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SeaStar
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| Posted: Feb 17 2011 at 2:57pm | IP Logged
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 Two weeks ago my husband brought in a very musty old box from the garage and told me I should look through it, as apparently it was all my stuff.
Argh. It was. Everything that I had saved from high school and college,etc.
I had forgotten about that box, and I was not to happy to see it again. Every time I approach it and contemplate going through it, I think: Ugh. Do I have to?
So, please give me some ideas of the things you have saved and why.
I am especially on the fence about my junior high yearbooks and my college year book (thankfully I only bought one of those, since it weighs 20 lbs).
Will my dc want to see my high school transcripts? Yes, I did get a D in physics and recall being happy to get even that  (I had a second go around with physics in college and managed to do a more respectable job, thankfully).
Graduation programs, award certificates, all that stuff... what to do... 
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Melinda, mom to ds ('02) and dd ('04)
SQUILT Music Appreciation
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lapazfarm
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| Posted: Feb 17 2011 at 3:15pm | IP Logged
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This is just me, but I would trash it all. I did years ago and never looked back. Never regretted it once.
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Theresa
us-schooling in beautiful Fairbanks, Alaska.
LaPaz Home Learning
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Bethany
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| Posted: Feb 17 2011 at 3:46pm | IP Logged
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I trashed much of mine too. I think I have yearbooks somewhere, but I don't know where. My husband hated that I trashed so much of it but I really don't think anyone cares to see it all. Although we just found out that his Mom still has every trophy, certificate, etc. he ever received. When he told her he really didn't want it and she could just trash it all she was aghast! She is a former school teacher so she believes that being in National Who's Who in HS means something. Worse yet, that our girls would care.
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Bethany
Wife to Mike, Mommy to Amelia (6/02), Sarah (10/03), Martha Grace (10/05), Rebecca Anne (12/07), Laura Catherine (3/10) and Reed Michael 7/4/14.
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DominaCaeli
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I trashed almost everything when I married my husband and moved. Journals, notes, and other personal things like that are definitely gone, and I have never regretted that at all. I do still have my yearbooks, but I'm not sure why--our yearbooks are all in one box and we haven't gone through it in ages. But we will probably dump in on our next move. I have favorite essays from my college and grad school days, and I have my thesis as well (and the accompanying research). I don't anticipate getting rid of any of that--I like to look through it now and then, and I hope to use a lot of that material with my children when they're older. Awards and trophies and whatnot I took a picture of and then tossed--a nice middle ground. I have to say that I did enjoy looking through some of my mom's old things when I was a child. But that hasn't been reason enough to keep most of it for me.
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Blessings,
Celeste
Joyous Lessons
Mommy to six: three boys (8, 4, newborn) and four girls (7, 5, 2, and 1)
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hylabrook1
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| Posted: Feb 17 2011 at 4:31pm | IP Logged
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Timely considerations, as I"m planning to begin a major deep cleaning and purging any minute now! Looking forward to seeing what other people do.
Peace,
Nancy
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MicheleQ
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| Posted: Feb 17 2011 at 4:36pm | IP Logged
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I'd trash it. I have nothing left from school but yearbooks --which the kids love to look through since dh and I went to school together.
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Michele Quigley
wife to my prince charming and mom of 10 in Lancaster County, PA USA
http://michelequigley.com
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mavmama
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Something I've done when I didn't really "need" to keep the item but didn't want to completely get rid of, was to take a good photo of it. Easily stored and easily thrown away if I later decide I don't want it. HTH
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Liz
Blessed by 4 wonders
dd11, dd911, ds9, ds8
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SeaStar
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| Posted: Feb 17 2011 at 8:18pm | IP Logged
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yes, all these ideas are helping. Taking photos is a great idea, and I love the idea of letting go of it all (or most) and not looking about.
I don't want to see that box in another three years!
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Melinda, mom to ds ('02) and dd ('04)
SQUILT Music Appreciation
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Servant2theKing
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Mine are long gone. If I had it to do over again, I think I would have a lovely bonfire and celebrate the fact that those bridges are burned and God has graciously and mercifully sent me along newer, much better paths!
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All for Christ, our Saviour and King, servant
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mamaslearning
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I have my yearbooks and a couple of items like a play I wrote, a school paper, an old math book that everybody signed and my memories book from senior year. I ditched a ton of stuff about 10 years ago (a box of notes from my best friend - we wrote each other about 5 notes a day!) and I go through the boxes every few years and keep thinning it out.
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Lara
DD 11, DS 8, DS 6, DS 4
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stellamaris
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Just don't toss out your diploma, Melinda!! You'll need it if you decide to take a job less stressful than being a homeschool mom...like air traffic controller!  (Which is what my blogger profile says I do...but that's just a joke!)
