The kids have moved out, without setting fire to it, what do you do with their stuff?

Have your kids moved out and left chaos in their rooms resembling World War Three?  The experts would say that by leaving everything behind the kids are communicating that the stuff isn't that important to them, but I wonder as you feel the burden of the mess have the kids actually considered that their stuff could be destined for a skip bin?

There are a number of choices about what do do with all this stuff and I think that often it comes down to whether you think your kids may be back (especially with Auckland Property prices going through the roof) or whether they are gone for good.

So what can you do?

1.  Box it up and store it

It's the path of least resistance other than shutting the door and pretending it doesn't exist!  Place everything into labelled storage boxes and store it in the garage, the attic or at a Storage Facility.  This has the added benefit of being able to immediately reclaim the space and avoid the argument of 'what if I need that stuff again'.

2.  Only keep the things of Value

As a parent you usually have a pretty good handle on what's important to your kids in their rooms.  If you can bear the thought of going through their stuff, keeping what you deem to be valuable to them and binning or gifting the rest.   Once you have done this, as my Mum did to me, present them with the valuables as a housewarming gift!

3.  Give the darling's a deadline

It would seem now that your little cherubs (now slightly bigger) have moved out, they are no longer being confronted with their precious belongings every day and no matter how many times you ask nicely appear to be unmotivated to do anything with their stuff, whilst in the meantime you feel like a hostage to it.  Let them know they have a deadline before you will be going through and donating everything to charity and STICK TO IT.  If you don't follow through, you will begin to develop negative feelings towards their stuff and them and its a great lesson in responsibility.  

Now the fun bit, it is time to re-purpose that room.  There was a great article in Stuff.co.nz about New Zealand's best online interior stores if you need some extra motivation to get the kids stuff boxed and moved on.  Let Liv, Green with Envy, Perch Homewares, Shut the Front Door and Superette Store are a great place to start.  

Once that is done, you can sit back and enjoy the lack of clutter and the company of your kids when they come to visit and stay.

Jimmie Johnson and Ashton Kutcher have them - Man Caves, Relationship Saver?

Mark Twain famously quoted "There ought to be a room in this house to swear in.  It's dangerous to have to repress an emotion like that ... Under certain circumstances, profanity provides a relief denied even to prayer."  

Man caves have been around since the beginning of time and in modern relationships are still prevalent. Some of the most famous Man Caves including Winston Churchill's, Ernest Hemingway's and Thomas Edison's were where most of their great work was produced.

In a solid relationship, every woman needs a space well clear of masculine clutter.  Every man needs his space too, whether it be the spare room, the garage, a shed in the back yard or a storage unit.   While in many households, particularly celebrity ones, man caves are prevalent, after the birth of babies, rising property prices and accumulation of boys toys this is often the first space to be lost.  

So the big question .... how do we create space for this man cave?

If you are wanting to create a man cave in your home and think you don't have the space, consider those rooms that you are currently using as a storage or junk room. In most cases a garage or an extra room is probably being used for storage space, in my case it was our garage.  To save my sanity I relegated all my seasonal gear taking up usable space and other items I didn't use regularly to my storage unit.  The rest I gave to the kids to sell outside on their lemonade stand (it made a lot more money for them than the lemonade!).

Many a time moving items into my storage unit I also hear the familiar hum of a PS3 and big belly laughs coming from units where men are escaping to their units which they have turned into their own personal man caves.  

Check out these man caves of Jimmie Johnson, Ashton Kutcher and Snoop Dogg for some inspiration.  

Man Cave Benefits ...

• Men need somewhere to display the things they love.  No longer will you need to hide all those things you don't want guests to see, the PS3's, the stained couches from bachelor days and the photos of men being .. well just men!

• Provides a much needed decompression zone, we all need our personal space both men and women and a man cave is the ultimate solution.

• Most importantly, it will save your health and your relationship

Need more inspiration?

Check out 12 Man-tastic-man-caves, why-every-man-needs-a-man-cave and 10 man cave set-ups that will inspire you