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Gotcha! 5 Things You’re Probably Doing With Photos and Gifts from Your Ex

A survey of 2,000 people reveals what you’re probably doing with photos and gifts from your ex — in addition to hiding and lying about them.

Gifts from your ex
Photo by Christopher Campbell

No matter how happily involved you are in a relationship right now, chances are you still have some physical reminder of at least one of your exes.

Don’t even get us started on digital photos or texts. We’re talking about physical evidence that you can actually see, touch and maybe even smell. (Not necessarily creepy! That rose you pressed 15 years ago might still have some fragrance.)

In the interest of pairing down keepsakes to better help you move into a new home, David Wilson Homes surveyed 2000 people about what keepsakes are the most valuable to them, and why we hold on to them for so long.

They found out that the average person has at least six boxes of keepsakes stored. Six boxes? Sounds like an awful lot to us, but those with big families will probably think six is a paltry number.

Now don’t tell us that among those six boxes of stuff, there’s not at least one prom pic of you and your ex. What about a vacation pic? A concert ticket perhaps? Napkin with a charming note written on it?

All those things are pretty healthy and harmless, so you shouldn’t be too worried about them. In fact, take a look at:

What You’re Probably Doing With Photos and Gifts From Your Ex

  • One in 10 women revealed they still have some of their ex partner’s clothes, photos and/or gifts. (We think a big percentage of the 90% who say they don’t keep at least one of those are fibbing)
  • 39% of those who admit to keeping gifts from their exes still keep or even wear those gifts. We get it — does your current partner really need to know where you got that designer bag?
  • 40% say they plan to keep photographs of their ex-partner forever, because they bring back happy memories. But 6.5 percent still have those photos on display. Get over it already!
  • The most popular place for storing photos and gifts from you ex is under the bed, with 21% admitting they keep them there.18.45% keep them in a spare bedroom (probably under the bed.)
  • Men are far less likely than women to keep mementos from their exes, or any keepsakes at all. A full quarter of all men surveyed admitted they don’t store a single thing. Big shock.

Gifts from your ex

The big takeaway is that if you’re wondering if your partner is still keeping any photos of the ex, don’t ask, just look under the bed.

For more info on what you’re probably doing with photos and gifts from your ex and other keepsakes, see The True Value of Keepsakes.

A survey of 2,000 people reveals what you’re probably doing with photos and gifts from your ex — in addition to hiding and lying about them.