We use the term generational clutter in two ways. First, we feel strongly that what we decide to hold onto is largely influenced by our parents, our grandparents, and other parental figures we may have had. Second, there are items that we have inherited that take up space because of our emotional connection, not because we actually want them in our home.
Why do we keep things? Why do I have 10 dish towels? Am I overbuying because I grew up in a home with a garage and we had a lot of storage for “extra” stuff? Maybe I am buying because I hear my grandfather’s voice saying, “You can never own too many socks.”
Our grandparents were Depression Era babies who kept everything. Our parents filled their homes to the max with purchased items like VHSs then DVDs, books, magazines, and a lot of crap from the 80s. Our generation really doesn’t require as much. So ask yourself, “Am I collecting things because my grandparents and parents did? Is this just learned behavior, or do I actually want everything I am purchasing?”
Many people have items in their homes that have been passed down from one generation to the next. It’s very special, for some, to serve dinner in their Great Aunt’s china or display pieces of art that belonged to their parents. It makes them feel good to know that they are honoring a part of their past.
Some items that have been passed down from previous generations are not so meaningful and get shoved in the back of closets, under beds, stuffed in a storage facility, or put on a bookshelf and not really admired so much.
It’s very easy to acquire piles of hand-me-downs. It is not necessarily easy to get rid of them. We often meet our clients at a point in their life when they have decided to make a change. They are ready to set their home up exactly the way they’ve dreamed it. We always have a discussion about “stuff” that has some emotional connection, but really doesn’t fit their style at all. There is usually guilt associated with saying goodbye to family heirlooms, but if it wasn’t yours personally, to begin with, and it isn’t providing a function in your home, we strongly encourage you to release that energy from your space!
After my Grandmother passed on, we collected items from her home that had significant emotional value to us. Some things were just nice and we weren’t going to let them go and other things weren’t so nice, but they reminded us of her. My siblings and I assembled our own boxes, many in my case, and stored them away for “later.” Of course there were a few things that got integrated into my home immediately, but the rest of the inherited stuff just sat in a box.
After a few years went by, she stayed in my thoughts and in my heart, and I began to rethink the boxes I’d put away for “later.” As long as I had several very functional and important items, I didn’t really need the contents of that box. I pulled it out and sifted through it all again and came to the conclusion that she was taking up space in my mind and soul. I did not need the box taking up space in my NYC apartment. The things I decided to keep from my Grandmother’s house serve a function in my home. A lot of her kitchenware means a lot to me because we spent so much time cooking together.
Cole and Grandma
You shouldn’t feel obligated to hold onto items you have inherited. You should incorporate these objects into your daily life. They mean so much more when you actually use them or when they truly serve a purpose in your home. They are not useful to you or your ancestors sitting in a box in your closet. You are more connected to loved ones through your memories than their things. Memories take up zero space in your home.
There is a great deal of coaching that goes along with our simplifying process. We don’t just go into a client’s home and try and “fix it.” We like to leave them with the tools to fix it themselves; to maintain the work that we have done and to begin asking themselves very serious questions about why their home gets cluttered. It’s not an easy process, but we guarantee that if you take a look at your generational clutter it will help you determine what stays and what goes.
Hello. We are Caleb and Cole. We each share a passion for organization and cleansing the home. We think of SimplifyNYC as not just a service, but a philosophy about life that we pass on to every client with whom we work. Our backgrounds are both in the performing arts. Through intense study of the arts, we gained greater perspective on how to tell a clear narrative, how best to determine focus and articulate goals. We think of your life and your home similarly. Too much clutter obscures clarity. Our goal is to better your quality of life by ridding it of negative, cluttered space and creating a clear, safe space outside the hustle and bustle of NYC. To reach us directly click here and follow us on Instagram.
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