep things. Seriously, we still have some of his college papers. (WTH!?!?) Then to see it all come marching into our new home freaked him out, especially since I told the movers to put all of his crap in his office so he had to sort through much of it and I’m so proud of him.
I still have crap I want to purge, but I find it’s a process, especially as I work part time, have two small kids, blah blah blah. But I’m getting there. And whenever I need a swift kick in the pants, I watch an episode of Hoarders or a similar show and that makes me itch to clear our crap.
BTW, visiting from SITS.
Congratulations to you on working away at the clutter! It is so common for one spouse to have a tougher time than the other – I smiled at your idea of putting all of your husband’s belongings into his office… that can be motivating. With a busy life like yours, small projects over time can be a great way to go. Thanks so much for stopping by!
Popped in from SITS! Organization is the hardest thing for me!
We all have our strengths and weaknesses:) I learn from others through SITS. Thanks for reading!
I like the idea of displaying trophies that you recently received. remembering your accomplishments can help you stay confident and shoot for the stars, but they can definitely pile up and then feel like clutter. Thus, rotating them out and just showing one or two at a time would be a great idea.
Pingback: Incorporating Framed Memorabilia as House Decorations