Join me this week to downsize & minimalize the knick knacks, doodads, bric-a-brac, and nondescript “junk” covering shelves, ledges, dressers, and other surfaces around the house.
What can you do with little things collected over the years that you are ready to let go?
Donate to a local charitable organization such as Goodwill
Give them to all the kids on the block
Leave them at the edge of your driveway by the sidewalk with a sign that reads “Take me, I’m yours” and watch them magically disappear
Isabella Guajardo, founder and owner of Bella Organizing, is a San Francisco Bay Area professional organizer offering home organizing, interior redesign, and residential move management services throughout the Greater San Francisco Bay Area. Call (510) 229-7321 or email info@bellaorganizing.com for more information. Gift certificates are available.
Join me this week to downsize & minimalize the excess make-up and toiletries that take up valuable space in the bathroom.
Shampoos and conditoners that your hair didn’t approve of, excess lotions, gels, creams, liquids, powders, and make-up that never did it for you.
Don’t hold onto what you don’t need nor what your hair and skin don’t like. Choose what you love and let go of the rest.
Isabella Guajardo, founder and owner of Bella Organizing, is a San Francisco Bay Area professional organizer offering home organizing, interior redesign, and residential move management services throughout the Greater San Francisco Bay Area. Call (510) 229-7321 or email info@bellaorganizing.com for more information. Gift certificates are available.
Join me this week to downsize & minimalize the amount of jackets and sweaters taking up closet and drawer space.
Who has TONS of jackets and sweaters they hardly wear? EVERYONE. These things are big, they are bulky, and they take up too much space. Make room in your closet and chest of drawers this week and let go of the excess jackets and sweaters you didn’t wear during the past fall and winter.
Isabella Guajardo, founder and owner of Bella Organizing, is a San Francisco Bay Area professional organizer offering home organizing, interior redesign, and residential move management services throughout the Greater San Francisco Bay Area. Call (510) 229-7321 or email info@bellaorganizing.com for more information. Gift certificates are available.
Do you feel burdened by the amount of books or magazines you own? Do you find yourself lugging them around wherever you go, home to home, storage unit to storage unit, just to stack and store them on a shelf or keep them in moving boxes without ever reading them? Does the thought of getting rid of your books or magazines terrify you, as if you’d be slicing off a big chunk of your life’s history if they are no longer by your side? There are plenty of reasons to be inspired to downsize and minimize those beautiful things that provide knowledge, joy, and entertainment to all. Read on…
Reason #1 – Friends of the Public Library
Libraries everywhere are in dire need of and accept donations. Some donations are needed as regular inventory, others used to fundraise for library programs. Libraries take current best sellers, classic fiction and non-fiction, books on CD, music CDs in jewel cases, timely non-fiction, large print books, popular or classic DVDs.
A San Francisco Bay Area-based non-profit group that provides free books to prisoners across the United States. They’ve been doing it for 30 years! They accept books that help prisoners with language and vocational skills, and inform them about history and culture. The most requested are dictionaries, how-to books, and those about African-American, Latino, and Native American history and culture.
TRUE STORY
I had a client who was a world re-known author. In addition to her own writings, she had collected hundreds of boxes of literature over the years, many of which were sent to her by the authors themselves, signed and with personal notes to her. She was downsizing everything she owned, and instead of holding onto the books for longer, she made the decision to donate them to a leading research university. She felt freed from the burden she had trouble letting go of for so long, and excited that the books were going to be used for a good cause.
Reason #3
Your books may have increased, or drastically decreased, in value. It’s worth the research to know and possibly make tons of money off them.
Amazon & Ebay – Set your own price. An easy online resource to sell books, textbooks, books on CD, CDs, DVDs, and more. I suggest researching the value of your books on these websites before lugging heavy boxes to bookstores. It can be worth it to sell them yourself from the comfort of your home.
Half-Price Books (over 120 locations nationwide) – They buy books, books on CD, music, and more.
