10 Things to NEVER Throw Away when Downsizing

What to give away, what to sell, what to throw away when downsizing? This can be one of the most stressful parts of downsizing to retire, but it usually is one of the first steps. 10 Things to NEVER Throw Away when Downsizing helps clients start! I specialize in helping seniors who are downsizing in selling their homes. The first thing I recommend in this process is going through belongings. Here are ten things never to throw away as a guidepost in your decluttering to sell process. First, important papers. This might seem like a no brainer, but when you are in the midst of downsizing, you might think some important papers are not necessary, when in doubt, keep all the papers together. Second,heirlooms. Again this might sound obvious, but depending on your style of decluttering you may think no on will want family items that you might be sick of holding onto. If you have children or heirs, ask them to assess what you are thinking of getting rid of first to avoid regrets later. Third, electronics that have not been cleansed of personal information. You may not have used that original edition Mac in ages, but does it contain sensitive information. Be sure that all the electronics you are getting rid of do not have personal information stored. Fourth, photographs. Unless a photo is poorly exposed or clearly not a photo worth keeping, have them digitized rather than throwing photos away. This is another activity you can undertake with family, that might bring you a lot of joy! Fifth, Fine jewelry in original boxes. Have you seen Antiques Roadshow? If it teaches you anything it is that jewelry is always much more valuable with original boxes and this falls in the category for selling if you are not going to keep it. Sixth, emergency supplies such as a landline phone, batteries, radios, and flashlights. This is something that might sound a bit apocalyptic but truly if you throw it away, you may forget to replace it, when you really need it! Seventh, basic kitchen and bathroom supplies. It may be tempting to ditch a colander and tooth bruch holder, but really they are the types of things that we are discussing when we talk about decluttering and downsizing, because they are everyday or at least commonly used household items, that would be more work to replace. Eighth, unexpired medication and toiletries, again this falls in the category of expensive to replace, when you throw them all away, and are everyday, or common household and personal items. Ninth, expensive handbags and tags. This is a big one on The Main Line. The Main Line has a market for vintage handbags and antiques and a good reseller can get a good amount of money for these, when tags are still on bags. Lastly, Frames. You may want to remove of change out the pictures or arrange them differently, but avoid throwing away frames until your downsizing is complete. This is another time where your children may want to participate as well. When it comes to giving away, keeping, and keepsaking in a downsizing process, it can be one of the things clients dread most. I hope some of these ideas make it a little less dreadful and more enjoyable and an activity you might undertake with family. If you are thinking of downsizing in 2023, please contact me