(Fewer) papers please
December 27, 2022 1:29 PM Subscribe
I've successfully culled my wardrobe, bookshelves, furniture and clutter. But I'm haunted by boxes of paper ephemera. What systems do you use to sort/cull the paper detritus of a life?
I'm talking about things like:
- report cards, certificates I won at school
- exercise books from year 4 English
- scribbles and half-filled notebooks I made when I was 6
- long rambly letters from people in high school I do or don't talk to anymore (I can't/don't even want to open most of these envelopes)
- love letters from relationships I'm no longer in (ditto - but maybe I will when I'm 90?)
- notes and photocopies from years of language study (languages I used to learn and from ones I'm still learning)
- old creative writing and journals
- cuttings of things that I or friends had published in the school or university newspaper
- itineraries, train/plane tickets, museum catalogues, flyers etc. picked up on overseas trips
- funny notes people passed me in class in high school
- photographs
- business cards from friends' first jobs
- art done by exes
- essays and journal articles from subjects I studied at uni
- stickers, art ripped out of magazines
- birthday cards, postcards and farewell cards from old jobs
- bank statements, receipts, health insurance docs etc. going back 20 years
- flyers for shows of friends' bands, or bands I used to like
I've stopped accumulating paper because I know how hard it will be for me to throw it out. So the influx is low but the backlog is still there. I've tried many times over the years to cull this stuff. Usually I manage to throw out a small pile before bursting into tears and shoving everything back in the box it came out of. I've made some progress this way but it's slow and painful. The techniques I've used successfully to whittle down my clothes and books (Marie Kondo, The Swedish Art of Death Cleaning etc.) just don't work. None of this stuff brings me joy - it literally brings me to tears! - but I can't find the magic questions that will help me evaluate what if anything is worth keeping.
I guess my goal is to keep the important documents and have a small amount of paper ephemera that actually makes me happy to look at. I don't want to just bin it all; this is the archive of my life (seeing it this way is part of the problem, yes). I might even need specific advice for each of those categories above e.g. feel free to tell me why it's OK to throw out my school report cards, and how you did and you haven't lost all your memories forever. Is there perhaps even a way to make this process actually... pleasant? Hope me MeFi
I'm talking about things like:
- report cards, certificates I won at school
- exercise books from year 4 English
- scribbles and half-filled notebooks I made when I was 6
- long rambly letters from people in high school I do or don't talk to anymore (I can't/don't even want to open most of these envelopes)
- love letters from relationships I'm no longer in (ditto - but maybe I will when I'm 90?)
- notes and photocopies from years of language study (languages I used to learn and from ones I'm still learning)
- old creative writing and journals
- cuttings of things that I or friends had published in the school or university newspaper
- itineraries, train/plane tickets, museum catalogues, flyers etc. picked up on overseas trips
- funny notes people passed me in class in high school
- photographs
- business cards from friends' first jobs
- art done by exes
- essays and journal articles from subjects I studied at uni
- stickers, art ripped out of magazines
- birthday cards, postcards and farewell cards from old jobs
- bank statements, receipts, health insurance docs etc. going back 20 years
- flyers for shows of friends' bands, or bands I used to like
I've stopped accumulating paper because I know how hard it will be for me to throw it out. So the influx is low but the backlog is still there. I've tried many times over the years to cull this stuff. Usually I manage to throw out a small pile before bursting into tears and shoving everything back in the box it came out of. I've made some progress this way but it's slow and painful. The techniques I've used successfully to whittle down my clothes and books (Marie Kondo, The Swedish Art of Death Cleaning etc.) just don't work. None of this stuff brings me joy - it literally brings me to tears! - but I can't find the magic questions that will help me evaluate what if anything is worth keeping.
I guess my goal is to keep the important documents and have a small amount of paper ephemera that actually makes me happy to look at. I don't want to just bin it all; this is the archive of my life (seeing it this way is part of the problem, yes). I might even need specific advice for each of those categories above e.g. feel free to tell me why it's OK to throw out my school report cards, and how you did and you haven't lost all your memories forever. Is there perhaps even a way to make this process actually... pleasant? Hope me MeFi
Regarding sorting, as opposed to culling:
I keep such paper objects in a particularly nice sort of plastic bin that has tracks for standard hanging folders. I recommend the IRIS WeatherPro (a.k.a. Weathertight) 32 quart containers. (Here's a current Home Depot link.)
posted by 4th number at 1:37 PM on December 27, 2022 [3 favorites]
I keep such paper objects in a particularly nice sort of plastic bin that has tracks for standard hanging folders. I recommend the IRIS WeatherPro (a.k.a. Weathertight) 32 quart containers. (Here's a current Home Depot link.)
posted by 4th number at 1:37 PM on December 27, 2022 [3 favorites]
If you really do want to make it easier on yourself to discard this part of your life (and believe me, I know it's hard), you might try asking yourself, "who am keeping these papers for? What will happen to these papers when I'm gone? What do I want people to read about me and what don't I want them to read about me?" So I kept the school records and such, and discarded anything that I was keeping for ME.
posted by Stuka at 1:52 PM on December 27, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by Stuka at 1:52 PM on December 27, 2022 [2 favorites]
I recently culled a lot of this stuff from 2 large rubbermaid totes to one tote. I need to cull it again.
My recommendation is to buy yourself a special memory box. Choose the size that seems right for you. If it fits inside the box, you keep it. Once the box is full, that's it. I'd keep a few from each of the categories, and that should fit nicely. Except photographs - those can probably be their own thing.
Here's my recommendations (if you want ideas from a stranger:
- report cards, certificates I won at school (keep just the last report card from each grade and pick one or two certificates that are important to you)
- exercise books from year 4 English (keep a few pages of one book)
- scribbles and half-filled notebooks I made when I was 6 (keep one or two pages)
- long rambly letters from people in high school I do or don't talk to anymore (pick 5 at random and keep them)
- love letters from relationships I'm no longer in (maybe keep one or two from your first love, but nah - just dump them!)
