[Help] Shredding

[World of Sport]

I've always used Shabitat in Lewes Road

 

[portlock seagull]

Oh yes - sounds very familiar.

He also collected bits out of old newspapers, and almost every letter he ever received - which he would neatly date, and put back in the bloody envelope. So, we had to take everything out of every envelope to check what it was. And like you - it wasn't just in neat stacks. He'd have a huge pile of rubbish cuttings from newspapers, and in the middle of it would be his birth certificate and some shares....

But at least I did find a few interesting bits - like a hotel booking card from Newcastle, that had been signed by Tommy Cooper who was performing there that week. Got £15 on ebay for that!

We did also keep his first salary slip from 1950. And some of the hand-written bank statements, because I had no idea they were like that. And the one from 1970 explaining that this was the last statement he'd be receiving in L.S.D., and that the next one would be decimalised.

18 white sacks in then end I think it was. Plus about the same amount of recycling bins filled up, plus some went in the skip....

It's certainly given me the impetus to empty some of the 'come-in-handy' stuff from my loft.

Wow, that’s a Herculean task completed by sounds of and yes, I’ve had the same thoughts about de cluttering and done much since. I figure we won’t be as bad however, I mean I’ve already chicaned every payslip and bank statement from yesteryear. Plus we get digital records now. And can re-request. My parents were bad in respect to keeping stuff. Stuff without any reason other than ‘it might come in useful…’ when technology moves on and FMCG mean anyone can get six glasses for a pound at Asda etc as an examples. Bless them. But I could crown ‘em for the sheer volume of shite I had to sort through. Has cost thousands of pounds and hundreds of hours. Not joking. And still not done a year on!

 

[Bodian]

Has cost thousands of pounds and hundreds of hours. Not joking.

My father-in-law is in a care home now. We told him that we've sold loads of stuff on ebay for him (about £1k so far). He thinks it is going into his account to help pay his fees, and we haven't dared tell him that the vast majority of it went on the hire of three skips to get rid of all the stuff the charity shops wouldn't take, the five broken lawnmowers, the 25 year old decking that he stacked up 'to do later' and is now part rotten, 250 old plastic plant pots, ...etc...etc.

However, the upside is that I haven't bought any wood for the stove for a while.....

 

[Weststander]

I’ve used Britannia Beckwith in Newhaven - easy to use (for me) and reasonable cost. You just fill up their sacks and drop them off.

They ship it all in tact to Nigeria for a second payday,

 

[BrightonCottager]

My father-in-law is in a care home now. We told him that we've sold loads of stuff on ebay for him (about £1k so far). He thinks it is going into his account to help pay his fees, and we haven't dared tell him that the vast majority of it went on the hire of three skips to get rid of all the stuff the charity shops wouldn't take, the five broken lawnmowers, the 25 year old decking that he stacked up 'to do later' and is now part rotten, 250 old plastic plant pots, ...etc...etc.

However, the upside is that I haven't bought any wood for the stove for a while.....

I have a lot of sympathy with this, as I'm in the process of clearing my mum's house out. Alot of the old photos and some documents are now cluttering up and stinking out (musty) my office at home.
I'm a bit concerned that you're burning treated decking on a stove, though, as there is a lot of concern that you are releasing the toxic chemicals used to treat it into your home eg this.

 

[Bodian]

I have a lot of sympathy with this, as I'm in the process of clearing my mum's house out. Alot of the old photos and some documents are now cluttering up and stinking out (musty) my office at home.
I'm a bit concerned that you're burning treated decking on a stove, though, as there is a lot of concern that you are releasing the toxic chemicals used to treat it into your home eg this.

No - the decking went in the skip!

I've burnt all his nice timber and his old branches / prunings that he had piled up 'to do something with' and so on. Mind you - he had a bit of mahogany offcuts that I thought would burn nicely. Incredibly oily wood that coated my glass terribly - so didn't touch the rest, and gave it to a local wood turner to make pens out of.

 

[Justice]

Take it to Croydon. It'll be ash before you get round the corner.

What has the OP ever done to deserve that torture? Jesus Christ you may as well send them to North Korea they would be safer.

 

[portlock seagull]

My father-in-law is in a care home now. We told him that we've sold loads of stuff on ebay for him (about £1k so far). He thinks it is going into his account to help pay his fees, and we haven't dared tell him that the vast majority of it went on the hire of three skips to get rid of all the stuff the charity shops wouldn't take, the five broken lawnmowers, the 25 year old decking that he stacked up 'to do later' and is now part rotten, 250 old plastic plant pots, ...etc...etc.

