In my continuing pursuit of individual improvement this year, I’ve been going through shelves, drawers, closets, boxes, etc. and trying to determine what is essential in my life and what can be repurposed, regifted, or plain ole thrown away. I recently blogged about decluttering and I said that I had been unsuccessful in that endeavor. However, I actually have made some progress.
I have not intentionally been on a mission to declutter. I have simply been more observant when I open doors and drawers to see if there’s something in there that might could go away. During this new-found “enlightenment,” I have come to the conclusion that certain things are becoming extinct. I know because I decided to get rid of some things only to find that nobody else wanted those things either. Below is my list of things that I’ve discovered – nobody really wants any more. See if you agree.
1 – China (As in dishes. I think we can all agree that we still need China the country.)
I remember when I was growing up, whenever an elder member of the family passed away, their offspring would often fight over who got Grandma’s china, crystal, silver, etc. Used to be when young couples got engaged one of the biggest items on their bridal registry was china. They’d select their pattern and set forth how many place settings they were requesting and then guests would proceed to purchase accordingly. The goal was to have a complete 8-piece setting (or 4-piece or however many settings they designated) by the date of the wedding.
Not anymore. In addition to 2 “everyday” sets of dishes (and all of my catering dishes), I have 3 sets of china here at the inn. 1 was my mother’s, 1 I inherited when I bought the inn, and the third we purchased because there was matching service for about 30, which we need. A 12-piece setting (which is what the other 2 sets are) won’t be enough if I have a full house. I still have my mother’s china because I love it and – well – it’s my mom’s. But I had a hard time finding someone who wanted the beautiful 12-piece setting that came with the inn. I asked at our local antique mall and the consignment store here in town and they all said that dishes aren’t selling these days. I think that’s sad. I think more people need to return to a sit-down family dinner with “good” dishes at least once a week, but I’m a little old fashioned I guess.
I did finally find a nice home for my extra set, and I am ever so glad it’s going to be loved.
2 – Curio cabinets
Used to be almost everybody I knew had at least one curio cabinet in their home. You know, a glass-enclosed cabinet to showcase your collectibles, curios, memorabilia, etc.? Nowadays, nobody has these items in their home. I rarely see them. In fact, I don’t even see them in furniture stores anymore. This fact, ties in with the next item:
3 – Collectibles
Remember how your grandma used to collect Hummel figurines? Or maybe your mom collected Iladros? Tiny spoons or thimbles were also common collectibles among our predecessors. My dad had 3 miniature spoon display racks full of spoons that his mother, my grandmother, had collected from her adventures around the United States. Those are still hanging in my kitchen. Even my dad didn’t really want them when he moved back to California. So now, I have a miniature spoon collection. In addition to my shot glass collection.
4 – Musical instruments
I remember almost all of my friends in high school used to play a musical instrument, or at the very least, have taken lessons on a trumpet, flute, guitar, piano, etc. Maybe they rented their instruments while they were in band class, but it was quite common to find musical instruments in the average household. At least where and when I grew up. In this day and age, I think you’d be hard pressed to find a musical instrument in most households. I’ve seen quite a few musical instruments at flea markets, garage sales, consignment stores and antique shops. Seems like nobody really wants these items anymore. Think about it: how many times do you go into an old building, house, church, wherever and see an old piano? They’re heavy, take up lots of space, and hard to move so people just abandon them. Everything is electronic these days. Heck you can write an entire symphony on your laptop and it’ll sound like a real orchestra playing. Techno is the new thing. Give me “real” any day of the week.
5 – Canister sets
Again, think back to your grandma’s house. Or maybe your mother’s house. Remember that set of 4 canisters setting on the kitchen counter? Usually they’d be marked “flour,” “sugar,” “coffee,” “tea,” or something similar? Always a set of four, usually in graduated sizes. Does anybody use these anymore? I do. I have 3 sets. I put everything in canisters. I hate boxes and plastic bags. But, I’m probably in the minority. I hardly ever see them in department stores any more.