- notes and photocopies from years of language study (only keep info that you wouldn't be able to find online today)
- old creative writing and journals (keep one or two items that are special to you)
- cuttings of things that I or friends had published in the school or university newspaper (keep a few that are important to you)
- itineraries, train/plane tickets, museum catalogues, flyers etc. picked up on overseas trips (pick a few mementos from each trip)
- funny notes people passed me in class in high school (keep 3-5 of these)
- photographs (handle them separately)
- business cards from friends' first jobs (dump)
- art done by exes (dump unless it's art you want to display in your home)
- essays and journal articles from subjects I studied at uni (dump unless it's something important that you couldn't find today)
- stickers, art ripped out of magazines (dump unless it's something important that you couldn't find today)
- birthday cards, postcards and farewell cards from old jobs (keep 3-5 that are important)
- bank statements, receipts, health insurance docs etc. going back 20 years (dump - except receipts for big ticket items you still own)
- flyers for shows of friends' bands, or bands I used to like (keep 5-10 of these)
posted by hydra77 at 2:00 PM on December 27, 2022 [8 favorites]
My recommendation is to buy yourself a special memory box. Choose the size that seems right for you. If it fits inside the box, you keep it. Once the box is full, that's it. I'd keep a few from each of the categories, and that should fit nicely. Except photographs - those can probably be their own thing.
Here's my recommendations (if you want ideas from a stranger:
- report cards, certificates I won at school (keep just the last report card from each grade and pick one or two certificates that are important to you)
- exercise books from year 4 English (keep a few pages of one book)
- scribbles and half-filled notebooks I made when I was 6 (keep one or two pages)
- long rambly letters from people in high school I do or don't talk to anymore (pick 5 at random and keep them)
- love letters from relationships I'm no longer in (maybe keep one or two from your first love, but nah - just dump them!)
- notes and photocopies from years of language study (only keep info that you wouldn't be able to find online today)
- old creative writing and journals (keep one or two items that are special to you)
- cuttings of things that I or friends had published in the school or university newspaper (keep a few that are important to you)
- itineraries, train/plane tickets, museum catalogues, flyers etc. picked up on overseas trips (pick a few mementos from each trip)
- funny notes people passed me in class in high school (keep 3-5 of these)
- photographs (handle them separately)
- business cards from friends' first jobs (dump)
- art done by exes (dump unless it's art you want to display in your home)
- essays and journal articles from subjects I studied at uni (dump unless it's something important that you couldn't find today)
- stickers, art ripped out of magazines (dump unless it's something important that you couldn't find today)
- birthday cards, postcards and farewell cards from old jobs (keep 3-5 that are important)
- bank statements, receipts, health insurance docs etc. going back 20 years (dump - except receipts for big ticket items you still own)
- flyers for shows of friends' bands, or bands I used to like (keep 5-10 of these)
posted by hydra77 at 2:00 PM on December 27, 2022 [8 favorites]
I started framing show flyers (if they were big enough/in decent shape) and turning smaller, more beat-up flyers or ticket stubs into framed collages. You could easily do the same with paper travel ephemera--it could become collages organized by trip, by year, by region, whatever.
feel free to tell me why it's OK to throw out my school report cards
I...literally cannot imagine still having any report cards? I have not received a report card in fully 30 years. But one thousand percent you can throw those away, there is absolutely no value to remembering what grade you got in arithmetic when you were 7. Like really stop and think about your grandkids finding your Smaug's hoard of papers one day and being like, "huh, gran didn't get an A in penmanship that year, well now I just don't know WHAT to think!" They will not do that.
Also you're not supposed to keep those bank statements etc. that long, it's an identity theft risk and absolutely valueless, what do you think, some bank is going to chase you down because you left 14 cents in an account from when you were 12? Not happening. Make a rule for yourself: five years of records, or whatever. (Some nations have rules about how long to keep tax documents, but you know, anything other than that.)
But I think this is the key to the whole thing:
how you did and you haven't lost all your memories forever.
This is just straight-up actual clinical anxiety, really. If you fear that your entire childhood will vanish from your mind if you discard a report card I have bad news for you: it will do that, mostly, anyway, no matter what you keep. Honey, you will get old and forget shit. It's just what happens. And you will remember shit, also, but it won't be because you kept some letters that panic you too much to even open the envelopes! It will be because those events and people were actually important to you.
posted by We put our faith in Blast Hardcheese at 2:01 PM on December 27, 2022 [21 favorites]
feel free to tell me why it's OK to throw out my school report cards
I...literally cannot imagine still having any report cards? I have not received a report card in fully 30 years. But one thousand percent you can throw those away, there is absolutely no value to remembering what grade you got in arithmetic when you were 7. Like really stop and think about your grandkids finding your Smaug's hoard of papers one day and being like, "huh, gran didn't get an A in penmanship that year, well now I just don't know WHAT to think!" They will not do that.
Also you're not supposed to keep those bank statements etc. that long, it's an identity theft risk and absolutely valueless, what do you think, some bank is going to chase you down because you left 14 cents in an account from when you were 12? Not happening. Make a rule for yourself: five years of records, or whatever. (Some nations have rules about how long to keep tax documents, but you know, anything other than that.)
But I think this is the key to the whole thing:
how you did and you haven't lost all your memories forever.
This is just straight-up actual clinical anxiety, really. If you fear that your entire childhood will vanish from your mind if you discard a report card I have bad news for you: it will do that, mostly, anyway, no matter what you keep. Honey, you will get old and forget shit. It's just what happens. And you will remember shit, also, but it won't be because you kept some letters that panic you too much to even open the envelopes! It will be because those events and people were actually important to you.
posted by We put our faith in Blast Hardcheese at 2:01 PM on December 27, 2022 [21 favorites]
I only recently became aware of the practice of Swedish death cleaning. As this article puts it, "You get rid of all the stuff you’ve accumulated that you don’t need anymore — so that no one else has to do it for you after you pass." Apparently it can be quite freeing, but I've never tried it myself.
Many years ago I had to get rid of a ton of stuff (including old report cards, letters from ex-lovers, et al) when I moved out of my childhood home and into an apartment in another town. It was hard, but that move might have saved me from a full-on Hoarders situation someday. Maybe it will help if you resolve to move all your old stuff somewhere, even if it's just to another room. In the process of moving it you'll probably find that a lot of things soon lose their sentimental value and just become these objects you're having to schlep around.
Finally, if you've never seen Labyrinth I suggest you do so, or at least watch the Junk Lady scene. Ask yourself: Do I want to end up like the Junk Lady?
posted by Ursula Hitler at 2:34 PM on December 27, 2022 [2 favorites]
Many years ago I had to get rid of a ton of stuff (including old report cards, letters from ex-lovers, et al) when I moved out of my childhood home and into an apartment in another town. It was hard, but that move might have saved me from a full-on Hoarders situation someday. Maybe it will help if you resolve to move all your old stuff somewhere, even if it's just to another room. In the process of moving it you'll probably find that a lot of things soon lose their sentimental value and just become these objects you're having to schlep around.
