I guess it depends on what the belongings meant to my lover at the time.

If she's keeping a ring or collection of photos which she looks at and reminisces over, I'd be annoyed as all fuck, and not very mature about it. But if she's keeping the watch or bracelet because it's nice and for no other reason, I wouldn't care.

I think the general rule of thumb with me, is just don't tell me or let me know.

As far as me, I throw or give everything away from my exes. Last year I gave away clothes, books, nicknacks and all manner of things away. It feels good to me to let go of the past that way, but also the fact that I was giving it to poor people here in Thailand. I have never kept anything from an ex, and never look at old photos, etc. But, I'm also extremely bad at keeping contact with old friends too. . I ran into somebody I supposedly was good friends with in high school and couldn't remember who he was. My sister had to remind me. He ended up being an ignorant Alabama tea party express dufus anyway, so I dropped him from facebook shortly after he added me and "reconnected" .

What my exes do with the gifts I bought them doesn't much matter to me either. Each person goes through their own experiences post-breakup and that's for them to live through. I'm not one to visit and linger around grave yards.

Yes I keep all these things. I threw pretty much all my stuff from my childhood away and I now wished I would have kept one or 2 pieces at least apart from photos that I kept.

I don't know of any memorabilia my bf has from his exes. I probably would not be too happy if he did, but as I keep mine I could not say anything against it.

I guess it depends mostly on the sentiment behind it. I've been on the other side of this issue in the past. I have a ring that I received for my first Father's Day. And to me that's exactly what it is, a symbol of my relationship with my daughter. The problem was, my one year old child obviously did not pick the ring out for me, it was a ring I happened to notice one day while shopping for wedding rings and I said to my wife to be that I really liked it, which was sort of a big deal I guess, because I am not into jewelry.

Anyhow, fast forward about two years. My then wife walks up to me with my daughter holding this box. Two years later she had found the ring and bought it as a Father's Day gift.

The ex-g/f asks the story behind the ring and I tell her the whole thing. She expresses her disapproval. I argue my point, but in the interest of keeping her happy I take the ring off. I regret that. Anyhow, it came up later after we split and I informed her that perhaps before getting on me about this ring my ex gave me for Father's Day, she should remove the framed picture of her ex/baby's dad from her desk in the office.

So to answer the question, in my case, I don't think it was wrong. If I it were a gift from her to me for an anniversary or something like that, something commemorative of our relationship, then yes, going into a new relationship with it would be wrong. I'm not saying you can't own it. Just don't go displaying it at every turn.

As for pictures, I don't see the need to do away with all the pictures you have if that person was an important part of your life at some point. Just don't go fawning over them every night.

only yesterday i was thinking about what i should do with my wedding rings and all the jewelry my husband gave me over the pas 20 years......

it's all packed away now, i'll never wear them again.

there are some things i would like to give my kids when they are older.

my wedding rings i will keep.... i dont know why but i wont sell them, unless i desperately need money.

they are part of me and my memories...the good and the bad

i guess if i were in a relationship and i look at them every day and go stupid over them then it's wrong, but if they are just a memento of my past then there should be nothing wrong with keeping them.

i actually regret not keeping photos and things ex boyfriends gave me in the past.... i threw them out because back then i thought it was wrong to keep them

we get wiser as we get older

I have kept pictures in albums; I took the most recent ones off my computer and stored them on a stick drive.

I have gotten rid of most of the things I had kept over the years- teddy bears, goofy gifts...

After my engagement broke up, I threw all stuff related to him away...

I sold my engagement ring this past summer to use toward the down payment of my new car.

When I WAS engaged, his mom brought out the baby & childhood pix. It was endearing, until she continued with pictures of his first wife and him at the prom (they were high school sweethearts), and kept going through to the wedding album and all the "happy couple" pix. That was a little awkward. She saw the look on my face as I tried to be polite, and proceeded to lecture me and told me to "grow up". Mom (and then the ex-) told me to get over it, and even brought it up again in front of the rest of the family.

I understand that people have pasts- I do, too- but if he is displaying things everywhere like he hasn't let go, that's a different issue.

I have no keepsakes from past relationships (not that I have any real past relationships ), but I have no aversion to that sort of thing. Likewise, my wife has kept a box of all the love letters she's ever received from exes since high school -- and I couldn't care less. Nostalgia is not intrinsically threatening to the present. It's only when we get stuck in the past, with some resignation that the present doesn't measure up, that things would become an issue to me.

[Edited 3/13/11 10:56am]

We all have pasts and as long as your partner is not living in the past, I say keep the stuff. If the stuff reminds you of them (negatively) get rid of it. I only have small gifts (CDs/books) and pictures left from past relationships. But, I don't associate the item with the person.

Although, I am friendly with all the X's, we don't hang out. I never understood (unless your ex beat you/stole from you) why you can't remain friends. If there once was love or friendship that should never die (again there are exceptions).

I have a bunch of ex's panties and bras. I don't mention them to current love interests and they aren't easily found.

I keep many things from the past in a general way, childhood stuff and past lovers stuff alike. Sweet memories and material possessions alike. I don't think I'm doing it with rushes of nostalgia inside, it's more like accepting the differents stages of life without any denial. What is more, sharing eachothers past with your loved one shouldn't remain taboo. It's a demonstration of confidence.

I have all letters/cards from my ex sealed in a shoebox on the top shelf of the closet. She was the first gf I ever loved. I will never throw it away, but will most likely never open it either.

Nope. Once I'm done with you I pretty much burn all your shit.