The Ripple Effect of Getting Organized

One of my organizing clients is a pastor at a nearby church. He's been a delight to work with because he is so enthusiastic and curious about the whole organizing process. In fact, he even calls our sessions his "organizing classes."

He recently shared with me a phenomenon that is now occurring in his life. Once he began organizing one aspect of his life, in this case his work, he began to see how he could improve other areas. He shared with me that he and his family are now organizing their garage at home, and his wife finally has the recycling center she has been asking for. He's even scheduling time to sit and write his Sunday sermons early in the week instead of squeezing them in later.

I've witnessed this time and time again. Once a person begins organizing one area of their life, they open up time and space for other accomplishments. I've seen people start to lose weight once they begin to purge the excess stuff from their homes and offices. I've seen clients stop spending so much money and begin paying off debts once they really pay attention to how much stuff they have (and don't need). I've seen relationship tensions ease once the chaos of clutter is calmed. You see, once a person begins to get control of the area of their life that's been causing them the most headaches and heartaches, they become inspired to improve the other areas of their lives.

So start creating your own ripple effect by deciding today what areas you want to get a better handle on. Then set aside an hour in your schedule and start working on the things that will have the most positive impact on your life or psyche. Once you start, I guarantee that you'll be surprised by how productive you can be in one focused hour and how good this progress will feel.

Ozzy Reluctantly Unloads

The Telegraph recently reported that former Black Sabbath singer, Ozzy Osbourne, and his wife Sharon are ready to downsize. Now that their children have left the nest, the couple is ready to offload art, furniture, and collectibles from their three homes in Malibu, Beverly Hills, and Buckinghamshire.

"It's time to unload," said Mrs. Osbourne. "We just have an overabundance of possessions that we do not need."

That's music to my ears, Sharon!

The Osbournes' auction has taken two years to organize and will be shown at the O2 arena in London on November 5th. It is expected to bring in as much as a million dollars with proceeds benefiting the Sharon Osbourne Colon Cancer Foundation.

The couple is downsizing and moving to a new home, she said, adding that whittling down their possessions has been "one of the most refreshing things I've done."

Ozzy, however, was less enthusiastic about the sale. "I don't know why we are selling everything as I want it all. Sharon tells me that we have to, otherwise our house will...explode."

"Ozzy gets very attached to things," his wife explained. "He doesn't like change at all."

This scenario may sound familiar to some of you on two fronts:

1. Though you probably don't own multiple homes spread out across the globe, you may have accumulated so much stuff in your home that it feels as though the dwelling may burst.

2. If you don't live alone, you may have a very different level of attachment to your "stuff" than other people you share your house with.

This differing level of attachment coupled with a resistance to change can create some real challenges with the organizing process. Notice that, while Sharon is feeling the wonderful, cathartic freedom that most people get from purging, Ozzy is having a tougher time letting go.

I've had clients tell me that it's a good thing I take the recycling away after I leave because, otherwise, their partner would go "dumpster diving" to retrieve items out of the trash or recycling bags.

If you are a natural purger, recognize that others in the house may need some gentle coaxing to help them to let go. You can assist with the process by asking your sentimental collectors these questions:

• When did you last use or wear this?
• Is it broken?
• Do you "love" it or just "like" it?
• Can we get another one later if we need it again?
• What is the worst thing that will happen if we part with this?
• Would this item be better off in the hands of someone who needs it and will use it more than we do?
• Is it worth the space it takes up and the trouble it takes to maintain or clean it?
  

These types of questions help the "accumulators" see that it's okay to let go and helps them to qualify what has earned the right to stay. Be warned, if you force accumulators to get rid of everything just for the sake of purging, they will probably rebel by accumulating even more over time. By taking the time to get their buy-in, you can reduce pack rat tendencies and increase their urge to purge.

Downsizing Part III: Selling the Good Stuff

In the last of this three-part series on downsizing, let us consider some ways to make money on the stuff that you no longer want to keep. With each of these options, I will cover the upsides and the downsides to help you decide which options are best for your situation.

* YARD SALE / ESTATE SALE. If you've never held a yard sale, let me tell you that it takes a LOT of work to pull one off successfully. First, you have to gather all the items together. That is no small task for most people. Then you will need to clean and price everything (and for goodness sakes, don't use cheap labels that can only be removed by using Goof Off!), place advertising, post signs in high-traffic areas, obtain tables for displaying items, have potentially valuable antiques appraised, and sweet-talk your friends and family into helping you.
UPSIDE: You get to keep all the money when your stuff sells.
DOWNSIDE: All of the steps I listed above. But if you have enough high-value items, you may make enough money for it to be worth all the trouble.
ALTERNATIVE: Hire an estate sale company to do it for you, but know that they will keep a large percentage of the sales.


