Seniors shuffled off to deplorable institutions to waste their final days eating low-grade jellied fruit and playing bingo is fading from reality in affluent areas like Northern Virginia. In 2016, an aging population means options for locals who seek to downsize into condos and assisted living communities. Under each trash bag of papery clutter, dusty furniture and boxes of bric-a-brac hides the cathartic power of purging.
In 2012, after her father died and her mother was ready to downsize, Suzan Stacy, founder of OrganizebySuzan, took a crash course in helping seniors. “There is a lot emotionally tied up in pulling apart a home,” she says. Now with four years of full-time experience in the decluttering business, she’s witnessed a spectrum of reactions to cleaning out a house room by room by room.
Because she has no emotional attachment to her client’s possessions, decluttering is easier for her than her customers, 25 percent of whom are seniors. Oftentimes, seniors wish to give their children items that their children simply don’t want. By this point, seniors have already purged their kids’ schoolwork and well-meaning school projects. But historical documents, family memorabilia and photographs still clutter entire desks and accumulate in piles through unused rooms. So how do you decide what stays with you and what stays behind?
Read ahead to get the tips.
1. Manageable steps: Declutter room by room beginning with the least-used rooms. The last rooms you go through ought to be your bedroom and kitchen.
2. Trust yourself: Ask yourself, “What do I use, and what do I love?” Get rid of everything else.
3. Don’t be rash: Pack irreplaceable family photos and historical documents to move with you. Once you are settled, make three or four hours each weekend a scheduled family project time to go through these items.
4. Financial motivation: Talk to an accountant about itemized deductions. Keep a list of what you donate, and staple the donation receipts to the paper so you can write off each donation for a refund. For the tech-savvy, check out the It’s Deductible app.
5. Impartial judges: Work with an auction company. These efficient salespeople are not bogged down by sentimental ties and when you make money, they make money, so they are sure to get the best prices for your items.
