Senior Spotlight: Back-To-Basics

Whether you are decluttering to downsize or to de-stress from the chaos of stuff – it can feel overwhelming to say the least! While there are many ways to go about it, the hard part is knowing how & where to start. AARP just published a simple 10 tips for decluttering, and we picked our top 5 among them – so we say to start here! (After all, the whole reason we started our Senior Spotlight was to support the toughest parts of aging – and downsizing stuff is definitely within that!)

#1: Start Soon. Plan ahead as decluttering will take longer than you think. Plan for several weeks minimum, or several months if you can!

#2: Take one room at a time. Start small; don’t plan on getting through every closet in a day. Pick one room (likely the most manageable one!) and trial your sorting strategy there. You can refine your decluttering methods along the way and feel a sense of completion with each room you finish decluttering.

#3: Make easy decisions first. Most experts recommend a ‘first pass’ in which you toss out or donate items that are in poor condition, not sentimental, expired, stained and least likely to be missed. Save the sorting of your treasured possessions and photographs last.

#4: Account for your lifestyle. What you save should be based largely on what you will use and what will help you create a place of comfort in your months and years to come. Your possessions likely reflect many decades of your life in the past – consider what items met your needs then and now what you value most in your lifestyle today.

#5: Don’t get tempted by storage as a long-term solution. Once items go into storage – they rarely come out! Storing many items to go through later often just delays the decluttering problem but does not solve it. Storage costs add up so you often spend money just to postpone hard decisions about what can stay or go. Don’t make more work for yourself later!

See all 10 tips from AARP here! And feel free to let us know what decluttering methods from this list or from your own experience seem most helpful and attainable for you!

Cheers to less stuff & less stress,

Bobbi

Bobbi Decker
DRE#00607999

Broker Associate
650.346.5352 cell
650.577.3127 efax
www.bobbidecker.com

NAR Instructor….“Designations Create Distinctions”
CIPS, SRS, ABR, CRS, SRES, GRI, CLHMS, REI, AHWD, RSPS, MSLG

Bobbi Decker & Associates fully supports the principles of the Fair Housing Act and the Equal Opportunity Act. For more information, please visit: http://portal.hud.gov/