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Archive for Downsizing

So Much Recycling!

Posted by Carolyn on
 April 12, 2016
Recycling

Downsize and Recycle

“I didn’t know there was so much recycling!”

This is the exclamation of almost every client when we start to clear out the clutter.  When clients are downsizing, the pile of recycling and other cast off material gets bigger and bigger and bigger.

It is somewhat inevitable.  Living in one home for many years, sometimes decades, can lead to such a build up in clutter and unused belongings that we just basically forget about. We end up purging out a significant amount of material that can not be re-purposed, is not suitable for sale or donation and therefore ends up in either the garbage or recycling. When clearing out a space, even just to reorganize to make the space function better, clients are often surprised how much debris has collected over the years which ends up no more valuable than the garbage or recycling bin.

If you are looking at a downsizing project, I recommend that you start your project armed with information about how to get rid of what may end up being a very large pile of garbage or recycling. Some of the material can go to your regular garbage pick up or disposal although most jurisdictions now carry volume limits on the service. Check into your service provider, public or commercial to find a) volume limits b) size limits or c) alternate places where you can take the material yourself. Most of these places will have a tipping charge. In the jurisdiction where I live, this charge is $10 per 100 kg or part thereof.

If you know there is going to be huge amount of material to garbage you may want to look into a junk removal company such as 1-800-GOT JUNK. In addition, you will need to have a “staging” area where the goods heading to garbage can be put while you continue to clear out your space.  For recycling, check into the requirements to sort the recycling into different elements such as metal, paper and plastic.

Open Mail over the Recycling Box

If you want to avoid the accumulation, learn to process your paper with a paper recycling box nearby.  I encourage clients to literally open their mail over the recycling box or bag.  Of many, if not most letters, there is very little mail left over when the recycling has been taken out for example the envelop it came in and the inserts.  Discarding these items as soon as they enter the house, will help to keep the paper clutter to a minimum.  It also means less paper to house and manage.

“Even precious treasures left long enough, become garbage“.
One of my favourite client quotes.

 

Home Organizing Move Organizing
Tags : clutter, Downsizing, Paper, recycling

A Moving and Sorting Stage

Posted by Carolyn on
 May 15, 2013
Label your staging area to make downsizing less stressful.

Label your staging area to make downsizing less stressful.

In the world of home moves, staging has become a popular activity to help sell a house.  In the case of sorting and organizing a downsizing project, staging is still used to sell a house but is also what we do to prevent churning and to simplify the decision making process.  This was evident to me yesterday while helping  a family friend pack her father’s household goods as part of a downsizing move to his newly purchased condominium.  A very active bachelor for many years, Jill’s father had accumulated large amounts of sports and recreational gear.  The years, however, were catching up on him and, having limited his activities to his favourite few, he was ready to send away to a new home many of his not-loved-or-needed-anymore household, recreational and sports items.   Jill and I were preparing items for his move next weekend and to take a load to the auction house the following weekend.

As Jill and I walked through the house, she was able to point out to me many items in closets, cupboards and various rooms that had already been sorted and were in various stages of being packed.  Jill expressed concern that her father was planning on moving too many items to his new “pad” and would struggle to adjust to the smaller space.  I suggested to Jill we set up a staging area to accumulate items on which decisions had been made, help identify what was left to sort, collect items for packing together in one area when possible and start to move out the items that were being sold or donated.

Jill had set up a packing station in one part of the house but the area had become congested with items her father was still using on a day to day basis.  We identified a convenient staging area, collected and labelled the sorting, packing and boxing supplies and moved them to this area as a new packing station.  Jill had wisely used a packing table so that boxes could be packed at waist height without the packer having to strain their back by bending, leaning or twisting.  We moved this table to the packing station along with all the remaining boxes.  This cleared out one of the bedrooms so that Jill and her father could more easily see what still needed to be sorted in that room.  In an open area in the living room, beside the packing station, we established the rest of our staging area: in one corner were the items for auction, in another the items listed online to be sold, and in a third the items packed to go to the new condominium.  We then did a second sweep through the house, which had several stories, and grouped items on each floor.  As most of the large furniture was already gone, it was easy to move items into one area on each floor.  We set up areas for each type of item based on where it was to go: auction/for sale online, donation or the condo.  The recycling and garbage we took away and put in the garbage/recycling bins.  Any item for which a decision had already been made was moved out of its place and put into the appropriate pile.  These items can be packed in place and them moved to the main staging area.

The end result of our work was that Jill and her father didn’t have to revisit these decisions each time they entered a room or looked into a closet.  Her father could clearly see the volume of goods heading for the new condo and they could both see the results of their sorting as each room became emptier and emptier.  Finally, Jill could easily see when packing supplies needed replenishing.  All of these small details help to reduce stress in a downsizing project.

