Let It Go - Peter Walsh Page 0,62
remaining:
Trinkets
Malignant items
Forgotten items
Household trash
I-Might-Need-It Items that you didn’t find worthy of keeping
Congratulations—you’ve reached the end of your downsizing! But even at the finish line, you still have a bit of important work to do to ensure that your downsizing is as meaningful and sustainable as it can be.
To the extent that your community makes it possible, please recycle as much of your trash as you can. Take hazardous items (like household chemicals, old batteries, cans of paint) to the approved drop-off site in your area, or ask your trash service about options it can offer for these items.
Also, make use of the many options you have to recycle your unwanted electronic devices. Again, your community may offer a drop-off point for these items. Some big-box electronics and office-supply stores will also accept these devices and some other household appliances. For recycling sites available in your area, check out GreenerGadgets.
Just make sure that the organization you plan to use will accept the specific items you want to recycle. (In some cases, you may have to pay a fee.) Also, even if the organization says it will wipe the data off your old computer, tablet, or other device, it’s wise to do this yourself before you drop it off.
Hopefully, after you’ve repeatedly sifted through your household’s “material convoy” with each of these steps, all you’re left with is stuff that really, truly has nowhere else to go but the landfill.
Bag it up and set it out in the appropriate place for your trash collector to take it.
You can now consider your home thoroughly and completely downsized in the Let It Go manner. I would send you a certificate of completion, but that would just be clutter you don’t need, wouldn’t it?
Now, stow this book somewhere you can find it when you get to your next destination. Once you’re unpacked and settled in, please find a quiet moment and go to the Afterword here.
CHAPTER 8
DOWNSIZING YOUR PARENTS’ HOME
Some of the biggest and most familiar brands in the United States are family endeavors. Go behind the scenes at Ford, Walmart, and Gap, and you’ll see the founders’ children, grandchildren, or even great-grandchildren helping to run the company.
That said, it’s common for families to lose their businesses fairly quickly. According to Harvard Business Review, nearly three in four family-owned businesses either fail or land in outsiders’ hands before the second generation is able to take over.
As I mentioned in Chapter 5, if your downsizing project involves family members, which they typically do, then you should approach it as you would a family business.
So it’s reasonable to ask why, if so many family businesses fall apart, I would want you to run your downsizing like one. Because you can learn what not to do from them.
These businesses sometimes implode from problems similar to those that can arise when you’re downsizing: Family members feud. They form factions. They let their emotions spill over into their decisions. They get resentful.
But when they plan carefully and follow a few sensible rules, family businesses can thrive. Success can also be yours in the downsizing “business” so long as you organize it thoughtfully and run it the right way.
In this chapter, I’m going to guide you through the process of downsizing your parents’ home. Different situations can press you into this service, but I suspect these typically fall into two categories:
One or both parents need to move into an assisted living facility or nursing home
One or both parents have passed away
If your parents are facing a health emergency that demands speed and quick decisions, this downsizing may be sudden. Or you may have the luxury of time before you need to dive into the process.
In all cases, however, the outcome you want is the same: for you and your family members to be happy, for your parents’ wishes to be honored, and for the process to be as efficient as possible.
DOWNSIZING WHEN A PARENT IS MOVING TO LONG-TERM CARE
Your downsizing project may arise when mom, dad, or both need to move out of their home because dementia or another health issue prevents them from living independently.
They may go to a nursing home, assisted living facility, or even a family member’s home. Though these are different kinds of living arrangements, for the sake of convenience, I’ll refer to them as long-term care. I anticipate that in these situations you’ll have a high degree of input because their participation may be more limited.
If mom and dad are downsizing to an active retirement community