What To Do With All That Stuff
Downsizing is often tinged with sadness, particularly if you have to sort through decades of belongings. At the same time, it can be thrilling to free yourself of so much accumulated clutter.
Start off easy by sorting through items with little emotional attachment. Clear the bathroom, laundry room, and linen closet of things like expired medications, nearly empty bottles of detergent, and frayed towels.
Same goes for the kitchen, which tends to be overstocked with unused spatulas, cookie sheets, and pots and pans.
Color-code items for quick identification. Experts recommend placing a colored tag or sticker — green for save, blue for donate, and red for discard, for example — on large items and boxes. Immediately get rid of things marked for donation or trash. Remember — out of sight, out of mind.
Be honest with yourself to narrow down options. Ask yourself these questions:
- When was the last time I used this?
- Does the item have sentimental value that can’t be replaced?
- Is it in good shape?
- Will I need it again?
- Do I know someone who would love to have this?
If you’re liquidating a loved one’s estate or moving to senior living, would it be easier to hire an estate sale company? We’ve got the facts you need to consider, starting on page 173 of The Joy of Independent Living for Seniors.
Recent Posts
Categories
- acid reflux
- Active Aging
- Aerobic Activity
- Age-Away Skin Cream
- air
- air freshener
- air quality
- Allergies
- Alzheimers
- amazing deals
- antioxidant
- antioxidants
- apples
- appliances
- arteries
- Arthritis
- Artificial Sweeteners
- asparagus
- avocado
- bacteria
- baking soda
- bananas
- bathroom
- beauty sleep
- belly fat
- benefits
- benign prostatic hyperplasia
- blood clots
- blood flow
- blood pressure
- book
- boom_a
- boom_b
- BPH
- Brain & Memory
- Brain Health
- brain training
- Budget
- Budget Friendly
- buy used
- Calcium
- calories
- Cancer
- carotenoids
- carpet
- chemical-free cleaning
- cherries
- cholesterol
- citrus
- cleaning
- Cleaning & Stain Removal
- cleaning supplies
- Clutter Control
- Coffee
- Cold Symptoms
- composting
- computer
- computer knowledge
- Computers
- contacts
- Cook Healthy
- cost of living
- coupons
- curb appeal
- daisy
- Dehydration
- Dementia
- Dental
- deodorize
- Diabetes
- Diabetes & High Blood Pressure
- diet
- Digestion
- Digestive
- digital voice assistant
- Discount
- discounts
- doctor visits
- Energy
- english ivy
- Essential Oil
- Exercise
- Eyesight
- Fall garden
- Fall gardening
- Fatigue
- fiber
- finance
- financial goals
- Fitness
- fixed income
- floor
- Focus
- fresh air
- Fresh Fruit
- Fresh Vegetables
- friends
- Fruit Juice
- furniture
- Gardening
- garlic
- gastritis
- GERD
- gift card
- Ginger
- grapefruit
- green cleaning
- groceries
- group call
- grout
- hacker
- HDMI
- headaches
- Health
- Health & Healing
- Health Insurance
- healthcare
- healthy brain
- healthy eating
- Healthy Fats
- Healthy Habits
- Healthy Heart
- Healthy Living
- Healthy Recipes
- Healthy Shopping & Cooking
- Heart
- heart disease
- Heart/Cholesterol/Blood Pressure
- Heartburn
- Herbs
- high blood pressure
- holiday savings
- Home Cleaning
- home improvemenet
- Home Organization
- Home protection
- Home Tips
- Honey
- Household Tips
- Hydrate
- ID theft
- Immunity & Infections
- Inflammatory bowel disease
- insulin
- insurance
- insurance fraud
- Internet deals
- Internet Scams
- iPhone message
- jewelry
- Landscaping
- light fixtures
- log in
- Magnesium
- Marketplace
- medical coverage
- Medicare
- memory
- menopause
- metabolic syndrome
- migraines
- modern technology
- Moisturizer
- money
- Money Management
- Money-Saving Secrets
- moving
- Muscle aches & pain
- Muscles & Sprains
- mushrooms
- MyMedicare
- Nap
- Napping
- National Health Education
- natural
- natural cleaner
- Nausea
- neurobotics
- nutrients
- olive oil
- onion
- online coupons
- Online security
- Organic
- Organic Food
- Pain Relief Rub
- paint
- palm
- password
- Pest Control
- planting
- plants
- Potassium
- potassiunm
- prescriptions
- Probiotics
- profile
- property value
- Prostate
- Prostate Cancer
- Radiant Skin
- Reduce Stress
- refurbished computer
- retirement
- samples
- saving money
- savings
- Security
- senior discounts
- senior living
- senior skincare
- Senior Sports
- senior streaming
- Seniors
- seniors on computers
- sharethelove
- shopping for computers
- Skin Care
- skin cream
- Skin Hair & Nails
- skincare
- skype
- Sleep
- Smart Living
- Smart Money
- smart phone
- SMART SPEAKER
- Smart TV
- Smartphone
- smartphone streaming
- Social Media
- Social Security
- Soda
- Sodium
- soil
- solutions
- sports
- Stanger Danger
- stomach problems
- stomack ache
- stop wrinkles
- streaming on an app
- Streaming services
- Stress/Mood/Depression
- stroke
- summer
- sunsafety
- sunscreen
- Supplements
- taxes
- Tea
- Technology
- texhnology
- texting
- thrift store
- tools
- Turmeric
- Type 1 Diabetes
- united states
- upset stomach
- Urinary
- used books
- UTI
- veg
- videochat
- vinegar
- VITAMIN A
- Vitamin D
- Vitamin D foods
- Vitamin E
- Vitamin K
- voice commands
- watermelon
- weather
- weeding
- weeds
- Weight Loss & Fitness
- when to buy
- yogurt