6 – Cookbooks
Personally, I LOVE cookbooks. (After all, they are books.) I love to browse the cookbook section at bookstores. I love to look at the pictures and read the names of the items. I have a plethora of cookbooks at my house. And I clip recipes from magazines. I print them from the internet. I have little boxes and big binders full of paper recipes. I’ll never, ever, in my entire life make all of the things I have recipes for, but I LOVE recipes and cookbooks. I’m not sure how anyone can put together a cake or pie or whatever using their tablet or laptop. Yuck. Doesn’t your screen get all mucked up when you swipe it? No sirree, give me a paper recipe any day. I love all the little splatter spots on the pages. The dog-eared edges. The faded ink. To me, that means that dish was extra delicious because it got used a lot.
7 – Antique furniture
Some antiques are still fetching top dollar. Sideboards and unique pieces are still a “thing.” But parlor sets, you know those little settees and matching chairs, or fainting couches, or parlor chairs, nobody wants those anymore. For one thing, they’re not especially comfortable and for another, they’re not designed to hold the same amount of weight as furniture does today. People used to be smaller. Quite a bit smaller. Two average sized ladies could sit on one settee and there’d be room left over. Nowadays, one average person takes up most of that seating area him or herself. When you add another person to that piece, it is overly strained. Which makes them not comfortable. Or safe. I know, I have these items in my home. I cringe every time one of our oversized guests sit on these too-small-for-them chairs.
8 – Grandfather / Grandmother clocks
I remember my mother wanted a grandfather clock in the worst way. My dad finally splurged and got her one. It was a pretty good sized one that sat at the end of our hallway forever. Like most of these clocks, it eventually wore out and stopped working. Because we don’t have tinkers these days, nobody knows how to fix these clocks and so they just sit there, dejected. I see old grandfather and grandmother clocks all the time in antique shops. Nobody wants them.
Here’s a challenge dear readers: ask your children, grandchildren, or someone a generation or two down from you if they’d like to have your knick-knacks, your figurines, your sports memorabilia. I think you’ll find that, when you’ve left this earthly planet, nobody will want that stuff. I shudder to think what will happen to all of my treasures. I don’t have any children, but I have a Will. It’s up to the persons that I bequeath items to, to decide how to dispose of all my “valuables.” I’ll just bet most of it will wind up at a second-hand store, a garage sale, or a trash bin.
So tell me dear readers, do you have anything to add to this list? Are you sad to think of how your precious collectibles may end up after your demise? Do you collect anything special? Inquiring minds want to know.
Word of the Day: Uintahite
Fun fact about me: I’m the one who actually chose the china pattern for my mom’s dishes. I guess that’s why I like it so much.
Original post by Jansen Schmidt, January 2020. Images by Pexels and Google Images.
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Your list surprised me. I didn’t realize those things were becoming extinct,but in the case of antique furniture and grandfather clocks, I can only say, “Good riddance.” We don’t need those eyesores.
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David, David, David – I’m afraid you’d hate my house then, as it is full of those “eye sores.” I also have china, collectibles, curio cabinets and musical instruments. I do not, however, have a grandfather clock. But, I do have a cuckoo clock.
I think “good” dishes are what surprised me the most. The younger generation is more interested in having something more versatile I guess. From the table to the dishwasher kind of stuff. Can’t say as I blame them, but I so love to see a pretty table, with china, and crystal and fancy silverware. Call me old-fashioned.
Have a great week.
Patricia
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We are going through and decluttering as well. It’s amazing how much stuff you can accumulate over the years. Especially with kids! They grow out of clothes and toys so fast! LOL! But I can’t blame it all on them. I tend to get emotionally attached to some things and well. They start to pile up. We’re getting new carpet and have to clean out a couple of rooms. What better time to go through our stuff? I hope the decluttering is going well for you. 🙂
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Thanks Lisa. I blogged about this a week or so ago and how it didn’t really work for me. Then I realized that I actually have been decluttering, I’ve just been going about it in a sort of gentler manner. I’m not looking for stuff to get rid of, I’m just trying to be more aware of my surroundings and taking stock of things that I don’t really pay any attention to and then determine if those are important enough to hang on to. That approach seems to be more beneficial to me.
But, yes, definitely, repainting or recarpeting are excellent times to remove things that have become less important over the years. Good luck to you in that regard.
Thanks for visiting. Have a great week.
