What should you do with old photos, school books, DVDs, and VHS tapes?
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- čas přidán 19. 06. 2018
- Joshua gives practical advice to get rid of old photos, schools books, DVDs, and VHS tapes. Watch “Maximal” episodes of The Minimalists Private Podcast exclusively at / theminimalists
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Scanner: amzn.to/2M8h4Ax
Digital photo frame: amzn.to/2M8Mjez
Scanning Party: minimalists.com/scanning
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I'm 70. I spent decades taking thousands of photos. When I went to an iPhone and iPad, I put all my pics onto a hard drive. That must be over 15 years ago. I've never touched that hard drive since and I've thrown away most of my remaining photos. I'm not tech savvy but I don't think I have a way of viewing what's on that hard drive. Looking back at times past is a bad way to spend time. It's wasted time. And when you die, nobody will know either the locations or people in them and they'll be binned. I've done just that with my father's thousands of colour slides. Never stop reading about what a new interest might be for you. Look forward, do stuff. I'm a late minimalism adopter but I urge everyone to try it. You won't regret getting rid of anything. Keep considering what else you might dump, sell or donate. The empty space that results is intoxicating! I've already got bags of things for donation post virus. Preferably, don't buy the stuff in the first place. Marketing, advertising, fashion...have nothing to do with any of it!
@Peter I can't agree more even as I am putting of ditching my photos. I am looking for the perfect time to go through them, to keep the best and ditch the rest. Ha!
I was relieved when my hard drive crashed and I lost files and photos...it was like having a clean slate. I also keep a limited number of VIPs...Very Important Papers.
I personally like the shoe box method for storing photos. I won't scan them. In fact I plan to print some of the best digital photos and put them willy-nilly in an old-fashioned suitcase and that is what will come with me if ever I have to move a nursing home...maybe.
Quite right as well, perfect advice,stay well clear, all that junk one accumilates!! Phew!
That is why I never was into taking pictures of every single thing my whole life. I had always being very selective about that,so basically I only own about two physical paper albums that depicts my whole 48 years of life and they don't take that much space. I also strongly believe in giving away or donate what I don't want anymore as I try to also be conscious about the environment and the stuff that ends up at the landfills.
i am 50 years old and i have no children. i watched this video 3 times. i spent last whole week, about 30 hours, scan all the paper photo in hard drive. because I worry i will regret so i scan all those shit! yes shit! why i am so sad to look at them. dwelling in the past make me sad. rarely make me happy. now some wedding photos and parents photos, i just can't get rid of them even tho i already scanned into digital. say i throw them away, in case i want them back, i can always print from my scanned digital photos. but i still don't have heart to throw the shit away. the thing is I KNOW I WILL NOT LOOK AT THEM. but i can't throw them away. shit yes shit! this torture me.
@@xdrive300011 I understand your pain. I'm way older than you and I finally pitched everything. My memories are in my brain and it was actually depressing for me to review my photos, especially those who have died. It made me cry so out they went. Today is for living in the now. Good luck!
Last year my husband and I moved AGAIN! I decided that I could no longer haul around the 25 photo albums and scrapbooks that I’d lovingly accumulated and created in the first 40 years of my life. In a week’s time, I spent my evenings photographing (scanning, essentially) and tossing all of it. Surprisingly, more people see my albums now that they are digitized than they ever did when they were stored in my guest bedroom closet.
I’ve been going through the same struggle. I have moved 10 times in the past 12 years and learning to let go of a lot of things I’ve held on to. This has held the key to how to let go of my scrapbooks I spent so much time on! My kids have no interest in them but maybe now they will.
My mother, who was never really big into taking pictures, once told me that sooner or later a photograph will make you cry.
Thanks for explaining newer scanners and how they’ve improved.
As a film photographer, my advice is keep the negatives whatever you do. I think you can get fireproof boxes for them as well incase the worst happens.
Stuart - I do have most (if not all the negatives), but I'm wondering why you are suggesting keeping them?? Just want to hear your reason for doing it...
