DECLUTTER, DECLUTTER, DECLUTTER
When you’ve lived in a home for 10, 20, or 30 years, decluttering can be a daunting task to undertake. Just thinking about the process usually deters any reasonable person from even beginning. And when you take into consideration the emotional aspect associated with the items that need to go away, again one tends to procrastinate and wait a little longer. Who wants to go through years and years of photos or decide if something should be thrown away, given away, sold, or kept? The more you think about it the less motivated you become and then another year passes…and another.
I was raised in a military family and we moved often when I was young. Usually, my mom was responsible for packing up the family and complained about the task each time. As an adult, I joined the Air Force and moved some more and realized what my mom had—moving sucks.
As a result, I have the unfortunate habit of keeping clutter at a bare minimum in the event I move…again. This is a trait my family has been annoyed with for years. My kids had always been limited on how many toys they could keep in their room. If somebody’s belonging went missing, the family usually blamed me for discarding it somehow. In most cases, I was probably to blame.
When it comes to decluttering for the sale of a home, I try to gauge my sellers’ temperature for de-personalizing their home for showing. Decluttering is a very emotional process and I am the first to admit I don’t have a good sense of reasonable decluttering and some of my sellers have been offended when I tell them to rent a “PODS” and take it all away. My philosophy is always, “You’ll see it on the other side”! If you go the “PODS” route, be sure to declutter as you pack it up. I am not endorsing any one particular “PODS”-type company, they all have differing fees and costs. However, it is a good way to declutter prior to going active for sale AND you’ll be amazed at how easy it makes keeping your home show-ready!
Making a plan far enough in advance of the move will allow you to let go gracefully and give you peace of mind that everything is placed where you want it be whether donated, repurposed, recycled, thrown away, or given away. Some of these processes take time. Allowing family members to go through belongings they may want to hand down to their kids or hold onto takes patience and persistence. Determining what has value to someone else also will take some time to market/sell. You may need to hire a junk hauler to remove and dispose of the items you are throwing away. Don’t rule out an estate sale. An estate sale doesn’t have to be when someone passes away. There are companies that can handle that as well—beware of the scams, check their references. If you have antiques, silver, or colored glassware maybe you’ll want to have those items appraised and go from there.
My friend Kathrin Shenk with Free Your Space Organizing recommends asking yourself these questions to help get you started:
- When was the last time I used/wore this?
- Am I keeping this only because it was a gift?
- Did I buy this only because it was on sale?
- How many (pairs of shoes, red T-shirts, stationary sets…) do I really need?
- I see it’s broken. When will I get it fixed? How easy is it to replace?
- Will I miss this by tomorrow? By next week?
- Would I save this in a fire?
- If I could buy this again right now, would I?
- What’s more important? This item, or the space it takes up?
- Am I keeping this because it’s my own memorabilia, or did it mean more to the person who owned it before me?
If you think you may have waited too long to declutter, hiring a professional to help you through the process may be the best answer! Give Kathrin a call!
Kathrin Shenk | Free Your Space Organizing | c. 301-233-3885 | [email protected] | www.freeyourspaceorganizing.com
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