In case of a world disaster, which memorabilia will you run to save?
We’ve talked about sentimental clutter here before, and I think the general consensus is that memory clutter is by far the toughest clutter to declutter. People want to keep their memories. One way to figure out what you’re willing to part with is to play games:
This game means you ask yourself silly questions, but silly or not, it helps you to focus.
You can ask yourself…
“In case of a world disaster, which memorabilia will I run to save?”
“If I was stuck on a desert island, which memorabilia would I want to have with me?”
And so on.
Silly stuff that works. For me photos would top out the list. Photos over say, my son’s artwork, or greeting cards. I’d want my son’s artwork, but in case of fire, I’d be grabbing the photo album first. (Not that I’m advocating sticking around during a fire, but you get the gist). What would you save first?
If you have 15 memorabilia items; say a quilt, photos, old notes, important mix CDs, and so on, choose 10 that are very important, and take steps to save them in other ways. You can save photos on a disc or online, eliminating all those photo boxes. You can scan old letters or your child’s artwork.
You don’t need to save it all. Even when it comes to memories. Think about what’s most important, save it, and declutter the rest from your world. Yes memories matter, but they don’t matter more than spending time in the present, which is less possible when all you do is clean and organize.
What would you save first, second, and third, in a disaster situation?
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Tags: contest, get rid of paper clutter, how to declutter, memorabilia, Paper Clutter, paper clutter fight, saving memorabilia, sentimental clutter, stop paper clutter, which memorabilia should you saveRelated Stories
POSTED IN: Organizing Basics, Simplifying
25 opinions for In case of a world disaster, which memorabilia will you run to save?
Aimee
Oct 10, 2008 at 1:10 pm
I too would save my photos first. Second I would save my children’s baby blankets. Third I would probably save my favorite clothes. Two and three come no where near number one though.
Jess
Oct 10, 2008 at 1:53 pm
First - Photographs.
Second - Engagement ring if it’s not on my hand (I take it off for work). If not that, a cookbook or two.
Third - My cello and bow. They’re lovely, if heavy.
chris swanson
Oct 10, 2008 at 2:02 pm
First-I am with you photos
Second-my kids memory quilts
Third-My old collectibles (I have turn of the century beaded coin purse)
Jess
Oct 10, 2008 at 2:11 pm
Over the past several months, I have been going through my sentimental box and scanning items that mean a lot to me and then getting rid of them, and just getting rid of some others. So, I think in the case of a disaster, I would want to make sure my external hard drive was protected - since that is where most of the little scraps of paper and phots are stored.
Cathy
Oct 10, 2008 at 2:42 pm
Whenever I ask myself these questions, I always imagine that my hands will be holding children and nothing else matters. If I’m loading the car to evacuate and the children and animals are already there, I guess I’d toss my computer, camera and quilts in the car.
Kelsey M
Oct 10, 2008 at 2:49 pm
Okay, so I hate to disagree but honestly, I try to keep very little and what I do keep I store away. I just look at it all and think back to how touched I was when my mother produced dresses that my grandmother had made me as a baby for my daughter to wear, or the quilt my uncle made me. It was just such a special moment. I think as long as you’re not going overboard with saving every little napkin and scribble and yo keep it all tucked away neatly then it’s not too bad. I also remember finding pictures that I had made from my grandfather when I was a child among his things after he passed. I just think throwing away our memories is sometimes thowing away peices of ourselves.
Gina
Oct 10, 2008 at 2:55 pm
I’d grab:
Photo albums/scrapbooks (they’re one and the same around here these days)
My computer because that’s where most of my photos are stored (though I do have an online storage site AND use DVDs which are kept off-site)
My camera
My kids’ artwork is in a box in the attic, though most of the pieces I really love have been photographed and scrapbooked as well.
Andrea
Oct 10, 2008 at 3:05 pm
First–photos.
Second–things that belonged to my grandparents–my grandfather’s college degree, a pair of candle climbers that were my grandmother’s–things that I remember from my childhood days.
Third–things that were my father’s.
