What to do with your old childhood stuff?

[-]

ONROSREPUS@reddit

Well if you haven't wanted them or cared about it since HS. Just throw it now instead of later. I think the only HS thing I have left is my class ring. Mostly because that MF cost me a lot and I just don't want to give it away. Hell maybe I will melt it down and make a bullet out of it.

Reply

[-]

Public_Ad_9578@reddit

My stepson is in his late 20s, moved out a few years ago. All his stuff is still here. After a few years, he bought all new stuff, aside from what he originally took. He never asks for his old stuff. Husband asked him to take it several times. He recently said for us to hold it. He doesn't want it to clutter up his space. We don't want it either. I washed everything and its going to a local church that provides for the poor.

Reply

[-]

Ok_Life_5176@reddit

Hopefully you told him first. Give him a chance to get a storage unit or something if it means that much to him.

Reply

[-]

MarquesTreasures@reddit

I tossed all my stuff.

Reply

[-]

whydoIhurtmore@reddit

If it is on good condition donate it.

Reply

[-]

Pristine_Main_1224@reddit

The only things I regret not keeping are my books and my favorite stuffed animals/dolls/toys. I’d love to have my Barbies and my Weebles Haunted Mansion still. Trophies, etc…nope. I did keep my cheerleading uniforms into my early 30s but eventually donated them back to my school for archiving.

Reply

[-]

SqualorTrawler@reddit

When I encounter childhood stuff, I reflect on the fact that in some form, probably shattered or crushed, nearly every childhood possession I ever had is still in existence, at the bottom (or mid point) of a landfill somewhere owing to the prevalence of plastic. It hurts to throw away and add to the world's litter. It's a burden to keep around. I pick a few things and hold my nose, and toss the rest. He who dies with the most toys...puts a sanitation task on another person's plate after you've died, and no one wants that.

Reply

[-]

Ok_Life_5176@reddit

This is a very helpful way of looking at it

Reply

[-]

cg325is@reddit

I took what I wanted when I graduated from college and mom got rid of the rest.

Reply

[-]

mr-spencerian@reddit

Similar, except I got rid of it when we cleaned out her house after she passed.

Reply

[-]

LayerNo3634@reddit

Trash can. Nobody wants that stuff.

Reply

[-]

Maggieblu2@reddit

I had a major move in 2023. I went through my parents stuff I had kept from their home clean out, my stuff from my former marriage, my kids stuff including every piece of art ever made. They took what they wanted, I kept a few sentimental items and photos and took pictures of their masterpieces to frame. Everything else was sold, donated, or tossed. It was very freeing and now my kids only have a minimal amount of my belongings to deal with when I’m gone.

Reply

[-]

Frequent_Assistance7@reddit

I tell myself that my son will end up throwing everything away when I kick off, so I might as well do it for him now.

Reply

[-]

Skylark7@reddit

Trim down, keep the most meaningful. Chuck the rest. Nobody wants it. I have a high school award on display because it amuses me, a couple of my paintings on the walls, my yearbooks, graduation tassel, and a few scrapbooks.

Reply

[-]

Visible_Structure483@reddit

I can't think of a single thing from that era of my life that I still have... other than my D&D books which are right here on the shelf next to me for some reason.

Reply

[-]

TheAmethystDragon@reddit

There's a lot of weird and imaginative stuff in older D&D books. A lot of the lore/flavor stuff never made it into 5th edition, so there's still inspiration there. - signed, a D&D guy who plays, DMs, and wrote a book for the game

Reply

[-]

Visible_Structure483@reddit

When 4e became some sort of video game adaption I totally lost interest and switched 100% to pathfinder which still felt like the game I was used to. But I'm so out of it I'm not even sure what "it" is any more.

Reply

[-]

NotAChef_2318@reddit

We ended up buy my in-laws house here a few years ago and we found my BIL's trophies and awards. We wrapped them up for him that Christmas as gag gifts. We have his old Nintendo set hooked up in the kids room but they don't play it. I'm thinking about bringing it back to my bedroom to use.

