home sweet (organized!) home
all of my late father’s belongings are collecting dust in my basement.” Kim Brown, New York City
WHY IT HAPPENS
purge
No matter your clutter challenge— piles of papers, boxes of keepsakes or stufed closets—there’s a quick and easy way to clean it up. BY RAc HEl RA BkIN P EAcHmAN
THE FIX Ask someone who can be objective to help you organize these pieces into categories, then decide which you have room to keep, which to pass on to family and which to donate or sell. As you sort, remember that your loved one is not their stuf, and if you hold on to too much the items can feel like a burden. Your goal is to keep the most meaningful pieces and give them a place of honor on a shelf or side table so you can appreciate them. If letting go is still too difcult, take pictures and create a photo book that you can fip through from time to time.
Papers and books have taken over my living areas. help!” Daphne mallory, twin Falls, ID
WHY IT HAPPENS
it’s easier to keep everything rather than take the time to sort through stuf as soon as it enters your house.
THE FIX First, designate shelves for a mini library and use fling units to
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womansday.com
April 2015
store paperwork and bills— limit yourself to keeping only what can be contained neatly in that area. then, work through one pile at a time, even if it’s a stack a week, and ask yourself:
• have i looked at the item in the last 12 months?
• will i need to access it
within the next year? • is it still useful? • is it difcult to replace? If the answer is no or, more likely, “you never know,” toss it. If it’s yes, fle it in your new ofce area or scan it into your computer. Keep utility
bills, pay stubs and bank statements for a year and shred or delete anything older—except for tax returns, which you should keep for three or more years. Going forward, sign up for electronic statements to limit the infux of paper into your home.
thIs pAGe, top leFt: GettY ImAGes. opposIte pAGe, rIGht: shutterstoCK. All other ImAGes: CourtesY oF subjeCts.
The GreaT
inherited possessions can come to represent the person who owned them or symbolize your relationship. Clearing them out can trigger guilt, and may make you feel like you’re saying goodbye all over again.
