Have you done your Swedish death clean yet?

I downsized 17 years ago and three skips were filled with clutter and junk from around the house, garage and shed. However, the wheel has come full circle and I'm back with the old problem: I horde! DS has made a start for me and the local charity shops were most grateful. But there is a way to go. As I intend to live to 100, I still have 23 years and 3 weeks.

I know durhamjen but I find myself picking up paper backs at charity shops. Meanwhile, mr iam is addicted and a hoarder of books. Encouraging him to send any of his to the charity shop is a waste of energy. I've managed to stop yet more book shelves being put up in any wall with a bit of space.
I thought I'd beaten my own tendency to pick up lovely old jugs, delicious china tureens and other things that collect dust and won't go in the dish washer but recently, it seems to be catching me out again.

....mind you, the phone number was of a workman who I'd asked to do a job for me a while back [re roofing my shed] so it will be a waste of time as I very much doubt [having left a message on his answerphone] if he will get back to me I'm so tired of trying to get people to do jobs like that.

I've just spent nearly three days looking for the phone number of someone I'd phoned just before I went away for several weeks. I'm wondering if I dare show any photos of the state my house is in at the moment? It really is getting beyond help. I moved some things around in one bedroom a while back and somehow all the stuff in that room has multiplied ten fold [at least] and has taken over most of the house.

Every time I buy something new my OH jokes "that's just one more thing for the skip" as he believes (probably correctly) that my sons will empty the house into a couple of skips without even looking through it.
I am gradually giving away stuff that I no longer use but find it difficult to let go.

No, it's in English. Swedish people do it anyway, and don't need another book to add to their collection.

Someone gave me a book called Everyday Tidyness once.
I've just seen it on a pile of other unread books on my coffee table.
I got up to the page that said invite a friend round to give you a new perspective on your clutter, and decided I wouldn't dare! Wouldn't be a friend for long. Still hasn't shamed me into doing something about it, though.

Mum at 100 lives minimally she’s cleared everything to just what she needs and uses.

I’m going to start with clothes like iam anything not worn that season - off to the charity.

Is it in Swedish ...?

You do realise you have to buy the book first before you start, don't you?

I started to try and declutter a few years ago, after we'd had to clear our own parents belongings. I had a good time shredding all my work stuff, old documents, pension plans etc. I have tried, not always successfully to introduce a one in one out approach to books. Several years ago I introduced the plan of going through my clothes and shoes in the spring and autumn. Anything not worn that year goes to the charity shop. So far so smug.
What about the four boxes of photographs? All the ornaments that came from my grandparents and parents/parents in laws homes. I enjoy having them around to remind me of loved ones but in truth, I know it's a bit cluttered. I'm just not a minimalist.
However - I do think that a bit of a clear out on a fairly regular basis is a Good Thing. I wouldn't like my children to be left with a 6 month task if we both feel out of the sky unexpectedly.

Lordy !! How depressing .

I’m enjoying my life fine but after several direct and indirect experiences of clearing out after deaths I feel better that I’m sorting out the things that don’t add to my enjoyment of life ( like my music books etc). Why do things get set up so dichotomously- it isn’t about enjoying your life or doing some sorting out - I’m finding it perfectly simple to do both

WE are entitled to a life too! We should be enjoying our lives not preparing to depart. I don't hoard too much as I know my son won't be interested in most of our stuff and I like to be tidy. However, when the time comes I shall leave enough money for a couple of skips and it will take him a few days to fill them. Job done. We did it for our parents and survived the ordeal.

Yes, I think there's one thing to be holding on to your dd's schoolbooks but surely perfectly acceptable to keep your own treasured knickknacks? I don't want to live in a home devoid of my loved possessions. That would send me to the knackers yard sooner than anything.

When we moved we had to clear out the loft which was choc-a-bloc. Never again will I put anything ' just in case' in our new loft. One thing DD and DS will not have to do

I am 74 and I'll be darned if I will start preparing for death now. I intend to enjoy all my possessions until the last available moment and my children will just have to deal with it once I have gone.

