Downsizing with Care

18/11/2024

Last week was a busier than average week.

Between finishing sorting at an estate clearance, picking up the keys to another estate clearance and helping with some organising ideas at a retirement village, it was a big week.

And all of the lovely people we're working with have had a hard road they've travelled to get to the point where they were ready to call some help in. I feel lucky that they chose to bring us in to help with that "last little bit".

Today I just caught up on admin tasks as we don't start on the next estate clearance until tomorrow.

Will I finish everything on my list?

No.

Have I booked all the donation pickups, cleaning, and necessary parts of our work?

Yes.

Do I feel honoured that the families chose us to help honour their legacy?

Absolutely.

Busy seasons come and go. Sometimes I have to stop and pinch myself that we are lucky enough to do the work that we do, to support the amazing people who bring us into the homes of their loved ones.

14/09/2024

Sunday morning, in my pyjamas, sorting out batteries and ewaste from deceased estates 😀

Does organising count as a weekend hobby activity 🤔

14/08/2024

Beds can be difficult to deal with in our line of work.

Salvos and the other large charities don't want mattresses and only want the beds themselves when they can be disassembled.

Which I completely understand.

Mattresses and beds can be:
❌ Of limited resale value (if any) on the second hand market
❌ Costly to dispose of
❌ Time-consuming to find individual homes for

Which is why I'm so pleased that we could find a new purpose for an adjustable lift bed from an estate clearance we just finished. Instead of just being of interest to someone as a bed, it was an essential need for someone coming home from hospital.

Had this person, on a limited budget, not been able to secure a lift bed, that person wouldn't have been able to return home from hospital.

Making the donation all the more meaningful.

01/08/2024

I truly wish that people could get close to what they paid for their antiques and other items of value to them.

Unfortunately, we often have to break the bad news that their antiques and vintage items may sell for very little in the current market.

Many antiques dealers have had to close their doors (such as The Canberra Antiques Centre which closed late last year), or change the way they do business.

We are fortunate to have Rachel, former auction house staff member, who can help people make sense of which items might be worth selling and send items to the appropriate destinations (such as auction houses where the items are sold to the highest bidder).

Here's more on how we help with sales of vintage/antique items:

Why do you recommend considering sales of items first? Many people avoid decluttering certain items because they feel...

23/07/2024

Did you know there is still a way you can recycle soft plastics?

Terracycle (who recycles all sorts of things) sells boxes for recycling soft plastics for $206.

I get it - this may or may not be an option for your budget.

I'm going to have to do a soul search about whether or not I can justify this for our next estate clearance.

On the one hand, soft plastics are my pet hate. I hate the thought of them occupying a permanent spot in landfill. On the other hand, the investment for these boxes is not cheap.

Might get one as an experiment and see how long they take to fill up.

Recycle anything with the Zero Waste Box™ by TerraCycle. Use this comprehensive recycling solution in your home or office. Pre-paid shipping label included.

16/07/2024

I had the distinct pleasure of talking with Coral about the downsizing process on the Your Aged Care Compass podcast (link below). Coral has an incredibly valuable service helping people to access their proper entitlements through their home care packages.

I highly recommend her podcast for learning more about navigating through the aged care system.

Downsizing.
Does the word fill you with dread?
It does for me.

My parents lived in a large 4 bedroom home that had a huge work shed in the backyard, filled with timber and wood working machinery.
When dad died in 2018, mum decided to downsize. The task of clearing decades worth of 'stuff' was too much for me. I wasn't much help to mum. I couldn't make decisions about what should go and what should be kept. I am too sentimental.

So talking with Melissa Freasier in today's podcast episode about Downsizing Your Home was insightful and helpful for me. The nugget of gold I took away from our discussion was that your own home doesn't have to become a museum for your parents.

Pop over to the website and catch this episode https://seemeacn.com.au/your-aged-care-compass-podcast/

And if you're a regular listener of our podcast and find the discussion beneficial, I'd love for you to leave a review.

