This blog post is inspired by a recent blog post I read by blogger Siobhan Kratovil https://dallas.momcollective.com/most-of-your-stuff-is-worthless-3-things-you-should-be-doing-now-to-reduce-what-you-own/

In my 10+ years as a home stager in Barrie and surrounding areas, I have seen my fair share of homes that are filled with sometimes generations of possessions. In many cases, it’s elderly clients who have come to the point where they can no longer manage the home due to death of a spouse, disability or illness. Some have amazing family members and friends who band together to help with the emotional and physical task of sorting, donating, and downsizing not only the client’s possessions but their parents possessions as well.

I get it, it seems a shame to discard a perfectly lovely, well built piece of furniture, or those hand crafted figurines that were gifted over the years by loved ones who didn’t know what else to get you for Christmas and you seem to collect them so…

It’s heart breaking. In some cases, I meet clients who are faced with downsizing on their own, after the death of a spouse. Not only are they grieving the loss of a loved one but now they have to deal with all of the above, with no help in sight. Luckily there are senior move management companies to assist, however, this can be costly. I tend to have a little cry on the way home from these consultations, then proceed to clean out a closet or 2 as a form of proactive therapy.

I have been through this process myself with my own family. My dear mother in law, who lived in the same sweet little house for 50 years, needed to downsize and move. It was an emotional experience for her, as well as the entire family. This was one of those cases where she had her entire family come together and support her. In a way, we all needed the support of each other through this process. There were lots of laughs, take out dinners, trips to the curb, trips down memory lane and tears. I can’t imagine what it would be like to have no one to help.

When ever I do a home staging consultation under these circumstances, I empathize with my clients and encourage them to tap into resources available to them. If someone has offered to help, take it! I will advise what to remove, what to leave and where to put it. Sometimes the easiest solution is to remove everything, have the homeowner moved into their new residence and stage with rental furniture and accessories. This usually results in a quick sale, securing the highest equity from the home.

I encourage everyone to to be selective when it comes to consuming and holding on to possessions that no longer serve our lives. That doesn’t mean we can’t keep little meaningful treasures from our past or generations. I love decorating with meaningful items. Just don’t feel guilty for not keeping everything.

Some of the things I have kept that have the most meaning to me don’t take up a lot of room. My mother’s sewing box, my mother in laws white and gold tea cup and a coffee table book on photography from my dad. ♥️