Patricia
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You, too! 🙂
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I have all of the above except a grandfather clock & would love one! I even have my husband’s great grandmothers organ that we moved from Kansas when his father died! But I am not decuttering because I don’t want to make the decisions. Every time my husband talks about getting rid of something I just tell him – let the kids make that decision. Worst thing I have that no one will want is stuffed flying ducks! Be thankful that you just have brown furniture!
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Joelyn, we still have a VERY old pump organ that we inherited with the house. I know back in the day they were all the rage and every house had one, but none of them work any more and nobody knows how to fix the blown out bellows. At least mine is a more elaborate one so it’s pretty, but I’d sure love to get it out of my house. I need that space for more bookshelves.
And, I’m afraid you’re probably right about the stuffed ducks. I can’t see anyone wanting those either.
Thanks for sharing today. I love to hear from other people. Makes me feel so not alone.
Have a wonderful week.
Patricia
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With a blog title like that, I just had to see what the “hate” was about. Too funny! I guess the saying has reversed these days: one person’s treasure is another’s trash, Jansen. Thanks for the great story and for letting me know I’m not alone here.
My wife and I also live in a historic home filled with period furnishings and all the accouterments, and I hear all the time how antique stores are painting beautiful old wooden furniture to stay in business because of the current trends. Oh, the blasphemy, I say. I think these trends of snubbing history go through cycles. The generations from the mod era of the 50s through the tacky 80s had folks tossing their heirlooms to the curb. There seemed to be a shift in the 90s until recently.
Now, I will shamelessly reveal my collections: books, decorative skeleton keys, antique frames, and head vases.
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Milan, I pray to God book collecting NEVER goes out of style. Every home SHOULD have a massive book collection. And, I also have quite the collection of skeleton keys. I believe most of them fit something in this house but I have yet to discover which keys unlock with doors.
I like your take on the cycles as well. I hope that by the time it’s my turn to leave this earth one of my descents will actually think some of my stuff is cool enough to hold on to. If now, oh well. I’m enjoying it while I can.
Thanks for stopping by and adding to the conversation. It’s always nice to hear what other people have to say.
Patricia
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I have a friend who collects old cookbooks, but I admit that I prefer just to look up a recipe online. If I like it, I’ll add it to my Pinterest page to use again. I just don’t have room in my kitchen for a bunch of cookbooks. But if instruments are going by the wayside – that’s a tragedy. I hope that’s not the case. I still know a lot of people who play instruments, including the younger generation, so there’s still hope!
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Oh – you’re one of THOSE cooks. Those electronic device chefs. Whatever.
I’m glad to hear your take on the musical instruments. I was hoping I was wrong on that one. It just seems that every time I enter a secondhand store or consignment shop I find old musical instruments in the corner somewhere, looking forlorn, hoping someone will notice them.
Never give up hope.
Thanks for stopping by today. Have a wonderful week.
Patricia
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I think several things are going on here, the first being that everyone I know has too much stuff so we all want to get rid of it. There’s also the whole “minimalist” trend, too. As for the dishes, everyone seems to have some they inherited, so who needs to buy more? I have my MIL’s old set which I love, and my daughter is happy to have three sets of china, all of which were given to her by others. Before the move, we sold three musical instruments that no one played, and my daughter later sold her electric piano too. The good thing is, all of the buyers were really happy to find a good deal, especially on the student instruments, so win!
The thing we have that could be tough to find a new home for? My husband’s Rottweiler plate collection! Then again, we’re on some Facebook groups with plenty of people who are as fanatical about their Rottweilers as my husband is, so who knows?
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Jennette, I’m surprised at the things people collect. I’m sure, if you really wanted to, you’d find a home for those dog plates.
I’m glad to hear that your daughter still has an appreciation for china. I asked both of my nieces and 1 of my nephews and none of them were interested. I have a friend who owned an antique shop and she helps facilitate on-line auctions for estate sales and she said it’s getting harder and harder to find homes for old dishes, even really expensive ones. I find that so interesting.
Thanks for your continued support. I hope you have a fantastic week.
Patricia
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Good luck with this, Patricia. I do admire your resourcefulness in trying to find homes for these memories.
