Beyond The Fork In The Road can help you to declutter and organize before your move to a new home.  Downsizing takes time and with our assistance you can double or triple your efforts! While you tackle the tough decision making, we can sort objects, box up items for storage or your new home, pack items for donation, or haul trash out of your old home.  We’ll even label the items that you want to give to family members so you can contact each loved one and have them stop by for a visit! 

When you’ve held on to things for so long, it can be hard to part with them. Your new home may have smaller rooms, less storage and less wall space for hanging pictures and art work. By starting to downsize now, you can evaluate your true feelings for your property. Looking at your belongings with an eye to downsize may seem overwhelming at first, but it becomes easier as you spend more time prioritizing. 

Look through your collection of toy or model cars, mugs, figurines, framed pictures, knickknacks, souvenirs and more. At first glance, they might all seem like “keepers.” Viewing the whole group at once brings back a flood of memories.You’ve had them for years, but a few stand out as your favorites. You remember where you got it, who gave it to you, who was with you and the story that accompanies that treasure. Put those favorites aside. They are the ones you truly value and want to keep. Think about how you will display these items in your new home as well. Does it make sense to keep something that will remain in a box or hidden? If it has a particular use, will you use it for its intended purpose or will it continue to lose its value?

If looking at the remaining items in your collection has you anxious or indecisive, step away. Each time you return to those that are left, you’ll be able to prioritize their rankings. Give thanks for the memories these items bring. If there are unpleasant reminders, consider parting with these items and only keeping the things that bring you true joy. It’s ok to break up sets and keep only the ones that bring you joy. Someone out there is probably looking for the very thing you’re donating or selling to complete their own set or collection. You may not have the space to keep a full collection in your new home, but you can at least keep your favorites. Take pictures of your full set before selling or donating the remainders, so you can continue to remember the joy you had in collecting them over the years. 

When downsizing your dining room or kitchen, think about the type of entertaining you will do in the future. Celebrate the good times you’ve had throwing holiday parties, dinners and events. You’ve been blessed to have beautiful china, dishes, serving trays and platters. Your family gathered around large tables that were decorated with fancy tablecloths, ornate floral arrangements and holiday decor. Give thanks for these memories and rediscover your favorites. 

Will your new home be able to accomodate a large dining room set or dining table or will you need to downsize or repurpose your furniture? For example, your hutch stores dishes that you no longer use and your buffet has tablecloths that will no longer fit the smaller table for your new dining room. In your new space, you won’t have room for both pieces of furniture. Will you keep the piece with the most storage in the dining room? Can you use the buffet as an entertainment center and sit your flat screen tv on top for better viewing? Once you downsize the furniture’s contents into what you are keeping and let go of what you no longer need, you’ll be able to calculate what furniture is necessary for storage and discover what can be repurposed, sold or donated. 

As you assess your serving dishes, table coverings, and dinner sets, think about what size table you will have space for in your new home and what size groups you’d like to host. Has a daughter or son already taken over the larger holiday hosting duties? Perhaps they could use and enjoy the items you are ready to part with. Just keep in mind that party planning and etiquette has changed over the years and larger events often utilize paper and plastic products, so hosts can spend more time with family and friends and less time scrubbing dishes in the kitchen. 

If you have a set of dishes or china that you really love, but you don’t need a full set, consider dividing the set in half. You may not want to sell or donate the half you aren’t keeping, but a discussion with family can determine if anyone is interested in accepting half a set for their use until you part with the ones you are keeping. Planning to temporarily divide dishes or even furniture sets is a great way to keep things in the family. You never know when you will one day need to downsize into a personal or memory care home with less space. Making plans in advance for who will receive a bedroom or dining room set can reduce the stress of those decisions when you must quickly move into a smaller space for health reasons and can’t take all of your dressers, night stands, dining chairs, matching dining room pieces, and so forth.

Another way to downsize now, with a mind for future revisions, is to invite your family over and see what they would like to receive now and in the future. Don’t be afraid of this type of discussion as it can be a great time to tell stories and relive fond memories together. You may even learn some new things about your children and grandchildren. You can share family histories and explain the provenance of family heirlooms. Write down some of these stories or make a note to store with the item listing which great, great, grandmother/father or relative made or purchased the item. You may decide to give some things away to your children now, just so you can see them enjoy and value your treasure. If there are items you want to keep with you as you move to your new home, you can always label the item or make a list of which things will eventually be passed on to which child or grandchild. Having these important discussions now can bring joy and laughter to your decision process and can alleviate stress and family feuds over your belongings after you’ve made your final move to heaven. It’s important for everyone involved to remember that in the long run these are just “things” and they aren’t worth fighting over. Family relationships are much more important and more valuable than any knickknack or collection which could rust, break or go missing. 

If you’re planning a move and downsizing seems overwhelming to you or you don’t have family or friends available to help you when you need it, Beyond The Fork In The Road would love to come alongside you to help you sort, declutter and organize. It’s much easier and less stressful to start the process now, rather than waiting until packing day to make decisions or realizing on moving day that you’ve brought along more things than your new home can handle.

We’re here to provide the emotional and physical support necessary to ensure a smooth transition to your new home. Allow us to minimize and eliminate unnecessary stress as you prepare for your next chapter. Call Beyond The Fork In The Road at 717-335-8080 so we can assist you through this process.