SO GLAD you did this video on BOOKS. I hit a wall with that one. THANK YOU!
Some of my old videos I taped off analog TV are painful to watch on flat screen digital. Best to just toss the lot. Your next of kin does not want all your crap
I have watched your podcast that you post on CZcams but they are too long . I love these short videos. Please don’t stop. I have learned sooo much
Yes he really needs to 'minimize' the podcasts! Ironic :)
ironically, the podcast does just go on and on and on and on...
I just digitized the final box of my photos today! I’ve been happy with the quality of using my iPhone to take photos of the photos. Everything is stored in folders on Google Photos. Love the idea of a digital picture frame!
Grateful for this video response!!! Thank you!!
What a great condo! Love your style.
what about the old photos smell, what about the texture of history in their papers 😢 the digital copy has no spirit at all
I think it depends on what you find joy in, and want to hold onto. Like he said, it’s smart to scan them in, in case they get ruined or damaged someday, but also like he or someone said about books or whatever beings you joy, you don’t have to declutter literally everything, or you can just pair down to the favorites, if you’re able to let some go, and keep one or two “collections” of something that you find value in, like books or photos. You can still have peace of mind getting rid of clutter throughout the rest of the house, but maintaining those few things that have personality, and that you know you’d regret decluttering.
I've heard Josh talk about this scanner like 7 times now 😂😂 but no really, it's a great idea especially the digital frame!
I just got rid of my one journal. I'm not going to read it and I'd rather no one else read it. Plus I was tired of storing it.
But I do have a question on what to do when you are getting your kids into decluttering but a mother or mother in law is 100% against it and just replaces toys you get rid of. My kid fills a trash bag per month of toys she doesn't want or play with. I don't try to force it on her but I can tell her room stresses her out. She is always so happy after getting rid of stuff.
Will you please do a home tour?
This is the exact process I've been going through for the last few weeks!
Nostalgic items are my most challenging items as a minimalist; in the above list year books (high school and college) are my "what to do with them" puzzles, mainly because of the autographs on the front and back covers. I may copy them using my desktop printer/scanner. ;)
I scanned about 3000 old family photos from my moms estate in 2017. I have to say because they are on my computer and backed up, I have actually looked at them more times than ever before when they were hard copies. It was also very cathartic to shred them all! Great video and topic!
What kind of scanner did you use? What was your process, exactly? I'm having a really hard time getting started. Bought an expensive high-speed scanner but it constantly jams and the software is terrible. So frustrated and don't know where to start.
@@elanagerson878 Hey, I used a Canon MG3520 printer/scanner. Basically I would take a stack of maybe 20-30 and with this type of a printer you can put multiple photos on at once spread out and then click overview which will bring up on your computer what is in the scanner and one of the settings allows you to using your trackpad or mouse drag and create a square around each individual photo. Once all are individually selected I would hit scan and it would turn each of them into their own jpg file. I made sure to scan everything, back it up to an external and have that connected to an online encrypted backup program that updates before shredding any of the hard copies. It took me about a month I would just do it on down time a bit at a time. There are also some companies you can pay to send them all your photos and they will scan and put them on whatever type of device you want be it USB or CDS. I also didnt use the software with this just the on computer where you can open up the printer settings so maybe try that if you haven't. Hopefully that helps a bit, you'll be so glad when its done!
@@Liriel Thank you. That is really encouraging. I actually just found a phone app that I think may do the same thing...have you heard of photomyne? About to watch their "how to" vid. I'm so jealous of your having FINISHED the project Hopefully, one day soon that will be ME!
@@elanagerson878 I had not heard of that app but the reviews I just read look promising! I think as long as you do it in good light so you capture good quality images you'll be golden! You can do it and good luck!
@@elanagerson878 photomyne is getting excellent reviews since the hurricane that hit ft myers last year.
Good question... indeed I love those electronic photo albums (always enjoy them at my sister's place). Only it feels rough a bit to shred or cut into pieces the photos you love especially with people you love. and wonder what would be best to do with that. I do love actual prints yet agree it is also not easy when moving to another city or country.
