Downsizing

From page B-2

Yard sales can help

Halfway toward our downsizing goal, when we could barely move among the boxes and bags, I suggested a yard sale to give us some room.

Gail agreed — with the caveat that whatever didn’t sell could not re-enter the house. It would be left for curbside pickup or stacked on the porch for donation.

Surprisingly, the yard sale proved a successful downsizing tool and a muchneeded break. It introduced me to a host of neighbors, too.

By the end of that day, a spirit of conviviality prevailed. Kids were riding their bikes and kicking soccer balls around the perimeters of the sale area while their parents chatted amiably over carry-out coffee cups.

Many volunteered trucks and SUVs to haul stuff away, tables to display more goods, and muscle power to help cus-

Beacon Bits

Ongoing tomers carry purchases to their cars.

One neighbor actually brought a friend to the sale who ended up buying my house! That night I felt euphoric.

But the next morning, when the rejects littered the porch and curb, my balloon burst. A petite older woman knocked at my door and asked if she could take some things. “Fine,” I told her.

I watched from my kitchen window as she stuffed her SUV to capacity. Soon she returned for a second round, taking what was, by then, mostly junk. To me, she appeared like a bird of prey, descending on the scraps of the good life I had lived in my house.

Her callous manner brought me to tears, releasing feelings of loss, doubt and fear I had suppressed for weeks. Gail’s hug and shoulder to cry on helped cushion the blow.

Thanks to the love and support that I had all through the draining journey of downsizing, I was able to close the front door of my house on the day of my move

Become A Museum Docent

Apply to become a docent at the National Museum of African American History and Culture. Online and in-person training is provided to accepted applicants. Volunteers must commit to two years of service, averaging 6-10 hours per month in two shifts. The application deadline is Aug. 1. Apply at bit.ly/VolunteerDocent. For more information, email NMAAHCVolunteers@si.edu.

with a wide smile, stripped of the debris of my past — and filled with excitement about opening a new chapter in my future.

What I learned about downsizing

• You can’t do it alone. If you don’t have a close friend like Gail in your life, hire a professional. Use senior moving companies, realtors, the internet or word-of-mouth, and look for experience and a caring personality.

• Start planning early. Decide what to keep and what to give away. Then research your options. Again, ask your realtor, mover and friends and family who’ve already walked the line.

The internet is full of sales outlets like Craigslist.org and Maxsold, or you can donate to nonprofits like Lupus Foundation, A Wider Circle and Goodwill.

Determine what each will take, the condition they require and whether they will pick up or you must deliver.

When selling, demand cash only [or a payment app like Venmo or Zelle], and don’t give out your personal information (address, phone number or other ID) until the transaction is almost com- plete and a transfer point agreed on.

• Stock up on supplies. The tools you need to have on hand throughout the house include yardsticks, measuring tape, packing tape and multi-colored rolls of painter’s tape, plastic trash and paper bags, packing boxes, boxcutters, pens, pencils, markers and notepads.

• Check to see if your town provides free bulk trash pickups. In some counties, residents are entitled to four such pickups a year. Some may even designate special dates for removal of items like electronics or hazardous chemicals.

• Donate to schools. Local public and private schools welcome office supplies, and educational programs like social studies are eager for teaching materials like all those yellowing newspapers from your attic that headline events such as the Kennedy assassination.

—Lynne Vance

atu d n n , a ulture , c s t r f a o aptures y c ommunit o c N o c c ceni s s ’ y it e c h n t o deally , i y e Ba Chesapeak e a r e a ar f c m o continuu an amenities, fabulous org , g esidences s r Luxuriou reas s a t h i eac a B Virgini his f t l o l s a y eaut l b ura rove e t sur ths y B 2-stor e 2 h h t it d w An nclus e i n r o nde ow u n le ? P iving e l yl t s t- resor more for -1668 496 0) (80 e e a p chedul o s r t o s e u e r s . O oday r t tou ore n m ear o l t t Wan ome o c e t mor there’s expansion, / / my.co nline:o sonal r mation infor all e c eas about e even y b anter C ter- mins t Wes ui r q andeu r s g ’ area ower y T Ba e e fe siv vailable l a l full the d iews, s v geou tline oas ituated y s on y bur ike e l t bay w.wc w ps:///w t ht