Downsizing a home

Dear Les Is More:

How can you become organized if your brain isn't?

Maureen

Dear Maureen:

Our brain can be trained to be organized if you know the tools and tricks to do it. First, if you have a lot of worries that you think are cluttering your brain-then write them all down. Besides the worries, write down the ways you think you can stop them. If you worry about money, then do not spend as much and give to charity instead of shopping to you drop.

Then, take one step at a time. Want to organize your kitchen? Do it one drawer at a time. You did not just jump from the womb to walking-it took time. Allow yourself time to get organized and to not do it in one day.

Have an Organized Day!

Les Is More

Dear Les Is More:   What is a good way to start sorting through items when one is downsizing a home?

Thank you,

Carol

Dear Carol:  First, think of the new house and the day you are moving as survival and pack a survival kit.  This kit includes sheets for every bed and that will be slept in on moving night and enough kitchen items to make breakfast.  Pack these first and label them survival kit and have this the last thing you put on the truck and the first thing that gets un packed. Then, go through the furniture and pick out what you are keeping and what you are either selling or donating and put in one room.  This will be the room you are using as either donation or tag sale before the move room.

Then, as you pack belongings and decide what to keep and what to donate you just put it in the room.

Start with one room and finish that room before you move to the next room. Each person should have a survival kit of all their items they will need for the first week of living in the new house.

Remember, as you pack if you don’t LOVE it—donate it. This will be a perfect excuse to get rid of everything you don’t love and if anyone asks, “It must have been lost in the move.”

Have an organized day.

VCR's and downsizing your stuff

Dear LesisMore:

I am moving my mother into a condo. We are keeping the best furniture and putting the rest in storage—but what else can we do with the stuff?

Dear Claudia:

With respect to my friends who own storage facilities- This is a waste of money! Go through the furniture pieces again and decide among your family if anyone wants anything else. Then, bring the rest to a consignment store /antique store/junk store. Or, have a good old fashion tag sale. Bring in a family member or professional organizer who has no attachment to your items. They can help you go through the stuff and give your great suggestions on what to do with them.  Have an Organized Day.

Dear LesIsMore:

What can I do with all of my VCR Tapes?  I have so many of them, but I don’t want to just toss them out.

Steve 

Dear Steve: You can do a lot of your VCR tapes. First keep the ones you like and watch over and over again—then you can donate them to places in New Britain that would like them. How about donating them to the Friendship or Klingberg  Centers?  If they are in good condition and you just want to take the tax donation, give them all to Salvation Army. But, if you want to keep them then buy a VCR to DVD recorder to turn them into DVD’s.  Then, donate or sell the VCR’s and you will now have all DVD’s. Have an Organized Day.