Finally, if you've never seen Labyrinth I suggest you do so, or at least watch the Junk Lady scene. Ask yourself: Do I want to end up like the Junk Lady?
posted by Ursula Hitler at 2:34 PM on December 27, 2022 [2 favorites]
My home Intenet connection has been down for several days. When I have less of an interesting life -- when I'm older -- I'll have some cool, deep boxes of old cards and, yes, even receipts, to engage with and stimulate my memory and imagination. What did I buy in 2020? What did I buy in 2012? Can you imagine going back through all that life stuff and being able to see what your day-to-day existence was really like?
posted by amtho at 2:40 PM on December 27, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by amtho at 2:40 PM on December 27, 2022 [1 favorite]
I actually made myself read all the old letters I’d saved, and there were some really pleasant surprises and it was obvious what I should keep. It helped me tap into compassion for younger me. I did it mostly in short bursts, it’s definitely not something you’ll want to grind through in one sitting.
I’d only keep letters that bring back bad memories if it’s a reminder to keep boundaries with a particular person, otherwise it’s kind of the analog equivalent of being mad at someone on the internet. That person from a decade ago doesn’t exist in a meaningful way anymore, let it go.
posted by momus_window at 2:59 PM on December 27, 2022 [8 favorites]
I’d only keep letters that bring back bad memories if it’s a reminder to keep boundaries with a particular person, otherwise it’s kind of the analog equivalent of being mad at someone on the internet. That person from a decade ago doesn’t exist in a meaningful way anymore, let it go.
posted by momus_window at 2:59 PM on December 27, 2022 [8 favorites]
Are you in a situation where there are actual piles of paper you’re struggling to manage, or is it just a few boxes?
I don’t think everyone needs to be super minimal… it’s ok to be sentimental (unless you’re creating a fire hazard). All those things reflect your life as it was, and the tactile aspect is a unique memory jog (given multiple levels of input). You’ll periodically want to revisit these for different reasons and I see no reason to deprive yourself of that experience. I mean you never know what the value of some piece of ephemera will be in the future.
The only stuff I’d 💯 chuck out of all of that is
- bank statements, receipts, health insurance docs etc. going back 20 years
- notes and photocopies from years of language study (languages I used to learn and from ones I'm still learning)
School work and notes from classmates = a case by case situation.
The flyers, posters, museum catalogues, your exes’ art, that stuff could be worth something to some other nostalgic person too. (Unless you really hate any of your exes or their art, then donate that to goodwill or chuck it.)
posted by cotton dress sock at 3:25 PM on December 27, 2022 [7 favorites]
I don’t think everyone needs to be super minimal… it’s ok to be sentimental (unless you’re creating a fire hazard). All those things reflect your life as it was, and the tactile aspect is a unique memory jog (given multiple levels of input). You’ll periodically want to revisit these for different reasons and I see no reason to deprive yourself of that experience. I mean you never know what the value of some piece of ephemera will be in the future.
The only stuff I’d 💯 chuck out of all of that is
- bank statements, receipts, health insurance docs etc. going back 20 years
- notes and photocopies from years of language study (languages I used to learn and from ones I'm still learning)
School work and notes from classmates = a case by case situation.
The flyers, posters, museum catalogues, your exes’ art, that stuff could be worth something to some other nostalgic person too. (Unless you really hate any of your exes or their art, then donate that to goodwill or chuck it.)
posted by cotton dress sock at 3:25 PM on December 27, 2022 [7 favorites]
If this makes you cry, I don't think you are ready to get rid of the sentimental stuff yet. Years ago, I spent a week or so writing out all of my school and summer marching band memories in a Word file. It helped me when I was going through my files and found a few with homework in them. I had zero problems recycling it all after reading through some of the papers once. I think you should try writing about your childhood. You might end up liking the results enough to make a scrapbook of them and include some of the papers. The rest can be scanned and recycled. This might take time after your initial writing.
There are other categories on your list that make sense in scrapbooks like travel stuff, photos, articles from you or people you know. A random article or notebook page from studying something you don't study anymore is not very useful though. Those are prime for scanning and getting rid of. Many of those articles are probably available online. Print the webpage to a PDF and put it in your digital archives.
Personal notes (love or funny) and cards are harder, but will also be just as good in digital files. Newer phones have cameras that work as scanners.
bank statements, receipts, health insurance docs etc. going back 20 years
You don't need any of this older than 7 years. You probably don't need anything older than 2 years, but start with the oldest stuff. Anything older than 2012 should be burned or shredded. If you can't do it all, start with the bank statements. If you get emotional at this kind of dry business material, then you might want to talk to a professional about that. See if your area has a free shred day and put it on your calendar as a goal day to look forward to.
posted by soelo at 3:39 PM on December 27, 2022 [3 favorites]
There are other categories on your list that make sense in scrapbooks like travel stuff, photos, articles from you or people you know. A random article or notebook page from studying something you don't study anymore is not very useful though. Those are prime for scanning and getting rid of. Many of those articles are probably available online. Print the webpage to a PDF and put it in your digital archives.
Personal notes (love or funny) and cards are harder, but will also be just as good in digital files. Newer phones have cameras that work as scanners.
bank statements, receipts, health insurance docs etc. going back 20 years
You don't need any of this older than 7 years. You probably don't need anything older than 2 years, but start with the oldest stuff. Anything older than 2012 should be burned or shredded. If you can't do it all, start with the bank statements. If you get emotional at this kind of dry business material, then you might want to talk to a professional about that. See if your area has a free shred day and put it on your calendar as a goal day to look forward to.
posted by soelo at 3:39 PM on December 27, 2022 [3 favorites]
So… what is it that’s bringing you to tears about this stuff? Is it merely the fact that you think you have to throw it out?
What if you just… don’t? Like what if you just decide you are going to keep this stuff forever, whether or not you ever look at it again? What makes that not an ok choice for you? What’s making you think you HAVE to get rid of it?
posted by showbiz_liz at 4:43 PM on December 27, 2022 [4 favorites]
What if you just… don’t? Like what if you just decide you are going to keep this stuff forever, whether or not you ever look at it again? What makes that not an ok choice for you? What’s making you think you HAVE to get rid of it?
posted by showbiz_liz at 4:43 PM on December 27, 2022 [4 favorites]
Someone I know used these kinds of papers to fuel a bonfire, as part of a letting go / new beginnings "ceremony."
posted by oceano at 5:01 PM on December 27, 2022
posted by oceano at 5:01 PM on December 27, 2022
I do feel for you. I held onto a ton of childhood and early adulthood papers and records for the longest time, and thinking about culling them was tough, emotionally, so I never really did. Unfortunately, the decision was made for me one night: the bulk of these papers were stored in plastic containers next to my parent's basement next to their furnace, and the machine suffered some sort of malfunction and started a fire that completely melted the plastic and spread soot all through the papers. Total loss. All of it was gone in one day.
