As my avatar indicates, I AM a collector and so am somewhere in between the minimalists so amply represented here who are constantly purging themselves from things no longer needed and those from the hoarder realm that so amaze us on TV.
My favorite Uncle was the collector who initiated my love for "stuff"....as a kid I started with coins and have grown from there....to the point where maybe 15 to 20% of my NW is in "stuff" with a large portion of that a direct result of my inheriting my relative's collections. After listening and watching them tell the stories about many of the pieces in each collection, a lot of my memories are attached to the items. For me, it is not always the item but the memory attached to it....the story....the history....the sacrifice that they may have made to acquire it....
I actually enjoy having it around and would be overwhelmed to have to decide on a moments notice of "what to grab" to take with me....even understanding that most of it could be replaced eventually, the memories attached to a lot of the collections are irreplaceable.....
I hear many of you mention that family pictures are at the top of your lists for "what to grab in case of a disaster" and would have to say that while they are important.....I'm not really sure that I would grab them 1st....and to be quite honest....it is making me take another look at where I place my values....
But then I have a great BIG box of photos just sitting in the DR from when I cleaned out my Mom's condo....and I have taken some time to look at many of them....wondering if SHE had ever had (or made) the time to do the same....staring at pictures of folks who are a mystery to me...with the knowledge that there is no one left in my family who can even tell me who they might have been....time to purge (I know).
After reading other posts here ~ especially the Saturday Purging post....I have begun to think about what must eventually become of everything....who better to dispose of things than me....although I am certain that an estate auction will be painless to my DW, it would be a shame to have her sell that "old 1899 $1 bill" for $50 at a garage sale and think that she has done well when its value might be 100 times that.....
I regularly discuss who to contact in the event that I'm not breathing in the morning and that should help in the process.....but then again....why even make her think that she'll have to go through that?
Ok....that's it....gotta go now....let's see.....what to sell 1st?....hmmmmm