Organizing Your Keepsakes into Bins

I wanted to pass along this suggestion of keepsake bins from Lisa Mark as discussed in one of the NAPO (National Association of Professional Organizers) chats:

"Each of my kids (as well as my husband and I) has a keepsake bin in the garage into which they (and I) can put special things--beloved toys, outgrown clothing, special artwork. We're pretty picky about what goes in there but it does allow us to keep those things that are really special.

Each child gets one bin. Period. This is the hardest part, but we stick to it. I have letters and toys in my bin from my childhood, notes from beloved grandparents who have passed away, and small keepsakes from my elementary school years.

My oldest occasionally flings something into her bin; my youngest takes great care with what she chooses to include in hers. One of her choices--an inexpensive tee shirt with a picture of a cat on it that she wore when she was four years old. The cat took on a life of it's own--it had a name, a personality, a whole existence created by my daughter. She loved that shirt to pieces, literally, and she was heartbroken when she outgrew it.

Binning it was a way for us to hold on to those wonderful memories and a way for her to release that closet space to something more useful. The keepsake bins are a great way to ensure that we have a place to keep meaningful items without cluttering up our small space.

Every few years we go through these bins and take out items that have lost their meaning over time. I try to encourage my clients to do the same. Often after a house clean-out, clients end up with several bins of keepsakes in the garage or in a storage closet. This allows them to honor their memories and keep their treasures without impacting their living space."

What do you do with your keepsakes? Email subscribers, click here to comment.

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