downsizing Tag

August 30, 2019 In Uncategorized

back to school already?!

Y’all! (Like that southern charm?) It has been a BIII-ZEEEEEEEE (busy) summer! Holy guacamole. (Love that stuff.)

Humongo projects with downsizing 5,000 sq ft houses, travels to Vermont, for fun, family, and other, Pro Athlete client move across the country (hello flying for work…so fun and yes, sky miles, and wow lots of shoes), weddings, graduations, retirement celebrations, preparing client homes to go on the market, our birthdays and engagement (wha?!), off to Florida and overseas shortly, and did I mention more work, meetings, work, meetings, and boom, its nearly September?

30 seconds of summer!

At least I made it to the gym today before yet another work meeting with my partner in crime, at the coolest place that’s opened in Charlotte since Charlotte became Charlotte. (Ok, so the USNWC is a super awesome favorite as well.) Messy, frizzy hair don’t care:

When you work for yourself, you’re a hustla, baby. Sometimes you change in a bathroom, and have to go without a shower after getting your sweat on, so you can fill your pipeline with next opportunities. Sometimes weeks pass without a break, then you take a big one. Sometimes you wonder how you haven’t come up for your own air, and then realize it’s because you’ve been filling client lungs with what they need to breathe.

We help people get unstuck. We LOVE what we do. We declutter lives to clear paths for whatever’s next for the people who hire us, dealing with the most stressful all-consuming times they might ever have. (Then WE are all-consumed.) When we are on 24/7, we know we’re making a difference by being the trusted guide by someones side when they often don’t even know what end is up. It’s exhausting at times, but after we get the red carpet rolled out for our clients next adventures, we always make time for our own.

What’s next for you?

We hope your summer was BIII-ZEEEEEEEE (busy…the good kind) like ours. We also hope that you won’t ever be afraid to go out with messy hair so you can keep creating the life you want.

#LoveYourWork #LifeOutsideTheDroneZone #LessWaitingMoreDoing

February 16, 2019 In Uncategorized

abandon ship!

I mean…abandon crap!

It’s Saturday afternoon. We’ve just finished up another project helping a client take back control of their life, and I’m finally having a few quiet minutes at my desk. Shocker I’m thrilled to have some time to read articles about lifestyle and minimalism that have popped in my inbox recently. I’m adopting the following as the quote of my month of February. It makes me cheer and imagine high-fiving all the soon-to-be clients I will repeat it to:

“Never underestimate the importance of abandoning crap you don’t need. It has the power to change your life dramatically.”

We got this sweet card in the mail from a client we worked with a few weeks ago:

We helped this client abandon a LOT of crap. No, her lifelong items bought with hard-earned money were not garbage, but they were things she no longer needed/wanted/used, and they were holding her back from moving on to the next adventure in life she wants to be on. So? We said peace out, crap! as we waved goodbye and thank you to the donation truck and driver from AMVETS.

(Did I mention how much we love our clients and they become like family?)

Circling back to today…

I just texted one of the realtors I work with and told him the first thought that popped in my head the instant my eyes opened this morning was I wonder if the donation truck has picked up the items from the house yet. The house I’m referring to is the one we prepped for market ready this week. Photos are being taken on Monday, and the house is officially up for sale next weekend. Most people on a Saturday morning would be waking up thinking of coffee, a honey-do list, kids sports games to get to, or who’s turn it is to cook the bacon. My 24/7 thoughts are constantly trying to come up with more ideas on how I can help those around me abandon more crap, so they can seamlessly get to where they’re trying to be.

Can you imagine trying to wake up and get dressed and out the door to your job, or get your kids off to school after walking into your closet looking like this?

If you can’t find your socks, how can you find your sanity in this busy life?

The above photos are from the Blue Lollipop Road collection of before and after. In this case, the “after” aren’t even fully complete, but you get the idea. The before are the reason I wake up thinking about abandoning crap and donation trucks. They also make my head hurt thinking of how stressed I’d be if that was the closet I attempted to dress myself in on a daily basis. No wonder why everyone in America is beeping and angry by the time they reach the Starbucks drive through at 7:30AM Monday – Friday.

IF YOU HAVE LESS CRAP. YOU HAVE LESS CRAP TO MAINTAIN.

Doesn’t that sound so freeing?

ABANDON THE CRAP AND CHANGE YOUR LIFE.

I promise, it works, and we can help you:)

Maybe tomorrow I’ll wake up thinking only about bacon…

#LessStuffMoreFreedomHappyLife #LiveSimpleDoMore #KnowYourInventory

February 8, 2019 In Uncategorized

join me tomorrow: downsizing

Luxury Home builder, Toll Brothers has asked me to come for a 3rd time to host a downsizing seminar for their prospective and recent home buyers. Tomorrow (Saturday February 8, 2019) I will be at their Regency at Palisades location, just outside of Charlotte, NC. I was at this property last year and LOVED it. During my first visit, I asked the ladies in the office, Is this where our parents move to have more fun than we do?! Pool, golf, club house with chef’s kitchen, tennis and bocce courts, massage therapist, fitness center, and more…and all on site? Yes, please. This community is designed for an active lifestyle. (Didn’t you know 60 is the new 30?)