Thankfully the fire was contained quickly and nobody was hurt and my parents got a new furnace and basement from the insurance eventually, but it was like the universe seeing my fear and just calling my bluff. I won't lie, it was tough, emotionally, to deal with that loss, and I still wish I had some of the papers. So I would say while doing the culling yourself will be painful, there have been many great suggestions here and be thankful you still have the choice to do this.
In the end, I, personally, would not recommend this method of culling excess personal records.
posted by fortitude25 at 5:13 PM on December 27, 2022
Thankfully the fire was contained quickly and nobody was hurt and my parents got a new furnace and basement from the insurance eventually, but it was like the universe seeing my fear and just calling my bluff. I won't lie, it was tough, emotionally, to deal with that loss, and I still wish I had some of the papers. So I would say while doing the culling yourself will be painful, there have been many great suggestions here and be thankful you still have the choice to do this.
In the end, I, personally, would not recommend this method of culling excess personal records.
posted by fortitude25 at 5:13 PM on December 27, 2022
It's OK to keep, say, a box of this stuff, without fearing it will take over your life. So maybe choose a box, start putting stuff in it you just "have to keep" for whatever value of "have to" is important to you. In your case, I'd probably keep whatever bits of the journals make you smile when you read them, not the whole journal; that one report card where your teacher said "happyfrog is a joy to have in class and will be Going Places in life" (or "happyfrog will never amount to anything if they can't learn their timestables", whichever makes you laugh more); photos and train tickets, because they can conjure up big memories of people and trips without taking up too much space.
Ditch any bank or insurance records beyond the 3-7 years they might be needed for tax/legal reasons. Ditch letters from people you don't like unless you want to keep fueling some sort of anger toward them (no judgement if you do). Ditch notes from learning foreign languages - those would need to be replicated if you decided to re-learn them anyway. Certificates like "Best Math Student in Grade 9" aren't important after your graduation brag board.
Stuff like old love letters, creative writing projects, etc? That's when you need to decide whether to maintain a second box. Personally, I'd keep that stuff, but I have the space and am not moving any time soon. In a different life, I can justify chucking the lot.
posted by cinnamonduff at 5:58 PM on December 27, 2022
Ditch any bank or insurance records beyond the 3-7 years they might be needed for tax/legal reasons. Ditch letters from people you don't like unless you want to keep fueling some sort of anger toward them (no judgement if you do). Ditch notes from learning foreign languages - those would need to be replicated if you decided to re-learn them anyway. Certificates like "Best Math Student in Grade 9" aren't important after your graduation brag board.
Stuff like old love letters, creative writing projects, etc? That's when you need to decide whether to maintain a second box. Personally, I'd keep that stuff, but I have the space and am not moving any time soon. In a different life, I can justify chucking the lot.
posted by cinnamonduff at 5:58 PM on December 27, 2022
Oh, and I should say, my mom kept some of this stuff for us, and recently cleared out her file cabinets. We had a lot of fun going through it all - she kept the issue of the school paper when my brother went to the national FFA competition, and the captain of the team that year is now the mom of my 18yo's girlfriend. So if you live in a small town, there might be more amusement value in hanging onto stuff like that. But for most people, probably not.
posted by cinnamonduff at 6:02 PM on December 27, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by cinnamonduff at 6:02 PM on December 27, 2022 [1 favorite]
Since you've had success with KonMari before, but are frustrated now, it's probably because you're trying to do paper and sentimental items simultaneously and it's messing with you. From the papers section of Tidying Up: "...there is nothing more annoying than papers. After all, they will never inspire joy no matter how you keep them....The term 'papers,' by the way, does not include papers with sentimental value like old love letters or diaries. Attempting to sort these will slow down your pace drastically. Limit yourself at first to sorting papers that give you no thrill at all..."
If you're physically storing all this paper together, first you'll need to actually separate out the sentimental items--not to look at, just to set aside to handle later. I'd recommend erring on the side of sentimental for iffy items like report cards and concert tickets, if you're feeling torn. That big stack of old bank statements is going to seem way less imposing once you're not trying to think about potential tax audits and deathbed regrets simultaneously.
If you're just grouping these items together mentally, it might help still to get a box to stash sentimental papers away in together, to suggest to your subconscious that those things you do intend to deal with, but you don't have to think about (or emotionally engage with) them until you're ready.
I recently had cause to go back through my stash of childhood papers and like momus_window I found myself felling very compassionate and tender toward my past self and to old friends (and some not-so-friends). It was easier actually to process it all together; sometimes if we come across random bits of our pasts they can seem disproportionately meaningful (good or bad) because we're seeing pieces alone, disconnected from the context of our full lives and the perspectives we can have as adults.
And just like with clothes, seeing your 15 black t-shirts or 40 concert ticket stubs might make you feel better about getting rid of some/all--or, it might make you say "heck yeah I love that." Either way, you've decided and the things you keep are the things you want in your life going forward, the life you're actually living.
posted by radiogreentea at 6:16 PM on December 27, 2022 [13 favorites]
If you're physically storing all this paper together, first you'll need to actually separate out the sentimental items--not to look at, just to set aside to handle later. I'd recommend erring on the side of sentimental for iffy items like report cards and concert tickets, if you're feeling torn. That big stack of old bank statements is going to seem way less imposing once you're not trying to think about potential tax audits and deathbed regrets simultaneously.
If you're just grouping these items together mentally, it might help still to get a box to stash sentimental papers away in together, to suggest to your subconscious that those things you do intend to deal with, but you don't have to think about (or emotionally engage with) them until you're ready.
I recently had cause to go back through my stash of childhood papers and like momus_window I found myself felling very compassionate and tender toward my past self and to old friends (and some not-so-friends). It was easier actually to process it all together; sometimes if we come across random bits of our pasts they can seem disproportionately meaningful (good or bad) because we're seeing pieces alone, disconnected from the context of our full lives and the perspectives we can have as adults.
And just like with clothes, seeing your 15 black t-shirts or 40 concert ticket stubs might make you feel better about getting rid of some/all--or, it might make you say "heck yeah I love that." Either way, you've decided and the things you keep are the things you want in your life going forward, the life you're actually living.
posted by radiogreentea at 6:16 PM on December 27, 2022 [13 favorites]
Reading through the comments, I can see that I'm probably in the minority on this, but personally, assuming your essential papers (things like your birth certificate, passport, deeds for things you own, etc) are not stored elsewhere, I'd digitize the photos where I could still identify most of the people in them and get rid of literally everything else on your list.
