In my organized, fantasy world, there would be a law (okay, suggestion) that between the ages of 65-75, people would start to downsize their possessions. It could be called the “The Great DUMP” (Downsize Useful stuff to Maintain our Planet). Items that are no longer being used could be slowly and deliberately passed down to family and friends, recycled, donated to charities, or sold.
As a professional organizer, I work with clients who need to downsize their homes to move to a smaller home. I applaud families who start the process well in advance of knowing when they will need to move. These clients begin the process slowly by donating, selling and giving away their items to family and friends. Very little gets sent to the landfill because they have the time to make decisions.
For clients who stay in their homes long after they are able to care for themselves or their homes, we end up throwing away many more items. The homeowner’s immobility prevents them from taking care of the accumulation of clutter, especially in attics, basements and garages. As a result, many items that are stored in hot attics, cold garages and wet basements have to be added to the landfill.
My challenge to you is to make a list of five items you want to hand down to your family and write down the stories about those items so others understand why these things mean so much to you. If you’ve been saving other items for your children, ask them if they want them and then listen to their answers. Try not to take offense if they don’t want your antiques or their own childhood memories.
Finally, take a few moments to think about the belongings in your home. If everything you didn’t touch, use, appreciate, or even look at for a period of two years just disappeared, how much would be left? This would vary from room to room of course, but if you can’t see it or aren’t using it, why do you have it? There are so many people who need our used items and if we can let go of the items we aren’t using before they aren’t useful to anyone, then future generations and our planet will thank us.
“There’s a name for people who have the most stuff. They’re called hoarders. Back in the day, they were just called grandmothers.” — Ellen DeGeneres, comedian
Vali G. Heist, M.Ed. is a Certified Professional Organizer® and Owner of The Clutter Crew. She is the author of Organize This! Practical Tips, Green Ideas, and Ruminations about your CRAP.