Amoeba Records (Berkeley, San Francisco, & Hollywood) – They buy CDs, DVDs, records, video games, and more.
TRUE STORY
I had a client who called me to get his office organized. When my team and I arrived, the office was FILLED with boxes of music books, music magazines, and music cds. He LOVED music and never let go of anything he collected since childhood. His goal – at first – wasn’t to downsize…until I informed him of the high value of his mint-condition heavy metal and hip hop magazines that were collecting dust. The one that excited me most was a rare Grand Royal Magazine, put out by the Beastie Boys in their heyday. “The magazine was a mix of music, culture and random things the Beastie Boys thought was cool like kung fu, demolition derby, and Moog synthesizers,” and came with a floppy 7″ Beastie Boys single inside. Only six issues were released. He spent the next several weeks online saying goodbye to his stash and hello to cash.
Isabella Guajardo, founder and owner of Bella Organizing, is a San Francisco Bay Area professional organizer offering home organizing, interior redesign, and residential move management services throughout the Greater San Francisco Bay Area. Call (510) 229-7321 or email info@bellaorganizing.com for more information. Gift certificates are available.
Downsizing in preparation for a move is not an easy task. It can be challenging to let go of something you own, especially if you paid good money for it, inherited it from a loved one, or if it’s meaningful memorabilia.
The fact is that it takes time and money to pack and move personal belongings. If you haven’t been using it, should you spend hard-earned money to transport or store it?
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“Getting started early and chunking the process and down sizing into steps was very valuable. It was essential for us since we are working in demanding jobs and tried to minimize time off, but the extended process also served to help emotionally with letting go of things over time and seems much healthier and realistic.”
– D. and B. successfully downsized from a 3,500 sq. ft home and 20 years of accumulated stuff that completely filled it, and simplified into a 1,500 sq. ft high-rise condo with floor to ceiling windows and very little storage space.
Three Simple Steps to Downsize & Minimize:
1) Set a solid schedule of daily, weekly, or monthly purging sessions.
We recommend starting the downsize process a few weeks to a few months before your moving date depending on the size of the home you’re moving out of/into, your availability, and physical abilities. Set a schedule and stick to it, working your way around the house one room at a time. Don’t stop once you get to the new place. Keep monthly or quarterly declutter appointments with yourself on the calendar. A little at a time goes a long way.
2) Let go of the easy stuff first.
Books you never read, clothing you haven’t worn in over two years, pieces of furniture you never liked or that aren’t absolutely necessary at the new place. Whatever you do, keep the time-consuming and emotionally draining stuff for last…paperwork, photos, memorabilia…put these things aside and get back to them later when you’ve dealt with easier things and created room to breathe.
3) Recruit a trusted friend.
If it is overwhelming to tackle a downsize project on your own, ask for help. Whether a trusted friend, neighbor, or an experienced professional organizer, it’s important that this person have a patient and non-judgmental personality. Downsizing is a team effort. Choose someone that will keep you motivated to stay on schedule and moving forward.
Take downsizing one step at a time for a healthier experience, and learn to become comfortable with the process of letting go; it truly has a lasting effect and higher rate of success in moving toward a simplified lifestyle.
Book Recommendation: The Stuff Cure – a proven method to unstuff your excess, organize what you keep, and regain control of your life.
Isabella’s favorite project for which Bella Organizing provided downsizing, packing, and move management services:
Isabella Guajardo has provided professional home organizing and residential move management services since 2007. She has worked with hundreds of individuals and families from all walks of life including single mothers, public school teachers, college professors, lawyers, doctors, Pulitzer Prize winners, and CEOs of Fortune 500 companies. The thing 90% of them had in common? They had too much stuff and needed to downsize. Bella Organizing helps them tackle and reach that goal.
Isabella Guajardo, founder and owner of Bella Organizing, is a San Francisco Bay Area professional organizer offering home organizing, interior redesign, and residential move management services throughout the Greater San Francisco Bay Area. Call (510) 229-7321 or email info@bellaorganizing.com for more information. Gift certificates are available.
