Want to know how you can free up a huge amount of space in your drawers, closets, and garage without a lot of time or energy? Let go of your empty boxes. You may think there are all sorts of reasons for holding on to your carboard containers. But think again. By the time you…
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Category: Declutter
After years of promoting the life-changing magic of tidying up, the world’s foremost decluttering guru, Marie Kondo, recently admitted that she is no longer keeping so tidy. You may be tempted to point to Marie’s example as evidence of why paring down your home is either impossible or unnecessary. But the point of downsizing isn’t to live…
What you should know before getting an appraisal A client recently visited the Antiques Road Show at Filoli, and took the opportunity to get a second appraisal of a family wedding set a jeweler told her was quite valuable. With visions of dollar signs dancing in her head, she was shocked when the Road Show appraiser’s…
Find yourself dragging your feet when you think about downsizing or decluttering? It’s probably because you’re focusing on all the things you’d give up. Instead, think about all the things you’ll gain! Here are just a few of things you’ll get… More space. When every surface is piled up with stuff and every room is…
When it comes time to help someone declutter or downsize, I always tell people not to be ashamed because I’ve seen it all. Even so, I was stunned when I read the Becoming Minimalist blog “21 Surprising Statistics About How Much We Actually Own.” According to the blog, the average American has 300,000 items in their home. That…
Right up there with baking sourdough bread, decluttering and downsizing have moved high up on the list of people’s things to do while we’re stuck at home. We agree! There is no time like now to begin your decluttering project. Before you get started, you should know how the current situation may impact your efforts. Challenges: Lots…
Organizing expert Marie Kondo suggests that you ask yourself just one question when decluttering your home: “Does it bring me joy?” The idea that everything you own should bring you joy is lovely, but hard to put into practice. Chances are, you’re not going to feel “joyful” about a variety of things in your home…
“Well, we did it!” Dan exclaimed. “We did? What did we do?” I asked. “We cleared out my mom’s house!” It’s always nice to see that my clients are happy. But in this case, I wasn’t really sure what Dan was happy about. After spending months sorting through and clearing out his mother’s Bay Area…
You Can’t Always Get What You Want is a well-known song by the Rolling Stones. It’s also the theme song for downsizers who have unrealistic expectations about the money they’ll make selling things they no longer need or use. After a taking a break to talk about downsizing in the time of Covid-19, we’re returning this month…
Everyone expects that, as a professional Downsizer, my home must look like something out of a magazine shoot. And the truth is – it’s OK. It is reasonably well organized. I can find things when I’m looking for them. But while helping others downsize and organize is something I very much enjoy, I rarely have…