One great thing you can do with the physical copy of pictures of old friends is to send it to the relatives of the friends in question.
this is a hilarious suggestion. i bet those people hate you to give them junk.
Love this dude
Ive taken my old gig tickets, cinema tickets memories...and i choses the ones that “sparked” a memory (as if i had a child on my knee telling them stories) put them on as a collage and then my plan is to scan them in...boom decluttered!
Useful advice!👍
very helpful. Thank you
What about old journals? The only time I look at them is when I pick them up to ask myself if I need to keep them.
I gave up most of my DVD a while back. Just got rid of the rest this week
Very helpful.
This video was great
What i cant seem to grasp, is the point of having these mementos, isnt to pull them out monthly to reminisce, but was always to pull them out 30 years down the road and enjoy the flood of memories it provides. It isnt the same looking at a picture of it I wouldn't think.
I totally get the feeling of less on most other things. I also know getting rid of some of the things I have signifies some unfinished attempt at a business or idea that never came to fruition...but keep holding on to 'someday ' when I get the time. And don't want to not have those items fon it .
I notice that the library in the small town where I went to high school...has all their high school yearbooks online...going all the way back to the 1940's....I haven't looked at my high school yearbooks for years...and there really isn't a reason to hang on to these anymore!
I sent some VHS off to a company and unfortunately the company went bust just after my order and despite 3 years of trying my VHS have been lost/destroyed. So be careful, in hindsight would have gone to a local walk in company. But it was a good exercise in letting go. Next stage for me in digitising all my photos after a few years ago going through and only keeping those that sparked joy (got rid of at least 50%).
Hannah Bailey-Thomas that's tough. I attended a private school that went bankrupt due to Gulf War 1 and the local petroleum economy, and our senior year books which we had personally paid for got seized as school assets. The only thing I would have wanted to keep.
oh well
Getting ready to go minimalism all the way moving out of my place
I wonder what you think of Casey Neistat's studio
I don't think I can go in Casey's studio, I would have anxiety. lol
TK san well it gives casey joy ?! I wonder I’ve always thought that question haha
Hi! What kind of book shelf do you have? It looks like it could work for me too :)
Photos from high school. Too many. Seems so overwhelming. Would love to just toss out, but concerned about losing a special forgotten moment.
I think I will keep all my photos that I have digitally. And even though my mom would have a fit, gonna throw some of my hard copies. We are a photo family, and I am somewhat of my church historian, so I have tons of photos of church events.
Hey Josh, that black chair in the background, which company makes it? I really like it.
How timely 👍
If your area gets evacuated, what is your evacuation plan? Lots of fires happening around America this month.
Question: i’m moving out of my parents place into my first home. currently, everything i own fits in one room. do you have any tips/advice on what i should take with me and how to meaningfully fill my new space?
Surely, when you first move out, everything you take with you could be all you have. But you should sort this into what you need and what you can discard, and do the sort BEFORE you move. Don't take everything and sort at the new address, dump the rubbish before the move. As to the other part of your question about how to "meaningfully" fill your new space, the misused word is "fill". Don't fill your space, just because you can. Bring into your space things which give pleasure and value from experiencing their use. By quality, not quantity. Quality of construction and design, of ergonomics, ease of use etc.
We have hundreds of DVDs but we don't even have a DVD player anymore! I am a minimalist but my wife and daughter are the opposite and have the dangerous thought of 'Just in case'. This drives me crazy. If we split I'd probably have about 50 items to my name and she would have 5000!
We look back at are pictures there in album books my dad loved taking pictures of us and there good memories ♡ .Now the VHS that can go maybe keep like 5 and the rest good bye.
How do you introduce minimalism to young people and encourage them to moderate their time online?
Arms looking jacked in this video. When you’re taking care of your mind body and soul... life doesn’t get any better than that.
