Wednesday, August 5, 2015

The Job-A-Day Plan

Now that we’ve decided to sell our home and downsize, we’ve compiled a list of jobs that need to get done before we hammer in a for sale sign on our front lawn. This’ll help tidy up our place a little, so we can get a fair price for it. Like our real estate agent said, we need to put our “best foot forward”.

Thankfully, our house does not require any major renovations; most of the work we have to do is aesthetical. Even so, all those tidying up jobs add up and can feel quite overwhelming. So the question we asked was “where do we begin?”

One of our artistic moments while out biking.

The most amazing man in the world came up with a great idea last month. He suggested that during the entire month of August we should each tackle one job each day that will contribute toward the sale of our home. It doesn’t have to be anything major; we can choose to de-clutter, wash windows, paint a wall, scrub the bathtub, reorganize, move around furniture, etc. And we can spend as little or as much time as we’d like, be it 15 minutes, half a day, 3 hours...whatever we can spare. But we must do one job a day for the entire month. By the time September arrives, the “job-a-day” plan will have taken care of all the minor work and we will be free to tackle the handful of bigger jobs. And be ready to sell at the end of the month.

Clowning around, as always.

This plan has been set in motion and in just a few short days we are seeing positive changes. It’s amazing how even the smallest contribution can bring about such great results. And you know what else is amazing? How much crap we can accumulate over the years. Hopefully the “job-a-day” plan will obliterate most of it!

Have a lovely day, everyone.

34 comments:

  1. it'll sell like hot cakes I have no doubt, you can enter a house and feel the love or feel such negativity that it pushes you away, YOU and George have nothing to worry about, all they'll feel is the love and the positive energy...now I have to go back and find out why are you selling?

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    1. I hope so, Lorraine. If we could be in a smaller home by Christmas, that would be a wonderful gift!

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  2. Yes, yes, the smallest steps lead to the biggest rewards.

    Great photos, too.

    PS: Just started laundry load. One of many ...

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    1. It's amazing how much we've done already. And how much stuff we are getting rid of! I am so excited about getting into a much smaller space.

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    2. Very cool. With any luck, we'll be going into a slightly bigger place. But our place now is teeeeny,

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    3. That certainly makes sense. We'd be happy in a place that is about 1,000 square feet; more than enough room for two. But the smallest we've gone to visit is about 1150 - 1200. We'll see what happens.

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    4. I don't know square footage-wise. Not sure what the trailer is but it's too small for us, Tim's gaming business and my soon to be baking video making madness.

      And a garden. By gosh I miss growing my heirloom organic vedge. So that's a must.

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    5. Yes, a garden would be nice, no? I hope you find something like that. Next time you visit a home, check out the square footage. I think you'll find that around 1,000 square feet is plenty for the two of you. We have our fingers crossed that we can find a small home with a nice garden in back. Fingers crossed, toes crossed, eyes crossed :)

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  3. That is a great plan that he came up with! I did something similar when we were getting ready to move; not with fixing up the house because that was a major remodel, LOL, but with going through our stuff and getting rid of things.

    betty

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    1. One of the things I like best about moving is getting rid of stuff. That is something I enjoy!

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  4. Absolutely! I can relate. We just moved, and I am glad this is behind me. We started 'tweaking' our old house around April. I cleaned out drawers, closets and attic corners. Some larger projects were planned for weekends. A new kitchen floor, and a couple of inexpensive Ikea cabinets... By the time we listed in June we were really ready. It is a huge undertaking to move - but taken in small chunks is easier to digest.

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    1. Yes, definitely easier to digest when taken in small chunks! In less than a week we're already seeing wonderful changes. I can only imagine by the end of the month how far along we'll be.

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  5. Hello, hope it all goes well. Best wishes!

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  6. That's an excellent plan. That way nothing will seem so overwhelming.

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  7. Great to have a plan, it's going to look great by the end.

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    1. I certainly hope so, Christine! We will certainly give it our all.

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  8. That's a great way to get things done. Looking at one huge job can be overwhelming, but when you divide it up into smaller pieces it becomes much more managable.

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    1. Absolutely. All those little jobs will add up to great results!

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  9. that's the only way to take on a big task, one step at a time

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  10. Sounds like a good start.

    Don't forget your home "extras" can be donated...or you can have a big yard sale!

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    1. We won't be having a yard sale but we may sell a few larger items before we move. Everything else will be donated. I've already accumulate a whole bunch of stuff that we can give away.

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  11. I will be keenly watching you declutter. I've been working on downsizing for ten years. I look back at all the stuff I got rid of and think about how much more there is to get rid of.

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    1. Things accumulate very quickly. And the longer we live in the same place, the faster it piles up. I'm looking forward to moving just to unload things we don't need!

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  12. Great photo's within this post - lovely to look at, thanks for sharing.

    Job-a-day sounds a good plan to me, I'm sure you will stick to it and August will pass in a blur.

    Take Care

    All the best Jan

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    1. We'll be busy enough; that's for sure. The month will zip right by!

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  13. Moving is such a huge chore! The best moving advice I have received is keep a box of things that you no longer want/use/need. Put things in the box as you come across them. Don't make it a special task, just as you see them during you day. You will be astonished at how much you can get rid of and how fast the box(es) fill up. When the box is full put it in your car and get rid of it or you will be tempted to rummage through it!

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    1. That is a wonderful idea! Something we should all practice. I'm a minimalist, so I gather up items regularly throughout the year and donate them. Too much stuff in the house drives me batty!

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  14. I love you as a couple, and I know you do too. =)

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  15. Moving or having visitors coming to stay for awhile is always a great way to de-clutter. Be careful though. It can creep back!! :)

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    1. I know, right? You have to keep an eye out on that clutter because it sneaks back in. Hopefully by moving to a much smaller space, we can avoid an overload of clutter!

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