Blog: Moving, Downsizing and Organizing for Boomers, Seniors and Elders
How much can I get for this broken umbrella?

Without a doubt one of the toughest parts of downsizing is the disbursement of all that you have accumulated over the years. This is what keeps many people from clearing out their homes and garages and makes the process so tedious.

The clients I have the most difficultly working with are those who think that everything they own still has value and can't be parted with, including the broken toaster that has been in the garage for 10 years and the chair that just needs to be refinished and the curtains that just need to be hemmed, and on and on. Worse yet, they expect someone to PAY them for these items or they worry that they will be giving away something that is worth a great deal of money a la Antiques Roadshow.

The fact is that finding someone who is interested in fixing old toasters and repairing broken furniture and taking your LP collection is nearly impossible when you are moving in a few weeks.

If you have a year to six months before you move and you are very organized, you may be able to do a search on the internet and come up with people who will TAKE your stuff. But if you have less time than that you'd best be prepared to donate what you can and have the rest hauled away. It's getting harder and harder to even give things away and as more and more baby boomers retire and downsize I fear that getting rid of all the stuff is going to be a major undertaking and expense.

So, what to do with it all? I'll be back to address that in future blogs...

posted on: 2/2/2008 1:30:00 PM by Gayle Grace
category: Moving

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Moving, Downsizing and Organizing for Boomers, Seniors and Elders

by Gayle Grace

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About Gayle:

Gayle Grace is the owner of All Things Home, providing expert organizing and moving services throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. Gayle is a Golden Circle member of the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO) and the National Association of Senior Move Managers (NASMM).

Gayle is a also a trained chef and award winning food taster! When not managing a move or organizing Bay Area kitchens, Gayle can be found at one of her favorite restaurants or advising local wineries on food and wine pairings.

Gayle shares her home and the sofa with two cats, Littleone and Pumpkin Pie.

Gayle's Website:

www.allthingshome.com

Gayle's Other Blogs & Email Contact

• allthingshomeblog.blogspot.com
• [email protected]

Gayle's Book Recommendations:

• Rightsizing Your Life by C. Ware
• Scaling Down by J. Culbertson & M. Decker
• No Ordinary Move by B.Z. Perman & J. Ballard
• Moving in the Right Direction by B. Nemovitz

The Kitchen Sink

• My Life In France by Julia Child
• Home Cooking by Laurie Colwin
• More Home Cooking by Laurie Colwin
• Zuni Cafe Cookbook by Judy Rodgers
• Classic Stars Desserts by Emily Luchetti

Pumpkin Pie