Clutter in Your Closets = Cash in Your Pockets By Julie Hall for the NABBW I\’m well known for the following quote about stuff. “If you don\’t see it or use it for 2 years (maximum), you\’ll never use it, so get rid of it!” Why allow your home to be cluttered up when life is hard enough? SIMPLIFY and make some cash too! Did you know that 80% of what we own we never use? We use the same 20% of things every day because we are creatures of habit — our favorite clothes, shoes, kitchen ware, etc. That leaves much we don\’t really need and as I say, “put... Read More

A Slice of Birthday Cake with Roses on Top By Julie Hall for the NABBW Remember when we were little kids and our eyes were bigger than our stomachs, when we saw the thick, sugary icing and special colored roses on our birthday cake?  Everyone fought over those colorful, sugary roses that contained enough fuel to shoot us to the moon and back, or at least until midnight when the sugar buzz finally wore off.  We were probably 5 or 6 years old, but already we had learned a lesson that would follow us throughout our lives. The voice in our heads beckoned us to eat as much as possible including... Read More

Emotional Assistance for Dealing with a Loved One’s Estate By Julie Hall for the NABBW Amidst the chaos of tending to a loved one\’s needs — the constant worry, personal pain, making the right decisions, remembering the countless details of each day, phone calls, doctors appointments, dotting the “i\’s” and crossing the “t\’s,” dealing with family members, and every other imaginable challenge — it\’s no wonder we have a tendency to lose ourselves, or at the very least, feel lost. Some may even feel they are on the brink of snapping... Read More

Five Promises to Yourself for 2011 By Julie Hall for the NABBW Happy New Year! These days, it appears increasingly difficult to stay on the level emotionally. So much comes at us that it\’s depressing to just turn on the TV. To combat this heaviness that many feel, I have five suggestions to make us feel more buoyant this year. Please share them with your family and friends, since we all need to support one another during these challenging times. Let It Go! Let go of anything that weighs you down. Surplus material possessions and stuff that no longer has meaning, people and relationships... Read More

Today, like any other day, I walked out to my mailbox and found an envelope from my elderly father. I can\’t remember receiving much mail from Dad in the past; it has always been Mom who sent me things. But it was Dad\’s handwriting, and I have been worried because he hasn\’t been well. I opened the letter not knowing quite what to expect. Much to my surprise, I found the following letter along with a handful of photographs that had been enlarged: Dear Julie, I am enclosing several enlargements of old slides I found in the back of the garage. I thought you and the others... Read More

In twenty years of helping people settle their estates, one glaring fact always stands out: we have way too much stuff! Just start poking around your closets, under the beds, up in the attics or your garage, and you\’ll agree. We have overstuffed and cluttered homes, and garages that can\’t hold our cars. Let\’s not forget the good reason why all of these storage companies keep going up across our city: People can\’t seem to let go of their stuff. Don\’t organize your junk — get rid of it! If not for yourself, then do it for your children. Whether you are trying... Read More

It had been a week since Dad\’s funeral, and life was getting back to normal for Sharon. Despite the sadness of the occasion, it had been nice to be with her brother and sister and their families. She hadn\’t been to her dad\’s house since he went into the hospital. She dreaded walking into the empty house, knowing it contained a flood of memories. As she got in her car to drive across town to the house she grew up in, the lump in her throat grew. She thought about all the happy times around the dinner table, and many other memories. As she unlocked the door and stepped into the... Read More

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