Move Organizing
Tags : Downsizing, staging area

Back From Summer Vacation?

Posted by Carolyn on
 September 16, 2009

How was your summer? Was it cold and wet like here in Toronto (Canada)? Did you run away from your clutter and chaos and get some vacation time in beautifully organized hotels? Maybe a trip to the cottage where organizing takes on a very relaxed form of archival collecting? I’d love to hear your stories.

And what did Wellrich Organizers do that left the blog pages silent for so long?

I took on the staging job of a lifetime. With the family farm sold off in the spring, the family house was next. I am pleased to say that a summer’s worth of work paid off: new hardwood floor in the kitchen, new kitchen, stripped floors everywhere else, new carpet in the basement, one storage shed, innumerable bags of garbage and recycling – amidst Toronto’s garbage strike – several contractors, the benevolence of soem very dear friends, a few shares in our local hardward store and the help of another stager, Pamela G& Co. The house sold within 48 hours of hitting the market for a very nice sum over asking thank you very much.

The experience has left me with a renewed appreciation for the emotional challenges that face anyone downsizing the family home. Forty-six years of accumulation is a struggle for even the most clutter averse individual. The family history contained in all that accumulation is bittersweet to review and overwhelming to confront.

We got through by chipping away one little bit at a time. The project to clear out the 46 years started several years ago and thank goodness it did. The sooner one starts to clear out the unused, unnecessary items around the house, the freer and easier one can live one’s life today.

Does anyone else have family home downsizing stories?

Home Organizing Move Organizing
Tags : Downsizing, Staging

Downsizing Dilemmas – Auctions

Posted by Carolyn on
 June 1, 2009

When it comes to the really big downsizing projects – from the family home to a 900 sq.ft. condo, sometimes there just aren’t enough family members or grandchildren to absorb all the pieces of furniture – loved though they may be – that have accumulated over the years. Furniture consignment stores are popping up all over cities these days in an attempt to keep some of the items in circulation, make a little money for the original owner and establish a new industry along the way.

Another alternative is to auction off your unwanted items at a local auctioneer. Many of you are familiar with the names of high end auction houses; the names we sometimes hear about when a piece of artwork is sold, such as Waddington’s or Ritchies. Do you know the names of local auctioneers in your neighbourhood or city who are familiar with the auctioning of estates, farm or recreational properties or just the accumulation of items that are no longer needed by someone?

Auction houses usually work on a percentage basis i.e. they keep a percentage of the sale price of your items after the sale and give you the balance. Some will pick up your items, usually for a fee. In some cases, if an entire home is on the auction block, the auction house will hold the auction at the home itself. In other cases, several estates or home contents (lots) will be sold off at a regular auction held by the auction house.

To find an auction house, check online for auctioneers in your area. In Ontario (Canada) you can also check with the Ontario Auctioneer Association.

Home Organizing
Tags : auctions, Clearing Clutter, Downsizing, mess, organizing strategies, Recycle

Clutter vs. Collections

Posted by Carolyn on
 May 27, 2009

It’s happening everywhere – garage sales abound as the spring cleaning bug hits neighbourhoods everywhere. A Saturday morning, coffee in hand, perusing the garage sales and flea markets can be a fun start to a spring weekend. Perhaps you pick up another book on old boats which you love so much, or an addition to your 1950’s Irish stoneware.

Reality hits when you return home to find the bookshelf full and the china cabinet overflowing onto the counter, table and sideboard. “What was a thinking?” you ask yourself, “I’m surrounded in clutter but I love my collection.”

You are facing a dilemma that is very common to many clients. Many, many of us have established collections of various items over the years. Whether one is downsizing, house clearing or just de-cluttering, the question of de-cluttering a collection is a difficult one.

One definition of clutter comes from the world of gardening. A weed is, for many gardeners, merely a plant growing where it is not wanted. Similarly, clutter can be defined as any item that is hanging around where it is not wanted. Perhaps the main difference between clutter and a collection is the relative value of the items to the world at large. A collection of stamps may have relative value in the world of stamp collecting. At the same time, if the stamp collection is collecting dust at your house, taking up space you wish to free for some other purpose, to you it may be merely clutter.

So, how does one downsize the collection of tea cups? The same way one purges any other group of items. Our collections usually arrive one or two pieces at a time and during their growth, we usually develop a few favourites amongst the group. Start with a photograph of the collection. Keep those few favourites to remind you of the fun your had collecting and the beauty you see it the items themselves. Free the rest to another collector who is still growing their collection or pass on a few more to friends who have admired your collection in the past. The items have a new lease on life and you have freed up your space.