Reply

[-]

MommaGuy@reddit

My husband kept his. Our kids grew up playing it along with the new consoles.

Reply

[-]

MommaGuy@reddit

Cram it in any extra space in your house?

Reply

[-]

Dependent_Top_4425@reddit

I took all of my old journals, drawings, notes from friends, ticket stubs, etc as well as all of my grade school things that my Dad had hoarded, and scanned them or photographed them. Then I uploaded to Google docs and threw out the hard copies. I very rarely look back at the files but I like knowing they are there while at the same time being free of the burden of keeping the physical things.

Reply

[-]

Smittles@reddit

Lucky for me, I come from a broken home. My folks are divorced and broke. Everything I took from home when I moved out burned in a house fire 3 years later. My advice: ditch it all. You’ll never miss it.

Reply

[-]

elphaba00@reddit

A lot of stuff is still sitting in boxes/Rubbermaid containers in spare closets at my parents' house. I think my mom kept every book I ever owned as a kid. I think a lot of stuff got sold when we moved to their current house when I was about to start my freshman year of high school. I guess one day I'll have to deal with it, but I just don't want to listen to my mom argue when she sees that I'm getting rid of something. "Your kids might want that!" My kids are 19 and 13. I'm sure they're not interested in a large set of Babysitter Club books and more like that.

Reply

[-]

NegScenePts@reddit

Dumpster. Memories are easier to transport and store than crates of useless trinkets.

Reply

[-]

feder_online@reddit

I kept two trophies and two medals. I literally threw everything else out: year books, clothes, ribbons, all of it.

Reply

[-]

LeatherWarthog8530@reddit

Class of '89 and moved out the following summer. I've kept a small amount of personal things, mostly yearbooks and that kind of thing, which is sitting in my storage unit now for my kids to throw away! Almost everything else has gone into the trash over the years. Some things took longer to let go of than others, but ultimately, that's where it all belongs after 30+ years sitting untouched in a box.

Reply

[-]

PrairieGrrl5263@reddit

Offer to local arts groups and schools, then donate what's useful and discard the rest, unfortunately. You might call the local trophy shops. Seems like the sort of stuff that ought to be recyclable.

Reply

[-]

Turbulent_Tale6497@reddit

I have one milk crate of childhood things. The rest wound up in the trash

Reply

[-]

fridayimatwork@reddit

Get the smallest storage box you think you can handle (I’d rec a double shoe box size or smaller) and save only what fits. See if you ever look at it or think about it, then go smaller.

Reply

[-]

Oldebookworm@reddit

That’s the thing too. I’ve got boxes I haven’t looked at in decades and should probably just chuck them, but what if there’s something important in there?!

Reply

[-]

fridayimatwork@reddit

I enjoyed going through mine, and recycling most of it

Reply

[-]

StarDewbie@reddit

You mean your mom didn't throw all your childhood toys away without so much as a fucking *text* first to you, like mine did?

Reply

[-]

Oldebookworm@reddit

Mine threw away a hole box of first edition pulp covers of Edgar Rice Burroughs “Man from Mars” and a whole set of the Grey Lensman series.

Reply

[-]

Slim_Chiply@reddit

I have almost nothing left from my childhood. I don't really miss any of it. My wife makes me keep my Mego Star Trek action figures and Enterprise bridge. I'd really like to get rid of it though. I think it's about the last thing left outside of a few records. It's not like I still play with it or anything.

Reply

[-]

Oldebookworm@reddit

Sell it on eBay

Reply

[-]

Oldebookworm@reddit

I’m having an existential crisis about what to do with my old karate belts. I’m not taking instruction any more and there isn’t a school in my discipline in this state anyway. I don’t want to throw them away. They have no other practical purpose that I can figure out

Reply

[-]

happycj@reddit

Look at each item, and pitch the ones that no longer mean anything. Do that every 5 years until you die. Your descendants will thank you.

