Day 96: 6 Tips On How To Declutter Your Keepsake Box

What: Keepsake Box

Why: What is a keepsake box? Why do we call it a keepsake box? Keepsakes are things we keep for the sake of something – for the sake of remembering, for the future generations, or for personal use. Keepsake boxes store the items we treasure. Unfortunately, keepsake boxes tend to become more than a treasure holder – they become a catch-all, where we dump things we do not know what to do with. How do you declutter a keepsake box? Here a few ideas:

How:
1. Find your keepsake box and all of those items you consider keepsakes – even if they are in different spots.

2. Spread everything out in an open area, so that you have enough room to work.

3. Go through each item. Ask:

• Why do I have this item in the box?
• Do I consider it a keepsake?
• Where did I get it from?
• Does it have any relevance to today? Will it ever have relevance again?
• Would another family member appreciate this item more than I would?
• Is the container or box I am storing this items in, sufficient?

4. Organize the keepsakes you have left. Organize them however you see fit.

5. If you do not have a box or container to store your keepsakes in, find an appropriate box to store them in.

6. Find a safe yet accessible place for your keepsake box. Know that the keepsakes in the box are only what you treasure and look forward to looking at again someday.

Confession of the Day: That is my keepsake box, in the picture above. I have had that specific box since I was a freshman in high school – lets just say that was a long time ago. That box has been filled to the top before. I have treated my keepsake box as more of a “I don’t know where else to put it” box instead of seeing it as a place to hold the “important treasures” in my life. I recently went through my keepsake box and purged of old drawings, cards, sheets of paper I wasn’t even sure what they were for, old movie tickets, and much more. Some of the items listed above, I still kept a few of, but I have a MUCH more organized and purposeful keepsake box. I do not miss what I purged of and I am sure I never will. I honestly can’t even remember half of what I got rid of. Living with less means getting rid of the things that you do not have an attachment to anymore. Why hang onto the things that only add clutter and serve no purpose?

What do you keep in your keepsake box? What is your most prized possession?