100 Items You Will Not Want After Grandma Dies

Here are 100 things you probably won’t want after Grandma dies, with a wink and a nod to the generation that never threw anything away. When Grandma passes away, her house becomes a time capsule, a museum of memories, treasures, and things she “might need someday.” Sorting through her belongings can make you laugh, cry, and sometimes scratch your head. While every item tells a story, not everything needs to stay.

I’ve been decluttering again, yes, even my little tiny home. Mark and I really don’t want our family to go through all our stuff once we’re gone. Some of the items hold a lot of significance for Mark, but I doubt the girls would be interested in many of them. The girls have their own stuff. I have never liked dusting; in fact, I hate dusting. There, I said it. This may be why I’m not a fan of things on lateral countertops or tables. I love clean and orderly countertops. Simple and clean works for me. That’s why I’ve counted on Mark to perform the dusting duties for years.

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100 Items You Will Not Want After Grandma Dies

1. Kitchen Clutter

Grandma’s kitchen was her kingdom, but some of those relics can rest in peace.

1. Dozens of mismatched Tupperware lids, none of which fit any container you can find.
2. Rusty cookie cutters, every shape of Christmas joy, now slightly out of sync.
3. Chipped teacups, each one with a story, and a sharp edge to prove it.
4. Expired spices from 1983, nutmeg doesn’t age like fine wine, Grandma.
5. Yellowed recipe clippings, she swore that “Jell-O salad” was a family classic.
6. Plastic Butter Tubs: She saved every single plastic butter tub to use for leftovers.
7. Dented aluminum pans, they’ve seen more holiday dinners than you have birthdays.
8. Old coffee percolator, still smells like Folgers and nostalgia.
9. Worn-out oven mitts, the burn marks tell tales of a thousand casseroles.
10. Antique gadgets, though no one knows what they do, they look “important.”

2. Living Room Leftovers

The room where no one could sit on the “good couch.”

11. Faded artificial flowers, they haven’t been dusted since Clinton was in office.
12. VHS tapes, homemade “Wheel of Fortune” recordings, naturally.
13. Bulky entertainment center, designed to hold a TV that weighed 300 pounds.
14. Porcelain figurines, tiny ballerinas, forever pirouetting in dust.
15. Crochet doilies, because every surface needed protection from life.
16. Stained recliner, Grandpa’s throne, complete with mystery crumbs.
17. Framed art prints, pastoral scenes that hung in every grandma’s house ever.
18. Dusty candle holders, never lit, just admired.
19. Lamps with frayed cords, one spark away from joining Grandpa.
20. Piles of old magazines, Reader’s Digest wisdom, and 1992 recipes galore.

3. Bedroom & Closet

A time capsule of fashion, perfume, and polyester.

21. Outdated clothing, elastic waistbands, and shoulder pads ruled supreme.
22. Costume jewelry, plastic gems, but pure gold in sentiment.
23. Old perfume bottles, “Evening in Paris,” and a hint of mothballs.
24. Mismatched pillowcases, none of which actually match any sheet set.
25. Broken brooches, she always meant to fix them “one of these days.”
26. Sewing patterns, for dresses she never quite got around to making.
27. Worn slippers, the comfiest pair, and the stinkiest too.
28. Old makeup, because rouge and powder never expire, apparently.
29. Knick-knack boxes, each hiding one earring and a secret or two.
30. Faded afghans, made with love, and yarn no longer sold on Earth.

4. Bathroom & Vanity

A shrine to beauty routines from another era.

31. Expired lotions, “Moisturize, dear. Dry skin shows your age.”
32. Hair curlers, the original torture devices of beauty.
33. Half-used soaps, perfectly shaped like seashells and just as helpful.
34. Powder puff sets, for that classic cloud of lavender dust.
35. Dried nail polish, every shade of mauve known to the world.
36. Empty pill bottles, saved for “organizing things,” whatever that meant.
37. Rusty tweezers, and somehow, still sharp enough to hurt you.
38. Brand new, decorative-only towels were never allowed to be used.
39. Broken combs, survivors of decades of perms.
40. Plastic floral arrangements, so realistic you’ll sneeze anyway.

5. Garage & Basement Finds

Where time and cobwebs stand still.

