Parents with dementia, how dealing with that has gone.

[FPGT72]

We finally convinced my 90 year old mother to sell her home and 40 acres and move to a smaller place. We tried to avoid moving unnecessary items to the new home but that was not totally successful. I did wind up with a porcelain 1913 Indiana license plate in mint condition. I recall hearing my dad talk about my great grandfather buying a Studebaker with this plate and 1913 was the first year of license plates in Indiana. My wife wanted me to keep a wheelbarrow that is probably about 100 years old and a McCullough chainsaw made in the 50's. We also wound up with about 75 comic books printed in the 40's along with too many other things. Now I need a bigger barn.

I am in the same group as you, my mother had these china blue animals. She left the tags on some, when I saw the prices I had heart failure. I could not just let that stuff go, so it all sits in Christmas ornament boxes in the loft in my barn. Last time I was up there to get some wood I saw the boxes had raccoon poo on them. I really should try to sell that stuff, but if you are not "into" that stuff it is hard to do.

I have two Fridays left to retirement, then I MIGHT have some time on my hands, sounds like unloading that junk will be a good winter project.

 

[ArlyA]

We got the dumpter 75% filled and sold some things via garage sale. We are leaving here Saturday to head home (thank God, we need a break) but will return for more clean out. Her dad's head comes and goes in being lucid but mean to the kids when in a poor state.

Who here has there Advanced Directive filled out?

 

[sixdogs]

My inlaws are "down sizing", and me and the kid are getting all their junk. They have really gone off the deep end IMHO, the wife tried to give them this little tool that makes opening jars far more easy. We don't need that we are downsizing, we need to thin things out. I got a DVD player I gave them about 10 years ago back, along with a quart of used motor oil the father in law had just changed the oil in the mower. Well thanks I guess.

My mother was just the reverse, she had file cabinets full of stuff, cancelled checks from 1972, why would you keep that. The reciept from the car your father bought you in 1954, why do you have that. Even stuff for things she never got, the paperwork on my uncles car from 1960 that again my grandfather bought for him. Why do you have this stuff. I had a nice big fire.

Older people kept things like this because it used to matter. Its like not throwing away things in your shop because you might one day need them and know if you toss them you will for sure need it the next week.

Storing stuff was just yesterday's computer memory function. You can look at things from decades earlier because it's stored on a computer. People of not that long ago couldn't do that. Sure, some knick-knacks get saved along the way and some things saved to long but that's OK. We could delete half our computer storage and not miss it. Same thing. And, if the computers ever go down, and some say that could happen, I would be glad--for a fee--to search my tech books for whatever info needed. After all, prudence is its own reward.

 

[tradosaurus]

Older people kept things like this because it used to matter. Its like not throwing away things in your shop because you might one day need them and know if you toss them you will for sure need it the next week.

Storing stuff was just yesterday's computer memory function. You can look at things from decades earlier because it's stored on a computer. People of not that long ago couldn't do that. Sure, some knick-knacks get saved along the way and some things saved to long but that's OK. We could delete half our computer storage and not miss it. Same thing. And, if the computers ever go down, and some say that could happen, I would be glad--for a fee--to search my tech books for whatever info needed. After all, prudence is its own reward.

I like to go to estates sales ever so often to remind myself to get rid of stuff that I rarely use or is just taking up storage space. If I reach a ripe old age my plan is to have very little that needs to be sold or junked.

 

[ArlyA]

As we get older, most people don't dispose of this and that. Here, we through out a old toilet stored 4ft from the new one in the basement. I think they used a plumber to install the new one, so while not pay him 50 to dispose of the old one? Complete mystery to me. Stuff that should have been disposed of just sits, so I'd guess it's just easier to leave it lay.

 

[FPGT72]

Older people kept things like this because it used to matter. Its like not throwing away things in your shop because you might one day need them and know if you toss them you will for sure need it the next week.

Storing stuff was just yesterday's computer memory function. You can look at things from decades earlier because it's stored on a computer. People of not that long ago couldn't do that. Sure, some knick-knacks get saved along the way and some things saved to long but that's OK. We could delete half our computer storage and not miss it. Same thing. And, if the computers ever go down, and some say that could happen, I would be glad--for a fee--to search my tech books for whatever info needed. After all, prudence is its own reward.

I do see your point, but when the records have nothing to do with you then why keep it. It was however interesting in seeing what my grandfather paid for a corvette in 1960-something.

 

[FPGT72]

I like to go to estates sales ever so often to remind myself to get rid of stuff that I rarely use or is just taking up storage space. If I reach a ripe old age my plan is to have very little that needs to be sold or junked.

I look at it differently, that is going to be my kids problem.

If I like it, I will keep it, If I even THINK I might use it I will keep it. But I am not the issue, the wife is. She is borderline hoarder.

 

[tradosaurus]

I look at it differently, that is going to be my kids problem.