I’m not a collector per se, but have hung on to many tangible memories of my four years of active Navy service from the late sixties. Most everything has my ship’s image…a lighter (I don’t smoke), a coaster, a hat, a coffee cup, a wall plaque and a yearbook of one of our many deployments. I think my son will appreciate having these on the occasion of my demise. If not, they will most likely be relegated to display at some flea market.
From the photos of The Baer Inn it looks like you have some gorgeous antique furniture.
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Aww, thanks Al. Having antiques in an historic home is a little different than having antiques in the average home. It’s almost expected that’d we’d have antiques. We are, however, trying to replace some of the pieces that are heavily used because the antiques don’t hold up under the modern-day wear and tear expectations. I can’t risk a chair breaking and someone getting hurt.
As far as the Navy stuff goes, I think anything that has a personal attachment like that will be wanted by our progeny. It’s like having a piece of you. It won’t mean anything to anyone else though.
Thanks for being part of the conversation. I hope the rest of your week is filled with good things.
Patricia
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I think a lot of people do have those things, just slightly updated versions.
– I mean, we all use plates, I guess it’s just we have a more disposable culture these days. Lots of my friends have matching sets, it’s just they are less floral than our parents’ generation. Nothing matches in our home, but we quite like it that way.
– We have glass IKEA shelves to keep books and random things from around the world. It’s just less fancy than the antique cupboards my parents have.
– My sisters family still has loads of musical instruments around. (I have to admit, I don’t since I moved to Canada. I left my violin in the UK.)
Apart from cook books! We have sooo many of those. 😉
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Well that ‘s good to hear Josy. My nieces said they didn’t want the China because it has to be hand washed and they’re all about using the dishwasher. I get that. And, they don’t have room for 2 sets of dishes. They’re both young and just starting out in life so they live in tiny apartments. My nephew just didn’t want it.
I think the younger generation is more into minimalism as well. That wasn’t really a thing when I was growing up. I collect books, all of my nieces and nephews read on devices. Everything is on a device nowadays.
I hope someone in your family still has your violin. You may want to play that again some day.
Anyway, thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts. I love it when people join the conversation.
Have a splendid rest of the week.
Patricia
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Yep, I left it at my mum’s house. If my nephew keeps playing, he’ll grow into it.
You are right though, most young-ish people are interested in experiences just as much as things.
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Your post was really helpful, as I’m in the process of downsizing from a 3-bedroom house to a 19′ travel trailer. (I’m headed for my retirement adventure of exploring North America w my dogs.) I’m going to use the “sock drawer” method, which is figuratively taking everything out of the drawer (everything tangible you own) and then put back in only the things you can’t live without.
My kids want a few pieces of Chinese artwork and carpets we bought in China, and that’s it. I’ll choose one smallish piece with sentimental value (a marble-topped, carved end table from my grandmother; a small porcelain vase from my mom; a carved figure my dad bought in Germany decades ago). Then once said rent a small storage unit for these things, my crystal and China serving pieces (can’t quite give those up yet) plus a closetful of stuff my son wants me to hang onto for a couple years while his life settles down.
I have to keep reminding myself “it’s just stuff,” and that most things can be replaced if/when I settle back into a house. George Carlin once said “A house is just a place to keep your stuff while you go out and get more stuff.” While that’s going a little overboard, I have experienced that–the larger an apartment or house I had–the more stuff that seemed to accumulate.
Anyhow, I wish you and all your subscribers the very best as you create your best lives! And P.S. I miss you and Corey.
Madeline
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Madeline it sounds like you’re heading off on an exciting adventure. I don’t think I could “live” somewhere that’s not permanent, but I do like to travel. I’m finding it easier to get rid of things as I get older. I’m not sure why that is, but there you go.
The hardest thing for me is books. Even though I’ll most likely never read most of my books again, I can’t bring myself to pass them along to another home. Of course here at the inn we have a nice library to house them, but all of those books came from California. During that move I got rid of quite a few books, but we still carried lots and lots and lots of books into the U-Haul.
Thanks for visiting. I’m looking forward to hearing about your adventures on the road. I hope you’ll be blogging about your journey.
Good to hear from you. I miss my west coast crew a lot.
Patricia
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