Moving into a senior-friendly independent living community is an exciting time for you and your loved one. However, it can also be stressful when downsizing your belongings and organizing everything before moving day. You may no longer need a large home or yard, and your family might have moved away. If you’re considering moving into senior communities in Gastonia, NC, like TerraBella Little Avenue, we hope these tips will help make the process easier for you.
Decide What You Will Take and What You Will Leave Behind
You must decide what you can and cannot take with you. The easiest way to start is by gathering your financial documents, such as tax returns, insurance policies, and retirement funds. The second type of document that should be gathered is property ownership or lease agreements.
Next, you may want to look at the items in your home that have sentimental value but low monetary worth, such as photographs, letters, and journals. These items can help bring back memories from the past, which could be beneficial when making new friends or developing new hobbies after moving into a senior-friendly independent living community.
Digitize Any Paper Records, Bills, or Statements
This is a great opportunity to digitize your important documents, bills and statements. Scan all your papers into a cloud storage service or use mobile apps like Evernote to keep them on your device. If you’re worried about fire damage, consider buying a fireproof safe. A home security system is another smart investment if you can afford it.
Decide What Will Go into Storage and What Can Be Sold or Donated
When downsizing, it’s important to consider what you can do with the items in your home. Decide what will go into storage and what will be sold or donated. Donate items that you no longer use. Sell items that are still usable and relevant to you, either online or at a garage sale. If you are moving into an independent living community, there may be things in your house that would be perfect for another resident!
Take an Inventory of Your Possessions Prior to Packing
Before you begin packing, it’s a good idea to take an inventory of the things you are planning on taking with you. This will help prevent any unnecessary stress in the future. If your loved one is still living independently, then he/she should be able to assist with this process if needed.
To start gathering data about all of your belongings, make sure that:
- You have photos of each room and its contents
- You have pictures of important items such as jewelry, silverware and other valuables (i.e., items that may be considered irreplaceable)
The next step is to create a spreadsheet or document with each room listed along with their corresponding items and quantities.
Schedule Moving Help as Early as Possible
Hiring a moving company will take some of the stress off your shoulders, but it will cost more. Consider this option if you need help with packing and unpacking.
Hiring a professional organizer can make your life easier by simplifying the process of downsizing. They can organize everything that needs to be sorted and place it into bins for you, saving you hours of time sorting through boxes yourself.
If you have friends or family willing to help out (and have their transportation), consider asking them for assistance with loading and unloading trucks—or even having them take items from one building to another as part of their donation process! If they don’t want to do this, some companies offer free pickup services in most locations throughout the United States.
We hope you can take away some helpful ideas to make this process smoother. Remember: the more prepared you are, the less anxious you will be! And don’t forget to keep yourself busy and distracted while all this is happening, so you don’t drive yourself crazy with stress.