If I like it, I will keep it, If I even THINK I might use it I will keep it. But I am not the issue, the wife is. She is borderline hoarder.

Time to man up and take control of the mess your wife is making.

I like to use the term "trailer trash" to motivate my wife to get rid of crap.

 

[sixdogs]

Tag your “treasures. If it hasn’t been used in a year, odds are pretty good you will not. Time for a new home. When you bring in anything new, the old goes out (boots, shoes, drills, w/e)

That is a good idea

 

[FPGT72]

Time to man up and take control of the mess your wife is making.

I like to use the term "trailer trash" to motivate my wife to get rid of crap.

Yea I know, trouble is some of the stuff I agree with.

 

[D&D]

That is a good idea

Wife didn’t think so at first when I made her tag her shoes and clothes

 

[Runner]

My parents literally built their home in 1954 with their own hands (my Dad was a brick mason). In order to not have any debt, they paid for materials as they could afford them. While they were building the house, they lived in a one room concrete block building that was already on the same site, but directly behind where house was being built.

While cleaning out their stuff, I found a file with every single receipt from the house build. Total came out to something like $5000. It was fascinating seeing the price of building materials from 1954. This was an all brick, block and stone, three-bedroom ranch house, hardwood floors, real wood paneling, real plaster walls and ceilings, boiler hot water heating system, etc.

File was about 3 inches thick and hated to throw it out, but other than saving for posterity, what good was it?

 

[ArlyA]

My parents literally built their home in 1954 with their own hands (my Dad was a brick mason). In order to not have any debt, they paid for materials as they could afford them. While they were building the house, they lived in a one room concrete block building that was already on the same site, but directly behind where house was being built.

While cleaning out their stuff, I found a file with every single receipt from the house build. Total came out to something like $5000. It was fascinating seeing the price of building materials from 1954. This was an all brick, block and stone, three-bedroom ranch house, hardwood floors, real wood paneling, real plaster walls and ceilings, boiler hot water heating system, etc.

File was about 3 inches thick and hated to throw it out, but other than saving for posterity, what good was it?

If it has no value to you, throw it out.

 

[newbury]

File was about 3 inches thick and hated to throw it out, but other than saving for posterity, what good was it?

If you envision posterity and have the space it might be worth saving.

 

[ultrarunner]

Coworker was fretting over storing some things for grandma entering assisted living.

I asked if she had any old suitcases and she did.

Everything grandma valued fit inside 3 suitcases…

Easy to move, out of the way and relatively protected and easily identifiable.

 

[JasperFrank]

My parents literally built their home in 1954 with their own hands (my Dad was a brick mason). In order to not have any debt, they paid for materials as they could afford them. While they were building the house, they lived in a one room concrete block building that was already on the same site, but directly behind where house was being built.

While cleaning out their stuff, I found a file with every single receipt from the house build. Total came out to something like $5000. It was fascinating seeing the price of building materials from 1954. This was an all brick, block and stone, three-bedroom ranch house, hardwood floors, real wood paneling, real plaster walls and ceilings, boiler hot water heating system, etc.

File was about 3 inches thick and hated to throw it out, but other than saving for posterity, what good was it?

I have an huge file of everything related to the building of our house and every appliance. Including photos of the construction. Over the years this has been extremely valuable, and will be given to the new owner if we ever sell.

 

[MossRoad]

My parents literally built their home in 1954 with their own hands (my Dad was a brick mason). In order to not have any debt, they paid for materials as they could afford them. While they were building the house, they lived in a one room concrete block building that was already on the same site, but directly behind where house was being built.

While cleaning out their stuff, I found a file with every single receipt from the house build. Total came out to something like $5000. It was fascinating seeing the price of building materials from 1954. This was an all brick, block and stone, three-bedroom ranch house, hardwood floors, real wood paneling, real plaster walls and ceilings, boiler hot water heating system, etc.

File was about 3 inches thick and hated to throw it out, but other than saving for posterity, what good was it?

My dad built his house in the 50s. He had around 1000 square feet of thermopane floor to ceiling glass in that house. He said he got it for about $1500.

Around 1993-4 he shot a rock through just one 4'x4'ish panel with a snowblower. That one panel was $1500.

 

[MossRoad]

...

File was about 3 inches thick and hated to throw it out, but other than saving for posterity, what good was it?

I have a few things like that from my parents and grandparents. It's kinda fun to look through once in a while. I found a bunch of letters dad wrote to his mom during and after WWII on a folder that probably would have been thrown out. So, I packed up a banker box with some good stuff and kept it. Doesn't take up too much room. A lot less space than my fishing stuff.

 

[California]

I mean Sioux Falls when I say SF.

Where's Sioux Falls?

 

[MossRoad]

Where's Sioux Falls?

Just downstream from the Queen Bee Mill Ruins....