How To Deal With Stuff from Childhood Home in a Studio Apartment?

Written by

updated Mar 8, 2019

We independently select these products—if you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. All prices were accurate at the time of publishing.

Q: My parents are about to move out of the house they’ve lived in since I was little. Like a lot of people, I left all kinds of stuff with them when I moved out, and now I have no idea what to do about it. I live very far away in a studio apartment, so I’ll have to be selective about what I decide to keep, and obviously they don’t plan to keep anything of mine. Some of the things I can donate, some I actually want, and some have sentimental value, but won’t fit in my apartment. Everything is mixed together, I don’t remember what half of it even is, and I have a feeling that we’ll all have different ideas about what “should” be kept…

Next time I visit them I’ll have just over 2 weeks to deal with 17 years worth of stuff. I’m already stressing out about it! Can you help me come up with an action plan? Thanks! -Sent by Currently Clutter-Free

Editor: Welcome to one of my biggest fears over the last decade! My parents have done a great job keeping all of my childhood memorabilia organized—and only kept absolute favorites/treasures to begin with—but still: what would I do with it in my studio apartment? And how would I get it across the country?!? Please share your advice for people like Currently Clutter-Free, and for folks like me that now live near their parents in reasonably-sized houses and still don’t know what they’d do with all their childhood stuff. What should be kept, what should be jettisoned, and how should the whole project be tackled?

• Have a question for our community? Send us yours with a photo or two attached (questions with photos get answered first).