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Newsletter Archives
June 2010
Expert Organizing Tips
May 2010
Tips from my Clients
April 2010
Tips for Setting Up a Garage Sale
March 2010
Unusual Ways to Organize
February 2010
Staging your Home for Sale
January 2010
Favorite Places to Buy Organizing Products
December 2009
Wrapping It Up
November 2009
Prepare the Pantry
October 2009
Costumes & Decorations
September 2009
Enough
August 2009
Help for the Home Office
July 2009
Getting Crafty
June 2009
A Better Bedroom
May 2009
Eco Organizing
April 2009
Getting Ready to Garden
March 2009
The Path To Clutter
February 2009
Easing Into Downsizing
January 2009
Organizing For Renovation
December 2008
Organizing For Next Year
November 2008
More Of My Favorite Organizing Tools
October 2008
Making Life Easier
September 2008
Clearing The Closet
August 2008
How To Let Go Of Stuff
July 2008
Managing Medical Records
June 2008
Road Trip Organizing
May 2008
Collections Instead of Clutter
April 2008
Getting Ready for Tax Time
March 2008
Where to Begin
February 2008
When You Want to Help
January 2008
Top Ten Causes of Disorganization
December 2007
Organize for Air Travel
November 2007
Organize for Small Spaces
October 2007
When Life Happens, Reorganize
September 2007
Bathroom Organizing
August 2007
Paper Organizing
July 2007
Uncluttered Kids' Rooms
June 2007
Top Ten Organizing Tools
May 2007
Grapple The Garage
April 2007
Managing Your Time
March 2007
Spring Organizing
February 2007
Help for Caregivers of Aging Parents
January 2007
National Get Organized Month
December 2006
Year End Organizing
November 2006
Give Thanks for Being Organized
October 2006
Holiday Kitchen Organization
September 2006
In Case of a Weather Emergency - Organize!
August 2006
Back to School Organizing
July 2006
Declare your Independence from Summer Clutter
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ORGANIZING TIPS OF THE MONTH: FEBRUARY 2009
Easing into Downsizing
Sometimes the desire to simplify includes downsizing. Declining health or the desire to be with other seniors also may necessitate a move to a smaller home. This is a time when it is especially important to carefully sort and purge your belongings. Your things will then fit beautifully in your new home and you will save money on the cost of moving. I have moved many times and can help you with the organizing process.
- Start months or years ahead of your move. If you have considered moving but are not really sure if you are going to do it, start purging your home anyway. You will bring calm to your life now and ease the burden if you do decide to move.
- Be prepared for a sense of loss. Things may be familiar, comfortable, and difficult to let go. It is a challenge to acknowledge that you cannot fit everything from your old home into your new home. Keep items which have special meaning and bring you joy. Remind yourself you still have the memories even if you do not have the stuff. If you do not have room for some things you care about, take photos and place them in a special memory book to help you keep the connection with the past.
- Begin by organizing the rooms you use the least. Those are the most likely rooms to contain things you can easily let go. If your kids are still storing their stuff in your house, it is time for them to claim it.
- For fastest progress, make decisions about big items, such as furniture, first. Use a floor plan of your new home to help you make wise choices about which pieces to keep. Be honest—the buffet and china cabinet just may not fit in a condo with only an eat-in kitchen.
- Now is a good time to give family heirlooms to those you wish to have them. You will experience the joy of giving and see the items go to someone who cares about them.
- Get rid of trash. It seems like obvious advice, but you will be surprised by the number of empty boxes, old paint cans, expired goods, outdated papers, and broken equipment stored in your house.
- Organize in small doses. It is overwhelming to think you must organize your whole house in anticipation of a move. Instead choose to sort and purge one closet or dresser at a time. You will have the satisfaction of completing a task. Stay in one room until you have finished organizing. It may take several days. You have more stuff than you think you do.
- Make more than one organizing sweep through each room. You will be surprised how much easier it is to purge items the 2nd or 3rd time you go through the rooms. The goal is to have breathing space in your new home. You don’t want every closet and shelf bursting with stuff.
- Create a vital papers file you can easily grab and take in the car with you when you move. Include such items as contact phone numbers, birth and marriage certificates, necessary real estate documents, bank information, medical records, insurance papers, utility account information.
- Measure and compare total shelf length, closet rod length, and square footage of storage space of your new and current homes. If your kitchen has 100’ of shelf space and your new kitchen has 40’, you have your goal laid out for you. If you now have a full 1500 sq ft basement for storage and are moving into a condo with a storage closet in the garage, you have some serious purging to do. Be realistic about what you really need. Let a charity benefit from your excess.
- Get help. There is no sugar coating it. Downsizing is hard work physically and emotionally. Enlist the aid of others to help carry away trash bags and donation boxes. Helpers are also great sounding boards as you make decisions about what to keep.
©All Sorted Out, 2009 All Rights Reserved
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