By Margaret Semezko
PERSONAL MOVING CONSULTANT

Decisions, decisions. What to do with all this stuff?

If you have a large collection of something that you know is not going to make the move to your new home, start by putting all of your collectibles in one place so you can see just how much you have. Then try these tips for paring down:

Use the one-to-five ratio. Go through a collection and for every five you keep, get rid of one. After you’ve done it once, go back and do it again—keep five items, get rid of one. You’ll cull down the collection gradually.

Make a memory book. Take a photo of items that have memories attached to them but which you don’t want anymore. Keep the photo in a small memory book or decorative box.

Create family heirlooms. Offer items to your children and grandchildren.

Sell on the Internet. Make use of the Internet to sell some keepsakes; other collectors may be looking for what you have. Craigslist (www.craigslist.org) and eBay (www.ebay.com) are great sites for sellers.

Donate items. Donate books and magazines to places such as:

• Schools and libraries
• Early learning and after-school centers
• Food banks, pantries, and kitchens
• Homeless and domestic violence shelters
• Disaster relief programs
• Local literacy programs

Here are some ideas for how to present the items you’ve opted to keep:

Put items on display shelves. For small collectibles like glass figurines, curio cabinets and display cases take up valuable floor space. Try hanging narrow display shelves in hallways or on the wall over furniture like desks and chests.

Display collectibles in narrow bookcases. For books and large items, narrow (9") bookcases placed along the wall behind furniture works well.