So what happens tomorrow? I will casually sit and have a conversation in the gorgeous open living room/kitchen/dining area one of the model homes. I’ll advise on how to declutter a lifetime of “stuff,” and plan for a path to more freedom and fun. The Palisades homes are not tiny homes, they’re between 1,700 – 2,400 square feet. Downsizing doesn’t mean living in zero space, it means living simple so you can DO more. It means clearing the chaos from your life, so you have MORE time, space, and money. It means stepping out of the Drone Zone, and getting unstuck.

Are you ready to make a change?

You know I love to talk. Come sit on a couch with me and let’s chat about your next chapter…

#LessStuffMoreFreedomHappyLife #LiveSimpleDoMore #Downsize

October 22, 2018 In Links, Live the life you want to live, North Carolina

it’s never too late

I had a great lunch today at Charlotte’s brand new “55 and better” community, Overture Cotswold! I left behind a free consultation certificate, in the form of a jar of blue lollipops of course:

The Overture staff asked me to come talk to new and perspective tenants and I jumped at the chance. I love this building and their concept of apartment life kicked up a notch with amazing amenities. What’s not to love about simplifying your lifestyle at any age, especially once you’ve raised kids, taken care of the lawn for 20 years, replaced the water heater a few times, or looked around wondering why you have 3 spare rooms that never get used?

As I spoke with this group, I told them most of my clients say the same 3 things:

1.) I didn’t realize I had so much crap. (They laughed.)

2.) I can’t believe I didn’t do this sooner.

3.) I feel so much more free!

If you’re considering a lifestyle change including a whole lot more time for friends, family, travel, and fun…consider an option like this. Did I mention they have weekly happy hour in the club room? Walking downstairs in your sweatpants to have a little toast and social time with your neighbors at the end of the day sounds good to me!

60 is the new 30. There are no rules that say you have to stop dancing just because you have a few wrinkles.

#LessStuffMoreFreedomHappyLife #LiveSimpleDoMore #ImNotOnVacationILiveHere

April 24, 2018 In Freedom, Inspiration, Links, Live the life you want to live, North Carolina, Today Is The Day

less stuff. more freedom. happy life: downsizing!

Spring has sprung (finally!) and I’m on a roll with downsizing and minimizing mania. All the clients I have right now are my absolute favorite kind; the ones making big changes and getting rid of the things that are weighing them down and holding them back from doing what they really want to do.

We are purging homes full of things that bring stress, no longer have use, or are unnecessary. We’re getting lives either back on track or starting new chapters.

DID YOU KNOW IT’S NEVER TOO LATE?

Baby…you’ve got all the choices in the world!

One of my current clients is 52 years old, and has raised kids who are now off on their own and thriving. She’s caught grief from family and friends about her major downsize and move to the big city from a teeny one. Are they jealous, or just projecting their fear on her? Either way, she’s happy as a college kid about to graduate, so I’m over here jumping out of my skin thrilled to help her. It’s not easy peasy to grow up and stay in the same town most of your life, then make a jump for the big guns with both feet in…but it is so possible.

(I love being cheesy in anticipation of these blog posts to give you a good laugh. That’s me in action last week during a 16 hour day. Nice and glamorous, exhausted and dirty. Just how I like it.)

At first, my clients grumble about starting these seemingly overwhelming projects, but when we get rolling and this happens:

…the lighter, more free feelings rush in, and oh the celebrations we have!

Here’s what I can tell you for sure if you’re thinking about downsizing:

1.) You’ll wonder why you didn’t “do this sooner.” (A direct quote from every, single, last client I have ever worked with.)

2.) Your kids don’t want your stuff. (Sigh, I know your heart is broken, but the China cabinet from great granny is going to get sliced in half and painted white or Agreeable Gray at best. Likely to be used to put a flat screen TV on. More likely to be thrown in a bonfire. Happens all time. Right now your kids are out with your grandbabies and the dog at a craft brewery, eating dinner off paper plates from a food truck. Yes, even on a Tuesday night.)

3.) You will not for one single minute ever remember, or be miffed that you donated or sold whatever item you thought you might die without. (That old winter coat, the couch, or that ceramic plate you served Johnny’s 1st birthday cake on.)

Since I was a wee-little stubborn girl, I’ve always thought that retirement and living simply “later” was a most ridiculous concept. Work your fingers to the bone for years on end, save up all this money and time in hopes that it will be served on a silver platter back to you while you still have your eyesight, and THEN go enjoy doing things you love with the people you love?!

Silly! Let’s downsize and retire NOW…no matter how old we are.

Let’s make smart choices buying only what we absolutely need, use, and love. If we are living a little too big and bleeding out money, let’s assess, reel it back in, and pivot in a new more efficient direction. Let’s stop and prioritize things like health, friends, family, and whatever else makes you scream, Yahtzee!

Toll Brothers has invited me back again to speak about downsizing at one of their new communities! Come join me this Thursday night if you are in the Charlotte area. If you’re far away, you can invite me to where you are and I will gladly road trip (you know I love those!) to talk to your group about my Less Stuff More Freedom Happy Life movement.

Today is the day. What are you waiting for?

#LifeOutsideTheDroneZone #RespectTheClock #MoreExperiencesLessStuff