Thanks dude! I’m a filmmaker and I’m struggling with a digital minimalism template of clearing everything on my MacBook Pro as I make films?! Help?! Also sorry I’m writing on my asmr channel, I explore sounds too haah. Love your podcasts! Hope you answer my question and please come over to the uk I wanna give you guys a hug 🤗
Can you also show us your digital space such as on a MacBook and your best tips to minimalise digital space ?
Delicacy ASMR dude I agree. Digital clutter is still clutter.
I have only one item that used to belong to my mother, whom I’ve never lived with because she’s been in a mental institution my entire childhood, and is now in a permanent care facility. She is a warden of the state. We have never bonded and I only see her once every few years. She doesn’t know me. In addition to her schizophrenia, she suffers from dimentia.
I have her china dish collection from the late 60’s, however I’ve never taken it out to use even one time. The dishes sit inside an old metal trunk, so they’re not taking up space in a clutter sort of way, but they’re still taking up space in a technical sense.
I don’t know what to do with these dishes. They’re the only thing I have of my mother’s.
I feel guilty even thinking about getting rid of them.
@Esther - I'm so very sorry to hear about your mother. I'm one who comes from generations of genetic mental illness as well as working as a mental health counselor so I can empathize with some of your pain. As for the dishes - I have a gorgeous set of china that belonged to my grandmother. What I plan to do is keep two of everything (ie. 2 cups/2 saucers, 2 dinner plates, etc.) and find either an antique store to sell the rest. I might end up just keeping two pieces and put them in my display cabinet. The 60's would be considered vintage so, if you do something similar, there are people who collect vintage items. I haven't delved into the world of online selling (yet) but I did sell some vintage-type dishes on Craigs List years ago.
You say you never lived with your mother. So you don't remember a time when you and she had a meal using the china you refer to and you have never used the china yourself? Sell the china, as a complete set and the metal trunk. The dishes and the trunk were your mother's. Your own relationship with your mother has been minimal, in the truest sense of that word, so to get rid of a reminder of a difficult relationship is a small step to take. Don't be guilty step out bravely.
Terence Lewis
I was my mother’s third child, and with each pregnancy her chemical changes made her mental condition worse. So my older sister has memories of baking and shopping with our mother.
My few memories are of her coming home on the occasional weekend when my father was home to actually care for us kids. But they are of her either closing the car door on my foot, or denying me a spoonful of her cottage cheese that I had asked to taste, or of being told to go back into my bedroomafter hearing a glass baking dish break because she threw it at my father in anger.
Long story, short - my dad took us out of the situation for our safety.
So as far as a meal on those dishes, I know I’ve eaten off of them after we moved to another city, but not with my mother.
Perhaps I should just see if my sister wants them.
The more I actually read what I wrote, I realize that I have no warm nurturing memories of my mother. My dad basically raised me since a newborn. But I feel the guilt because it wasn’t her fault.
Esther Perkins Your reply to my comment throws more light onto what must have been a very difficult period of your life. You suggest yourself what was my first thought on reading your reply, that is give the crockery to your sister. I don’t think you have any thing to feel guilty about in the situation of your mother’s illness. As Robin Williams said to Matt Damon, “It’s not your fault”.
Do you feel like you cannot use them yourself ever, not even as daily dishes? If not, sell them or donate them as a set. Vintage is well appreciated in the used sales market and some people are looking for the whole set to use as their daily china.
i need suggestions: 2 problems for me: i am a lot older than you guys, and you can imagine I have a lot of paper photos- whole cupboard. i wonder how many weekends it will take. feel tired just think of it. 2. Looking at them are very painful emotionally, because i tend to fall into depression. and thinking i was young and so good a person but made so many wrong choices, so i feel depressed. what a weekend will that be? any suggestions?
I have thousands 🤦♀️ where do I start with old photos 😮👍🏻 when I had 10 months off with cancer I started to do exactly that throw out photos of views buildings trees miscellaneous etc then I wasn’t in the right head space during treatment to continue but I will try again another day soon 👍🏻
Does anyone know where JFM bought his bookshelf at??????
