need your opinion

[MN cowgirl]

Ok, I am going through closets,etc. and trying to decide what to throw....One thing I have kept over the years is all the checks we have written.   I have two huge tubs of them.  I know I do not need ones over 7 years old but some of these are  20 to 30 years old...I did open a few envelopes and look at the small amounts we used to pay for things like electricity , etc..

My question is,  Would you keep these?   The space they would take up, is it worth it?  Would my kids really want them or ever look at them....

I am leaning toward burning them.  I f you had your checks from 30 years ago, would you look through them once and then never again???

[sharksoup]

I wouldn't even take the time to look through them once. They would have all been gone many years ago.

[ABCD Farmer]

I vote to burn them.  I am not a saver though.  As I burned them, I would go through them to make sure there weren't any $100 bills misplaced in the box!! Ha!  You should be so lucky!!

Don't move anything that you haven't used in the last few years.  I have moved enough that I don't collect "stuff."  I try to keep "stuff" like that out of the house.  I don't want my kids to rent a dumpster when I die to get rid of those kinds of things!!

[wt510151]

If you don't have receipts for the farm improvements, the checks for them may come in handy to reduce capital gains on the farm sale. Some use the checks, some use the receipts, some use both. All depends on your filing system.

[wt510151]

I have seen people go through books at auctions and find money in them. So it does pay to go through everything, piece by piece.

[Ruby Lou]

In think I went back 10 years of saving.  Just recently my husband asked me to find if we had paid a small rent check to someone.  I went back 10 years and we had, but he was paying it 1 year late I guess, so to get up to date, he had to pay it for two years.  Men!  I felt good to get rid of alot of old stuff.  Thinking of redding out the attic of all the "in-between clothes".  Keeping baby clothes up to 2 years, but then it needs to go out.  I also need to get rid of old school assignments.  My dad always said to let my mom's house burn cause he didn't want us to have to clean out the attic!  Hers is stuffed! 

[merryyon]

Save some of them.  After Mudder died I sat in the big barn and went through their old checks.  I found birthday checks for the grandkids(they got one dollar/year of life), I found checks that they'd bought things we cherished (bulls, trampoline, my college) I found hs graduation checks and gave them back to the recipient (family favorite)  Anyway, it is history.  Someone in your family will see it as valuable. 

[chick06]

I would burn them, I hate clutter. My Mom is going thru things in her home, giving them away and wanting everything de cluttered. She is 86 and said she did not want me to have to worry with it. She has really got it on her mind. It really does not matter how old we are we all have things that our children will throw away. I am going to discuss with my Mom about selling our garage that Dad still has that his business was in for over 50 years. It still has parts and tools in it, but I feel like it is time to let go.

[Kay/NC]

I have one observation:  It may be beneficial to have them stored in a box until you have settled every last detail of the estate of your late husband, including the divorce settlement you were still working out details on when he died.  If I am remembering right, there were sitll some issues unsettled.  They may prove or disporve something of significance. 

Off the top of my head, they may establish basis in what you paid for the land, improvements, etc., far better than any memory of yours might do.  I would check with your accountant and see if there is any concern, and your attorney, too.  Once given their blessings, unless you think your children might want them as some sort of memorabilia of their father, I'd have a nice fire. 

[turkey feather]

I agree with Kay, you have to watch your own back. Nothing is finished until until some time has passed after you think it is finished. I would sort through everything.