The only reason to keep any of that stuff is because looking at it makes you happy. If it doesn't (and it sounds like maybe it doesn't?) make you happy now, it won't make you happy when you're 90 either. This stuff isn't "the archive of your life", it's an incomplete collection of physical items you happen to have from different times in your life--don't give it more significance than it deserves. Also, if this helps at all, I have none of the items on your list and while I guess I don't know what grades I got in 4th grade math, the memories that matter are perfectly intact.
As far as how to go through these boxes, I really do think you can get rid of everything that doesn't bring you joy--if that means you keep none of the stuff on your list, that's fine. If it means you keep a lot of stuff because it actually does bring you joy, that's also fine. But none of this is worth keeping if it doesn't make you happy.
posted by mjcon at 6:36 PM on December 27, 2022 [3 favorites]
The only reason to keep any of that stuff is because looking at it makes you happy. If it doesn't (and it sounds like maybe it doesn't?) make you happy now, it won't make you happy when you're 90 either. This stuff isn't "the archive of your life", it's an incomplete collection of physical items you happen to have from different times in your life--don't give it more significance than it deserves. Also, if this helps at all, I have none of the items on your list and while I guess I don't know what grades I got in 4th grade math, the memories that matter are perfectly intact.
As far as how to go through these boxes, I really do think you can get rid of everything that doesn't bring you joy--if that means you keep none of the stuff on your list, that's fine. If it means you keep a lot of stuff because it actually does bring you joy, that's also fine. But none of this is worth keeping if it doesn't make you happy.
posted by mjcon at 6:36 PM on December 27, 2022 [3 favorites]
I am partly guilty of this kind of thing too, but I've managed to keep things confined to two under-the-bed size boxes.
I think in general, if these pieces of paper only contain information that you can easily retrieve elsewhere later, and have no other emotional significance, you can get rid of it. Here's some advice, going category by category:
- report cards, certificates I won at school
I seriously wouldn't save these unless one was unusually noteworthy (i.e., "oh yeah, THIS card is from that semester that I was all determined to finally get an A in chemistry and I DID, YAY!" or "oh haha, here's that note from my second grade teacher that says I talk way too much, yeah, that tracks"). If it's just data like, "I got a B plus in history, but I don't really remember much about that class itself", then...a school transcript would have that information.
- exercise books from year 4 English
- scribbles and half-filled notebooks I made when I was 6
....Unless you really REALLY like one of your essays or answers, I would get rid of the exercise books. Maybe rip out or copy one or two pages that you really liked. ...The notebooks from when you were 6 I would lean more towards saving, but even here, I would just save the pages you actually wrote on. Either rip out the pages you wrote on and save them in a folder, or rip out the empty pages and use them as scrap paper.
- long rambly letters from people in high school I do or don't talk to anymore (I can't/don't even want to open most of these envelopes)
- love letters from relationships I'm no longer in (ditto - but maybe I will when I'm 90?)
I think for these, it depends on who the person was, what their significance was or is to you, and the strength of that connection. Like, I have all of the letters from my closest friends, but I got rid of the letters that a kid from summer camp wrote me because I didn't really even remember him. ...Love letters are a special case, and I kind of agree with someone who says that you should keep all of them, no question. (Unless the letters are from someone who turned out to be a real jackass and you actively hate them, then burning those can be very cathartic.)
- notes and photocopies from years of language study (languages I used to learn and from ones I'm still learning)
THIS is exactly the kind of information you can find elsewhere when you need it. If Google can tell you that "miel" is the French word for "honey", why save a piece of paper that tells you that?
- old creative writing and journals
Like the love letters - SAVE these. Period.
- cuttings of things that I or friends had published in the school or university newspaper
Your stuff I'd save. Your friend's stuff....I'd get critical about a) the strength of the friendship or b) the quality of the work.
- itineraries, train/plane tickets, museum catalogues, flyers etc. picked up on overseas trips
It's okay to save some of these....but be critical and really curate. If it was a once-in-a-lifetime dream trip to Rome, then yeah, saving everything is okay....but the ticket from your sixth trip is probably going to look a lot like the ticket from the first trip, so...do you really need it?
- funny notes people passed me in class in high school
- photographs
- business cards from friends' first jobs
- art done by exes
Another category where it depends on the quality of the work or the strength of the friendship. Also, if you can tell a distinct story about it, then it can stay - is your friend's business card from a job they really really wanted? Or is it a business card for something really lame and you all laughed about how "what the fuck did they make you a business card for when you're just an intern?" or "how the hell did they mis-spell your name that badly?" Or is the art done by an ex you really loved, or is it...really good? Or is it really bad and you're saving it to laugh at because your ex was a jerk?
- essays and journal articles from subjects I studied at uni
Not only is this information likely easily retrievable online, but you can also find more up-to-date information that way. (If we've already landed on Mars, why save an article that says we haven't yet?)
stickers, art ripped out of magazines
Unless you really like them on an aesthetic basis...why? Either find some way to turn them into decor in your home or get rid of them.
birthday cards, postcards and farewell cards from old jobs-
flyers for shows of friends' bands, or bands I used to like
If you hated the job, or you were lukewarm about the people the cards were from, or about the cards themselves, toss them. Ditto for the bands.
bank statements, receipts, health insurance docs etc. going back 20 years
Okay, for THIS boring stuff there are actually several sites that say how long you need to keep things. I think for bank statements, for instance, the rule of thumb is to hang on to them for 7 years; and for receipts, hang on to them only as long as you need them for tax purposes, and if you don't, then only hang on to them to make sure your bank statement matches them, then out they go. You could probably make a big dent right here, if you've been hanging on to some of these papers for 20 years - I bet you could get rid of 10 years' worth easily, at least.
You don't have to get rid of everything, but...be honest with yourself about how much a given piece of paper means to you.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 9:40 PM on December 27, 2022
I think in general, if these pieces of paper only contain information that you can easily retrieve elsewhere later, and have no other emotional significance, you can get rid of it. Here's some advice, going category by category:
- report cards, certificates I won at school
I seriously wouldn't save these unless one was unusually noteworthy (i.e., "oh yeah, THIS card is from that semester that I was all determined to finally get an A in chemistry and I DID, YAY!" or "oh haha, here's that note from my second grade teacher that says I talk way too much, yeah, that tracks"). If it's just data like, "I got a B plus in history, but I don't really remember much about that class itself", then...a school transcript would have that information.
- exercise books from year 4 English
- scribbles and half-filled notebooks I made when I was 6
....Unless you really REALLY like one of your essays or answers, I would get rid of the exercise books. Maybe rip out or copy one or two pages that you really liked. ...The notebooks from when you were 6 I would lean more towards saving, but even here, I would just save the pages you actually wrote on. Either rip out the pages you wrote on and save them in a folder, or rip out the empty pages and use them as scrap paper.