Reply

[-]

SpiritualMuffin2623@reddit

I have gone through this experience lately. I ended up throwing quite a few things out, donating some things and kept about 1 tote full I could put in a closet. I find myself less sentimental about it than I was in my younger adult years. For example, my mom saved certain baby clothes of mine and I decided to donate these. Some young parent might appreciate vintage baby clothes. It feels good to get rid of this clutter.

Reply

[-]

Suspicious-Cat8623@reddit

As my children left home, we held onto their stuff until they looked somewhat settled in their first place after college. We slowly brought them their stuff from their childhood. Every visit meant another box or two was dropped off. One child protested. They felt their childhood things were for us parents to cherish and store — not them. We had to have a kinda hard conversation. While we enjoyed their childhood, we prefer them at their present age. We have photos of their growing up years. That is enough for us. #NotAHoarder.

Reply

[-]

Old_Goat_Ninja@reddit

Everything I still have from childhood fits in one chest in my closet and honestly I’m not even sure why I have that much.

Reply

[-]

saltlife_1119@reddit

If you are my husband, you will transfer everything to our house so it can collect in piles in every room, closet, garage, and nook and cranny. It’s insane. His mom kept everything. Think every time his name was in the newspaper for honor roll or any other award, with said report card or certificate, with school work from that marking period, and the shirt he wore that day probably.

Reply

[-]

Majestic-Explorer-76@reddit

The Nationwide Trophy Recycling Program refurbishes and recycles old trophies, then donates the new ones to non-profits.

Reply

[-]

Organic-Kangaroo-434@reddit

I just got through clearing out a desk, that was filled with notes from friends, letters, cards. I pitched the stuff from people I’m no longer in contact with. Anyone who’s still in my orbit, I kept their memories. Maybe another purge is happening down the road. This worked for now, and probably cut 40%. It’s tough. Good luck!

Reply

[-]

Empty_Ad_8303@reddit

Glory Days. Throw em out. I’m without child or nieces or nephews. Less stuff for someone to throw out when they find my body

Reply

[-]

Travelin_Jenny1@reddit

Toss most. Take photos. And keep a small bin of memorabilia. It’s fun to look through it sometimes as you age. But def don’t need trophies unless they mean something to you.

Reply

[-]

Jew-zilla@reddit

I’ve donated or thrown away damn near everything from childhood through college. Don’t need it. Don’t want it. Just takes up space. Even got rid of all of my yearbooks but 12th grade. If I haven’t looked at it in years, the. I won’t miss it.

Reply

[-]

Pithyperson@reddit

There are organizations and recycling businesses that would take the trophies. I posted on Nextdoor and had two separate organizations saying they'd take them.

Reply

[-]

twopairwinsalot@reddit

If its still there you dont really care about it. Chuck it, donate it take a few things for fun. When I cleaned out my parents house I found a participation trophy from youth hockey. I have it proudly displayed now.

Reply

[-]

Txidpeony@reddit

I was surprised to hear that some places will take trophies. They pry off the brass piece with name, etc, nd out a new one on. So some nonprofits will take them to have trophies to give out. If you have the time, maybe contact the local boys and girls club or other local organization that serves youth.

Reply

[-]

MysteryCommercial@reddit

There are some papers, photos, old handwritten letters I don’t want to part with that have been placed into a scrapbook. Part of my estate plan is to have them cremated with me. No one else will want them and I don’t want them just thrown in the trash.

Reply

[-]

Pepper_Pfieffer@reddit

Mine is all gone. It was all in my mother's basement that got flooded.

Reply

[-]

Unknown_Geek027@reddit

If you don't want it, no one else will. Take a couple of things with you, sell or donate anything of value, and toss the rest.

