I just fixed a broken toy John Deere tractor and trailer for Miles. The small screws washers and nuts came from a selection of 'stuff' collected by Janet's father, that I 'inherited' when he passed away. So yes, a stash of stuff can be clutter, but when it comes in handy it sure saves time going to the h/w store and searching for the right 'thing'.
Whenever an appliance could no longer be repaired my father would take it apart and store away any usable parts so he had an abundance of screws and nuts and bolts etc. He was VERY organized with his stuff. My mother used to say if anything ever happened to Dad she was going to put up a sign in front of the house "Joe's Junk Yard". But if you ever needed anything he'd just think a minute and then go and get it because he knew exactly where everything was. That's very handy, but that JD tractor repair came from a stash of stuff that we've had for 44 years. Years ago our friends got together to help each other move, but after helping us twice they all suddenly were unavailable when it came to the 3rd move. And I can't blame them!
How wonderful. Sometimes things are even better when they're not perfect. The point is you're enjoying them. I think the key is to use or at least display those things. What's the point of having lovely memory things if they're stored away and can't even be seen? Over the years I've made it a habit to to take one or two things that have a special memory for me and give away or sell the rest. It's the people who were important and the memories are already in my head and heart.
