Living More with Less: Getting Value out of What You Own

We go through our entire lives accumulating material goods under the premise that “more is more”. But at some point we reach a state of “more is less” in our lives. When does this happen? When do the material goods we have accumulated start to lose value/worth? We know this has happened when what we have accumulated over time becomes a burden vs. a gift in our lives. Items begin to occupy too much space: Physical (in our houses)

o Tripping/falling hazards, fire hazards, weight of items causes damage to the house structure

Emotional (in our minds) o Embarrassment eg. no room to entertain or have guests stay over o Anger/Hatred/Guilt drives possession/use (items become a curse)

Financial (in our pocket books) o Basic needs not met/No disposable income left over because all available funds are used

to purchase items for a “collection” o Outside storage is required (added cost) o Items require significant $$$ repair/no longer working and the repairs cost more than the

items are worth Why does this happen? We all tend to suffer from one or more emotional connections with what we own in our lives through several types of clutter “syndromes”: HERO/JUST IN CASE

o I may need it someday FRUGAL/GREEN

o I paid good money for item INVESTOR

o It will be worth something one day STATUS

o I worked hard to buy this GUILT

o It was a gift/they would want me to keep it

TORCH o It’s a collection/been in the family for

years WHAT IF/WORRY

o They will notice it is gone if they come over

GIFTING o I need to save it to give to my children

VALUE o They don’t make them like this

anymore PROJECTION

o Reminds me of the person who gave it to me/don’t want to forget them

So how do we get more with less?...The answer is not to throw items out. Here are the top ways to ensure that happens: BOGO = Buy One GIVE ONE FREELY (Not “Buy One Get One Free”)

o OR Better to borrow something from a friend/family member/neighbour vs. buy

3 in 3 in 3 = evaluate 3 items in 3 rooms every 3 months o Ask yourself the question do I “Want it? Need it? Have to Have it?” or is there a better

purpose for it (gift, donation with tax receipt, selling garage sale, online, consignment)?

Be a role model for others o Ask for and give experiential gifts (eg. tickets to a show) or charitable donations in name o “Living” Legacy Gifting – instead of “willing” an item, give it to a person today and get to see

how they enjoy the gift

Just say “No but Thank-you” - Recognize the gesture but avoid the guilt o OR say “Yes and What’s the Plan?” - Have the Honest & Difficult Conversations: Would you

mind if I Sold/Gave/Donated…

Assign Ownership (to people not to the place) o Stuff goes with people as they come and go

Never Out of Sight to Become Out of Mind/Unpack it all

o Issues that are seen and felt get dealt with o Exceptions: large/$ items eg. cars/gold/jewelry, transition times (building new home, children

in school) Avoid Too Good To Pass Up

o High %Off/BOGO/Garage Sales are Recipes for Disaster Don’t know where/how to start? Time starved? Having difficulty being objective? Hire a professional to help you. Contact Laurie at 416-949-1195 to get even more tips on how to live more with less.

Laurie Usypchuk is a Certified Zoomer Staging Specialist®, Certified Senior Move Manager® and owner of Love This House, a Home Staging Services† company that specializes in helping home owners 55+ and 75+ “rightsize”, downsize, and prepare for a residential life-stage transition. Laurie helps people get more life equity today and greater house equity tomorrow. For more information go to www.lovethishouse.ca.