Chicos por favor coloquen subtitulos en español en sus videos... tendrian mayor cantidad de seguidores.
Si conoces a alguien que sepa los dos idiomas dile que vaya a la seccion del video donde dice "add translations" y esa persona puede poner ella misma los substitulos para que los demas los usen. Yo lo he echo para algunos videos.
I have volumes of old journals and letters. Digitizing would take forever. I’m so conflicted about throwing these out bcs I have some idea that my kids will want to look at these after I’m gone. Do you know if there is any evidence that ancestors look at this? I would .ove to burn the whole thing but I’m very conflicted. There is too much stuff in the world and I don’t know if my stuff is that interesting in the larger scheme of things.
Do you have any advice for teenagers whose parents dont support this lifestyle?
Great one!
Lante.Thanks. love all the talk in the world
African lily thank you so much, it is an almost two years old video right now haha. but thank you!
African lily just do it. You are a teenager man
Keep your room and your space as you like and let them be.
How do you approach minimalism if your parents don’t find the same value you do in it? For example, you explain that you don’t want any more material items but they continue to buy you gifts because they’re trying to be kind. How do you then dispose of those gifts or give them to someone else without seeming ungrateful?
Tell them firmly that you get the sentiment but don't need stuff or they can give you money for your savings account instead. Tell them that you will donate or give away the item because even though you are grateful you don't need it and will feel better if someone else can have it.
I'm just looking for ways to give or throw away my school books, but they're too thick and huge to be thrown away or something
I discovered minimalism years ago and love the aesthetic of an empty space. All the possessions I own now are either practical or loved and I wouldn’t part with them however I can’t shake the feeling that I’m not minimalist enough and I want to purge more. How do I get over this feeling?
Lucy Foster watch a couple episodes of Hoarders haha
Do you feel like you have the compulsion of competing against yourself about how much more can you do? Honest question.
vaderladyl As this comment was 2 years ago I don’t really remember the headspace I was in back then but now I’m pretty ruthless with everything and have no problem with discarding items I no longer need.
What if you regret being minimalist when you get older and want back all the things you had?
Laura S Ideally, converting to minimalism consists of a change in mindset and lifestyle, rather than it being a “phase”
If you are truly a minimalist and you do regret it later, don't worry. As you were a minimalist there won't be any things that you had which you wish to have back, because you were a MINIMALIST.
Sandra that’s absolutely no sense whatsoever??
You could always keep meaningful things & get rid of the rest that you can buy back if needed.
Make sure you cannot keep the item in an useful manner or an out of the way decor item before discarding. You can keep an item you love if you discard another you don't instead.
Does anybody reading this know of any place that will professionally transfer cassette music onto a disc or computer memory? Cant figure out how to do it. Bought a cassette player with usb cord but instructions are way too complicated and seems like its for a computer geek.
jklfds85 - did you check on you tube?
Yes I did. All the helpful sounding people still explain it like its for computer experts or music experts: / *sigh
They tell you to tune the computer a certain way and the cassette player a certain way...just don't want to screw things up...
You didn't really talk about DVDs and VHS
Good point. VHS tapes deteriorate over time. I ended up giving up many VHS tapes of Disney movies years ago. Now I'm getting rid of DVDs because I don't watch them anymore. With streaming, one can possess a digital copy of a movie IF you really have to have a copy of it. Even then, how many times will you go back to the digital copy and watch it?
I have furniture I don't want anymore. I tried to sale it. No takers. Now what do I do?
Donate?
Bring to a second hand shop.
Use NextDoor and offer it for free. Better someone else can enjoy it.
I’d like to scan then dispose of family photographs but worry that when technology changes they will no longer be viewable and therefore lost to future generations.
Did you call that scanner inexpensive?! It’s almost 300 US dollars!! Lol I wish. Anyway great tips regardless
What we all have to remember is that $300 is not an insignificant amount to mere mortals BUT "The Minimalists" have vastly greater incomes than us. Case in point, take the Eames chair in the background in this video. Conservative estimate of the new price of a recent version of this classic is between £6000 to £8000 ($7500 to $10000) and considerably more for a 1960"s original. So $300 is pocket money to this person.
