No Mo Sto
While home for the holidays, I got rid of my last remaining link to material items – my storage unit.
Before I left on my adventure, I was pretty ruthless: getting rid of my car, all clothes and furniture. The only remaining items in storage were my artwork that I collected from around the world, some keepsakes and some tax files. And now, that’s all gone too.
Here’s my “No Mo Sto” strategy for clearing out the last of my stuff:
Sharing Beauty:
It didn’t really make sense to spend $1,000 a year on a storage unit filled with beautiful things. What a waste – of money and of beauty!
Instead, I think it’s a much better idea to share my favorite artwork with my friends. That way they can enjoy it and I can enjoy it when I visit.
So I filled my rental car trunk with luxury items: Moroccan carpets, textiles from Central America, African wood carvings – super cool stuff! And as I visited my friends, they got to peruse through the goods and claim whatever artwork struck their fancy. Fun!
Sharing Sentiments:
In combing through the keepsakes, I first decided what truly had sentimental value for me. For instance, I had stacks of love letters. These were notes from men I no longer care about – so why keep heartfelt words from relationships that went south? Toss!
Second, I decided I would choose just 2 things from those cloest to me. The two items would either symbolize their personality or our relationship. For instance:
- Father: Dad was an honorary Samoan chief, so saved his chief’s regalia. (For more about this, read the post: I’m a Samoan Princess.) I also have an inscribed medallion from him with a secret message.
- Mother: From mom, I kept her Slovak cookbook with a sweet inscription and her black leather trench coat from the 1970s. Tres cool!
- Brother: A few years back, Mom made a video of our family’s Super 8 film featuring my brother and me when we were small. It’s so funny to see us at ages 2-5. Our distinct personalities haven’t changed one iota since then! (I was on a pogo stick in a lot of the footage…)
- Grandparents: My grandparents were both nurses and met in nursing school. I saved their class year book with both their pictures.
- Great Grandparents: From one side, I have a small silver dish with our family’s initials engraved on it. From the other, I have a small black and white photograph in a gold frame.
Finally, I decided to pass along some sentimental items to the next generation of family. For example, I gave my nephew (who is considering a career in the military), his grandfather’s naval uniform. And I gave my baby blanket to my new 10-month old niece. It gave me great joy to pass along pieces of family history.
Sharing Images:
I was still keeping photo albums of previous travels. In a final move, I unceremoniously ripped them apart and scanned the pictures so I could keep them online. Online virtual storage is a better option for me because I can save storage space, access the photos while traveling and share the photos more easily with others – a trifecta!
As it turns out, my No Mo Sto strategy is really a strategy of sharing. I like it!
Tags: clutter, hoarding, storage
This entry was posted on Saturday, January 14th, 2012 and is filed under Hearth.
I love my “not so new” treasures! It was so lovely to see you in December – my little tree (not the one in the picture, but the one you gave me!) is still alive and well and makes me think of you every time I see it. XOXO Lizzie
Hi Erin – Thanks for your great story of giving away. I am hoping to leave for my big trip this coming fall, and have been planning to store a bunch of stuff – even easily replaced items like clothes – in my basement. Your post has me seriously reconsidering that plan. I’ve always liked getting rid of stuff (so freeing!) so thank you for giving me cause to think more deeply about the things that are really worth keeping.
I need ‘Erin’ lessons! Detaching from my ‘stuff’ is a 5-yr goal (I say 5 now…).
Hi Janna and Amy — thanks for your comments! Just wanted to stress that divesting yourself of all your “stuff” is an evolutionary process … if I’m not sure what to do with an item, I set it aside and think about it…if I forget about it, then I let it go, if I’m stil thinking about it after a week, then I keep it! p.s. I just said to Mom the other day — “I’m still really happy I got rid of my storage” — not missing a thing!
hi Erin,
Brilliant.. and much needed advice indeed!! I have made several unsucessful attempts to declutter my apartment in the last few weeks but now i am inspired to have another go!
No Mo Sto was easier when my parents were living, but now I (an only child) am keeper of the family culture. Although the photos/documents were scanned and stored online, there are the sterling baby cups,jewelry and……..
Hi Christopher! Yes, my advice is you don’t need to keep *all* of the family treasures, just the ones that resonate with you. Pick the 2-3 (or 5-6) that are most meaningful and donate / sell the rest. Alternatively, choose one drawer and put all heirlooms in there. Whatever fits in the drawer stays, the rest goes.