The box on the shelf in my mother’s basement said “Misc” in black marker, and nothing else.
Inside, I found a bag of old keys, a church directory from 1979 and a broken watch band. There was a receipt for a refrigerator she’d replaced years before. At the very bottom, in a plain envelope, were two savings bonds.
It took me most of an hour to sort that one box. Two things in it mattered, and the rest could go. But only my mother could have told me which was which, and by then I couldn’t ask her.
I thought about that box a lot after we emptied her house. The big furniture went fast. What slowed us down were the things nobody but Mom could explain.
So this fall, I walked through my own house with one question in mind. Would my kids know what this is?
I’m 64, and I plan to be here a long time. (At least, that’s my plan.) I’m not clearing my house because I’m leaving. I’m clearing the things that would only confuse my kids someday. Most of these jobs make my life easier right now, too.
This isn’t a list of the things you love. Keep those, and use them every day. These are 30 small jobs to declutter so your kids don’t have to. They’re the mystery boxes, hidden things and loose ends that only you can sort.