The process of going through your personal belongings and memories can be enjoyable
Okay – so your daughter has made it abundantly clear. She’s 35 and she has her own stuff. While she appreciates your attachment to your own things, she aspires to own relatively few of them. Enjoy cherished items while you can, but try to make your family’s job as easy as possible when the time comes. With this in mind, why not begin the ambitious project of sorting and weeding out your belongings? Get busy now so you can relax later!
A great way for you to tackle all this is to break down a daunting job into smaller portions and deal with them in small doses, so you can stay focused and not become over-tired.
Here are some recommendations for organizing your surroundings, whether you’re a packrat or simply downsizing. Your family will thank you!
- Set some goals for this project. Make them easier to achieve by choosing a small task each week – one closet, one shelf, one chest of drawers. Soon your progress will be obvious and you’ll be very proud of your achievements.
- As you go through your belongings, sort them into groups – to keep, donate or throw away. When you donate, consider each item’s value to another person or family. There are several organizations that would love to have your donated items and they’ll pick them up at your house. Some are:
- Advocates Attic in Hailey 578-0340
- Barkin’ Basement in Hailey 788-3854
- Gold Mine in Ketchum 726-3465
- Suggestion – you can always re-gift something that is unused and unwanted by you. When you need to give a gift, shop at home. Someone will love it.
- Round up some friends and have a group yard sale together. Donate whatever is left over.
- Place some special items on consignment. It takes more work, but you might make more money!
- If you have artwork or heirlooms that you’ll keep, write down the history of each piece and what it means to you. Affix it to the back or bottom, or keep a list if it’s easier for you. Remember – its sentimental or monetary value may not be obvious to someone else.
- Encourage family members to identify the items they want and label those items accordingly.
- Family photos can be precious. Use a pencil (ink can leak through) to identify places, dates and persons in the pictures. Ask other family members to help identify those people you don’t recognize. This could be a fun family project!
- Start a family tree, ideally for both sides of your family. Go to a genealogy website to get ideas. Have other family members add what they know and grow the branches. Add small pictures to personalize it. Another fun project for all ages.
- Keep a notebook handy and write down anecdotes as you think of them, or keep a journal of past and present experiences. Future generations will love to read them.
The executive director of The Senior Connection, Teresa Lipman, adds: “By simplifying your living space, your environment can become lighter and brighter. You and your family will love the results.”