- long rambly letters from people in high school I do or don't talk to anymore (I can't/don't even want to open most of these envelopes)
- love letters from relationships I'm no longer in (ditto - but maybe I will when I'm 90?)
I think for these, it depends on who the person was, what their significance was or is to you, and the strength of that connection. Like, I have all of the letters from my closest friends, but I got rid of the letters that a kid from summer camp wrote me because I didn't really even remember him. ...Love letters are a special case, and I kind of agree with someone who says that you should keep all of them, no question. (Unless the letters are from someone who turned out to be a real jackass and you actively hate them, then burning those can be very cathartic.)
- notes and photocopies from years of language study (languages I used to learn and from ones I'm still learning)
THIS is exactly the kind of information you can find elsewhere when you need it. If Google can tell you that "miel" is the French word for "honey", why save a piece of paper that tells you that?
- old creative writing and journals
Like the love letters - SAVE these. Period.
- cuttings of things that I or friends had published in the school or university newspaper
Your stuff I'd save. Your friend's stuff....I'd get critical about a) the strength of the friendship or b) the quality of the work.
- itineraries, train/plane tickets, museum catalogues, flyers etc. picked up on overseas trips
It's okay to save some of these....but be critical and really curate. If it was a once-in-a-lifetime dream trip to Rome, then yeah, saving everything is okay....but the ticket from your sixth trip is probably going to look a lot like the ticket from the first trip, so...do you really need it?
- funny notes people passed me in class in high school
- photographs
- business cards from friends' first jobs
- art done by exes
Another category where it depends on the quality of the work or the strength of the friendship. Also, if you can tell a distinct story about it, then it can stay - is your friend's business card from a job they really really wanted? Or is it a business card for something really lame and you all laughed about how "what the fuck did they make you a business card for when you're just an intern?" or "how the hell did they mis-spell your name that badly?" Or is the art done by an ex you really loved, or is it...really good? Or is it really bad and you're saving it to laugh at because your ex was a jerk?
- essays and journal articles from subjects I studied at uni
Not only is this information likely easily retrievable online, but you can also find more up-to-date information that way. (If we've already landed on Mars, why save an article that says we haven't yet?)
stickers, art ripped out of magazines
Unless you really like them on an aesthetic basis...why? Either find some way to turn them into decor in your home or get rid of them.
birthday cards, postcards and farewell cards from old jobs-
flyers for shows of friends' bands, or bands I used to like
If you hated the job, or you were lukewarm about the people the cards were from, or about the cards themselves, toss them. Ditto for the bands.
bank statements, receipts, health insurance docs etc. going back 20 years
Okay, for THIS boring stuff there are actually several sites that say how long you need to keep things. I think for bank statements, for instance, the rule of thumb is to hang on to them for 7 years; and for receipts, hang on to them only as long as you need them for tax purposes, and if you don't, then only hang on to them to make sure your bank statement matches them, then out they go. You could probably make a big dent right here, if you've been hanging on to some of these papers for 20 years - I bet you could get rid of 10 years' worth easily, at least.
You don't have to get rid of everything, but...be honest with yourself about how much a given piece of paper means to you.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 9:40 PM on December 27, 2022
I have a friend who is my paperwork buddy. I am prone to creating mystery stacks and she avoids opening mail. We help each other sort and file. We don’t get overwhelmed at the other person’s stuff because we have no emotional connection to each other’s papers . In the buddy role, we do things like write out labels for file folders, do some initial sorting, or just hang out and chat/distract/support.
We set a limit for our sessions - could be 1 box or XX amount of time.
My method: I first establish large categories. There’s always Recycle and Shred, plus whatever categories make sense that day (documentation/childhood/romantic/by year/whatever). Then I do a quick sort. No pausing to read/examine - just move each item to the correct pile, discarding obvious detritus along the way.
Once I have big categories, I chose which one feels easiest and do a second sort where i make decisions about keeping, digitizing, or discarding items. For me, if i can see ALL my report cards together, then i might keep 2-3 from favorite years, and feel ok getting rid of the rest. Or take photos of them and then discard all the paper copies. I might tell my friend about some items, which can help me decide if i want to let the physical paper go. Once the first category is done, I move to the next one. I like to alternate between easy and more fraught categories.
At the end of a session, I pack the sorted stuff into one container and if needed, return any remaining items to the original box to be reviewed in the next session. Finally, we take a walk, maybe go get lunch, or watch a favorite show - something to decompress and end the process on a high note.
posted by jenquat at 10:22 PM on December 27, 2022 [5 favorites]
We set a limit for our sessions - could be 1 box or XX amount of time.
My method: I first establish large categories. There’s always Recycle and Shred, plus whatever categories make sense that day (documentation/childhood/romantic/by year/whatever). Then I do a quick sort. No pausing to read/examine - just move each item to the correct pile, discarding obvious detritus along the way.
Once I have big categories, I chose which one feels easiest and do a second sort where i make decisions about keeping, digitizing, or discarding items. For me, if i can see ALL my report cards together, then i might keep 2-3 from favorite years, and feel ok getting rid of the rest. Or take photos of them and then discard all the paper copies. I might tell my friend about some items, which can help me decide if i want to let the physical paper go. Once the first category is done, I move to the next one. I like to alternate between easy and more fraught categories.
At the end of a session, I pack the sorted stuff into one container and if needed, return any remaining items to the original box to be reviewed in the next session. Finally, we take a walk, maybe go get lunch, or watch a favorite show - something to decompress and end the process on a high note.
posted by jenquat at 10:22 PM on December 27, 2022 [5 favorites]
Scan your report cards if you ever want to get assessed for e.g. autism or ADHD. Just throwing that out there in case it's useful for anyone.
posted by lookoutbelow at 12:30 AM on December 28, 2022 [8 favorites]
posted by lookoutbelow at 12:30 AM on December 28, 2022 [8 favorites]
None of this stuff brings me joy - it literally brings me to tears! - but I can't find the magic questions that will help me evaluate what if anything is worth keeping.
I honestly think your answer is here in the question.
I believe there are people who love to go through their old stuff.
For me, there are a few things I do enjoy going through. They fit in basically a half-size document box. Everything else I've gotten rid of.
I'm not scared of my inability to look back on my life at 90. I'm scared of my inability to learn and grow as long as I'm living. I don't think I'm going to fundamentally change, and if I did, at most I would spend... a few days?...reading through that stuff? I don't think I'm going to be on my death bed wishing I'd kept the receipt for Rosebud. If so, may that be my largest life regret and I will die happy, honestly. Like, if I have the faculties and connections to be wishing I'd kept my grade 6 report card, I will be in a good place.
