Sometimes the love of “stuff” can get overwhelming. Whether you’re downsizing to a smaller home, inherited the contents of an estate, or simply want to go into the new year less cluttered and more organized, professional organizer Robbie Randolph has great ideas to make your life easier.
According to Robbie, “My clients have collected items over the past several years or they just inherited an entire estate from someone in the family and are not interested in keeping them. I realize that they are either emotionally bound to these items and want to keep it all, or they’re completely disassociated and just want to get rid of everything. In either case, both are overwhelmed and don’t know where to start. I use these tips.”
Art/Collectibles
Download the app Sortly to create an inventory of your items. There are custom QR codes that you print out and put on each item. It keeps track of the cost of the item and any pertinent information.
Otherwise, simply write the price on a piece of paper and tape it to the bottom of an item. For example, “Tiffany vase, purchased for $500 on 8/14/2004.”
For books, decide to keep half the collection and donate the other half to a charity, retirement home or library.
SENTIMENTAL ITEMS
The first step in any decluttering job is to sort all the items. It’s best to put everything you can on the dining room table so you can see how much stuff you actually have. When you see it all you will naturally be more inclined to get rid of what you don’t want.
Pick the items you love most and set them aside. It’s important to consider that even though you love something, your heirs may not. Remember, décor and lifestyles change and it’s likely your children don’t want great grandmother’s silverware. Better to go ahead and sell now.
Then decide if the remaining items are valuable and need to be sold or if they can be donated. If you have a large collection that you are getting rid of or a whole house of items, it may be best to hire a professional estate sale company, like Southern Estate Sales Ladies. Or you can list with eBay or another online source for selling.
Many professional organizers offer clients a cataloging service where they will itemize and catalog items for sale or keep. It’s also recommended to remove photos from frames, take photos of them on your phone and then store a hard copy and arrange the digital photos in albums on your phone.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed by mail, switch to e-statements for most of your bills and pay online. At a minimum switch out your water, electric and phone bills. Many companies offer discounts for doing so.
Have two trays for mail, one incoming and one labeled to pay bills. Or get a standup letter holder which takes up less space.
Clothes Closets
One of the easiest places to declutter is your closet. Again, take out everything and try it on, then decide if you love it or not. Get three laundry baskets and label Donate, Store and Sell. This will reduce closet clutter immediately.
If you have multiple homes, consider switching out each season by taking clothes to the second home. In the winter take the summer clothes and in summer take the winter clothes to the other location.
An easy way that wows my clients every time is to switch out the hangers and make sure they all match. This visual change has a monumental impact. Custom closet systems are expensive but worth every penny as they really do maximize every square inch.
If you want to sell designer clothing, look to consignment shops or try websites like The Real Real.
