...a lifetime of Greeting Card memories & well wishes???

Why have I saved them for so long?

Realistically I haven't even looked at 99.9% of them since they were initially given to me.

Toss some...keep some...toss 'em all?

And I'm afraid to admit that these are just the tip of the iceberg (but not in a hoarding sense!).

Enquiring minds wanna know!!!

Have you been successful in adopting minimalism into your life?

Has it made a difference in your life?

With friends, family & acquaintances passing on around me you do finally realize that you take none of this "stuff" with you!

Any suggestions of how you've dealt with de-cluttering your life of "things" would be most kindly appreciated.

Big steps...small steps...in-between gradual steps...methodical steps...cold turkey???

Or so it seems to me...

Move!

Every time we move, we have to go through and toss tons of stuff. With kids around we accumulate things rapidly after relocating so it is a bit like King Canute trying to stem the tide, but it definitely helps.

The only downside is that if there is one thing worse than living with lots of junk, it's moving.

Ha-ha-ha!

Well, BTDTEM, since you asked...

I just went through this, when I ended up with a ton of extra stuff from my parents' large house, some of my brother's things, plus my own accumulated things from my other life as a Mormon SAHM soccer/school volunteer Mom. My children were 7-13 years old, when my Mormon husband abandoned us with no money, so I had to go to work and earn money FAST. I was pretty sure I would have to sell the house, plus, I felt that I needed to make a fresh start, and simplify. I didn't want the kids and me to end up buried in the past, buried in "things."

One huge motivation was to get rid of things that reminded us of bad memories and bad people.

One expert on de-cluttering says to keep only the things that "bring you joy."

Sort stuff into categories:
1. Trash--broken or damaged stuff.
2. Gifts--things your kids or friends want.
3 Donations--good clothes, duplicate items, blankets, things you never use, even furniture if you feel generous. My attitude is "someone will really enjoy this!" It's for charity.
4 Keepsakes--real reminders of happy times, things that bring you joy, valuable stuff (silver, jewelry, books, artwork, things your children/grandchildren make, photographs and cards, collections, etc. Display or store these.
5. Things you use now, or have used within the past year. Put these away in your house.
6. Valuable things you could sell. My parents collected a lot of antiques. The family kept the best ones, and I sold the rest through a fun, very cute antique store, and a nice art store in the city. I was missing my parents and brother, and it was good to branch out and meet new people at the stores.

This task was so huge that it filled up my 2-car garage! The experts said to "divide up a large task into smaller tasks", and I couldn't even do that. Instead, I put aside 1-2 hours a day, after work, while my kids did their homework, and we rewarded ourselves often. I moved a small TV and a heater into the garage, to make it more pleasant. Sometimes, I would become "blocked", and couldn't decide what to do next and would have to walk away from all of it for a while. Most of the time, I couldn't see any progress at all, except for the record of the sessions I kept track of on the calendar.

Motivation is important! I was motivated to have a place to park our two cars, by the time it snowed. A fresh start, without the clutter of the past; yet to get more enjoyment of the fewer, nicer things we kept. We made room for skis, bicycles, sleds, camping gear, for the fun times ahead.

As for your cards, and children's art, you could scan them on your computer, and store them forever. They won't fade or get ruined. I took photos of some of my favorite clothes, Mom's teacup collection, some paintings, and things like that.

I scanned our old slides and movies onto flash-drives, and had some pictures printed to put in albums.

It's OK to cling to some silly things. I still have the stuffed dog I used to take everywhere I went, and slept with every night, my doll that wears my christening dress, the doll cradle my father made for me, the sweaters my mother knitted for me. I keep hand-made things, and gifts, and seasonal decorations that are traditional and sentimental.

Some of the things weren't mine, like the antiques, and gifts given to my parents by people I don't know. If they don't belong to you, it's easier to get rid of them. I did keep the few things I bought in Europe, and most of my wedding gifts.

Discard things that are high-maintenance! My mother used to say that "too many things just collect dust." Having less clutter around the house has cut down the housework by one-third--honest! My new role as working Mom has left no time to iron tablecloths or polish silver.

Yes, yes, yes, it has been worth all the work! My grandchildren can come over and play in the living room, without worrying about knocking over something breakable. The house looks neater, happier, more peaceful.

I load my car with things to get rid of, then wait overnight, and drive down to Goodwill the next day. Sometimes I'll change my mind and keep something, only to donate it again a few days later. A few times, I have actually purchased some of my clothes back from Saver's--but ended up giving them away again.

Even the few regrets (some pieces of furniture) are worth having a more simplified life. This is especially true if you share your living space with someone else.

Keep plugging away at it, you will get there!

I agree with you about taking pictures of things that are best gotten rid of. When I have to do a big de-clutter, I call in my sister-in-law. She's really good at getting me to think things through without pushing too hard. I get rid of a lot of things when we have one of our sessions.

I am doing the same thing...downsizing a lifetime of momentoes. Here's what is sorta working for me...

I bought a steamer trunk and put things like my yearbooks, some of my cherished letters and cards and a few other bulky items. I pledged to myself that was all I was saving is what would fit in that one trunk.

My hope chest now holds a few childhood dolls, teddy bear, a child size tea set and such. I know my kids and grandkids will get a kick out of seeing what I had as a child.

I am sorting through the pictures and papers of my life and have made 3 scrapbooks so far...something that is keeping me a little occupied during this time of staying home.

What I am struggling with is what to do with all the extra papers and photos that are left over. Part of me wants to chuck it all because the really important stuff is now sorted and dealt with. But, slowly and surely, I am fulfilling my goal that I set back when I retired in 2015 to get scrapbooks finished.

Burning barrel

When I moved into my motorhome I minimalized everything
my criteria is
If I haven't used it in 2 years it goes.
the exceptions to this are certain family pictures

I keep greeting cards and letters as well! I may have to go through them at some point. Right now, for two small file cabinets they only take up two files worth of space, so I'm not particularly worried about it.

My mom kept the cards that I gave her for her birthday, Mother's Day, etc. Sometimes on those days I put them out on display as a way of remembering her.

if you really want to know what is needed buy a 34' motorhome like I did and move in
You will be amazed at how clear things become.
What is actually needed!!!

A friend of mine passed away, but left a notice to her children to give me all her stuff, as "She will know what to do with it".

I did indeed. I knew a girl (she acted like a girl, not a grown woman), who lived by herself, and whenever she left her apartment, she carried with her everything she owned (being afraid it might be stolen).

Well, I 'helped' her out, by bringing her to my house, and left her alone to go through all the stuff, in the following manner:

Make three piles. One of which was for the things she knew she didn't want; and one for things she knew she wanted, and the third pile was for things she wasn't sure about.

After she had made her choices, she called me in to help her decide on the "not sure" pile, (which I did).

You might want to try something like this for your "Minimalist Lifestyle" goal.

Good luck.