March Challenge: Sentimental Paper

One topic that I have received several emails and comments regarding is sentimental paper (cards, letters, etc.). So many people have a hard time letting go because they link the physical item with the person who gave it, and if they throw it away, it's like throwing a part of the person away or offensive in some way.

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I, personally, do not have this issue of wondering what to keep and what to get rid of (or how to handle/organize keeping it). When I was a child I would keep a shoebox full of all of the cards I was given with the gift that I received from each person written on the back. One day I just decided to throw them all out. For me, it was so freeing. No more lost storage space due to cards that I never looked at. Now I know for some of you it's not that easy and maybe you like keeping these things. If you do, don't let me stop you. I'm not saying you shouldn't keep these things, I'm just saying it's not for me.

Here is a response I gave to a reader via email last November. She asked if I had any suggestions on controlling and organizing the sentimental papers that were overtaking her basement and storage space.


What you're dealing with is very common. Many people, including my husband, have a hard time parting with sentimental things. Know that you're not alone and there's nothing "wrong" with you (which is how people tend to feel when they become overwhelmed with the sentimental clutter that takes over their space). 

When I was in high school I kept shoeboxes of notes, cards, drawings, etc., thinking it would help me hold on to memories. More than anything, it just frustrated me to see how many boxes I kept accruing since I'm such an organized person. I decided to take time to sit down and really go through things, questioning why I was keeping them and what good they were doing for me, personally, by keeping them. 

Here are some tips: 

• Ask yourself, "why am I keeping this?" It's understandable to want to keep something from someone who is deceased, but do you really need to keep every single card they've sent you during their lifetime? If you feel that you can let go of even one, you're on the right path. You need to understand why you're keeping each thing - are you afraid someone will be offended, that you'll lose a part of someone or something (such as a memory)? I know it's hard to just let go, but if it's going to sit in a box until you decide to "go through the box" every year, what good is it doing for you personally? It seems to be causing you more stress than anything since you want to let go of some of it. 
• Scan letters/cards into a PDF document on your computer and save things digitally. You can organize things by category this way and eliminate the physical clutter in your home. If you're willing to part with the physical item, this may be a good option. Just know that this can cause major digital clutter though. 
• While things have meaning, the problem comes when you feel bombarded with so much stuff that you can't move forward in your life and are fearful of taking the next step. So toss mindfully. Start small - even if it's only a handful of stuff at a time. Grab what you can, take it to another area of the house/room and start to sort and decide what you want to do. It's okay to be undecided, and if that's the case, take a break, think it over, and then make a decision. When sorting through your small pile, sort everything first before taking a break. That way you don't come back and decide to take a break after each item. 
• Set time aside to organize each week - even if it's only 15 minutes. If you can do this, you'll know each week that the time is coming, and you can prepare yourself for what you're about to do. It will mentally help you prepare for looking at these sentimental items. 
• This may be obvious, but stop buying more boxes. When you do this, you're telling yourself it's okay to keep everything and add more to it when you increase the box size. Decide how much you think is acceptable to keep - one box, two boxes? Once you make this decision, remove the extra boxes as they become empty. 
• Journal about your purging experience or have someone help you through the process (unless it's someone who is equally or more sentimental about these things, then it will just make things harder for you). Expressing your emotions through a difficult task can be liberating - just like having someone supportive there to help you go through things. 
• Ask yourself, "why do I want to free myself from this clutter?" Do you need the space? Does it bother you that you're keeping it? Is someone pressuring you to get rid of it? It's so important to know why you've decided to get rid of it. This will help you evaluate why and how to let things go. 
• I understand not wanting to scrapbook. It's not for everyone. But are there things you have stored that you'd like to display? You can use shadowboxes or picture frames to display things. I once saw letters displayed in picture frames that a woman's grandparents wrote back and forth to each other during a war - it was very sweet and she chose just a few to display as a picture gallery. 
• If you can part with the physical things, you could always take pictures of items or scan letters/cards (as I suggested above) and create a book through a photo company such as Snapfish or Shutterfly with photos of your items. I've suggested this to some parents who want to keep their child's artwork, but have become overwhelmed by the amount that comes home every year. It's a great way to remember what the child has done (or in your case, what you don't want to let go), without keeping the physical item. 
• If you're going to choose to store items, especially paper, I would suggest using plastic boxes. It keeps out the moisture and insects that may be destructive to what you're storing. 
• Reward yourself when you've completed your organizational task. Seriously. Purging sentimental items is hard. You need to do something good for yourself afterwards to reassure yourself that what you did was the right thing. 

Last July I wrote a post about organizing your child's school work & art. Check the post out here.

For more tips on storing/organizing sentimental papers, check out these posts from other blogs/websites:

• Simple Mom - What To Do With Old Cards & Letters
• iHeart Organizing - Greetings! How We Organize Holiday Cards
• iHeart Organizing - School Paperwork Storage

It's totally up to you as to whether or not you keep your sentimental papers, but if you consider it "clutter" you may want to give it some real thought was to why you're keeping these things. I'd love for you to share how you store/organize your sentimental papers if you keep them. I know there are a lot of reader's out there looking for organization suggestions in this area.