Day 5: (April 18, 2010) Today I contacted Charities and other organizations to inquire about donations and to schedule pick –ups. Researching all the necessary information is all part of the masterful plan of organization. I chose the Lupus Foundation today because their next available trucking route in my area worked for me. They will take just about everything, except upholstered furniture. I am so happy and grateful that I can get rid of so much clutter all at one time. So much easier than separating categories.
So far, this is good…nothing hurts yet. This is all EXCESS, easier to purge. I have only just begun. I need to dig deeper. Need to keep going.
As for the stuff that I want to keep, I need to devise a plan so that the packing process will be organized! Thought it would be productive to begin physically packing those things that are not immediately useful to me, nor need to be accessible in the near future. So I am starting with my basement: the Lower Level (which was designed to function as an alternate living space with den, media room, linen closet, toy and craft closet, small kitchenette with microwave and fridge, full gym, large storage closet, full-bath, and bedroom). There is an additional storage closet that houses a fourth and fifth set of Holiday dishes, stemware, platters, pots and pans, silverware, etc. Think this is a good starting point. Together, with my family, we will sort and purge as we go, determining what possessions we will need to pack.
I am going to create a packing station on my “soon to be” donated ping-pong table in this lower-level zone. It will be where I will sort, organize and assess what I am keeping and packing, what I am donating, and what is to be recycled or trashed. This is what I will designate as my hub of the packing process for items on this level only. I will need to create similar hubs for each level of my house so that I can have an easy and direct access for sorting and packing. No reason to run up and down three flights of stairs, carrying items and delivering to only one packing area. So this is my plan: I’m going to divide the “pack” into Three floors; The Lower Level, The Main Floor (Center Hall, Hall Closet, Powder Bath, Dining Room, Kitchen, Laundry Room, Pantry Room, Bar Room, and Den, and Maid’s Room); The Upper Level: Master Bedroom and Bath, three bedrooms, second full-bath, and linen Closet. I will create a manifest list where I will list all items packed and cross referenced with a colored dot system. Those boxes that are moving to the new space, will be assigned a color for a particular room so that it can be easily delivered to the corresponding designated space. With this system in place, it will be easy for both the Movers and I to be organized and efficient, and enable the unpack to run more smoothly.