* CRAIG'S LIST / EBAY AUCTION SITES: There are lots of internet-based auction sites out there now, but the most popular ones are Craig's List and Ebay. Before you go this route, I would encourage you to "shop" the auction sites to see how much similar items are selling for. You may be surprised to find that people aren't paying much for old Star Trek books, National Geographic collections, or record albums. If you decide to sell through Ebay, you'll first need to set up an account. Then take digital photos of each item, write a detailed description of the item, and determine your minimum acceptable winning bid. After you post the item on the auction site, be prepared to answer any questions potential buyers may email to you. After the auction is over, it will be your responsibility to mail the item to the winner. In most cases, you set up the auction so that the buyer pays you extra for postage. Ebay charges a listing fee regardless of whether the item sells. It is currently free to sell on Craig's List.
UPSIDE: You could get lucky and get a couple of people who REALLY want the item(s) you are selling. The competitive bidding mentality can really jack up the price of an item.
DOWNSIDE: Timing is everything with auction sites. If your timing is off and there's no real interest, the bids may come in pretty low. Also, it can be time consuming to answer all the questions and then mail each item to its winner.
ALTERNATIVE: If you can find one in your area, you could take your stuff to an online auction resaler who will keep a percentage of the selling price after posting the item, answering questions, and shipping the items to the winning bidder. Try your local phone book or Google to find an auction resaler in your area.

CONSIGNMENT: One of my favorite ways to make money on used household goods and nice clothing is through consignment stores. All you have to do is set up an account with the store and drop your items off. In my area of Decatur, I have a great relationship with Finders Keepers in Avondale Estates, GA. After I help my clients purge, I take their nicer household items to Finders Keepers (2753 East College Rd., Decatur, GA 30030. 404.377.1944) and set up an account under the client's name. Then when the client has a minimum amount of sales, Finders Keepers sends the clients a check. Other popular Atlanta-based consignment stores for antiques and household goods are Now and Again in Buckhead (404.262.1468) and Kudzu Antique Market in Decatur (404.373.6498). Check with these store for more info on their policies and the percentage of the sales that they keep. Normally, consignment stores keep between forty and fifty percent of the sales price.
UPSIDE: It is easy and convenient to make some money off your castaways if you have a good consignment store nearby.
DOWNSIDE: Most consignment stores can afford to be very particular about the quality of their inventory, so do not be surprised if they turn down some of your items. Also, you generally have no control over the price of the item, and the price goes down if the item does not sell within a set amount of time.
ALTERNATIVE: If you have a large quantity of high-quality antiques and collectibles, it may be more cost-effective to rent your own space in one of the antique consignment malls.

CLASSIFIED ADS: The last alternative that I sometimes suggest to my organizing clients is that they advertise in their local newspaper's classified section. In Atlanta, you can advertise household goods in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (online and paper version) for free.
UPSIDE: You control the price and you get to keep the full sales amount.
DOWNSIDE: Strangers will be coming to your home. I generally do not recommend this option to my elderly or single female clients.

In this three-part series on Downsizing, I have given you some steps to get you started on the purging process, some ideas about where to donate the things you no longer need, and now some ways to make a few bucks along the way. Just remember, the ultimate goal when downsizing it to purge what you no longer love and what is no longer serving you. Let these things go to make space for a calmer, less chaotic home.

What other ways have you made money on your "junk"? Please leave comments and let us know!

Downsizing Part II: Donating What You No Longer Need

In our last issue, I gave you tips to help you begin the downsizing process if you are preparing to move into a smaller space. Once you start to purge what you no longer really need, you'll want to create a few different piles:

• a trash pile
• a recycle pile
• a donation pile
• a resell pile

It's pretty obvious what happens to the trash pile, though I've given you some junk removal sources below if your pile is too big. Let's look at some Atlanta-area donation and recycling options.

Donating Clothes and Household Goods

Thrift Stores: If you haven't been to a thrift store in the last couple of years, let me just tell you that the quality of the merchandise has improved. I believe one of the reasons for this is because we are buying and getting rid of more "stuff" than ever. Clothes and household goods have a shorter life span so items often are not as worn out by they time they are donated as they may have been in years past. That said, make sure that the items that you donate are at least in fair condition. Spare the urge to donate clothes with stains or tears, shoes with holes, or chipped dishes. A couple of the more popular and more reputable thrift stores in Atlanta are Goodwill and Salvation Army. There may be others in your area, but check to see how much of their revenue goes to the needy before donating.

Furniture Bank of Metro Atlanta (www.furniturebankatlanta.org) - Offers free pick-up in Cobb, DeKalb, most of Fulton, and most of Gwinnett counties. Does not accept office or outdoor furniture, large appliances, pianos, or water beds.

Atlanta Alliance on Developmental Disabilities (www.aadd.org) - Accepts clothing and household goods

Atlanta Union Mission (www.atlantaunionmission.org) - Accepts clothing, furniture, household goods, toiletries, large and small appliances. Will pick up in many metro-Atlanta counties.

