One Man’s Junk is Another’s Treasure
Justification for my hoarding tendencies
It’s tough for me not to overthink whether I should keep stuff, my default setting is to hold onto things ‘just in case’. But we no longer have a garage where I can squirrel stuff away, although plenty is filed in the loft and some in our shed. Hoarding seems to be in my blood.
During WWII people were encouraged to make do and mend
My parent’s grew up in those austere times, so trying to get proper mileage out of furniture and clothes remained high priority. Prams and high chairs, clothes and bicycles, were passed down from the eldest to the youngest of their four children— and the items didn’t always leave the house. An example: we cleared my parent’s house last year and the polished wood high chair was still in the dining room, kept for visiting grandchildren.
On the note of clearing my parents’ home, it was hard to let go of things which sparked happy memories. Beautiful china, framed pictures, handsomely bound books. I made room for a few sticks of furniture, but my house was already full and furnished to a more modern style, my siblings had the same constraints.
My dilemma was what should I keep?
My husband suggested the rule one thing in, one thing out, which was hard to stick to, although I tried. Sifting through the contents of the family home, there was a lot of emotional upheaval involved, my parents had kept a lot of mementos, some generations old. In the end I took more ‘stuff’ than I will keep, but I needed thinking time. It felt very raw throwing out personal things like their old passports, school reports, a typed copy of their wedding toast, the family christening gown. I bought several 50L clear boxes with airtight lids and I’ve stored paperwork, mementos and photos safely in the loft until I feel strong enough to be more ruthless.
The Second Hand Market
To sift through what I brought home, I haven't bothered with E-bay and all the faff of shipping the item, instead I’ve used Facebook Marketplace to list items for sale, specifying that the buyer must collect. I was braced for timewasters, and people trying to haggle me down, but in balance it’s been a good way to de-clutter my home without adding to the world’s landfill.
Up-cycle or Refurbish
I bought myself a sander with which to up-cycle and customise furniture. With its help, a chest of drawers, no longer needed for my bedroom, is now painted white and furnished with new handles for use by another member of the family. I have refurbishment plans for other items: a coffee table, a bookcase, another chest of drawers and a trunk. I paid a professional upholsterer to recover a Victorian settee and I’ve polished up an antique writing desk. My Mother bought these with her first wages — that style of furniture being cheap when my parents got married . I’ve given both items pride of place in my bedroom.
There’s a great feeling of satisfaction giving pre-loved items another chance to be useful and admired.
More from Jacinta …
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