Rule of Thumb for Getting Rid of Things Purge Paper and Other Data
By: Kelly Vandever
Earlier this year, I helped my dad relocate from Florida to be near me. One of our biggest challenges was getting rid of the things that wouldn’t fit into his small apartment. It was overwhelming. I found the same thing when working with some of my older clients. They wanted to sell their homes and got overwhelmed with all the stuff and how to get rid of their things. I started collecting good ideas from I’ve come across or that I’ve learned from my clients when it comes to getting rid of stuff. In the next few posts, I’ll share my top rules of thumb for getting rid of things either for yourself or when helping your aging parents downsize their stuff.
First Rule of Thumb – #1 – Paper Purge
My dad had documentation from when he and mom first got married. Bank statement from accounts closed in the 60’s or 70’s. Of course, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. I final got rid of my old notes from grad school myself just a few years ago. If you know you or your parents are paper collectors, start purging the paper.
Remember to keep things like...
- Tax records
- Important documents, birth certificates, death certificates, car titles, property documents
- Sentimental documents – momentums of a life well-lived
I will say that as I was going through my dad’s mounds of paper, I became less and less sentimental about saving every scrap of paper he had when he was in the Navy, and when he was a cub scout leader, and so on.
Personal Data
Importantly, you’ll also want to look for any documents with sensitive materials on them. I personally shredded the following kinds of documents:
- Bills with account numbers
- Expired credit cards
- Old bank statements
- Deposit slips from old check books because they have account information along the bottom
- Anything with a social security number or the last 4 digits of a SSN
- Anything with name and birthdates
You can buy a shredder or create a burn barrel to destroy documents that have sensitive, personal information. Or you can use a company that provides household shredding.
Free Shredding!
You can also look for opportunities for free shredding events. I saw an article recently that in the Atlanta area, UPS stores are doing free shredding through the end of 2022.
Old Computers and Floppy Discs
Of course not all data is on paper! For old computers and computer discs, I’ve used the company Junkluggers because they can properly dispose of old computers and electronics so I don’t have to. If you know of any good household shredders or companies that will properly dispose of electronics in your area, note them in the comments! A lot of us and our parents have hoarded papers and data for years. It’s never too soon to start the paper purge!