Reply

[-]

jezebella47@reddit

Take pictures before you get rid of things, if you're sentimental about them.

Reply

[-]

Ok-Street7504@reddit

Sounds like a person who's done this before! I'm in the process of doing the same thing and I'm having a hard time letting some stuff go so I just find if I wait a couple of months and then go back it's easier of course this takes much much more time than it should.

Reply

[-]

Vegetable_Humor5470@reddit

My siblings and I cleaned out the house together, we'd set aside anything memorabilia or nostalgic. The last night we were all there we looked through it all together, told stories and laughed so much. The older grandkids were there as well and got to ask questions about our childhood. We then kept what we individually wanted and tossed the rest, no pressure on anyone to take anything. Fwiw, my mom had saved so much stuff (furniture, china, tchotkes) for us and got upset when we kept saying no to taking them. A sibling finally started saying yes, rented a bigger car then expected to drive home a state over and then drove it all to a thrift store somewhere in- between.

Reply

[-]

Junior_Lavishness_96@reddit

There’s a few things I have in my closet that I’ve been hanging onto. Parents sold our house over 30 years ago, I don’t know what happened to the majority of it

Reply

[-]

aharryh@reddit

Personalised items (trophy etc) - Take a photo and throw away Clothes and Toys - Donate Photos, letters, certificates - Keep, make a scrapbook/album

Reply

[-]

60PersonDanceCrew@reddit

I'm a big proponent of taking a picture! One of my kids teachers suggested it during the onslaught of papers and art they would bring home. Chances are you're never going to look at those pictures either, but you can let *things* go with less guilt this way.

Reply

[-]

Ilovetocookstuff@reddit

Tossed or donated. Even my old yearbooks.

Reply

[-]

PegShop@reddit

My daughter enjoyed going through some of it with me. I kept a few things, took pictures of some, and got rid of most.

Reply

[-]

TJH99x@reddit

I pitched a lot in the trash, donated anything that could be reused. Brought some home after each visit to deal with later. Mine live across half the country so I had to fit stuff in my suitcase over several yearly visits, and sometimes brought an extra suitcase when I didn’t have to pay for it.

Reply

[-]

FormerLaugh3780@reddit

Goodwill and dumpster.

Reply

[-]

tc_cad@reddit

My parents split 25 years ago. Each got new houses so anything that I left behind was found back then. Except the photos. My Mom took ALL the photos and has only given a few back at her discretion ONLY. So now that she’s got dementia, I’ll be cleaning out her house one of these days soon and I hope to find those then.

Reply

[-]

PahzTakesPhotos@reddit

I have a box in our basement with some stuff. My parents took care of that almost as soon as I was married (39 years ago). Nothing in that box is important to anyone except my memories. We haven't hit that level of "we need to downsize our lives" yet, but I have told my kids they don't need to keep anything- if you can sell it, then sell it. If you can't, trash/donate it.

Reply

[-]

Junior_Statement_262@reddit

I haven't kept anything at my parents since I moved out at 18. If I didn't want my stuff enough to take it to my first apartment, why would my parents want it?? Plus, neither of us are the hoarding type. As for you, sell anything of value, donate or throw away.

Reply

[-]

One_Local5586@reddit

My dad moved out of country a few years ago, hot rid of everything when he did. He moved back, but no childhood stuff remains.

Reply

[-]

Away-Equipment4869@reddit

I'll take it off your hands!

Reply

[-]

Flat_6_Theory@reddit

Vast majority of my stuff is long gone. May have some things at mom’s but doubt I’ll get notified once she passes (no one left to tell me) and she’s over a 1000 miles away. Imagine that stuff will be tossed by her husband’s family. Wouldn’t mind a tactile trip down memory lane of the 70s. Most likely I would donate (good condition items) most of it as my children are too old to appreciate the things of my childhood. Keep the stuffed animals for our cats to enjoy.

Reply to Post

69 Comments