There are people who are different from me, but my observation of them is that they happily review those things now. They are not bursting into tears at the thought of them.
Now it could be that you haven't let yourself really feel which category you're in, which is kind of what KonMari's 'sparks joy' is about. But if the dread is really what stays with you, I say get rid of the lot.
posted by warriorqueen at 7:16 AM on December 28, 2022 [5 favorites]
I honestly think your answer is here in the question.
I believe there are people who love to go through their old stuff.
For me, there are a few things I do enjoy going through. They fit in basically a half-size document box. Everything else I've gotten rid of.
I'm not scared of my inability to look back on my life at 90. I'm scared of my inability to learn and grow as long as I'm living. I don't think I'm going to fundamentally change, and if I did, at most I would spend... a few days?...reading through that stuff? I don't think I'm going to be on my death bed wishing I'd kept the receipt for Rosebud. If so, may that be my largest life regret and I will die happy, honestly. Like, if I have the faculties and connections to be wishing I'd kept my grade 6 report card, I will be in a good place.
There are people who are different from me, but my observation of them is that they happily review those things now. They are not bursting into tears at the thought of them.
Now it could be that you haven't let yourself really feel which category you're in, which is kind of what KonMari's 'sparks joy' is about. But if the dread is really what stays with you, I say get rid of the lot.
posted by warriorqueen at 7:16 AM on December 28, 2022 [5 favorites]
I've done this process for lots of paperwork at different levels of remove: my own, my mom's, my husband's father's, my grandparents, and the boxes of things donated to archives by strangers. What has been helpful to me in every case is documenting and organizing the materials before making decisions on getting rid of them. For example, filing things by decade rather than type was really helpful to me. My mother has two categories, "Stuff I don't Need Anymore That Can Go Away" and "Stuff I love and Weasel can Throw Away After I'm Dead." The sorting process usually leads to the discovery of papers that I KNOW can go (any financial statement over seven years old gets the shredder), and the process of of putting things in order primes me for the process of letting go.
As someone who works in archives, I also find it very helpful to think in terms of who the materials would benefit long term, though it's not for everyone and I know some of my family members find it morbid. If I planned to have children, I would think in terms of what might be interesting or useful to them. We have one (single) report card for my grandmother and it's treasured, whereas my grandfather's papers and professional honors were of no use to us but were donated to the University where he taught, because they fir their collecting policies. As it is, I don't plan on having kids so anything that doesn't bring me outright joy or serve a work purpose would be tossed. In a way, this is just a version of the Marie Kondo command to "Picture your ideal life." Picture what would happen to these papers after you're gone. For me, that answer is "someone would have to deal with them," so I throw away everything except what I need and what makes me happy. Then I go to therapy because there are definitely some things I need to work out and the paperwork stacks were a symbol of that for me. Your results may vary ;)
Seriously though, the financial papers can go in a big bag and be shredded. Local recycling places often have public shredding days around New Years, check around.
posted by theweasel at 10:03 AM on December 28, 2022 [1 favorite]
As someone who works in archives, I also find it very helpful to think in terms of who the materials would benefit long term, though it's not for everyone and I know some of my family members find it morbid. If I planned to have children, I would think in terms of what might be interesting or useful to them. We have one (single) report card for my grandmother and it's treasured, whereas my grandfather's papers and professional honors were of no use to us but were donated to the University where he taught, because they fir their collecting policies. As it is, I don't plan on having kids so anything that doesn't bring me outright joy or serve a work purpose would be tossed. In a way, this is just a version of the Marie Kondo command to "Picture your ideal life." Picture what would happen to these papers after you're gone. For me, that answer is "someone would have to deal with them," so I throw away everything except what I need and what makes me happy. Then I go to therapy because there are definitely some things I need to work out and the paperwork stacks were a symbol of that for me. Your results may vary ;)
Seriously though, the financial papers can go in a big bag and be shredded. Local recycling places often have public shredding days around New Years, check around.
posted by theweasel at 10:03 AM on December 28, 2022 [1 favorite]
I'm not nostalgic and don't keep any of that stuff. If I come across it (say, at my mom's house) it doesn't speak to me. It was created when I was a different person, and jogging memories of that time doesn't feel meaningful to me- I'd rather look forward than back. (And memories of people I don't know anymore are 100% uninteresting to me.)
You say you've stopped accumulating it, so it sounds like you are not someone who really wants to hold on to these sorts of mementos. (It brings some people joy, and more power to them, but that's clearly not you.) Why is it logical to hang onto the really old stuff then?
posted by metasarah at 7:14 AM on December 30, 2022 [1 favorite]
You say you've stopped accumulating it, so it sounds like you are not someone who really wants to hold on to these sorts of mementos. (It brings some people joy, and more power to them, but that's clearly not you.) Why is it logical to hang onto the really old stuff then?
posted by metasarah at 7:14 AM on December 30, 2022 [1 favorite]
I'd encourage you to ask yourself lots of questions, like these:
Anything you think you might feel better having around can just go straight into the To Keep pile.
You might find it easier to go through if you start with the idea that you don't HAVE to get rid of anything.
Maybe reverse the Kondo question, and, with each piece of paper, ask yourself: will it spark joy for me to get rid of this? If not, keep it.
THEN, as you're going through things, let yourself imagine that you have a good photo or scan of the item. Is that enough, or does the physical piece of paper matter? You might be happy with scans of your old report cards, but really want to hang on to some letters.
I really like keeping things - and I like knowing that old things exist, even if they aren't mine. I love archives. I love ephemera. There's nothing wrong with wanting to keep paper, if it means something to you, or carries information you'd like to retain.
But in my experience, scans are perfectly good ways to hang on to SOME things. I am happy to have scans of some of my old everyday papers, and don't need the physical originals; but I have letters from old friends that I still cherish in physical form, and those will probably be with me for the rest of my life.
Try taking some photos of things you might prefer images of, and see how you feel about the images. If you have a friend with a scanner, or if your library or local maker space has one, try that. I tend to use CZUR scanners a lot, although if you have a lot of loose flat pages, a sheet-fed scanner can be nice.
If you start from the premise that you don't HAVE to give up any of it, and then experiment with scans, you might find the items that you really would be happier without will make themselves known.
posted by kristi at 2:56 PM on January 1, 2023 [1 favorite]
- What is the downside to simply keeping all the paper you have? Does it feel like a psychic drain, or is it taking up too much physical space? Or do you just feel like you "should" get rid of it?
