I'm clearing out my 87-year-old mother's place. What mementos should I keep? What is it that you wish you had kept?

Cash, jewelry, and safe deposit box keys.

We don't know your relationship with your mother. You know what is meaningful. Keep a couple things. You're old yourself, no?

Any diaries or letters. Family cookbooks or old cookbooks with any of her notes in the margin.

Keep some stuff you like that you can use everyday that reminds you of her at her best. Maybe some nice teaspoons or a vase it doesn't have to be fancy. Invite family members to come and take things that they are fond of.

I didn’t the same thing with my mum’s stuff a few years ago, only she’s still alive (but has dementia).

I kept some old photos and photo books but honestly that was about it. There were trays and TRAYS of slide photographs that I would never have time to go through and look at, but I did take some to have scanned by professionals and loaded onto a USB drive which I then connected to a digital picture frame for my mum to have (at first she kept turning it off!). I also make certain to keep important documents like birth and marriage certificates, including those of my grandparents - grampy was born in Scotland and if I ever wanted to move to the UK that will be needed for a grandparents visa.