Is your house a 'holding bay'?

It's dawned on me that one of the reasons why I'm always in a mess is that I need a room for my 'projects'; most of which are on going and never get finished. But I can't do that because the spare bedrooms are still full of my childrens stuff. the last straw was when the S.O. started moving things in [10 pais of shoes at one time]. At least I was able to stop that [phew]. Mind you, I've just spent the last day or so tidying up the computer room [this afternoon I dismantled the pooter and tidied up all the wires]. Then again, I've only got a pooter cause I was given my daughters old one and then a slightly better one that was my sons. And my ex left an amazing stereo system. So it's not all bad, I suppose.

When I downsized, the DSs took what belonged to them and some other stuff they wanted - not very much. Having got rid of all that, I now have a load of GD's possessions in my spare room, most of it on top of the wardrobe. Can't win, can I?

As all the grown up children have their own houses, we got everything out of the loft and garage [that belonged to them] and asked them to take what they wanted and bin/give to charity shops what was left.They actually wanted very little to keep, but that was up to them, we are not a depository store.Some they took away to sell on Ebay. The large boxes of soft toys had to be thrown away, as years in the loft had done them no good at all, mice had got in and taken chunks of them for nest building! I do think there is a limit as to how many years we can hold onto things for adults with their own houses.

I feel for my daughter - her FiL left her MiL and she ended up having to store all his things in her garage. That was five years ago, she has two children and nowhere to store any of her own possessions as they grow. Her house is tiny. SiL doesn't like to push his father, as he is in a bedsit. However, she is now even more worried because after the storms they had the other week she now reckons the roof leaks. Not that she could have done anything, but it makes them feel very responsible, in the same way that I would. She is at a time of her life when she needs room to expand, but doesn't want to interfere. However the poor man's possessions are mouldering away and he doesn't even know, but he has made no attempt to find any alternative storage even though he promised them it would only be short-term.

We suffer the same as others with offspring's stuff. Both left childhood belongings and university belongings behind. Then got their own homes - took nothing. One DS went to OZ left more stuff with us. The other DS moved house, we stored everything while they waited for new house, but they only took some of it to new home!

Son came back from OZ didn't take anything to his new house. When challenged they explained: " Our houses are our houses, but we leave stuff here because it's home!" What can we say? Except when the downsizing time comes there will be a big clear out! They have been warned! x

Our family swap furniture like other families swap clothes. There always seems to be a piece of furniture somewhere in the house that is on the move between one member and another. Currently we have some bookcases that we will take to DS (200 miles away) next time we visit and will then bring a different bookcase back to replace them

Last year DD somehow got us involved in running an antique business with her, selling at local and national antique fairs. As she lives in a small semi and we have a house with a large workshop most of our stock lives there, but although the shed is weather proof it does get damp and clammy there so some of the stock, anything involving fabric or pictures gets stored indoors, most of that is in a bedroom but, of course some pieces are bought for restoration that and they clutter table tops and worktops all over the house.

Reading all this has made me think we are not so bad after all.

Like others my worry is the day I/we cannot get into the loft anymore. We do have a reasonable drop down loft ladder that makes it still quite easy at the moment.

I have got a drawerful of primary school exercise books in a bottom drawer. From the early seventies! Just remembered those! I can't possibly turn those out.

Perhaps a very practical mum Tegan. My two went off to university and never returned to live in the house but I was left with the things that they didn't need. When I suggested that as they were extra to requirements they could be binned I was told to keep them just in case.

My daughter is having her house extended so I'm hoping a lot of stuff can go to her [one of the reasons for sorting out the family photos]. My son needs to move into a larger house; there's no way he can keep much where he is now. I used to have my ex's motor bikes, but I'm now down to a few lathes and a small steam engine. Childrens clothes/toys come back to me in the hope of them being passed on to my son one day; they live with my childrens toys which the grandchildren now play with. O and A Level artword [lots of it] live in the loft and under the spare bed. Stuff belonging to my ex father in law is in a trunk in the loft. The only thing that does get to me is that it's a family joke how messy my house is. Is it any wonder? Someone I know said her mum told all of her children to move all of their stuff out when they went to uni; I found that a bit harsh .