This is a tough area for me in my vow to declutter–if there is sentiment involved, it’s so hard to let go. I think it’s good to keep some things, but there is so much that stays packed away and shoved into spaces that we never truly enjoy, but can’t seem to toss when we’re going through the boxes to get rid of things. I’ve started trying to take pictures of some things, as you suggested above, and that works well in some cases. I also try to tell myself that I’m not giving away something, I’m giving myself more space and organization–which I want!
Lindley
Oct 10, 2008 at 3:33 pm
I’d save my laptop (mostly because a lot of our photos are saved on there), as many of my son’s scrapbooks as I could carry and the non-sentimental choice of a file folder that has all of our insurance/account info. Thanks!
Kamber
Oct 10, 2008 at 3:52 pm
First-My son because he wouldn’t be able to get out of his crib.
Second- I would save my teddy bear that I have had since I was born.
Third- my photos
Elizabeth M.
Oct 10, 2008 at 5:51 pm
1. Scrapbooks 2. Kids artwork/mementos 3. Baby clothes (I saved about 5 things)
Huguette E.
Oct 10, 2008 at 6:05 pm
First - Pictures (albums & CD’s)
Second - Computer for the simple reason that all my financial records and a bunch of the stuff which I would be lost without.
Diana Corlett
Oct 10, 2008 at 6:55 pm
First I’d save the photos that memorialize the last thirty plus years of my life and that of my children and their children. Second would be some special gifts given to me by my children over the years. And third, the artwork on my walls that has followed me through many moves and helped to make each new house my home.
AnnasMom07
Oct 10, 2008 at 8:59 pm
In the event of a world disaster (?), I would grab our 15-month-old daughter first, then probably the engraved baseball bat my husband and I received as a wedding present. You never know when you might need to club a bad guy over the head! Disasters can bring out the worst in people.
Cindi
Oct 10, 2008 at 9:15 pm
My husband, two sons, and our pets! Hopefully, the firebox, also. It has videos of our sons as infants. Thanks, Cindi
Jen
Oct 10, 2008 at 9:34 pm
The family cats and my laptop. And my pictures. They’re all in one spot so they’d be easy to grab.
Brianne
Oct 10, 2008 at 9:48 pm
This is something I’ve thought about many times and still have no idea. Reading some other people’s comments, I realize that #1-as long as all of my family gets out, I’m good, #2-I’d love to say I’d grab my photos, but they’re scattered among the mediacenter, my laptop, my husband’s laptop, etc… that that’s not so easy (maybe this is an area I need to work on organizing?), #3-I’d need/want my laptop for work, but who has the time to unhook it from where it’s plugged into a different monitor and keyboard and the network if there’s a real fire?
So basically, I don’t know that I’d be able to even THINK about what to grab first…
Janelle
Oct 10, 2008 at 9:56 pm
Laptop, grandma’s quilt, My daughter’s “blankie”
The Chatty Housewife
Oct 10, 2008 at 11:14 pm
1)husband
2)dog
3)photos
I cheated, but it’s truth. :)
ikkinlala
Oct 11, 2008 at 12:05 am
Considering only memorabilia, I’d have to choose photos first, then my baby quilt, then the book my grandma wrote in for me.
Deb Klein
Oct 11, 2008 at 12:35 am
Let’s see~My Cat~Computer~Pictures!
Thanks So Much for the Contest!
Noreen
Oct 11, 2008 at 1:37 am
old photos (the new ones have been uploaded to shutterfly)
My girls favorite stuffed animal
my baby blanket
Green Yak
Oct 11, 2008 at 2:31 am
First, my laptop. Partly for purely practical reasons (I work from home), but also because I back up a lot of video and pictures on it!
Second: Scrapbooks; we only have two completed so far, so they wouldn’t be hard to carry.
Third: My Joy of Cooking book. It sounds silly, but I used to cook with my family all the time and this is a gift from them, so it means a lot to me.
Jessi A
Oct 11, 2008 at 7:41 am
If we include people well then them first of course. My pictures definetly. Pictures speak a thousand words and there is now replacing them. At this point my kids a very young so we don’t have a lot of other memory stuff.
Kristen
Oct 12, 2008 at 2:13 pm
Aside from saving our two cats, I’d choose:
1) Photos
2) Book from my mom w/ her personal notes in it
3) My laptop (w/ pictures, stories, etc.)
Everything else is replaceable.