Have a plan when getting rid of old things!
Selling the family home can be a bittersweet endeavor. Sure, you’re excited about moving forward with the next stage of your life, but letting go of a lifetime’s worth of personal belongings in order to move to a smaller space, can leave you confused at best, and paralyzed by indecision at worst.
It’s not so easy to pare down to the essentials. Our souvenirs occupy a big place in our heart. We count on them to help us remember and, sometimes, fear that letting go will mean, pretty soon, our memories will cease to exist altogether.
My experience with helping people through this challenging and emotional process has shown me that a successful transition will result from adhering to a very structured plan. Organization is the key to a positive downsizing experience. Decluttering is the immediate goal.
Tips for Sorting:
- Use Post-Its to assign furniture, etc. to family members and good friends
- Identify what you may want to sell on eBay or at an auction
- Earmark donations to charity
- Rent storage (if necessary)
- Shred sensitive documents
- Get a dumpster for remaining trash
- Call a painting/spackling contractor
- Arrange for a cleaning service; leave broom clean as per contract
- Shut down utilities
- Make pet arrangement i.e., board your pet for a day or two before & after
- moving to minimize change in behavior due to a strange environment
- Make shipping arrangements, if moving out of the country
*Well-known charities with local numbers:
- Big Brothers 631.234.0000
- Salvation Army 800.728.7825
- Vietnam Vets 631.582.0242
- Chabad JCC, Queens, NY 718.441.2470 x 1
- Society of St. Vincent DePaul 631.858.0380, 631.385.1226
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