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Making the right move with Red Coats
By Victoria Riley Keyes, President
You may be thinking about making a change in your life and possibly moving to a New Home. While many people call this process downsizing, I like to call it ‘rightsizing'. Because, quite simply, it is often the right thing to do.
I have met with many people over the past five years who have gone through this very same change process or ‘rightsizing'. And you know, they all had the same worries as you, I'm sure.
In fact, there are five key worries I've heard that often hold people back from making a smart and sensible decision to accept change. Ask yourself:
One: Does the thought of such a change keep you awake at night?
Two: Are you worried that you are making the right decision?
Three: Are you thinking you should you put off this change for another year, because you are worried that there is so much to do and take care of?
Four: Are you worried that you just can't possibly get everything organized on your own?
Five: Do you feel worried, and even a bit sad knowing you will have to give up big chunks of your past?
I'd like to assure that you are not alone when it comes to these worries. And there are often very, very good reasons to get over your worries and make a change.
For example:
There may be Health issues to consider.
Your children may not be living close by to be there for you.
You may have recently lost a spouse and are feeling lonely.
Your home may now just be too large to manage, and the repairs, the snow shoveling and all the day-to-day chores are just getting too much for you.
As times have changed, your neighborhood may just not seem the same any more.
If I have learned anything from the many people who I have helped manage change, it is that it is better to anticipate changes in the future and plan ahead for them now.
In other words, you can put things off, because of your worries, or you can realize that change is possible, with a little help.
While I've talked to you about five key worries, two of the biggest roadblocks in making a decision to move are: Dealing with the many things in your home that you can't take with you, and; The emotional aspect of letting go of your past.
Here is what CJ Ware, author of Rightsizing your Life says: "Rightsizing your life is about change, but really about simplifying your surroundings while keeping what matters most."
So how do you decide what matters most and how do you simplify your surroundings without giving up on what's important to you.
We tell the people who we help that the first place to start is with the floor plan. Why? Because we want you to feel as much at home in your new home as you do where you live now.
Here are a few things I'd ask you to consider:
One: Where do you sit during the day, do you watch TV, read, do you have a desk for your computer or where you do your paperwork? So let's build your floor plan around these essentials first. You may have had the luxury of a living room and a den, but now you may need to combine these functions. It's about ‘rightsizing' your needs, and feeling like you haven't really given anything up.
Two: Consider your space needs. For example, if you are not taking the dining room suite, where will the china go? And this leads to another question…do you need to keep all the china? One client of ours decided to keep a set of four from her best china to use everyday and had the rest packed up and stored with her niece. A smart move, as she was going to be the eventual recipient of it all.
Three: Should you buy a few new pieces and start fresh? This can be a very wise step, and help you ‘rightsize' more easily. For example, consider a smaller table for dining, a coffee table with storage, a twin bed rather than a double, a love seat rather than a 3-seater sofa. And don't forget what almost every single client I have worked with over the last year has purchased….a new flat screen TV!
Now that we have a plan in mind, one that makes sense and will work for you personal needs, it is time to start clearing the clutter. Yes, this is what I know all of you are probably most worried about… But don't worry, you're not alone!!
It's important to ask yourself just why you are keeping things. Is it because:
A. Your children said they wanted them when they moved out but now have a home and children of their own'
B. you bought something new, like a shower curtain, but decided to keep the old one in case the other tears.
Now that you have gotten over your worries about accepting change, how do you actually get started in the process of clearing the clutter?
Well, remember it has taken years to accumulate clutter, so of course, it is going to take some time to clear it.
Here are some easy ways to get the ball rolling:
Pick a number and stick with it…if you do like to keep boxes for potential gifts, limit your collection to four and don't replenish it until you have used one up. Use the same rule for other things, such as purses, rank your top seven and give the others away to charity and don't bring a new one into your home until you have given another on away! Use this rule for shoes, socks, packages of paper towels, etc.
Make a date with yourself, once a week, mark it on the calendar, and choose the time of day when you have more energy, you could be a morning person like me or an afternoon person like my husband. Decide and set aside some time that is reasonable to you…it could be half an hour or 3 hours. Set a timer.
Sort in place…decide where you are going to start…could it be your closet, the spare bedroom or a corner of the basement? Get 3 containers, like these, mark Keep, Recycle, and Garbage. You could use 3 large boxes, or any similar containers.
Clothes…take things out of the closet one at a time. If it is clothes, look carefully at each piece, is it stained or worn? If you haven't cleaned the stain out by now, chances are you are not going to, decide if it is worth going to charity (recycle) or to the garbage. Hold the garment up to yourself, does it give you a lift and make you feel good or did you buy it because it was such a good price for such good quality? But haven't worn it? If it doesn't make you feel good…time to recycle and let someone else enjoy it. Still can't give something up, like a beautiful, well made suit, put it in a garment bag with to-days date on it and put it back in your closet, if it is still there next year, unopened, time to recycle it! Once you have gone through your closet only put those things back in the keep pile and move the others out of the room, better still call a charity to pick them up or drop off for the next rummage sale at the church. You can apply the same rules to other things like, shoes, purses, etc.
Items of sentimental value should be saved, but not like one gentleman I know who kept 18 boxes of slides and photographs, many of which were duplicates. Photographs and slides are some of our most important memories, but these too have to be pared down and sorted. Use Rule #1, set aside some time, put on the timer and get sorting. If you have five pictures of a similar scene or grouping, choose the one in which you look the best and, discard the others or put in the recycle box for a family member. Make a scrapbook. Separate into shoeboxes with each family's name on it.
Use birthdays and Christmas as a time to give away some of the things you don't use anymore. Relate story of Thanksgiving. Maybe you have an attractive platter that you inherit ate from a grandparent, but never use…write on the back of it who gave it to you and when and give it as a present to someone who will appreciate it.
Some sentimental items can be saved it a different form, for example take a picture of yourself holding the hockey stick, tennis racket or electric guitar that you used in college (but haven't used for 25 years) then let it go to someone who will use it.
Let's consider the importance of sorting:
Remember what I said earlier: "Rightsizing Your life may be about change, but it is really about simplifying your surroundings While Keeping What Matters Most."
So it's absolutely critical to make sure we are KEEPING WHAT MATTERS MOST to you!
You may not have room for your collection of figurines, wall masks or beer cans, but you can select a few of the best and make an interesting corner with them.
We are often asked what to do with the collection of family photos that accumulate every holiday with the latest gift of yet another new photo of a grandchild. Keep a small collection of important moments or people (such as your parents and grandparents) and make an artistic display of them on the wall of a den or in the hallway.
If a chair is important to you because of the emotional attachment to it then bring it. Last week we had a great discussion with a client and her daughter on whether it was right to bring a large chair from the living room. After asking her a few questions about it, It turned out that this was the chair her husband sat in all the time. Bringing it with her to the new home was like bringing him along with her. It was important. It mattered. And it made her feel at home in her new home.
I would like to wrap up by saying to you that I understand you may have worries about the changes you may be facing. That's okay. You're not alone. Call Red Coats Moving Solutions and let us help you make the transition with ease.
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