It’s time to clean out the closets!
When you reach your 50s, I strongly recommend downsizing. NOW!
Believe me, there will come a time where you:
- Have better things to do with your time then dust things
- Decide to move into a condo, apartment or smaller house
- Develop an illness, or die … and you really don’t want to burden your children with getting rid of all of your collections
I am facing this now. We bought our house in Kentucky 8 years ago, but kept the large house in Michigan. We are getting ready to put the Michigan house up for sale. The dilemma? What to do with 30+ years of… well, stuff!
This is not as easy as it sounds.
The most difficult thing, I have found, to downsizing is two-fold:
- Sentimentality
- Value
The house in Kentucky is so much smaller then the Michigan house, where we lived for 30+ years. Far fewer rooms, with less wall space, and far fewer closets. There just isn’t the room to keep everything I have accumulated over the last decade. I found myself saying (sobbing and clutching the item to my heaving chest) things like:
“That was my Father’s!!! I can’t get rid of that!”
“I paid $400 for that! There’s no way I’ll get rid of that!”
Well, you get the picture.
Believe it or not, I have made great strides. I have downsized about 14 large dumpsters of stuff already and it’s going quicker now. Here’s a few things that I learned along the way that helped tremendously:
Do I have a place for it?
If the answer is ‘yes’…well, you have your answer. If the answer is ‘no’, it’s probably time to get rid of it. If it is sentimental, take a photo of it. Photos are easier to store then thousands of items.
Can it be replaced?
Most paperwork can be replaced. Especially today, with the internet. You really should reconsider keeping your paycheck stubs from when you were 17, utility bills from 1974, death certificates of your uncle that passed away 26 years ago.
Good Housekeeping published an easy-to-read chart of what should be kept, where, and for how long. Access the Good Housekeeping article by clicking this link:
Good Housekeeping guide of what to toss when
Does someone else appreciate it?
If it is something you love, give it to someone you love. I have decided that rather then waiting until the reading of my will, my treasures can be enjoyed by loved ones today. There were items meant for someone specific that became Christmas gifts these last few years. For other items, I sent an email to my siblings, children, friends, nieces, nephews, and asked if anyone wanted it. The first person to respond got it.
Can I let it go?
It took a long time for me to realize I do not have to keep everything that belonged to my Mother, Father, Godfather, etc. One or two pieces is sufficient.
I have also found that if I make a pile, somewhere very visible, each day I looked at the pile, it became easier and easier to release. Walking past the pile a few times (generally on the dining room table or living room sofa), I would see one or two items that I could ‘live without’. I would move the item from the pile to the ‘give away’ or ‘sell’ pile. At the end of a week, the pile became only one or two remaining items.
Can I sell it?
There are many avenues for selling.
- Have a yard sale, garage sale or tag sale (Irene is the queen of yard sales and should post how she goes about it!).
- Get a table at an organized sale (Church, Community Center, City Sales, Flea Market).
- Advertise (Newspapers, Church papers, bulletin boards at local grocery or hardware, internet sales sites).
- Locate a shop that sells on consignment or outright buys.
- Locate an Auctioneer.
Can I donate it?
OK, so you have taken your photos, given things to loved ones, and sold a few things. What to do with the rest? There are really only two choices: Donate it or throw it away.
If the item is useable, write it down, box it up and drive it to your local donation center. Remember to get a receipt for tax purposes (Irene is also the queen of taxes. Another post we need her to write.) if the organization is an approved charity. Keep in mind that some organizations will come to your house to pick up large items or large volumes of items.
By now, you should have a lot more room, and far fewer items to dust, which gives you more time and space to go shopping!!!