They are probably valuable to a museum, though.

The hardest thing is to look at items someone love and/or enjoyed and try to look at it from a stranger's point of view. We've had a bunch of 78 rpm records in the house that I've wanted to get rid of, but Hubby didn't want to part with. I did some research, and there were so many million 78s produced that unless you've got a rarity, no one wants them. It would be like having a random Elton John cd kicking around in 80 years and seeing if anyone wanted it.

I'm on Tumblr, but I have remarkable consistency of identity on the Internets.

Me, too.

After reading Tom's link, I think I may be renting forever.

Even if we weren't living in SF, I'm pretty firmly committed to renting my abode for the rest of my life. (Which isn't to say I might not end up owning property.)

Don't you know knob and tube wiring is a SCOURGE that cannot be known until you open walls and have to change your whole plan?? Generally because some sketchy contractor or former homeowner did a half-assed update job?

A house down the street from us had wiring that was half knob and tube. The new owner routinely badmouthed the previous owners.

Renting would make more sense for me financially, but I so hated living somewhere that belonged to someone else I really don't want to again. Also hated sharing walls with my neighbors. I may end up living in a tent at some point to meet both my financial and emotional requirements.

The clothes might be more valuable (not money valuable, just study valuable) as we get 100 years out. There is definitely interest in every day clothes for study-- I am about to go to an exhibit of everyday clothes from the 1880s!

But I would actually like them if you and your sister want!

A friend of ours had his family living in a yurt for most of a year as he saved money to buy a house. But he believes banks are part of the great Illuminati conspiracy to control people.

I did some research, and there were so many million 78s produced that unless you've got a rarity, no one wants them. It would be like having a random Elton John cd kicking around in 80 years and seeing if anyone wanted it

Yeah, people are always inheriting boxes of old 78s and presuming they'll be valuable and they're usually thrashed and worthless.

Buy the house! Buy it! (Subject to the results of the inspection.)

But I would actually like them if you and your sister want!

I'll ask her to bring them next time she comes to visit, and I'll see what we actually have. My recollection is hazy, beyond "clothes". I'll be happy to send them to you.

My sister and I suffer from the idea that if we just hold on to X for 20 more years, it'll be valuable! We have to grab each other and say NO. But still... attic full of clocks.

Of all the antiques we got out of our old house, most were damaged in some way, either from having gone through the tornado or just from 50+ years of use. The pieces that are still useable, we're using. But the most valuable thing we found was a old plastic wind-up child's toy in the garage, that was worth a few hundred bucks.

Renting would make more sense for me financially, but I so hated living somewhere that belonged to someone else I really don't want to again. Also hated sharing walls with my neighbors.

This is me, although buying this house was a good choice for me financially. Moving out of central NJ to a place with a lower cost of living made it possible. I share a wall with my neighbors, but I never hear them; it's a good wall!

I may end up living in a tent at some point to meet both my financial and emotional requirements.

There was a point at the intersection of "dead broke" and "desperate for independence" that I considered living in a van in my sister's driveway. There's something really appealing to me about the idea of a small, mobile living space.

Zen, Airstream makes some very cool micro trailers.