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Getting your home ready to downsize

So you’ve decided to downsize and you are putting your home on the market.  So, what should you do to get it ready? Take advice from the estate agent you are using, but note they will all have different opinions on this!If your home is likely to need a lot of work by your buyer to modernise it, feel free to ignore most of the rest of this advice, as it won’t make much difference to the outcome.Tidy the front garden and make sure any issues with the front of the house (peeling paint...

When should you downsize?

There is never a good time to downsize.  Many of our clients wish they’d done it much sooner, but acknowledge they probably thought they were invincible 10 years earlier.   So when you do it is up to you.  But the younger you are the more energy you’ll have to do it.  As specialists in downsizing parents and grandparents we can help and assist with small and large tasks, or project manage the whole thing. Things to consider are:Finances - freeing up money to top...

Halfway through January

the month of January.  You don’t have to declutter your whole home in one month, but if you need some inspiration to keep going here are a few more tips.You don’t have to fill every cupboard or shelf you own, so rejoice in an empty space.  See our blog from last January on this:  https://www.onestoporganisers.co.uk/blog/post/18719/the-empty-cupboard/When decluttering clothes, separate items in your wardrobe so you can see what you haven’t worn over the seasons.Your...

Continuing the decluttering

Were the last three tips useful?  Here are a few more to keep you on the straight and narrow!Declutter first, organise afterwards (you can’t organise until you know what you have).Do ‘stuff’ first, and paperwork later as it is a totally different category.Keeping items ‘just in case’ is all very well, but if it takes up room in your home or garage and you have too much stuff, it is not serving you and you should get rid of it.For these and other declutter tips, head over to our we...

January decluttering

to take stock of our lives and make changes, hopefully for the better.  One of these changes is often to ‘get organised’, and decluttering is very much part of that.  Here are just a few of our tips to help you with this:Gather like with like so you can see what you have (scissors, batteries, paracetamol are good examples of things that exist in different places around your home).Set aside small chunks of time as you will achieve more.Take items to the charity shop after each sessi...

Reflecting on time with your loved ones

We hope you all had a fantastic Christmas day with your friends and family, or if you were alone, that you enjoyed the peace and quiet.  We know lots of people who prefer a quiet one, so if that’s you, we salute you!Following up on our last post, did you notice anything different with your older loved ones over the festive period?  Now you’re back home perhaps you’ve had a chance to reflect on what you saw.   And it might be the time to give them a call and thank them f...

Festive Relaxing

...most of you will spend time with friends and family, some of whom will be your older relatives.  Whilst you are with them and having a lovely festive and relaxed time, they may not want to tell you about anything happening to them as they may feel too proud.  However, you may notice some physical and other changes to their home.  Keep an eye out for:·       Are they using a stick when they haven’t before?·       Ar...

What to do when.... you need to pay online charges and don't have a computer

What do you do when…. you don’t have a computer / internet or mobile phone and need to pay for your ULEZ or Congestion Charge?To  help clear  London's air, the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, every day of the year, except Christmas Day. The zone operates across all London boroughs, and does not include the M25.  Other cities have other policies and it is likely that a similar scheme to the one we’re writing about operates with them...

What do you do when... your mobile phone is lost

In the first of our series of ‘what do you do when…’ we are focusing on:  lost or stolen mobile phones. We had a few of our own ideas, but we decided to have a google and see what other trusted people said too.  We endorse all of the advice from Citizens’ Advice, which you can find here.  So we’ve included most of their advice in our step by step guide, but we have also added some extra steps.1.       Don’t panic.  Chances a...

What is independence in retirement?

Although the true definition of independence is ‘freedom from the control, support and aid of others’, remaining independent in retirement may require choices on what support is appropriate so that you can lead the life you want to with the minimum number of compromises.As we get older, we age.  And we all age differently.  All of our bodies and minds start to decline but they do so at different rates depending on many different factors.  We may be happy at home doing the clea...

Is it time to downsize?

There are many reasons why you or your parents might be thinking about downsizing.  Or perhaps you haven’t thought about it yet but now, reading this, realise it might actually solve some of the issues you face.FinancesFinances are the most common reason for downsizing or ‘rightsizing’ as some like to call it these days.   If you already live in a flat with a short lease, but don’t have the money to extend, this can allow the cost to be absorbed in the sale which means you...

Are you prepared for the inevitable?