However, the upside is that I haven't bought any wood for the stove for a while.....

Omg, our fathers were surely separated at birth. We should do an ancestry DNA test

Yes, I’m trying to claw back removal, transport and storage costs by selling things on eBay. I won’t get near the outlay though. The vast, vast majority went to the tip. It’s worthless. Endless components for jobs he never got round to or my mum kept just in case. We found my potty from the early 70s, and crib?! I mean, WTF?!! Why? And I too have burned a lot of wood on our fire, given away hundreds of things. But all the stuff I skipped needed sorting into the various recycling skips - you don’t get to just dump it all in No.1 at the tip anymore! And I got so familiar with the staff, we became temporary friends. That’s how many visits I’ve made! I have however donated lots too, but even that’s been time consuming and many charities don’t have room for such is the volume of similar “stuff” flooding them from the Boomer generations. I’ve gone way beyond the call of duty too, putting stuff on line FOC and taking it round like a door to door service for people in need, schools, pubs, tea shops…even my local Vet got loads of Xmas decs - my parents had so many lights, decorations I did up 3 businesses free of charge. Three! And that’s after we’d already given bits away / kept the odd thing (but really not much, don’t have room or need for!) I’m also in touch with museums because I’ve found much of historical interest, including wartime. All have come back expressing great interest because it’s all so rare now and out of the blue. I reckon I’ve an Enigma machine downstairs, some of it’s just really odd shit / I can’t identify and the experts are now saying ‘yes please / how interesting’ It would been so easy just to chuck but I feel this sense of duty, and for the next generation (who aren’t interested now, but after I’m done and they’re old I know they’ll be grateful and will be interested / thank old Uncle Portlock!) Haven’t had a Jap surrender when opening a box yet. But reckon only a matter of time…

 

[portlock seagull]

I have a lot of sympathy with this, as I'm in the process of clearing my mum's house out. Alot of the old photos and some documents are now cluttering up and stinking out (musty) my office at home.

Feel for you. This is the most painful part. 5 years on after removing several boxes of photos after my mum died and my Dad went into care, I’ve still not been through. They’re just ‘there’, waiting. I made a start 3 years ago but stopped. Couldn’t handle it. Must think about at least once a day since. But something just stops me from opening. Everytime. I’ve a very patient wife. We need our conservatory back!

 

[jakarta]

Many thanks to all posters, especially the serious ones!

Now have the task of getting several dozen boxes of Files out of the Storage Cave in Pulborough back to Jakarta Towers.

Then it will be shredding time and f*** my old Clients, they didn't want to know, I hope they have good document control back at their offices...

 

[Bodian]

Omg, our fathers were surely separated at birth. We should do an ancestry DNA test

Yes, I’m trying to claw back removal, transport and storage costs by selling things on eBay. I won’t get near the outlay though. The vast, vast majority went to the tip. It’s worthless. Endless components for jobs he never got round to or my mum kept just in case. We found my potty from the early 70s, and crib?! I mean, WTF?!! Why? And I too have burned a lot of wood on our fire, given away hundreds of things. But all the stuff I skipped needed sorting into the various recycling skips - you don’t get to just dump it all in No.1 at the tip anymore! And I got so familiar with the staff, we became temporary friends. That’s how many visits I’ve made! I have however donated lots too, but even that’s been time consuming and many charities don’t have room for such is the volume of similar “stuff” flooding them from the Boomer generations. I’ve gone way beyond the call of duty too, putting stuff on line FOC and taking it round like a door to door service for people in need, schools, pubs, tea shops…even my local Vet got loads of Xmas decs - my parents had so many lights, decorations I did up 3 businesses free of charge. Three! And that’s after we’d already given bits away / kept the odd thing (but really not much, don’t have room or need for!) I’m also in touch with museums because I’ve found much of historical interest, including wartime. All have come back expressing great interest because it’s all so rare now and out of the blue. I reckon I’ve an Enigma machine downstairs, some of it’s just really odd shit / I can’t identify and the experts are now saying ‘yes please / how interesting’ It would been so easy just to chuck but I feel this sense of duty, and for the next generation (who aren’t interested now, but after I’m done and they’re old I know they’ll be grateful and will be interested / thank old Uncle Portlock!) Haven’t had a Jap surrender when opening a box yet. But reckon only a matter of time…

Blimey! Well done - that's some job you took on.