American Kidney Fund (www.akfpickup.org) - Will pick up clothing and household goods or you may search for nearby drop-off boxes through their web site.

www.earth911.org - Great recycling, donation, & disposal site searchable by your area. They included DeKalb Farmer's Market, Whole Foods, and nearby county and city recycling programs when I searched using my Decatur ZIP code.

Freecycle (www.freecycle.org) - Site where you can sign up for your local Freecycle group, post the item you'd like to give away, pick which member you'd like to have it, and schedule a time for them to pick up the item. No money can exchange hands.

Junk Removal: Just Trash It (www.justtrashit.com) and 1-800GotJunk (www.1800gotjunk.com) offers residential and commercial junk removal.

Did I miss anything? If so, please leave me a comment. Be on the lookout for Downsizing Part III where we'll cover lots of ways that you can make a little money off of the things that you no longer need in your home.

Downsizing, Part I: Getting Started

Today we begin a three-part series on downsizing, a process that Professional Organizers are often called upon to assist with. Some clients downsize because their kids have flown the coop and they no longer need their big five-bedroom, three-bath house. Others reach a point in their lives where they just don't want the hassle of maintaining a big house and yard. And then there are those unfortunate souls who are forced to downsize because they can no longer live independently and must move into assisted living or nursing homes.

As we get older, keeping a handle on the volume of stuff we have in our homes is a challenge for even the most organized of families. And for families who have avid accumulators or chronically disorganized members, downsizing can feel downright overwhelming. Many of us have entered our parents' or grandparents' basements and asked, "What IS all of this stuff, and why are they keeping it?" Heck, you may have asked that very question about your own basement or garage.

If you are considering downsizing in the future, start now to take control of and responsibility for your belongings. Let go of what isn't serving you, what is broken, or what has negative feelings associated with it. Keep what you love, what has warm memories, and what serves your life in a positive way. Just make sure there will be room in your future smaller home for the items you decide to keep.

Here a few tips to help you or a family member get started:

• Take one room at a time (or even one drawer at a time) and begin to set aside items that you don't use or don't love. Keep reminding yourself that your future home will be filled with only those items that add value to your life.

• If you think a particular friend or relative would enjoy an item more than you, put a sticky note on it with their name. Later, call that person to confirm that they want the item. If they don't, add the item to your charity or sell pile.

• If you have a consignment shop nearby, go ahead and take a few resalable items over and open up an account. Then, as you systematically go through the downsizing process, it will be quick and easy to drop things off. Also, most consignment stores can help you arrange pick up and delivery of larger pieces of furniture for resale. Before you know it, you'll start receiving consignment checks.

• Throw away items that are broken and can't be easily and inexpensively fixed. Please resist the urge to keep broken items because you may use them later for "spare parts."

• Start a donation box for your favorite charity.

• Consider having a yard sale but know that this is a time-consuming, physically exhausting endeavor.
  

That's enough to at least inspire you to get started. I'll be providing more specific information about donation sources, consignment, Craig's list, and Ebay in Parts II and III of this series.

Give Your Stuff a Second Life

My husband and I are crazy about cool old photos, and I recently came across this one of a Goodwill truck from the early 1900s. The writing under the Goodwill logo says, "Springfield Goodwill Helps Folks to Help Themselves."

If you fast-forward 100 years to Goodwill Industries International's web site, you'll find that their slogan today is "Let's go to work!" The site explains that more than 82% of Goodwill's revenues are used to fund their employment and training programs. I love the idea that, by giving your stuff a second life through donation, you might also be giving a person a second chance through the development of practical job skills.

As a Professional Organizer, I've dropped off countless bags of my client's donations at the Goodwill truck near my house. Yes, it's convenient. But I also prefer Goodwill because I've been a Goodwill shopper for a couple of decades. My husband, Greg, and I are collectors of mid-century modern artifacts. Put more simply, we collect cool old stuff from the fifties. In the nineties, we found most of our collection by prowling around thrift stores and flea markets. Greg is also a crazed collector of vinyl records (mostly weird old country music, nowadays) and Atlanta history books and postcards (remind me to tell you about his Atlanta history web site someday), so we often poke our heads into thrift stores when we're traveling. Let me tell you, the most organized, most professional, best stocked thrift stores are Goodwill stores.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying you should run out and go shopping at your local Goodwill store. My goal here is to get you to give your stuff a second life by donating it, not to encourage you to bring more stuff into your home or office. I just wanted to sing the praises of one of my favorite charities. If you live in Atlanta, there are tons of other good local charities that could use your donations including The Salvation Army, Dress for Success, Travelers Aid Atlanta, The Furniture Bank of Metro Atlanta, The Atlanta Community Tool Bank, and local church charities, just to name a few.

Don't think you're just wasting your stuff when you donate it. Know that there are people who would be delighted to buy your "junk" off the shelves and racks of your local thrift store. So, if you haven't used it, don't love it, and it's not broken, consider giving your stuff a second life by donating it to whatever charity warms your heart.