Let’s not beat around the bush; by this I mean dying and all the things that go with getting older.None of us wants to lose our independence, but giving trusted people the power to help as you get older can actually be more empowering as it means you are not fighting fires; you can plan ahead.Everyone should have a Will, but I know there are still plenty of people of all ages who don’t have one.  If you’re married and things are straightforward, that might be ok, but it doesn’t allo...

The Empty Cupboard

Once upon a time, there was an empty cupboard.  In fact there were several empty cupboards.  They all lived together in a home, in a street, not far from where you are now.   Then one day, a family moved in.  And they filled all the cupboards.  And the cupboards got fat.   And over time, they got fatter as the family filled the cupboards with more things, until no more would fit in them.  The cupboards longed to have space, so they didn’t feel tight...

Last Minute Christmas Gifts

If you’re still looking for inspiration for Christmas presents for family members, then I highly recommend Alice Mayers from  https://www.thestorykeepers.co.uk/ who can help you and your family tell a story to keep for generations.    You can buy a gift voucher now, and that means no problems with postal strikes. Just print it out and wrap it up and hey presto, a fantastic gift.  Alice will work with your loved ones in the New Year to get their story.  All he...

Get ready for Christmas!

It’s all about making lists.  So get a pen and paper ready, or a note section on your mobile phone and make some lists.Make a list of all of those presents you want to buy, and who for.  If you haven’t started ordering yet, we recommend doing so right away!  Leaving anything to the last minute is always stressful.  Mark off when you have bought something, and if you need to go to a shop, put a diary note to go to the exact shop, or to go on a browsing trip,  so it do...

Cafe Connections

I was in my mid seventies, retired and leading a very full life.  I took part in a Portrait Group, and studied art and writing at the City Literary in London.  I was an active participant at my local gym, exercising and swimming four times a week.  Then suddenly the Pandemic was upon us, and everything changed.  Colleges and gyms were closed, group meetings were discouraged, and we were asked to stay at home.  Everything my week focused upon was gone. It was then that As...

August newsletter is here!

Have a look at our latest newsletter here...

How many is too many?

Have you got 9 different hip flasks?  Probably not.  But you might have 9 different milk jugs, or 9 different vases, 9 different pairs of scissors or 9 different dresses of the same colour. If you think 9 is too many, then we can help you decide which ones to part with, using this simple set of questions: How many can you use at a time?When did you last use them?Is it reminding you of a special time or person?Is there a different type of use for each different one? Ultimately, if you h...

End Of Life Planning

I had the privilege of having a chat with Sarah from Poppy's Funerals and Annette from Dockleaf conversations about planning for End of Life, and you can read the interview here.  ...

Memories

Memories are a huge part of our lives. Where would be without them?  We have the memories in our brains, but we also have physical items; drawings from children, postcards, cards, programmes, tickets, orders of service from weddings, things from university, school, I could go on … because almost everything that we own is a memory of some sort. Memories turn up in everyone’s homes when I am decluttering and organising with clients.   And they are often not all together and...

Senior Survey 2021 - results are in

Our Senior Survey 2021 has produced some thought-provoking results; thank you so much to everyone who took part.  The aim of the survey was to find out what it means to be retired in 2021 and we have had some fantastic insights.  Almost 200 people filled in the survey which we are very pleased about, with a healthy 82% filling it in for themselves and a great number embracing online socialising during the pandemic. We read all of the comments made by responders with interest too; more ...

February newsletter here!

Have a look at our latest newsletter here...

Cafe Connections (for over 70s)

Cafe Connections is a new online cafe for over 70s.  Whether your active, inactive, living on your own, or with family, come and connect with other like-minded individuals and hear from a different guest speaker every week.    Book here for next week and future weeks.  ...

January decluttering

Thanks to Build Mum a House here are all the links you need to start your January declutter with our Instagram, LinkedIn and Facebook campaign. https://buildmumahouse.co.uk/2...If you want to know more about our declutter tips, please get in touch now! ...

Helping Hands

It's the weekend. Your mum has some letters and emails you need to help her reply to. You have two children under 12 with activities galore and you need to go and buy some new football boots urgently. Your husband is away on a stag do. Do you: a) ignore her for now and feel guilty b) ask someone to look after the kids and feel guilty about them and the school mum who has two more kids for tea c) call One Stop Organisers who can set her up with a helping hands PA so you can always spend plan...