Decluttering without throwing your past away

Most decluttering advice is cold. It treats a grandmother's shawl and an old charger the same way.

I keep one box per person for things that carry a story, and I photograph what I give away so the memory stays even when the object goes.

The rest is easier once the hard things have a home.

Sample article on a made-up website. The writer, details and story are for demonstration only.