Having said that, I am not a hoarder. All we keep in the loft is suitcases and I have empty chest of drawers and wardrobes is several rooms, but our study....... full of books and papers.

When I look how much stuff DC have, I think it will do them good to have to clear our house.

I have cleared out a lot, I suppose, but it's all in bin bags in the attic. Too good to throw away but there is no such thing as freecycle or charity shops here in Germany. There are huge bins on many street corners for used clothes for various charities but I think they just shred them.

Maybe I'll join e-bay and try to start selling some.

I downsized a year ago. A lot of stuff went then. I have asked my kids what they want, the answer seems to be' err nothing'.
It is time for another clear out, for one thing my cd system can go because I've been putting them on the computer and now Alexa plays them when I ask. :-)
Books are another matter. They are not expendable!

Swedish Death Clean, what a ghastly idea.
Enjoy your lives and your ‘things’ while you can.

I do like the sound of your GS's filing system Greyduster, I get the logic.
I had no idea that the Swedes had a name for this but yes, getting rid of "stuff" has been in the forefront of my mind recently. This has been prompted not only by health issues but also by a rumour that the local council was going to change from weekly black bin collections to once a fortnight. Panic!! Luckily the council has decided to keep the status quo for the next 8 years. And relax! Not that I intended to bin everything but you get my drift. Most things go to the charity shop or Freecycle. Luckily we aren't too badly off as regards "stuff" mostly due to moving 7 years ago and then a loft clear out a couple of years back. Recently we have been getting rid of books, DVD/CDs, clothes, curtains and toys the DGC have grown out of. (I did want to get rid of the music centre thingy and swop it for a radio/ CD player but DH was having none of it). We are now in a state of controlled "stuff" and there is even a chest of drawers ready to wing its way to DD1. Love the purged feeling after a sort out, can recommend it.

We were talking about getting rid of some of our stuff just this morning - CDs being a case in point. We have a large collection and don't play many of them now, but who wants them? Both my children have these remote music centres activated in any room from their phones and don't require collections of anything! And Tegan, I put my CDs in both genre and alphabetical order when my GS was about four. It took me a long time. I catalogued them all on my computer -fortunately. I came into the room one day to find GS had them all over the floor. He told me he was putting them in order, which turned out to be according to what pictures were on the covers!! "Look, Nanny, these have trees on, and these have ladies, and these are all blue ones.....”. So Pablo Casals was keeping company with Perry Como, and a CD of classical piano with The Chieftains and Oscar Peterson!?‍♀️

We de-cluttered two years ago when we downsized but I find myself regularly having a clear out because I don't want things to build up again and I don't want our kids to have to go through dealing with piles and piles of stuff.

I was still working when my mother went into care so most of the hard work involved in clearing out her bungalow fell to DH and I'm sure the stress contributed to his stroke.

I think my mother has been doing this since before I was born!

When my father died, I phoned my mother the day after funeral, to see if she was ok. 'Oh yes,' was the reply. 'I've been busy. I've cleared out all your father's clothes, they've gone to the charity shop.'

I do want to get rid of some things in our house, because I don't like being cluttered, although I must say, a generous percentage of it actually belongs to our children anyway. They're very welcome to take it away at any time!

Same here, Maizie. Trouble is, it's now getting me down. For some reason I moved a few things around a while back and now have piles of stuff everywhere...where had it been before?? I've just bought some cd units and have put my cd's in alphabetical order [which makes me feel good] but I've got cases of audio tapes/video tapes that I can't throw away. I'm beyond help, I think.

I'm so conflicted! I keep looking at my hundreds of books and know that my children will want few, if any, of them but I couldn't bear to get rid of them.

I also come from a family of compulsive hoarders. I'm afraid my children will just have to bite the bullet... (As I & my DP have had to do in the past...)