My fear is that my son will give away everything with the junk, not considering some items have real value.

to give family items away. My daughter accused me being a Swedish Death cleaner for a long time... who knew? I certainly didn't...

Really I can sell/give away 70%. Few people want a Pinetop Perkins cd that I last played in 2012

from my parents, and from friends, who have passed, and just helped friends (and myself) move. My mom had more yarn and yardage than she could have knitted, crocheted, or sewn with in three lifetimes. I've got more dusty papers and books than I'll be able to read in five lifetimes (mostly in storage).

Although the Wikipedia article says some call it morbid, I can't think of anything more life-affirming than to simply appreciate the things in front of you. And send the things you don't need to those who will appreciate them.

He also asked if there was anything we wanted before he did the big clean out.

But am planning to move next year to an ADU my daughter is building on the back of her lot. So I need to get rid of 95% of my stuff so I can prep my house for selling and move into a much smaller place.

It’s going well. Every time I go to Costco I get 4-6 banana boxes. Fill the boxes with stuff for various charities and move them out. Some stuff is just garbage. Out it goes.

This winter after watching the Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning we started the process in our late 50's and moved to a smaller footprint. I can't express the freedom that purging things that have nothing more than consumer value brings to ones being. Now we are enjoying life, traveling, keep purging more and are donating our income rather than buying things to fill a house. My partner and I are big fans of the show and it reflects in our lives.

We have been trying to declutter so we can move to a smaller, less expensive place, but haven't gotten very far. I could really use some tips.