Photos = A MAMMOTH SIZE Project Completed

 

Dealing with family photos is a daunting process.  It evokes so many emotions, not just in going through everything, but also very much in the purging and downsizing process.  This past December I shared with you how I had tackled photos and sentimental items “like a pro”, but I knew there was still work to be done.  My preliminary declutter got rid of A LOT and I was really happy with my progress.  Instead of having sentimental items scattered throughout my home in various places and boxes of loose photos and bins full of albums I had managed to get it pared down to a bankers box and a single plastic bin.

 

My sentimental box was so full I could barely snap the lid on
Sentimental stuff & photos are really hard

I had definitely mad a HUGE dent in this stuff, but as it sat, a box full of overstuffed albums and a bin with loose photos in it along with a bunch of other stuff that caused the lid to barely fit wasn’t ideal.  I knew, even back in December, I wasn’t quite done with this project.

 

I bought four new binders a few years ago for this project
One for me and one for each of my children

I really wanted albums that had a designated home, were easy to access and nice to thumb through whenever someone wants to take a trip down memory lane.  I also wanted those albums to act as a history reference, with dates and names of people and places as well as additional information about these people so that my loved ones, present and future, will know more about their ancestors.

 

The old albums are gone - I donated the black and green one
and tossed out the broken white one.

These albums needed to be relevant to me and my family so I had no need to keep a bunch of old photos of people I didn’t know or care about (like old coworkers where I didn’t remember their name and others I had no clue as to who they were) and how many photos of Old Faithful does any one person need?  So those were first to go along with any junk (blurry, bad shot or duplicates) photos.  Even though I’d already eliminated a ton of junk photos I was surprised at just how many more I’d hung onto.  Out they went.

 

I added coordinating scrapbook paper to each colored binder

Initially, I found myself making a stack of photos to “share” with family members, but then I realized they already had most of these photos and more than likely didn’t need any more.  The last thing I should do is burden someone else with my unwanted junk and make their own photo project worse.  So I spared them, got brave and tossed them into the trash, on trash night so I wouldn’t be tempted to pull anything out.  Gone is gone.

 

I now have plenty of room for my sentimental items in the designated bin

and an empty box!

In my box of journal supplies I had four of the two inch D ring binders that I had ordered years ago for this particular project.  Once I was done I pulled them out and divided all of the pages of photos into categories.  My ancestors and my childhood went into one binder and then I have one for each of my children as I was scrapbooking back then.  I wasn’t particularly good at it and I didn’t have the money to spend on all the fancy stuff, but I managed to do it anyway.

 

The albums and my high school yearbooks now have
a new home on a shelf in the guest room closet

All loose photos now have a home, either inside an album or in the trash.  They are in chronological order to the best of my ability.  I’ve gone back once the big purge and organizing part was completed and journaled information into them – the photos have names, dates and information about their lives at the time the picture was taken.  I’ve added my memories and thoughts about how I felt about the person in the photo or the event taking place.

 

Stella checked to make sure the box was really empty
I made it!!!

Now that I am done it is a huge relief.  I no longer have this monumental task hanging over my head and waiting for me.  My grandmother wanted to do this with her photos before she died, but sadly it didn’t happen.  I inherited the pile of loose photos and old albums falling apart.  Fortunately, I was the one who helped her to start getting organized so I had a fair bit of information to get started with and I spent the year after she died compiling all of her photos into albums for my family and adding in the information I knew.  I wanted to make sure I completed that work and took care of my own photos too.  Now it is done and I no longer have to worry about it.