How NOT to Save Every Card You Get

My 28 year old daughter, after reading the blog, told me that she was actually looking forward to that advice. Come to think of it, I’m often asked by my organizing clients for that advice, too. How do you decide what to keep and what to toss?

I say, “Give yourself some rules that you can live by.”

When you’re young, you’ve had less time to collect, so your rules can be less restrictive (and you will keep more of what you get). 

However, as you get older, you’ll have had more time to accumulate, and you will eventually have less space, so you will need to tighten up your rules. The sooner you do that, the better, so that it doesn’t become a big job someday (and I’ve seen it happen, over and over again).

We’re all going to have slightly different rules, and that’s OK, but to give you an example, here are mine:

1. 
   I might keep the card if the giver is super special to me. For example, I want the best selections from my grandparents, my parents, my children, my best friends, my spouse, and others who may have touched me in some special way.
2. I might keep the card if it is hand-made, includes a drawing, or has a special sentiment or message written on it by hand.
3. I might keep the card if it is from someone who is special to me and does not give many cards.
4. I’ll toss the card if it’s from someone who is not particularly special to me. My dentist is a nice guy, but I don’t need to keep his card. 
5. I’ll toss the card if it’s a store-bought card with just a signature. Enjoy it, acknowledge it, then toss it.
6. Toss the card if my designated card box is full, and the cards already in there are more important to me.  Yes, I can get a bigger box or a second box if I have room for it, but the goal is to collect only the very best.

And remember, cards (and other collectibles, by the way) can be photographed or scanned and organized into digital files, freeing us to let go of the physical item.

What are your rules?