This aspect of uncluttering has a hold on me. The topic came up again in conversation earlier this evening. Namely our reliance on the internet, electricity and all other modern day conveniences that for now make uncluttering easier because we can digitalize (is that the word?) several things, getting rid of the physical equivalents.
Then one of our friends said: "what if there is a major sunspot blast and it knocks out power stations?" he continued: "it happened before and when/if it happens again, it will take weeks if not months to get power stations working again" He meant, we would be at a loss if we did not have physical back-ups to prove all sorts of things. He had several examples.
Somebody else said even the DVDs and CDs we have our information stored on might not be readable in 5 years (depending on quality.)
The conversation changed direction, but what he said has me thinking again of Justin.
I have cassettes of my mother reading stories for our DD, films on old movie reels of our wedding, DD's first steps etc etc. but have failed -to date- to have these copied on to a more modern form, but should i even bother? Should i just hand her the old media formats and let her decide if she wants to convert it?
The mere time-consumption of updating our family records, history etc is daunting...aside from the cost!
Paper yellows, and might even disintigrate a bit, but if not burnt, could potentially still be read 30 years hence.
Is there something wrong with my thinking?
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Posted 4 months ago #
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conny: I wrote a magazine article about that very issue once: http://www.1960pcug.org/pcnews/2001/12/my_floppy_died.htm
Posted 4 months ago # -
Conny, regarding getting rid of and replacing physical papers with electronic counterparts, I don't think it's uncluttering per se, but merely changing a format. In my opinion, digitizing is another subject, whereas Justin Case is more of a battle whether to keep a huge bunch of either paper versions or electronic files of bank statements from the 1960's.
Posted 4 months ago # -
ninakk,
I am right there with you regarding anger at your grandmother over the stuff she left behind. I am mad at my still-living grandparents for the enormous, almost insurmountable amount of stuff they have on their property and in their home, which they continue to leave for their kids and grandkids to deal with after they die. It clouds every interaction I have with them, and it's a terrible way for me to remember their final years. They have a full 2500-SF house, two full outbuildings 2000-SF each, plus various broken vehicles, farm equipment, scrap metal, etc on their 1-acre property.I don't think there's anything I or anyone else could do to convince or help them get rid of any of it before they're gone - they have lived with Justin Case their whole lives, and now it's "Justin Case our grandkids..." and anyway they are too elderly to have energy to deal with things and move stuff, and don't have money to hire someone to help. None of their children are really willing to face the problem, it just creates too much conflict. My grandparents believe the stuff truly is their inheritance to their kids, which is true since some of it probably has value and may be their only real remaining asset. It's so sad and I and my husband feel really helpless about it.
Posted 4 months ago # -
Geochica72: two words: Estate Auction. When the time comes, hire a professional and don't feel guilty about it. Of course you'll have to get your parent/aunts/uncles to sign off on it, but it sounds like they don't want to cope either.
Oh, and anytime anyone visits the grandparents, they should try to take *something* away with them when they leave. "Can I have that? I could really use that/I really love that." If the grandparents are really keeping things "for the kids" this ought to please them. They don't need to know if the intended destination is really a Dumpster.
Posted 4 months ago # -
@Conny and @Susan -- and others! about paper and keeping it for posterity -- my question is: How valuable is this? It seems like we could digitize a whole lotta stuff, but why? One reason we cherish items from bygone eras is that they are scarce. Two pictures from an entire childhood, for instance. Now there are hundreds of photos on Facebook. I think that the issue of information -- what/how to keep is a significant area to ponder.
Posted 4 months ago # -
ruth, you have raised questions that i have been asking myself lately.
how many photographs do we really need?
neither my husband's nor my own childhood was overly documented and i am profoundly grateful for that now.i think it is time to weed through the digital photos again.
they are so easy to take and upload....Posted 4 months ago # -
Ah yes...that intermittent positive reinforcement is very powerful!
I was wondering how other folks deal with Justin Case items for crafts, especially crafts/arts that require a lot of materials (for me, sewing). I gave myself a space limit (a shelf and two drawers in my closet), although it's getting over-stuffed and I'm wanting to get rid of some of it.Posted 4 months ago # -
Emilie, I have a lot of Justin Case crafty crap. I can afford it and it's not overwhelming my space. My primary rule is that it is not allowed to outgrow its current storage solutions - I have to be able to put it ALL securely away in its drawers & cabinets.
This was arrived at after a multi-year purge that involved shipping entire cartons of material to my sister to use in her art classes.
I think a lot of us crafty types end up donating material that is still "good" because we just no longer want to do that particular project. And there's nothing wrong with wanting something different. :-)
Posted 4 months ago # -
Thanks Chacha--it looks like I'm on the right track, then.
Since Justin Case apparently holds a special place in my heart:
http://www.theminimalists.com/in-case/
These people say that any Justin Case item can be replaced for under $20 in under 20 minutes. I want to know how they tested their theory, though.Posted 4 months ago # -
I guess they only got rid of the cheap justin cases as most things I think twice about getting rid of are much more expensive then that.
Posted 4 months ago # -
Emilie, i went to the website you suggested. Very well written. It is probably the best way for them to live. Glad they are happy.
However:
There were two comments that followed the article that i am in agreement with.Tracy on Dec 20:
The concept of replacing something that you may in the future use in favour of buying it later is not always a sound decision. For example if you are travelling and can buy a sweater and then donate it that makes sense – I can see the wisdom. However in the case of the box of highlighters if you can see yourself using them, don’t chuck them only to buy more.J-F wrote this on Dec 21st:
Avoiding buying stuff is a no-brainer. But getting rid of already purchased things is not always the smartest thing to do, as liberating as it is.Think about it this way: even if you spend only $20 re-purchasing a item you had gotten rid of, that’s the same purchase and the same ecological footprint as any stuff-addict’s purchase.
......
For us, at the moment,(<-emphasis) buying less or hardly anything aside from groceries is a lot easier than getting rid of things that are perfectly OK. So we will probably become unclutteres as we use things up and donate what we know we will not use, buy less and only replace what we really need.
BTW, is there a way to show you are quoting somebody on this forum?
Posted 4 months ago # -
Yeah, I'm not endorsing the ideas contained in the link, just thought it was interesting. ;) I would much rather use something up than throw it out and buy more later. However, I acknowledge that this makes my decluttering process slower than it might otherwise be. I'm probably too environmental to go the other way, though.
Posted 4 months ago #
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