Those two questions are the two that are most asked of me when I am meeting with a friend/client who is considering or is having to do a move in their lives.
Like a number of other issues we may encounter as we age, the ability to make quick decisions is one of those issues. Especially when deciding to keep something that has sentimental value to it.
I was weeding through the boxes of pictures in my basement wondering how am I going to throw some of these out. How am I going to organize them. Then I thought about all the pictures I have on my phone. I simply got up and walked away from the mess I made and pushed to the back of my mind what to do with the photos on my phone.
The same thing happens when I open a drawer in my kitchen and start thinking about all the other drawers I need to clean out. It all seems so overwhelming.
Here is a hint: take one room, one drawer at a time. When you choose a room to start in, collect four boxes and label one with the word, Keep and then the other three with, Trash, Donate and Give Away. Move these boxes to each room as you go through your home.
The easiest items to shed or trash are magazines you have kept over the years, copies of your checks and bank statements that date back to your first bank account. Of course, keep the last 7 years, but anything after 7 years shed!
Best tip ever: Don’t wait until you have to do this. Start now. It is even harder to make these decisions when you are not feeling well or you are under a lot of stress. Invite a friend or family member over to help you, doing this type of work is always easy with help.