Organizing Sentimentals

As this year inches ever closer to a close, I have been reflecting on this holiday season and all the memories our family has been able to make this year.  The holidays are a very sentimental time for me, as I’m sure it is for many of you, as well.  When it comes to organizing your home, one of the most difficult items for people to purge and organize are those sentimental items that you just can’t bear to get rid of.  I’d like to invite you into my home and share with you how we keep our sentimental items--what we call our memory boxes. 

WHAT GOES INTO THE MEMORY BOX? 

There are so many different types of items that may invoke feelings for yourself or those in your family that the way you keep these special items can vary greatly.  Within our home, we have so many small trinkets that we display on shelves or racks, but for all the paper items and loose photographs, we store the items in our memory boxes.  My own memory box is a large antique trunk that my aunt gifted me a few years ago when I moved to Utah.  It is a beautiful piece on its own but even more special to me for keeping all my photographs, letters and cards.   My girls (six and two,) also have their own memory boxes wherein they keep mostly photos, but also special pieces of art or a baby dress from those newborn photos.  

HOW TO ORGANIZE A MEMORY BOX 

I’ve mentioned this a few times before, when working with drawers or storage totes.  I love to compartmentalize these deep storage spaces.  My memory box has a few tins, boxes, and envelopes that suit my needs. Furthermore, separated into Ziploc baggies are my photographs.  For me, the best way to keep photos are to arrange them by individual people, group photos, and scenery, then size.  That means there is a Ziploc for each of my kids as well as for my husband and myself; baggies for the entire family together, group photos with friends or extended family; so on and so forth.  This is what works best for me and that is simply because I enjoy scrapbooking and this is the easiest way to find what or who I need.  

PURGING THE MEMORY BOXES                 

Now decluttering your sentimental items may be the most heart-wrenching thing you’ll have to do, but I’ve got a few suggestions that may be just what you need.  

• Memory Books:  As I’ve mentioned, the purpose for most of my photographs are to scrapbook, otherwise they go into frames and get hung up.  I do, however, have letters and notes that are so important to me.  Letters written from my family when I was in the military and phone calls weren’t so easy.  Right now, those letters lay nicely in a small box, but another great option would be to store them chronologically in a book, and have them sitting pretty on a bookshelf.  Another type of memory book:  a scrapbook.  (hah!)
• Gifting:  By far my favorite option when decluttering my memory box.  Because it is largely made up of photographs, I like to take as many photos as possible and send them to family for the holidays.  Like me, many people in my family love photographs, and they end up making such sweet gifts.
• Electronic Storing: You do have the option of electronically storing photographs and paper documents. This isn't one of my favorites because I simply like to be able to touch some things, however, you can gain a ton of free space by moving documents into electronic storage.   

Although sentimental items may be difficult for you to work through, I hope that I’ve given you a few options for your own situation. If you’ve got a few unique pieces that you’re unsure how to store, The Purposeful Home would love to help you find a solution that works for you.  Also, we’d love to hear how you keep your sentimental items so drop us a line in the comments below!  

Thanks for reading,

Rebecca