41. Dried-up paint cans, in every shade of “beige” known to man.
42. Rusty tools that “might come in handy someday.”
43. Broken brooms, handles perfect for absolutely nothing.
44. Old light fixtures, removed in 1978, are still waiting for “someone” to fix them.
45. Bags of mystery hardware, bolts, screws, and possibly a fossil.
46. Boxes labeled “Christmas lights (maybe)”, spoiler: they don’t work.
47. Expired cleaning products, probably now toxic weapons.
48. Stacks of jars showcased her canning potential in every aspect of life.
49. Cracked garden pots, each one “too good to throw out.”
50. Unused extension cords, tied in knots tighter than family secrets.

6. Memorabilia Overload

The paper trail of a life beautifully lived and over-documented.

51. Greeting cards, from everyone, for every occasion, ever.
52. Calendars, each date marked with birthdays of people you’ve never met.
53. Church bulletins, because you never throw away the Lord’s program.
54. Vacation souvenirs, snow globes from every state but your own.
55. Duplicate photos, ten copies of Grandpa squinting at the camera.
56. VHS home movies, no one owns a player, but no one dares toss them.
57. Newspaper clippings, “Local Woman Wins Pie Contest” twice.
58. Travel brochures, for trips they never took but dreamed about.
59. Handwritten lists, half grocery, half existential notes.
60. Expired warranties, she was always “being prepared.”

7. Office Odds & Ends

The paperwork corner — organized chaos at its finest.

61. Dried-out pens, but don’t toss them; one might still work!
62. Old checkbooks, from banks that don’t exist anymore.
63. Rolodex cards, “Call Mabel (if she’s still around).”
64. Envelopes of unknown keys, none of which open anything now.
65. Empty notebooks, filled with potential and one grocery list.
66. Outdated phone books, “You never know when you’ll need it.”
67. Paperclips in rusty tins, organized by “small” and “bent.”
68. Typewriter ribbons, for the typewriter you already donated.
69. Random receipts, for every $2.49 purchase she ever made.
70. Rubber bands, now fossilized into tiny brown rings.

8. Sentimental-but-Difficult Stuff

These are the ones that make you pause, cry, and smile through the tears.

71. Wedding dress, yellowed lace, pure love sewn into every stitch.
72. Old Bibles, filled with pressed flowers and family secrets.
73. Family photos with no names will haunt you forever, leaving you wondering, “Who are these people?”
74. Baby shoes, tiny reminders of generations gone by.
75. School report cards, “Linda talks too much in class”, are timeless.
76. Family china, beautiful, breakable, and no one wants to wash it.
77. Needlepoint samplers, patience stitched in every loop.
78. War medals are an honor you can’t put a price on. (These would be cherished).
79. Handmade quilts, warmth from hands that are now gone.
80. Love letters are proof that romance once lived in pen and paper.

9. Outdated Tech & Media

When “modern” was 1985.

81. Cassette tapes, mixes labeled “Car Songs 1991.”
82. Record player, that skips every time your heart does.
83. Rotary phones, you’ll never forget that dial tone.
84. Old alarm clocks, set permanently to 6:30 a.m.
85. Film reels of family picnics and laughter.
86. Typewriters, clackety memories of a quieter world.
87. Flip phones: “It still works, dear!” Technically, no.
88. Remote controls for TVs that have long since been donated.
89. Cable boxes, every generation’s e-waste.
90. Broken radios, but “they don’t make ‘em like this anymore.”

10. Miscellaneous “Why Did She Keep This?”

Because Grandma never wasted anything. Ever.

91. Bread twist ties, saved in bulk, for reasons unknown.
92. Plastic grocery bags, a lifetime supply stuffed under the sink.
93. Dryer lint, “for crafts,” allegedly. Or make fire starters.
94. Empty glass bottles, “You could use these for a project someday.”
95. Broken picture frames, “Just needs a little glue.”
96. Single socks, partners lost to the ages.
97. Expired coupons, some dating back to 1995.
98. Unused stationery, because she wrote letters, not texts.
99. Avon collectibles, all in their original boxes, of course.
100. Mystery drawers, packed with trinkets, tape, and time itself.

Final Word

Cleaning out Grandma’s house is like sifting through history. Every cracked dish and faded photo tells part of her story. You won’t want everything, and that’s okay. Keep a few treasures, let go of the rest, and remember: love isn’t in the things she left behind, it’s in the memories she gave you. May God bless this world, Linda

Copyright Images: Grandma Nostalgia Stuff Depositphotos_2418065_S, Vintage Papers Clocks Depositphotos_374528166_S

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