August 6, 2008
We all have items we don’t ever use. I don’t mean the stuff you use seasonally or at holiday time. I mean stuff that you haven’t used in more than a year. Stuff that you have to walk around. Stuff you’ve packed away in a box, and put downstairs or in the garage. And now you don’t even remember what’s in the box.
Often we let this stuff accumulate. Then, at one of the most stressful times in your domestic life, when you move, you end up having to deal with it all.
We help our clients deal with stored possessions, and rarely used items. We’ve learned that working with these possessions long before moving time can make the move itself less stressful, and less expensive. Grapenmasenum list of domains . The fewer things you have to pack and move, the less time it will take and the more money you save.
Go through your possessions and identify those “unused” items that are in good condition. Charities want things that are clean and undamaged, since they often don’t have the resources to clean or repair them.
So what do you do with it all? Donating these unused possessions to a charity will ensure that someone who needs something will get good use out it.
Some charities will accept your possessions and then distribute them to those in need. Others sell the goods then use the money collected to benefit others.
Charities are listed in the yellow pages and online. Some are willing to take almost anything, e.g., Goodwill or the Salvation Army. Some specialize, like food banks, or furniture banks. Call them or visit their websites to find out how you can help. Finally, some will pick up your donation, and some will require you to drop it off.
Donating your unwanted and unneeded stuff reduces clutter and makes moving easier. Perhaps the biggest benefit is that it makes you feel good to help others.
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July 30, 2008
Moving at any age ranks high on lists of stressful life events. If you are over 70, the stress both physically and emotionally can be overwhelming. So if you or a family member are contemplating making a major move or transition, you need to have a Seniors Move Manager.
Why? Because things always go wrong, often at the worst possible time. Last week I arrived at my clients’ new home in a Retirement Residence thirty minutes before the movers were bringing in her belongings. The beds were supposed to be supplied by the residence. Rantfoxtdistioten . To my surprise, they weren’t there. Fortunately, I had time to get housekeeping moving, have the beds brought in and made, and have everything settled before my client arrived at his new home.
On other transition days the moving truck has broken down. Service providers haven’t always arrived on time. The phone wasn’t hooked up as planned. The refrigerator in the unit didn’t work properly. My job is to handle and fix all these “glitches” so that our client never knows they even happened.
You may not want to hire a Seniors Move Manager. But you do need to designate one family member to play that role in the time leading up to the move, the day of the move, and over the first couple of weeks during the settling in period. If you want the move to be stress free, you need someone who will be able to confidently say “Don’t worry, I have everything under control.” Pick someone who stays calm in the face of a storm, and is a creative problem solver.
Getting off on the right foot when a major later life transition is in progress will set a positive tone for all the changes to come.
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July 24, 2008
Are you storing stuff in your bathroom? Are you storing kitchen supplies in the laundry or basement because you’ve run out of space in the kitchen? Do you park your car in the driveway because the garage is full?
If you answered even “sort of” to one of these questions, you may have a clutter problem. When we help our clients prepare their homes for resale, or help them move to a new home, we help with the clutter.
Clutter can hide the room from view; it can stop you using a room for its intended purpose; and, it can be health hazard, as too much clutter can change the airflow in your room.
If you’re fed up with your clutter there are professional organizers who can help you get started. There are helpful books available in most bookstores and online. There are also television shows with great before and after stories, and include tips on what to do. Even Oprah has had shows on dealing with the clutter. Try an internet search for “help with clutter”, or “professional organizer.” There’s lots of help readily available.
We begin de-cluttering by sorting items. One popular method of sorting is: keep it, donate it, trash it. If you’ve used the item in question within the last year than keep it. If the item has a value, but you haven’t used it in at least that year than either donate it to a charity or a family member, or sell it. All other items can be disposed of in an environmentally friendly way.
Dealing with your clutter can be stressful. Ask for help. Don’t do it all at once; break the job up into manageable tasks. crawl test But, get started and keep moving. You may be taking a bath in the tub again sooner than you think.
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July 15, 2008
Almost everyone we meet has a collection or two. Some have collections they’ve purposely put together because of a specific interest, e.g., commemorative plates. And some have collections that just happened, e.g., all kinds of spices in all kinds of containers.
To help deal with your accumulated spices, you might like to look at our earlier blog on checking the expiry dates on products. Here, we’re talking about “collectibles” and the common sense approach to dealing with them when you’re ready to move.
You may have received lots of enjoyment from collecting, trading, and displaying your collection. To help remember your collection, keep only one or two pieces that mean the most to you. This doesn’t necessarily mean the most expensive; it could be the first piece you collected, or a piece a favourite person gave you. Another way to remember your collection, is to take photographs of all the pieces or the important pieces.
As we’re helping our clients move, the two major reasons for disposing of a collection is the lack of space in their new home, and the cost to pack and move the collection. There are a few ways to dispose of a collection.
- Sell it. There are on-line resources like eBay, or traditional resources like newspaper classified ads. It will require a bit of work to sell the items, but it’s often the most effective way to reach a broad audience. domain name data . Depending on your collection there may be specialized on-line websites that can be used. We can help you determine the best way to sell your items, and help you determine the best price.
- Give it to family or friends. You may have already decided in your will to leave your collections to a specific person or group. Why not give it to them now? If you’re giving it to someone, you’ll be able to see and share in their enjoyment.
- Donate it. Depending on the items you’re donating, there may be a possibility of receiving a receipt for income tax purposes. We can help with the research to determine if this will work for you.
Decide on what you’d like to do with your collections now, before a move. It’ll be one less thing to deal with during a move.
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July 9, 2008
Be on high alert for expiration dates. If you were raised like I was you probably still get a bit twitchy when thinking about throwing things out. It seemed like my parents didn’t believe in throwing anything out. And I see the same trait in many of the seniors I work with. But for health and safety reasons, there are some items that just have to go.
And, as most moves begin with discarding of unwanted items, purging items with past due expiry dates is a good first step. Ironically, everyday items we have are often those we often keep for too long.
First and foremost are prescription medications. Most medical professionals agree that at the very least the effectiveness of the drugs is questionable after the expiration date. In addition, most people don’t store their medications in optimal conditions, so keeping them too long can have a more severe impact. Remember too, you should dispose of expired drugs at your pharmacy.
Most vitamins also have expiration dates on them that are often around two years after the date of purchase, which should be plenty of time to use them. The same issues will affect these pills, although some experts suggest definitely tossing them within a year of the expiration date.
Once the medicine cupboard has been purged, move on to the kitchen and pantry. “Fresh” food such as milk, eggs, fruit and vegetables begin to show, and smell old within a few days, and should be disposed of promptly. Dealing with packaged goods, processed foods, and canned food requires a bit more thought.
If our client is moving to a Retirement Residence, we like to donate these grocery items to our local Food Bank. As a rule-of-thumb: would I purchase this item in a grocery store with the same expiry date? If I can say “yes”, then it goes to the food bank., if not then it goes to trash.
Finally, check the freezer. Frost build-up and freezer burn are definite signs that it could be unhealthy to consume the frozen product. Guidelines for keeping frozen food are readily available on the internet, and if the item does not have a “date frozen”, err on the side of caution.
After you’ve tackled these items, it may be easier to go to the next cupboard and toss that hardened shoe polish (when did I have red shoes?), year old mascara, and dried up nail polish.
Cleaning out your cupboards of items past their due dates on a regular basis will quickly give you more shelf space. And, it’ll make it that much easier to pack up when you move.
I’ve just checked my medicine cabinet and I spotted two containers of 2005 vintage pills to drop at the pharmacy. It feels less cluttered already!
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