In my house, though we (my folks) have lived in it since it was built in 1980, there really isn't much of anything collecting dust.
I have never even been in my attic, as it is small and u need a ladder to climb into it. Probably I imagine it to have a whole lot of bugs, tons of spiderwebs and not much else.
As for the basement, which functions as our attic (aka storage space) it is also pretty barebones. I have been quite diligent in urging my parents to throw out all the stuff that they clearly know will never be used again. As for my own things, every box of pictures or letters is perfectly organized etc. The upside is that I know where everything is, and it's beautifully preserved for when I need to reminisce, etc. The downside is that there are no boxes and boxes of "omg, i forgot about this" kind of stuff. Not that I really care to have kept that junk, and have no regrets in chucking it, but it's a bit weird that all trace of my history is basically in one trunk and a few boxes.
What about you? It would be awesome to explore and discover new treasures.. but then again, I would just organize it and have what I have now lol. There are so many antiques to be found in most homes since many people store things and just leave it.. sumtimes for over a century.
As you know, lately I have really been on my quilt kick. It would be so cool to open a box and find a few antique quilts stored away that you could wash gently and hang them out to dry in the backyard summer sun. Haha I am so gay in this post. You can practically see the lemonade on the table, the flowers in the wind, and the kitty prouncing around!
Please share~
Posted by: faysie Date posted: Mon Jul 14 15:31:16 2008
Message: I have moved many times. That has definitely made me learn to live without accumulating unnecessary 'stuff'. My current residence does not have either attic or basement. My prior residence had both, but I never went into my attic (heaven knows what was up there) and my basement stored just the kittylitter, & the laundry facilities. I'm definitely not a packrat.
We have no basements or attics and I am a lifelong treasure hunter. I have what I call ''the accumulation room.'' You never know what you will find in it. A box of M & Ms from Air Force One, a 1900 painting, a 70s lava Lamp, a Coach handbag, Hartmann vintage suitcase or an old 7 UP clock. Some get donated and some get sold on Ebay. Almost none stay in my house. I hate clutter, LOL Both pics taken today.
Posted by: Cindy G Date posted: Mon Jul 14 12:39:38 2008
Message: About 200 stuffed animals in huge storage bags. I have three kids. One bag just has Barneys and Teletubbies in it. Oh and a soda bottle from a guy who was putting a ceiling fan in for us.
Posted by: cook Date posted: Mon Jul 14 11:47:56 2008
Message: Having basements where we live is prohibitivly expensive, so few have them. In our current home we have a large, decked walk in attic. I decorate for all the holidays so I have lots of bins labeled with the likes of Easter, Valentines etc. I even put up two trees every Christmas! It is really a luxury to have all that space. We don't even have to take our large twig reindeers apart. Just march them up to the 3rd floor and out into the attic!
I have saved a few of my kids clothes and favorite toys and of course lots of their art. I really am not a pack rat. I even threw out all my old year books. The organization up there leaves a lot to be desired. It is always on the to do list. I even bought all these cool stainless steel shelving units to make it look like a Container Store catalog. But my very legit excuse is that it is almost always 140 degrees F up there. Even with the 50 year roof and extra insulation.
Posted by: Elizabeth Collins Stoddard Date posted: Mon Jul 14 10:39:25 2008
Message: A chest containing the body of Paul Stoddard.
Posted by: Tess Date posted: Mon Jul 14 10:25:44 2008
Message: I don't have an attic or a basement and I'm glad because that way I can't keep a lot of stuff that I shouldn't keep. I have too much stuff in closets and the garage to make up for it. LOL Mostly, Christmas decorations, tools, odds and ends of things you need for home repairs, the husband's camping gear, gardening things and also stuff that I have no room for in the house. Wish I could get rid of more, but we just cleaned it out over the weekend and there's still a lot of "stuff." We're moving soon-I want to get rid of the excess now, instead of moving it and then getting rid of it.
Posted by: Peridot Date posted: Mon Jul 14 10:15:06 2008
Message: No attic here but we have a large, unfinished basement. Down there you'd find hubby's woodworking shop, his elliptical machine, furnace and water heater, a big plastic bin containing my snowman collection, seasonal decorations, picnic coolers, paint equipment, and shelves full of misc. tools and JUNK. We try to keep it all organized but it's a neverending chore.
In the attic is the HVAC and the water heater and a few empty suitcases.
Don't have a basement. Our house is on stilts and the garage is under the house. You will find my car there and a bunch of tools, Tony's pottery supplies and many cans of paint.
Posted by: GailJ Date posted: Mon Jul 14 9:01:57 2008
Message: A HUGE mess I'm afraid! That's what you would find in my attic. Well, it's more like a crawl space. Mostly Christmas decorations. My husband is in charge of getting all that stuff down in December and putting it back up there in January. I have a feeling that if I went up there I'd be appalled at what I find! LOL...so I just stay out of it. We have no basement, but our garage is another storage area. Let's see, a weight machine, lots of tools & yard implements, an old dresser and bookcase. That's about it. Gee, I need to have a yard sale! LOL...
Ours is a walk-in attic, more like a big closet. The ''true'' attic under the roof peak is used to house the upstairs HVAC system (we have another unit in the basement for the main floor). In our walk-in attic you'll find bins of out of season clothes and winter coats, suitcases, an inflatable mattress and pump, and a vacuum cleaner. That's pretty much it. In the basement, you'll find my Barbie collection still boxed up from our move, some boxes of office files, and boxes of holiday decorations. The area where the boxes are now stacked is actually a finished room slated to become our home gym., probably sometime next year. So eventually the Barbie collection will be downsized and displayed, the office files will be culled through, and a closet will be built to store the holiday decorations. We're pretty organized people and do not allow any area of our house to become a dumping ground, not even the attic or basement. Good for you, Zach, that you've learned to let go of stuff and not become a pack rat.