Home Organizing
Tags : Accumulation, Collecting, collections, Downsizing, mess

Downsizing Dilemmas – Garbage and Recycling

Posted by Carolyn on
 April 20, 2009

I’m back folks – took a little break there. Back to those downsizing issues…

With almost every client I work, we end up purging out a significant amount of material that can not be re-purposed, is not suitable for sale or donation and therefore ends up in either the garbage or recycling. When clearing out a space, even just to reorganize to make the space function better, clients are often surprised how much debris has collected over the years which ends up no more valuable than the garbage bin.

If you are looking at a downsizing project, I recommend that you start your project armed with information about how to get rid of what may end up being a very large pile of garbage or recycling. Some of the material can go to your regular garbage pick up or disposal although most jurisdictions now carry volume limits on the service. Check into your service provider, public or commercial to find a) volume limits b) size limits or c) alternate places where you can take the material yourself. Most of these places will have a tipping charge. In the jurisdiction where I live, this charge is $10 per 100 kg or part thereof.

If you know there is going to be huge amount of material to garbage you may want to look into a junk removal company such as 1-800-GOT JUNK. In addition, you will need to have a “staging” area where the goods heading to garbage can be put while you continue to clear out your space.

“Even precious treasures left long enough, become garbage“.
One of my favourite client quotes.

Home Organizing
Tags : Downsizing, organizing strategies

Photos and Mementos Link

Posted by Carolyn on
 March 25, 2009

If you are struggling to manage photos and mementos, I suggest you hop over to Org Junkie. This month Laura is dedicating to organizing photographs and keepsakes. These items are always a challenge for clients – they are even a challenge for me. She has recently collected a series of helpful links and resources.

Photo Organizing
Tags : Downsizing, Memorabilia, Photographs

Client Questions – Strategies for Letting Go!

Posted by Carolyn on
 October 17, 2008

A client recently expressed the following frustration:

“I have too many casual-use dishes, and they are taking up a lot of space in my cupboards. But I can’t bear to part with any of them. One set (of about eight) was given to me by my late mother and includes a set of casserole dishes, mugs, coffee pot, salt and pepper shakers, butter dish with cover, and so on. These are my favourite, but they’re not microwave safe. The second set (of four) was given to me by my daughters when they were younger, one of the first gifts they bought for me with their own money. They’re pretty, and I like the shape of the bowls, but some have broken so now there aren’t enough. And they don’t go with anything else I have. The third set are plain white, which is practical because I can use them to supplement my good china. All three sets came with cups and saucers, which I never use and would give away, but I don’t like to separate them from the rest of the set. Do you have any suggestions for how to reclaim space in my cupboards?“

This is a classic expression of the frustration we all experience when objects pile up and emotional ties prevent us from letting them go. Here are some suggestions that might help you in this situation:

  • If you like the objects, get them out of hiding and use them.
  • Consider that your mother probably did not expect you to keep the dishes forever and would be very sad that you were experiencing so much stress over them. Who would she suggest that you give them to or what would she have liked you to do when you were finished with them?
  • Move the dishes out of the cupboard and lay them out in a different room. Taking items out of context often helps the sorting/separating process by changing perspective.
  • Play the strangers, acquaintances, friends game. Which of the dishes are friends and which are strangers? Send the strangers away.
  • The emotional attachment in this case is not likely to the dishes, which are at the end of the day, just dishes you are not using. The attachment is to your mother and your daughters. Rather than keeping a cupboard full of dishes, pick one or two which serve as a representation of the love you have for them and send the rest away.
  • Often by giving items which hold a strong emotional memory to someone or someplace of significance to us, the emotional attachment to the object can be diminished by the emotional experience of the giving. Are your daughters setting up their own homes yet? Could they use the dishes? Do you know a single mother who is struggling to make ends meet? Would she enjoy some lovely dishes? You get the picture.
  • Take a picture! Get a friend or family member to take a picture of you using the dishes and with the entire set. In the case of the dishes your daughters gave you, have them in the picture too. You can now save the picture to remind you of the dishes and to elicit the same feelings of love for your family members without keeping all the objects.
Organizing Strategies
Tags : Accumulation, Client Questions, dishes, Downsizing, Kitchen, mess

Client Questions – What do I do with this fondu pot?

Posted by Carolyn on
 September 17, 2008

We all have dishes, pots and perhaps many other items in our homes that we used seldom if ever. In this case, the client rarely if ever served fondu and now that her children were away at university, it seemed even less likely she would ever use it. The client was not interested in a garage sale and the pot contained enough sentimental value, that she wanted to find a new home where it would be used.

Sound familiar?

A helpful approach to shedding these objects is to ask yourself a) how often do I use it? b) how easily can I replace it or borrow another one if and when I do need it.

Ask around family or friends to see if anyone else would like a fondu pot or if they have family heading off to university or setting up a home that might like one. If they already have one, ask if you could borrow it from time to time.

Home Organizing
Tags : Accumulation, Client Questions, Downsizing, Kitchen, mess

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