Whether you are downsizing
or just wondering if you have the strength for spring cleaning, it all boils
down to what are you going to do with all of your stuff? If you are staying in your present home you
have the garage to fill or you can start converting former bedrooms into
storage (aka junk rooms) areas, but if you are going to move into something
smaller it will indeed be a challenge for you.
You might as well face it;
most of us are pack rats and have accumulated an unbelievable amount of stuff
over the years. It all started with the
wedding reception when you ended up with 6 toasters and 3 fondue pots and it
has been going on ever since. An article
by Blythe Lawrence for The Seattle Times (March 14, 2010) complied a list of
tips from local experts to share with us.
Spring cleaning is stressful
enough but if you are doing it in conjunction with moving, it is indeed a
nightmare. I would love to have someone
do all of this for me but I would have to go through all of my stuff beforehand
anyway. The first recommendation is to
take it slowly, long before moving day actually arrives. Six months or a years isn’t unrealistic at
all. Start out with giving away a bag or
box of goodies every week.
Not everyone can afford the
second recommendation, which is to hire someone to help you out, but if you
need someone to hold your hand and be ruthless this is undoubtedly the way to
go. Sometimes it is easier to say yes if
a stranger makes the decisions for you.
If you really can’t part
with all of your treasures or if you think the move is only temporary, by all
means rent a storage unit and put off your decision making until later. This is also a test to see if the out of
sight out of mind adage is really true.
It will also tell you if you really can’t live without such and such.
Sadly, if you are getting
rid of things because of a death in the family, you might consider an estate
sale. The company that runs this will
get rid of anything that they can’t sell.
The author says that you can make more money this way than you could
ever make from a garage sale.
The most frequently asked
questions to ask when making a decision whether to keep something or not: When was the last time you used said
item? Does it bring you pleasure? Could you rent another one for the one or two
times a year that you use it? Do you
really love it or are you keeping it out of a misguided sense of guilt?
Last but not least, remember
that people really can live with less.
If it will ease your mind you can give your treasures to charity. One man’s junk can easily be another man’s
treasure. You can be assured that your
stuff will find a good home.
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