The Final Chapter

July 2020

Negotiating through the final chapter in a loved one’s life can be difficult.

“We understand death only after it has placed its hands on someone we love.”

– Madame de Stael

It’s difficult to find a quote to introduce this month’s topic. Death is not typically an uplifting conversation starter, but it’s an important part of the services we offer to families who have lost loved one.

Managing the Final Chapter of a Loved One

Aim 4 Order has been busy clearing out homes that are no longer occupied. It’s safer for our team and we’re able to spread out and get the job done efficiently. Relieving families of the burden of having to go through their loved ones possessions is something we are honored to take part in.

It is fascinating to see the same items accumulated in bulk in many of these homes. I thought it might be helpful to share our observations with you in the hope that you can better prepare your home or even your loved ones’ homes now, so that overwhelm and panic can be lessened or even avoided. Well make it easier for you to go through the final chapter. It’s never too early to start downsizing. Less is definitely more!

Common denominators include:

Many brand new ties, handkerchiefs, wallets, belts that were never worn. Saving items for ‘good occasions’ is usually a waste.
Many, many hangers, bags, boxes, gift wrap paper, tissue and bags. The older we get, the more likely we are to write a check and not spend time wrapping things. Extra hangers are such space wasters….if you have tons of wire hangers, don’t save them for the cleaners if you never go to the cleaners (and some cleaners are no longer accepting them). You can toss them in the trash or ask your local dump if you can put them in metal recycling.
Warranties and instruction manuals from appliances that are long gone. If you have a huge wad of old manuals, please recycle. Most manuals can be found on line so why waste the space in your home?
TONS of light bulbs. Inventory your light bulbs now and get rid of the ones that fit old light fixtures that you no longer have.
Old underwear, socks, bathing suits – toss the items that have lost their stretch or ANYTHING with stains or yellowing that you wouldn’t wear now.
Old movie cameras, video tapes, cameras, empty slide carousels – inventory and see what’s still relevant. Some old cameras can be sold for decent money! Convert the special tapes and slides so you can share them electronically with family.
TONS of costume jewelry – why save old jewelry that you’ll never wear or jewelry that needs repairs or has lost pieces. Gold is at an all time high so you can sell these various scraps and make some money! (PS I know a great guy who sells this stuff so feel free to contact Howard Bernstein 443-255-8960).
An abundance of pillows, mattress covers, towels, sheets. If you no longer need multiple sets of sheets and blankets in varying sizes, inventory so you donate what you no longer use. Same goes for beach towels or frayed mismatched towels. Pillows are not normally donated so you can toss them with a clear conscience.

If you do have the difficult task of dealing with the home of a departed loved one, the most important piece is to retrieve the items that you want to keep. Remember to take items that you can use now, rather than spend endless money on storing items for ‘someday.’ After you protect what you want to keep, begin the process of selling, donating and trashing what remains.

Making steady progress in your home or in a family member’s home is a great way to give yourself a boost. Pick one of the above items and see if you can take action this week. If any of this feels too hard or too overwhelming, let us help you. Email for more information. And if you know someone who has a relative’s home just sitting empty, we would be honored to help them get it ready for sale and to help you through the final chapter.

Until we meet again, stay safe and be well!

Got Stuff to Sell?

Let us eBay your items.

Howard is happy to speak with you about items you may want him to sell on eBay. Email eBay4lessclutter@gmail.com or call 443-255-8960.

“Helping Baby Boomers and their Parents Lighten their Loads”

If you are feeling overwhelmed by the amount of stuff in your home, contact me. Together, we can transform your home into a happy, tidy place where you can feel at peace. We can also get you ready for your next move… more enjoyably, faster and easier. We specialize in senior moves and helping families find new homes for the things they no longer have room to keep. We can also take care of clearing out homes that need to be listed quickly for resale. Contact me to schedule an appointment.