Advice...take it or leave it.
I have one word of advice for anyone who has older parents. Talk to them about downsizing. Do it early. It is amazing the amount of things that people accumulate and then have to someday get rid of. See what can be passed down to children or grandchildren.
Do not leave everything for the last minute. You will be overwhelmed.
My mother is completely moved and she still has too much stuff...hehe. They don't give you much room for trinkets and things like that.
Now to completely change the subject.
I just heard that my man is going back to work after being off all winter. Maybe one more week or so. Eeeeeek!!!!
Going from seeing him constantly to never....eek.
On the other hand...he is going to go from having little money to having more money. So that is a good thing.
Money is always a good thing.
Comments
I think we surround ourselves with too many objects. Things that just are not necessary in order to survive...I am not into clutter at all and right now I have way too much.
I live with a pack rat. He hangs onto everything. Alot of it is stuff with sentimental value for him so it's hard to part with.
When my Mom could no longer live alone my sister, Aunt, & I had sooooo much stuff to deal with. But my parents had already downsized from a 4 bdrm home to a 2 bedroom mobile home, so a lot of the big stuff was already dealt with. Still...she had lead crystal bowls & dishespassed down from my grandparents. Think Waterford but thick & heavy.several sets of china & cordial glasses, etc. My sister & I each have a few pieces. But mine is all packed up in a box...i don't have a hutch or anything like that. Still, I know what you're dealing with & your advice is very good. Try to get them to pass on / sell /donate a lot of the stuff they never use. And if they rebel, maybe try to get them to have a few garage sales a year or something. That way it goes gradually & isn't so wrenching for them.
Imagine or actually put the things you don't use in a storage unit. Think about how much that costs. If after a year you didn't miss or need anything in that unit then have a garage sale right out of the storage unit.
Take pictures of sentimental things and put them in an album. Give th the actual objects away. The album takes up a lot less room.