I have a yearbook (which my kids love looking at...so 70's). I also kept one or two special notes from friends in my "personal" file...This is the place I keep kind and encouraging words that others have written to me over the years. It is the perfect antidote to my tendency to criticize myself and always makes me so grateful for the wonderful people God has brought into my life over the years. Some things are worth keeping.
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In Christ,
Caroline
Wife to  dh 30+ yrs,ds's 83,85,89,dd's 91,95,ds's 01,01,02,grammy to 4
Flowing Streams
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Chris V
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It was an early spring day, about 10 years ago or so. The kind of day where you still needed to bundle up to keep warm, but the sun was shining with perhaps a few clouds in the sky. My husband and I were going through all the boxes in the garage; we didn't have any children yet and were just spending the day cleaning things up. We came upon our old college notebooks, notes, labs, reports, homework papers ... 4 (actually 5) years worth of University *stuff*. We grabbed the boxes, took them into the backyard, lit a huge fire in our fire pit, took a 6-pack out of the refrigerator, and had a fantastic afternoon drinking a few cold ones, and burning our old papers, one at a time, as we reminisced about those youthful days. Never, not ever, regretted burning all that stuff! It was theraputic
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Chris
Happy Wife with my Happy Life
Mama to My Five Girls ('04~'07~'09~'11~'11)
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SeaStar
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| Posted: Feb 18 2011 at 6:46pm | IP Logged
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stellamaris wrote:
| Just don't toss out your diploma, Melinda!! |
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I did find my high school diploma buried in that box, safely intact.
I sent a ton of stuff to recycling today, without even taking a single picture. So good to have it gone!
All I have left to go through now is a stack of old letters I have kept.
It does make me sad, though, that no one writes letters anymore. I have several my mom wrote to me at college that are wonderful peeks into our family's life at the time. Definitely keeping those.
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Melinda, mom to ds ('02) and dd ('04)
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JamieCarin
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Now I see that I disagree with most here! I am surprised frankly because I throw away nearly everything. My husband jokes I should be on a show that is opposite of Hoarders called "Thrower Awayers" LOL....Anyway I kept my yearbooks, my report cards and progress reports (we are talking K-12 here) and any awards/medals/certificates. It all fits neatly into a box that is stored away. The reason I kept them is because I always loved to see my mother's and ESPECIALLY my grandmother's school stuff. In fact when my grandmother passed away I got her diploma and a few other saved school momentos she had. So I thought it would be a fun thing for my kids and grandkids to see someday.
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JennGM
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JamieCarin wrote:
| Now I see that I disagree with most here! I am surprised frankly because I throw away nearly everything. My husband jokes I should be on a show that is opposite of Hoarders called "Thrower Awayers" LOL....Anyway I kept my yearbooks, my report cards and progress reports (we are talking K-12 here) and any awards/medals/certificates. It all fits neatly into a box that is stored away. The reason I kept them is because I always loved to see my mother's and ESPECIALLY my grandmother's school stuff. In fact when my grandmother passed away I got her diploma and a few other saved school momentos she had. So I thought it would be a fun thing for my kids and grandkids to see someday. |
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I'm not a big saver, but there are a few things like this I do save.
There is one thing I recently told my husband to save -- his rejection letters from all the college football programs when he was trying to get in as coach. He was going to throw them out, but since they all had the school logos and such, I knew my sons would enjoy it.
My 7 year old is just eating them up. He's reading them all very closely and getting a glimpse of his father's life, asking questions. It's neat to see.
And I enjoyed looking through my mother's things. She didn't save much, but I savored it all. So, I'm with Jamie. If you have some room, pick a few choice things to save.
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Jennifer G. Miller
Wife to  & ds1  '03 & ds2  '07
Family in Feast and Feria
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tissuebox
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| Posted: Feb 19 2011 at 7:17pm | IP Logged
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I am with JamieCarin Donate some of the stuff to the family historin/ genealogist in the extended family. They would love to look at and keep old "junk" like what you described.
Char
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CatholicMommy
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| Posted: Feb 21 2011 at 1:11pm | IP Logged
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I pared my pre-k to 12th grade stuff down to 3/4 of an average plastic storage bin (the one that's about 18 inches tall, 12 inches wide and maybe 15 inches deep).
College stuff is hole punched and in 2 very thick binders - mostly just particular papers of interest (I hypothetically could edit them and have them published someday... haha!). I did throw out several yearbooks - I've had no regrets, though I thought I would.
I think the amount and type of things you keep depends on what that life was like - for me, I want a more or less complete break, but I also want something to pass on to my children/grandchildren because those things can indeed be of interest.
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4Real Forums : Our Lady's Loom, Larder, and Laundry
Topic: What to save?