"Relatively" inexpensive haha. Seriously though, the Fujitsu Scansnap ix500 is ~$495. I was able to get a Scansnap ix100 for $75 (Usually ~$200) for a refurbished model and using credit card reward points on Amazon. Worthwhile purchase for me and I got a good deal when it came up.
You get a all in printer scanner fax and such for less than 60 bucks a HP
It cost me $280 to have some negatives scanned recently. I’m considering buying a scanner AU$699 because by the time I scan the thousands of pre digital photos it would cost me that anyway. This way the scanner can be used by family/friends then sold. Once I complete digital photo books for family the photos will be destroyed. I think these guys buy quality pieces that last eg furniture which I guess you can do when you’re spending intentionally. I’m trying to minimise what I have too.
Lol... foot pics!!! I have some 😹
What does one do with old iPads & phones?
Apple has a recycle program. Look at Apple.com. If they’re not to old they’ll pay you for them.
You can call waste management in your area; they usually have information on where you can take e-waste for recycling. Dumping them in trash is bad for environment. Same with old batteries too.
Sell or recycle.
Thanks all - I’ve recycled all old stuff! I have even made a few dollars in credit which is awesome 😊
What about the school books?😅
Those can be categorized into both fantasy items and "what if" items. Look those things up :)
Two words: sell them. There is money in school books if they are not too old.
The only memory I have is my wife telling me she doesn’t care about my photos and trying to deal with them all on my own.
I really wanna relive cringe and bad memories 🔥 lol
Why do you think some people reject minimalism/don't become minimalists?
Same as with every lifestyle that strays from the norm, they see it as something "extreme" or weird. Or they assume that minimalists think they're better than everyone else.
Not all lifestyles fit everybody and besides you don't have to do everything in extremes or commit altogether. You can actually have a combination of several philosophies and customized then yo your lifestyle. Philosophies are guidelines not rules that need to be followed strictly without deviating in any way.
Why else would you keep a photo of your foot ;)
What if your partner is a horder and fills your new empty space with his stuff? Btw I am the one who is responsible for cleaning. Being a role model just doesn't work.
The answer to this feels very case specific. But they've talked about these sorts of things before
There is quite a spectrum of hoarding, IMHO. You have people like me that keep stuff for the "what if I need that later" all way to true hoarders like on the TV show where you can't even walk through their house. My husband isn't a hoarder--just messy. He needs all his tools and things to do repairs to our vehicles, boat, house, yard work, etc. He just leaves them wherever he drops them. On the other hand, my stuff is neat and organized and put in cupboards, bins, or drawers. Guess who calls who a hoarder until he needs that one thing he'd have to go out to the hardware to buy????
Sandra You're right, just saying it like this sounds very unfair. But when we got our daughter, it was clear, that one of us will work in part time. As my partner earns much more money than me, we decided that I stay at home (later part time job). That means he ist out of house more than 10 hours a day and I do the chores. What I mean is, that he cannot see the advantages of having less and e.g. spend less time for vacuuming or dusting as this is my job. His job in the house is reparing things, lifting heavy stuff etc. This is not effected by getting rid of a lot of my stuff. And this is the reason why it doesn't work to be a role model.
Palaco Kusabi Wow, this sounds hard. I guess there were than that one disagreement between you both?
Emily C Thank you. Yes, I've heard some of these topics from the minimalists and also from others. The essence is mostly not to force your partner to do the same thing and be a role model so that he sees the advantages. But he cannot see them because we have no money problems and we once decided together that I am doing the chores, which makes sence (see my other answer above). I can only tell him, what it means to me. He listens to me and tries to understand but he doesn't feel it as I do.
Mmm. He never made it to the CDs. Maybe in next video?
But Josh, you never answered the parts about books and DVDs and VHSs!!
Simply they like their things, and don't feel that their presence interferes with their lifestyle too much
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