Downsizing in Central Florida
Downsizing can be accomplished quickly and easily with the right assistance. I recently met with Buffy Werle, the owner and founder of B Organized Today. She and her team do several things to help with seniors who are transitioning. She has helped many families sell their long-term homes and downsize. I’m not at the downsizing stage yet, but I found her downsizing philosophy helpful. Who amongst us doesn’t need to get rid of stuff?
Clutter is a Series of Unmade Decisions
Buffy has a passion for organizing, which includes a degree from Rollins College in organization behavior (translation: efficiency). “Clutter is a series of unmade decisions,” says Buffy, “I help people with untying that stuck thought process.” She and her team have a gentle way of leading a client through the mountains of decisions that come with clearing a home of generations of stuff. And although our senior family members love us, those of us who have helped our seniors through the downsizing process know, a neutral third party outside of family sometimes is better at navigating the emotional waters of indecision. When my siblings and I moved my parents to assisted living, my mom insisted on taking 12 plates with her into her new “kitchen”, a tiny counter and a tiny fridge, despite our best efforts to help her see how unnecessary they were.
The Downsizing Process
The process starts with sorting what to keep, give away, and throw away. Each of those categories comes with its own challenges. She asks questions about how much storage is available at the new home and if the client will ever need to use an item again in their new lifestyle. And sorting can also include garages, storage units, and the dreaded filing cabinet filled with mystery documents no one has looked at in decades. They will box up loose items for the movers (except for hard-to-box items like art and electronics), take unwanted items to donation sites, and curb trash.
Downsizing and Organizing the New Space
Once the boxes and furniture are delivered to the new home, Buffy and her team go to work again, unpacking. She’s a specialist at “zoning,” which means finding a logical place for everything. She will work with the senior if they want to be involved in the unpack, or she and her team will handle it with minimal input. In short order, the boxes are broken down and removed. Buffy says, “Cardboard makes you feel unsettled” (so get rid of that stack of empty Amazon boxes by the front door!). They can come back to perfect the zoning after the senior has lived in the home for a few weeks.
They also handle clean-outs for families not in the area when a loved one has died. She and her team can go into a home, find specific items, ship those items to family members, and then help arrange for an estate sale or junk removal company to clear the property. They also handle garages and storage units. This process is an essential first step before getting a loved one’s home ready to sell.
I asked Buffy what she likes about her job. She said, “People often tell me they feel like they can breathe after we clear away clutter. I like to bring calm to chaos.”
You can find more information about Buffy and her services at B Organized Today, call her at 321-426-8313, or email her at hello@BOrganizedToday.com.
