Organizing and Purging At Every Stage of Life
Purging is for everyone no matter what age or what stage of life you are in. Whether you are in college, single and living on your own, newly married, having children, an empty nester or grandparents, there is always something you no longer need or use. Life changes constantly and so do what and how we use things. Our taste in fashion and decorating changes as we age too.
I had a client I helped when she lost her husband. She was in a condo as she and her late husband had already downsized to the condo a number of years prior. She and I went through every closet, drawer and space to eliminate what she no longer needed or used. She paired down on many items including 7 large totes filled with framed pictures that had come from her 4 bedroom home. We took most of the pictures out and gave away the frames as most of the pictures and frames were incredibly out dated. We went from 7 totes to 1 with mostly pictures and a few frames she could use for new pictures.
A year later, I helped her move to an independent living community and again, we purged what she would not need at her new apartment including some furniture and many of her holiday decorations.
A few years later her family asked me to help with her move into a memory care unit. Again, there was a purge and many of her items were taken by family members and some to charity. She needed much less in her new apartment. At every stage, she no longer needed or wanted some items.
You should evaluate your spaces on a consistent basis to keep from becoming overwhelmed and purging frequently eliminates clutter from building up.
Keeping a bag nearby to put items in you no longer use helps keep the clutter away. As you are opening up totes for the holiday decorations and you no longer use a specific decoration, put it in the bag so someone else can enjoy it. Schedule time on your calendar every month to take those items to the charity of your choice. There are hundreds of charities looking for what you no longer need. Many charities pick up weekly in your area and all it takes is a call. Our tastes and habits change as we get older, so purge with the times. Visit my website for more tips.