Yes, me too, can we swap? Perhaps a bit of windsurfing or whatever will clear my mind

This thread reminds me of husband's "guilty pleasure" TV programme called Pawn Wars (not porn - my children flinch every time I mention their dad's "hobby" LOL) where people bid for lock-ups that have been sold off and then go through the contents (American programme).

We have friends that go to somewhere in Tooting I think and buy unclaimed luggage that is sold off and get a big kick out of trawling through in case (pun) they find something valuable! They also buy for the actual suitcases

I like the sound of your garden granny-a.

Oh yes, and still "stuff" from MIL's house, she hoarded everything, DH needs to sort it, I have lost the will to do it, have tried

Half an attic full of stuff (no other word for it) from DD2's flat, plus a bedroom full of hers - just "in case" she does come back from abroad, plus her car on the drive (can't sell it). This includes about a million cds! DS took his stuff away when we had the loft insulated. DD2's went back up there DD1 also has a box or two in the attic, she lives overseas. Plus old toys - very useful when GC come. A pram/pushchair, cot - will there be any more GC? Boxes an d boxes of books, curtains i may or may not use again, i feel depressed just thinking about it.
Listing it has concentrated my mind - must do some decluttering. I am too old to keep clambering up in the attic.

Actually, Dollie, she should be able to afford a much bigger house in Hull than on the South Coast, so you can get your own back, and get her to store your stuff!

mine soon will be!!! younger grandaughter is moving from the south coadt up to hull and she wants me to store some stuff for her..i dont mind as i have the room but i did tell her if i move she would have to come and collect it asap...

We have a big garage which is full of all that sort of thing. Sledges too. I walk in, shudder and walk out again. The four or five bikes are outside, rusting away gently. I'm keeping quiet about them and hoping that one day they will wheel themselves gently to the Tip.

I have nothing much belonging to any of my children, except perhaps a few heirloom books and little items that have been overlooked (found a medal of my son's yesterday that he won in a dragonboat race five years ago!). What I do have though is a whole wardrobe of boy's clothes, a cot, highchair, potty, toilet trainer seat, pushchair, two car seats, and lots of books and toys for my grandsons. These things were bought by (or for) me and I am under orders from my son to keep hold of them for when his children are born. Estimated pregnancy date currently stands at circa 2018!
Outside the house is where my real problems start; canoes, kayaks, surfboards, windsurfers, sails and bikes take up an awful lot of space and I'm constantly trying to reclaim pathways. The bikes are no trouble as they're usually put away in the garage, but the other stuff is hanging in the carport and grouped along the path - or sometimes left on the (very small) back lawn under the washing line where I have to negotiate it in order to put washing out. Drives me bonkers, but I don't complain because there aren't really a lot of places they can go.

I am ashamed to say that after moving from a large house with garage to a much smaller house without a garage we took on a "temporary" secure storage container in a local builders yard as I didn't want to be panicked into getting rid of things I would later regret losing. Two years down the line I can hardly remember what is in there. We have promised ourlselves we will tackle it this spring/summer but there again we promised the same thing last year!

The transient children's clothes etc all belong to daughters!!

Its odd though, I just realised I don't have one thing that belongs to either of my two daughters

We had a loft-full in what was the family home, much of which I actually moved with . But I'm toughening up, because the loft in this house is too high up and I know I won't be able to get up there one of these days. So it's gradually being whittled down. But it's so hard to part with the Little Ponies

After reading some or the later posts I count myself very lucky

A very similar collection kitty to which I can add: a wedding dress and veil, a French horn, a fur coat and an assortment of this year's Christmas toys which were " too big to fit in the car"