Dear Amy: My husband and I have two daughters, 24 and 26. One works; the other is in graduate school. They both have their own apartments.

My question concerns their stuff. I expect them to move around for the next few years, and I don't need them to take all of their stuff now. But our garage is packed to the rafters, and I would like to make a dent in that. Plus, I want to have a plan for when I no longer will be the curator of everyone's stuff.

I have many struggles, but getting rid of stuff is not one of them. (My husband can't say the same.) My sense is that a project like this starts with a conversation with all four of us, where expectations are laid out, followed by mini steps and dates for these tasks to be completed.

Ideally, things like clothes would be removed from closets and the remaining items could be boxed and stored in the garage (assuming we can get some of the other stuff out of there first). I also am ready to think about how to use these rooms differently.

Do you have advice for me?

Amy says: Lay out your expectations and a timeline for dates by when tasks will be completed. And then watch as all of your expectations fall by the wayside. Why? Because this is a priority only for you.

Your husband isn't able to tackle the overcrowded garage, and your children have a responsible curator for their possessions, so there's little motivation for them.

Put the word out now that you're getting antsy to deal with these things. Ask both women to come home for a few days this summer. Dive in, start sorting and plan a yard, eBay or Etsy sale. Anything that doesn't get sold will get donated to your local Goodwill. I predict that you will be able to reduce these possessions by at least half.

In my opinion, you should offer to hold onto treasures — report cards, prom corsages, yearbooks and heirloom items — until your daughters are settled. But their low-rise jeans from 10th grade? No.

Keep away

Dear Amy: I'm a widow in my 60s. A couple of years ago, I reconnected with a former boyfriend from my teen years. Even though he's separated from his wife, he is still married and not planning on divorcing her.

We went on vacation trips three times, along with my brother and sister-in-law, who also are friends with him.

He sent me a text saying that he was flying into town to visit me for the weekend. I told him I had other plans and that I wasn't available, and he went silent, stopped texting or calling and didn't answer my — or even my brother's — calls.

This made me realize a few things: He is immature, he wants to be a priority and there is no point in seeing each other. Then I got an email from him, asking how I'm doing. I don't even want to reply. Am I right in stopping this friendship?

Amy says: An email asking, "How are you doing?" without any preamble, statement or narrative of any kind doesn't inspire a response. My instinct is that this guy gets bored and restless and basically trolls through his contacts to see what interest he can tease forth.

I'm betting that you have never been to his home (all of your time spent together has been on vacation trips), and so I think it's likely that he still lives with his wife and is playing the field with people who live remotely.

Send questions to Amy Dickinson at askamy@amydickinson.com.