You have decided to sell your home. You have chosen your realtor. You have begun to sort through your belongings to determine what is worthy of packing for your upcoming move. And so the fun begins.
Decisions must be made on what to keep, donate, sell or toss. These can be painful decisions, especially based on your circumstances. Are you downsizing from your three-bedroom home to a one-bedroom condo? Are you moving to assisted living or an adult community with no basement or attic? Are you planning to move out of state or make aliyah? Whether you are going larger or smaller, near or far, you still need to determine what is worthy of packing and paying for the move to your new digs.
Your moving company will be able to provide you with pertinent information about what to bring and how to pack. Your realtor can also provide support and suggestions on how to proceed with this process.
But what about those hidden gems? You know, the things that you hid so carefully in the house 20 years ago, items that could range from diamond jewelry and cash to the combination to the safe in the basement. There was a great episode of “The Sopranos” where Tony and Carmela are moving their cash from the ceiling of their home to the storage bin in the back yard in preparation for an FBI raid. You could feel the desperation that they were emoting with each package of $100 bills that were tossed in the trash bags. The good news is that they remembered where they hid the cash and had a plan for where to move it. Do you? (I am not saying that my readers are hiding money in the same way that was depicted in the show, but you know what I mean.) Do you remember the special ring that was in your family for years and you never got around to putting in your safe deposit box? Where is it?
When I make presentations about organizing, I always share my most favorite and least favorite line that I hear from clients. Most favorite, “I’ve been looking for that!” Least favorite, “I may need this someday.”
Sometimes we make decisions on how and where to store our possessions, decisions made with the best of intentions when we were younger and our senior moments had not yet begun. Then several years later comes the stress of packing for a move and you forgot where you put that…ring, bank book, power of attorney, deed for the vacation home etc. For those of you who are not in the midst of packing for a move, now is the time to research where you have stored and hidden your important documents, cash, bank books and jewelry. For those of you who are stressed while packing with the closing deadline around the corner, surround yourself with professionals who will care about your belongings and not toss them willy-nilly.
Having just completed a clean-out for a valued client, I can tell you that with very careful organizing and sorting, we uncovered jewelry, savings bonds, several thousand dollars in cash, birth & death certificates, the title to a car that needs to be sold and lots of interesting historical documents from this family’s roots that go back several generations in the United States. The cost of our services was an investment in not only the family’s history, but in reclaiming moneys that would otherwise have been thrown out.
Moving is stressful; it brings out the best and worst in us. Make a plan and work it. And if needed, hire supportive and knowledgeable people to help you through this tumultuous time.
Happy Organizing!
By Eileen Bergman
Eileen Bergman is a Professional Organizer, a proud member of the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO) and the Institute for Challenging Disorganization (ICD). Eileen is listed in the resource directory for the Hoarding Disorder Resource and Training Group. Eileen may be reached at 973-303-3236 or [email protected].
