Stay Put and Get Organized or Pack Up and Move
Speaker: Kim Falahaty, Owner, Family Matters
Overview
We have lived in the same house for 30, 40 or 50 years. There are so many emotional and sentimental memories and so many memorable items that we have collected over the decades. It feels more cluttered than enjoyable. Sometimes we would like to downsize but really don’t know where to start. There is so much stuff all over the place!
At the seminar, Kim Falahaty shared with us her experience helping seniors get organized and/or move. There are a few good rules for us to go by and we should be able to navigate through the process and live a more organized life.
- Think Big, Start Small and Be Patient
Visualize how you want your house to look. Though it may seem monumental at first, you may be surprised when you start taking small steps and be consistent doing it.
- You are Number One
You worked hard all your life. It is time to enjoy your life and not let your house be the storage unit for your loved ones. Most young people do not want what their parents or grandparents left for them. Some kids or grandkids may say that they want certain things from you. In that case, you will need to ask them to take them away from you sooner rather than later so that you don’t continue to be the storage holder for them.
- Block Time on Your Calendar to Work Towards Your Purging Goal
Even at our senior age, we still have a life to live. We can block off a couple hours a day, two or three times a week to see how much we can do for a couple of months and go from there.
- Contemplating on Clothing Items
Some of the clothes are so beautiful and sitting in the closet. You are contemplating getting rid of them but haven’t quite made up your mind yet. For those items, perhaps you can turn the hanger to face an opposite direction so that you may go back and decide on whether to get rid of them or not.
- Use Boxes and Work on a Small Area at a Time
For non-clothing items, gather some different size boxes and label them accordingly, e.g. donation, trash, keep, etc. Define a small area at a time for your purging activities. You will have more satisfaction that way. If your purging activities are all over the house, you will likely be moving things from one room to another and another. You will be relocating the items rather than removing them.
- Ask for Help
Don’t think we can do it all. It is okay to ask for help, whether it’s professional help or help from family and friends. If we don’t ask, people won’t know we need help.
- Is Estate Sale for You?
Sometimes we have inherited items that are perceived to be valuable, but the values are in the eyes of the beholder. Estate sales are expensive. There is usually a minimum charge and a system for the estate sale items to cut prices if they don’t get sold within certain hours. A lot of preparation work and extensive marketing are involved. At the end, you won’t get much.
- Items Hard to Find a New Home
Bulky wood furniture is hard to find a new home. Young people are more interested in the streamlined IKEA style furniture than solid wood with heaving carving.
Someone in the audience suggested a Facebook Buy Nothing group in your area. You will have to be on Facebook to join for free. Buy Nothing group members will post the items they want to gift, and some others will post items they are looking for. It is a great way to get rid of things that you don’t want but others may find useful whatever you are gifting.
