Organizational Tips: your kids’ sentimental things

If you have children, you inevitably have certain things from when they were little that are sentimental to you. Sometimes it’s a challenge deciding what to keep and what to pass on. My in-laws kept every outfit my sister-in-law ever wore, from birth through the end of high school. I’m not exaggerating. Her clothing fills at least 3 closets from top to bottom. That might be overkill? You be the judge.

As far as what to keep permanently for sentimental reasons, I keep two storage bins for each kid. For example:

Storage bin # 1 is larger and primarily for special clothes, which usually end of being infant clothing with a few larger sizes (such as a dress from when Taylor was a flower girl in a wedding). This container also has their hospital newborn bracelet, any special baby blanket, first pair of shoes, a special toy, etc.

Storage bin # 2 is smaller and for birthday cards (not all, just the ones with, for example, a personal handwritten message from Grandma and Grandpa), drawings, and school papers. Now, I don’t keep just any school papers. I only keep art projects and short stories they wrote. These are things that reflect their personality and creativity, therefore they are of value to me.

If I have more than fits in either bin, then it’s process of elimination and only the most important items are kept. Again, I limit myself to these two bins. There’s no way that much stuff can possibly be THAT sentimental, to me OR to my kids. My parents kept a ton of my school papers, and 99% of it I threw away when I was an adult. Because honestly, why would I keep it all? Spelling tests? Math homework? Seriously. And who really needs three closets worth of clothing that no one will ever wear again? There’s a fine line between keeping some sentimental items and hoarding. There are valid reasons why organizations such as Goodwill and Salvation Army exist. When you and your kids are no longer using things, pass them along to someone else who can. {steps off soapbox}

I always use clear storage bins and include labels (see photo above). This prevents me from wasting time sorting through the same boxes over and over.  If the bins are clear and labeled, I know at a quick glance exactly what’s inside. Believe me, this will save you a headache later if you’re looking for something in particular. And if/when you move, you’re already partially packed and ready to go! Plastic bins also keep out dust and bugs, which cardboard boxes do not.

One more thing… When printing labels, use a timeless font like Helvetica (or I suppose Arial would suffice). For the love of God, don’t use Comic Sans (gag!), Lucida Casual (barf!), or that abomination known as Papyrus. Why? Because it can potentially cause permanent brain damage and/or rectal bleeding.