- What would be an ideal physical quantity, for your own personal standards, for you to have? A few file folders full? One box? Six boxes?
- When you find yourself crying when you start going through these, what is that about? Can you really sit with the individual feelings and untangle them, and just note them for a while, without feeling like you have to do anything with them?
- to keep
- to keep for a year or two
- to scan and get rid of
- MAYBE trash
Anything you think you might feel better having around can just go straight into the To Keep pile.
You might find it easier to go through if you start with the idea that you don't HAVE to get rid of anything.
Maybe reverse the Kondo question, and, with each piece of paper, ask yourself: will it spark joy for me to get rid of this? If not, keep it.
THEN, as you're going through things, let yourself imagine that you have a good photo or scan of the item. Is that enough, or does the physical piece of paper matter? You might be happy with scans of your old report cards, but really want to hang on to some letters.
I really like keeping things - and I like knowing that old things exist, even if they aren't mine. I love archives. I love ephemera. There's nothing wrong with wanting to keep paper, if it means something to you, or carries information you'd like to retain.
But in my experience, scans are perfectly good ways to hang on to SOME things. I am happy to have scans of some of my old everyday papers, and don't need the physical originals; but I have letters from old friends that I still cherish in physical form, and those will probably be with me for the rest of my life.
Try taking some photos of things you might prefer images of, and see how you feel about the images. If you have a friend with a scanner, or if your library or local maker space has one, try that. I tend to use CZUR scanners a lot, although if you have a lot of loose flat pages, a sheet-fed scanner can be nice.
If you start from the premise that you don't HAVE to give up any of it, and then experiment with scans, you might find the items that you really would be happier without will make themselves known.
posted by kristi at 2:56 PM on January 1, 2023 [1 favorite]
Would a digital photo, or a scan of the paper items suffice?
YMMV of course, but I had very good luck with a Fujitsu Scansnap to scan the items. Once I had the image of the items, I felt better about culling the items themselves.
And yes, the scanner is pricey, but you can easily sell it when you're done and recoup the vast majority of your money.
posted by Wild_Eep at 5:40 PM on January 2, 2023
YMMV of course, but I had very good luck with a Fujitsu Scansnap to scan the items. Once I had the image of the items, I felt better about culling the items themselves.
And yes, the scanner is pricey, but you can easily sell it when you're done and recoup the vast majority of your money.
posted by Wild_Eep at 5:40 PM on January 2, 2023
I'm going through this and have made great progress with it. I've always struggled with - do you keep an object? What's helped me is deciding, do I need to keep the object itself? Or does a photo help me let go of it?
- report cards, certificates I won at school - took pictures or scans of certificates, kept my grade school report cards because they are on cool cardstock, it was the 80s and I love the script handwritten teacher notes and my mother's sometimes curt replies
- exercise books from year 4 English - no, I am keeping some creative writing books but actually hope to digitize them because they take up space and it's unlikely I'll look at them much
- scribbles and half-filled notebooks I made when I was 6 - again, scanning might be the better option
- long rambly letters from people in high school I do or don't talk to anymore - literally throw away without reading, I promise you won't miss them
- love letters from relationships I'm no longer in (ditto - but maybe I will when I'm 90?) - again, I'm inclined to let go and throw away
- notes and photocopies from years of language study (languages I used to learn and from ones I'm still learning) - new notes would probably serve you better now, as you probably approach and learn differently now
- old creative writing and journals - mixed bag, depends how often you look at it for current inspiration
- cuttings of things that I or friends had published in the school or university newspaper - scan and throw away
- itineraries, train/plane tickets, museum catalogues, flyers etc. picked up on overseas trips - fun for a collage, but if that's too much work, arrange LIKE a collage on the floor or table and take a picture - that photo can be in a photo album or just archived
- funny notes people passed me in class in high school - scan and toss
- photographs - scan if you have no copy - I've also sometimes taken a photo of the photo and then tossed in a pinch
- business cards from friends' first jobs - no way, toss
- art done by exes - meh, if you like it, keep or take a picture
- essays and journal articles from subjects I studied at uni - noooooo throw away
- stickers, art ripped out of magazines - if old and cruddy, toss
- birthday cards, postcards and farewell cards from old jobs - look at once more, or take a photo, and toss
- bank statements, receipts, health insurance docs etc. going back 20 years - throw away anything older than 5-7 years old and even then - probably don't need most of it
- flyers for shows of friends' bands, or bands I used to like - used to like = in the trash
Those are my guidelines, happy sifting!
posted by tiny frying pan at 9:16 AM on January 9, 2023
- report cards, certificates I won at school - took pictures or scans of certificates, kept my grade school report cards because they are on cool cardstock, it was the 80s and I love the script handwritten teacher notes and my mother's sometimes curt replies
- exercise books from year 4 English - no, I am keeping some creative writing books but actually hope to digitize them because they take up space and it's unlikely I'll look at them much
- scribbles and half-filled notebooks I made when I was 6 - again, scanning might be the better option
- long rambly letters from people in high school I do or don't talk to anymore - literally throw away without reading, I promise you won't miss them
- love letters from relationships I'm no longer in (ditto - but maybe I will when I'm 90?) - again, I'm inclined to let go and throw away
- notes and photocopies from years of language study (languages I used to learn and from ones I'm still learning) - new notes would probably serve you better now, as you probably approach and learn differently now
- old creative writing and journals - mixed bag, depends how often you look at it for current inspiration
- cuttings of things that I or friends had published in the school or university newspaper - scan and throw away
- itineraries, train/plane tickets, museum catalogues, flyers etc. picked up on overseas trips - fun for a collage, but if that's too much work, arrange LIKE a collage on the floor or table and take a picture - that photo can be in a photo album or just archived
- funny notes people passed me in class in high school - scan and toss
- photographs - scan if you have no copy - I've also sometimes taken a photo of the photo and then tossed in a pinch
- business cards from friends' first jobs - no way, toss
- art done by exes - meh, if you like it, keep or take a picture
- essays and journal articles from subjects I studied at uni - noooooo throw away
- stickers, art ripped out of magazines - if old and cruddy, toss
- birthday cards, postcards and farewell cards from old jobs - look at once more, or take a photo, and toss
- bank statements, receipts, health insurance docs etc. going back 20 years - throw away anything older than 5-7 years old and even then - probably don't need most of it
- flyers for shows of friends' bands, or bands I used to like - used to like = in the trash
Those are my guidelines, happy sifting!
posted by tiny frying pan at 9:16 AM on January 9, 2023
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posted by maya at 1:32 PM on December 27, 2022 [1 favorite]