Organizing to Move: Part One

Hello everyone:

When, in the course of human events, it becomes necessary….no, wait a minute. That’s already been said.

Let’s start again. When, in the course of divorce court, it becomes necessary to move on….you know, that just doesn’t have the same ring, somehow. Silliness aside, let’s get you prepared for a move you might never have wanted but which is coming true in your life. That stuff you’be been keeping in your closet since you moved into your house twenty-five years ago is not suddenly going to attack you if you get rid of it.

Chances are excellent that you will need to downsize. That means that your former residence of, say, almost 3,000 square feet, will become a whole lot smaller. So how do you plan for that?

Start by going through everything. Do you absolutely need the copies of “fill in the blank” whatever you have been holding on to for a rainy day? Yes, you will need to keep copies of anything related to the IRS, but the menu from Steak and Shake from fifteen years ago when you were thinking about having a party there? No, not so much.

Go through your closets. Blessed be the tie that binds but not in this case. Anything that does fit but you never wear, stuff that hasn’t been in style for five years, or anything that hasn’t fit for ten years is fodder for the rummage sale at church or Goodwill. Get a receipt if you think you’ll use it.

What about your shoes? Do you need fifteen pairs of shoes, ten of which are run down in the heels and are in need of new soles? Are you suddenly going to be attacked by the Shoe Repair Bug and finally get all of them fixed? Probably not, dear friend. Toss them or give them to someone who is not emotionally attached to them (they’ll be able to dump them without guilt).

You know that jar of coins that you have in the back of the closet? That bunch of change that you kept adding to until you couldn’t get any more money into the jar? You can’t move it without serious threat of hernia, I’m guessing. It’s way too heavy. Start now to unload the coins. You can pay for your groceries with change (hey, they probably gave it to you in the first place), so bag some up for every visit to the food store and go through the self-check stand, where change is accepted without groans.

What else is in that closet? Craft stuff that you never completed? Give it away. be brutal. You haven’t had time to finish it in the past “fill in the blank” years. Are you going to be motivated to complete it now? If not, give it to someone who would enjoy having it.

Oh, no. It’s your wedding dress. You may have been saving it for your daughter or granddaughter. That’s very noble. The questions here are several. Will she be able to fit into it? Will she want to wear it? How is it aging? If it’s yellowed with age, she might not find it as attractive as you once did. What is the style? Keep in mind that vintage dresses are one thing; simply old-fashioned and outdated is another. (Now I’m meddling. I can see it in your eyes.)

Okay, that’s enough for today. BTW, I’m posting this ahead of my normal Monday/Friday blog postings because one of my sons is getting married next week and I know it’s going to be a busy time. No, his 4’11” bride is not wearing my gown. I’m 5’6″ in my stocking feet. The height difference alone made the gown loaning unwise.

Best,

Dr. Sheri

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