{"id":13474,"date":"2016-11-07T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2016-11-07T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/churchill2021.co.uk\/decluttering-without-tears\/"},"modified":"2023-02-01T10:11:10","modified_gmt":"2023-02-01T10:11:10","slug":"decluttering-without-tears","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/staging.themediapeople.co.uk\/churchill2021\/news\/other-news\/decluttering-without-tears\/","title":{"rendered":"Decluttering Without Tears"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Most of us are secret hoarders living in homes filled to the brim with clutter. Our attics are crammed with our children\u2019s old toys, chipped china ornaments, broken suitcases, cardboard boxes and bric-a-brac we can\u2019t bear to throw away \u2013 not to mention the clothes, shoes and handbags overflowing from our wardrobes, and DIY and gardening tools in our sheds and garages.<\/p>\n<p>It is madness how much stuff we keep but very frightening if we begin to contemplate throwing any of it away.<\/p>\n<p>Over the years I have developed all sorts of strategies to purging our home of \u2018stuff\u2019 and discovered that going through one room at a time is manageable \u2013 and rekindling that virtuous feeling when it is clearer, looking bigger and tidier makes all the effort worthwhile.<\/p>\n<p>Every item should be scrutinised before it\u2019s allowed into your new house or even remain in your existing one. The consequence, if done well, will be a clean, pared-down, surprisingly optimistic environment for the next phase of your life. The strange thing is, you seldom if ever, miss the things you have given away, when you have given the things you love the space to breathe.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2>Jane\u2019s tips to clearing the clutter mountain<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Stick to the William Morris rule. If an object isn\u2019t beautiful or useful, don\u2019t live with it.<\/li>\n<li>Plan your space. Imagine where each item is going to go in your new home. If there is no room for granny\u2019s sideboard, pass it on to someone else in the family, or sell it.<\/li>\n<li>Papers and photographs. Frame photographs and family mementos you treasure. Stick others into scrapbooks or photo albums. Pics of people you don\u2019t know can be binned and scan the rest and keep on your ipad.<\/li>\n<li>Damaged goods. Ruthlessly fix or throw away anything that is broken or chipped. It\u2019s far better to move into your new house with everything working and clean.<\/li>\n<li>Heirlooms. If you are saving items for your children, hand them over now. You might be surprised how little they want. If great-uncle Albert\u2019s commode isn\u2019t to your taste or theirs why hang onto it? Sell it on ebay and give them the money.<\/li>\n<li>Keep only what you intend to use. If you only play the piano once a year, consider selling it. If you can\u2019t actually read the complete works of Trollope without a magnifying glass trade it in for a Kindle.<\/li>\n<li>Kitchen equipment and cookbooks. Chuck that icecream maker with its 10 attachments that you only used once along with the Teasmaid, fondu set and sushi maker. And do you need all those cookbooks?<\/li>\n<li>Rid your clutter from your home. When you have decided what should go, take it straight to the menders, dustbin, charity shop, child\u2019s house or auction room. Don\u2019t let it sit around reproaching you.<\/li>\n<li>Get some help. If the process is too emotionally fraught enlist the help of a family member, friend or a professional, (Google \u2018Clutter Clearing\u2019 on the Internet).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>For more information on services offered by Churchill Retirement Living, including downsizing, please find out more about how you can Move With Ease.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><em>Jane Slade &#8211; Retiremove Editor<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Most of us are secret hoarders living in homes filled to the brim with clutter. Our attics are crammed with our children\u2019s old toys, chipped china ornaments, broken suitcases, cardboard boxes and bric-a-brac we can\u2019t bear to throw away \u2013 not to mention the clothes, shoes and handbags overflowing from our wardrobes, and DIY and<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[225],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v21.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Decluttering Without Tears - Churchill Retirement Living<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Decluttering Without Tears - Churchill Retirement Living\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Most of us are secret hoarders living in homes filled to the brim with clutter. 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