We are all savers, all of us! Why do we collect so much ’stuff’ and put it away never to see it again? The thought of moving can be paralyzing due to the myriad of collectables over the years. Some of my clients either spent their childhood during the great depression, or their parents were living that nightmare. One of the lasting effects from that period was the thought that it might happen again, and you can never save enough if that nightmare becomes a reality. It is truly understandable.

One of the greatest misconceptions, is that we know our loved ones would want to have a piece of our family history, or our personal property that was so meaningful to us. The following story illustrates this thought pattern: A mother of two, saved decorative plates. Each month she would give away one plate to each of her two sons. She wanted to enjoy the giving and see the expressions of joy when they received her precious gift. One day, she called one of her sons to inform him she would be giving him the pride of her collection this month. She was so excited! Her son was at work when she called, and he put her on hold. She was a patient lady but he forgot to press the hold button, so she could hear every word that he said. His brother was there as his mother listened on ‘hold’. ‘Hey Bill, mom is on the phone and she has more junk for us.’ She was surprised but luckily found humor in the situation.

The moral of this story, is that we may think we know what (more…)