Coral

09/07/2024

Returning a wheelie walker to Canberra Hospital's orthopedic unit from a recent deceased estate we've been working on :)

04/07/2024

It was lovely to see the staff at Goodwin Monash hosting some 4th of July celebrations this morning. I'm sure the residents attending enjoyed the chance to get together and enjoy the day.

Happy 4th of July to those of you with a link to the USA or any other excuse to celebrate the day :)

29/06/2024

Because of inflationary pressures on things we use a lot of (such as petrol, boxes and other packing supplies), we will raise our prices for new clients from 1 July, 2024 to $121 per hour, including GST.

This remains an all-inclusive rate so that we can continue to provide an all-inclusive service to help you downsize or deal with the home of a loved one.

28/06/2024

The family of the estate clearance we're working with at the moment have asked that donations go directly to those who need it. So this morning I reached out to the social workers at Wellwaysand it seems they may be able to take some of the furniture and whitegoods. What a win-win situation!

Working to create an inclusive community where everyone can imagine and achieve their hopes and potential.

21/06/2024

Recently I've been very fortunate to work with graphic designer, Sally Travis, to develop a new logo and simplify our colour scheme. Highly recommend Sally to anyone needing a talented graphic designer.

07/06/2024

A very worthy cause.

Please give generously. We are seeking quality items to support our community members during the cold Canberra winter.

31/05/2024

Alyx, who we recently helped with an estate clearance, left this lovely review for Downsizing with Care:

"We had such a good experience working with Melissa and the team after my mother passed away. They did a great job on clearing out her home with kindness and sensitivity, taking time to coordinate multiple people on our behalf as we are based interstate. We wouldn't hesitate to recommend their services."

06/04/2024

Just got home after a meeting a lovely family at a new client consultation this morning.

Too grey and rainy to do much else so my little family and I are settling into a "home afternoon" this afternoon.

What are you doing this rainy weekend?

(Photo of dried Billys Buttons flowers for visual interest)

01/04/2024

My eBook, The Australian Decluttering Directory, came out this week.

Really proud of the way that it makes accessible the "hidden" resources for downsizing.

If you are decluttering, downsizing or helping with an estate clearance, it can absolutely save you time and effort (and help you sell items of value without worrying about Gumtree or Facebook marketplace).

At Downsizing with Care, 6000+ woman hours have been spent helping people declutter and downsize, and I haven't met an object yet that I haven't been able to find a destination for.

20% discount for "early purchasers" until this Sunday.

Peek inside our contact list, explore sales and donation options, and discover local resources. The eBook format includes clickable links to nearby resources. Get ready for a clutter-free journey!

25/03/2024

When researching tip shops for my eBook, The Australian Decluttering Directory, I came across this organisation.

I love what these people are doing.

If ever Downsizing with Care started a physical premises, this is the type of place it might be :)

Upcycle Newcastle is a community group focused on saving waste from landfill through creative re-use and repair. Upcycle Newcastle runs workshops and classes on upcycling, sells upcycled products and has a work space with sewing machines, overlockers and other equipment where members can create upcy...

14/03/2024

The Green Shed is my favourite donation centre. I think they do and have done amazing work under the two tender operators they've had so far.

I was talking about the rumours of a change of tender going to Vinnies a few weeks ago with a former employee of The Green Shed and he felt it may lose some of its ability to be agile and adaptable under a larger organisation.

The Green Shed has certainly done a lot of good work and donated a large sum of money to charity.

It's always hard for employees and stakeholders when tenders like this change hands but three things that I find interesting from the below article are that Vinnies:

* are making a commitment to reducing items going to landfill
* will provide opportunities for current staff to continue their employment
* plan to run community workshops

Very curious to see how this Canberra institution continues to evolve.

https://the-riotact.com/shock-as-green-shed-contract-goes-to-vinnies/

A Canberra recycling and secondhand goods institution is changing hands, but The Green Shed's new operator says it will be…